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Spirou? Every week since 1938, a great adventure and editorial unprecedented human!

first issue of Spirou (April 21, 1938)

It is stunning to see that the Spirou still exists today, it is in very good shape creative, especially since the new formula launched April 16, 2008 to celebrate his 70th birthday, and he therefore continues to appear every week since April 22, 1938 (!!!) apart from a few interruptions released in the 40 consecutive German occupation. Born in Belgium but being culturally impregnated by France he Federated for more than 72 years hundreds of thousands of readers, and all ages.

Logo newspaper from 1973 to 1977

For Spirou remains primarily a weekly aimed at entire families and Readers 7 to 77 years , as the saying goes, something easily verifiable through the letters to the editor: Authors of letters received regularly drafting range from 8 years old boy to a veteran of 74 years through housewives under 50 years! True! Of course the "core target" marketing is more focused on the youth category, but the adult reader avid comic book can not but find his account, especially since it is easy for him to ignore the few pages reserved the younger one is not obliged to read everything in a magazine!

GastonLagaffe ringing the bells
his way for this special Easter

No. 1147 of April 7, 1960

In its pages many bestsellers have missed emerged, offering the Franco-Belgian comics its pedigree. Namely: Spirou and Fantasio , Lucky Luke , GastonLagaffe (first anti-hero without a job and hilarious history of comics), The Blue Tunics , Natasha stewardess (first heroin sexy and funny history of comics for all ages), Yoko Tsuno (first Japanese electronics engineer and the history of comics), and Johan Pirlouit (first series of funny and fascinating medieval history comics), Gil Jourdan (first intriguing detective deadpan laughs in the history of comics), Benedict Ironbreaker (first boy's superhero comics history), Boule and Bill , Tif and Tondu , Danny Buck, The Smurfs , Papyrus, 212 officer, and more recently Jerome K. Jerome Bloche , Brushwood, Women in white , The Psy , Soda , Pierre Tombal , Theodore Poussin, Cedric , Angel and devils, Tamara , Parker and Badger , Jojo , The Nombrils , The Kingdom , Only , Melusine, The hawk , Kid Paddle and Game Over , Marzi, Demons Alexia , Zombillénium and so on, the list would too long. Even the world famous series XIII rose in the magazine several times and the classic Blueberry . Of all the major historical monuments of comics for all ages, only Tintin and Asterix are not from Spirou !

The mosquitoes are in great shape in this
No. 1472 of June 30, 1966

The newspaper was founded by the young publisher John Dupuis who wished to late 30's design a "cabbage leaf" for the youth on the model of evening dailies, which explains the large format 28 x 40 cm Spirou early years, and the many topics of journalistic professional level, including sports. Jean Dupuis began his career in the early 20th century as a printer Marcinelle, a suburb of Charleroi. He decided to turn to the publishing and the press in 1923 to edit the women's magazine Good evenings (one of the first of its kind) then the family magazine The mosquito the following year. Publishing initially a majority of American comics cheap, character creation Spirou being given to French Velter Robert (Rob-Vel ), the weekly change over the years by offering original creations made by talented young writers that will form the golden age of Spirou and Belgian comics: the Jijé , Maurice Tillieux , Jean-Michel Charlier , Peyo , Morris , Will , Eddy Paape , Roba and of course Andre Franquin . This quality will also exponentially many to editors who have succeeded and have always sought to boost the paper when necessary. Tribute So ...

... Jean Doisy for the initial period from 1938 to 1955, when things began slowly in place ...

number 512 of February 5, 1948

... and the mythical Yvan Delporte for the period from 1956 to 1968, during which the identity of the newspaper was finally found and comforted ...

number 1408 of April 8, 1965

... then Thierry Martens, from 1968 to 1978 for the period that I personally prefer (the 70s during which the weekly draw will see a huge and modern tone he had not hitherto and, at the same time, the confirmation of a past age and the immediate success of small new and future best-selling essential: blue tunics, Natasha stewardess , Yoko Tsuno ) ...

number 1893 of July 25, 1974

... and then Alain Kuyssche who will take over from 1978 to 1982, then sell it to Philippe Vandooren from 1982 to 1987, years of crisis and major changes ...

number 2112 of October 5, 1978

number 2507 of April 29, 1986

... ditto for Patrick Pinchart from 1987 to 1993 period when the newspaper will continue to Marcinelle without really looking to find ...

number 2760 of March 6, 1991

... situation causing the same problem Thierry Tinlot of 1993-2004 which, in spite of original covers and new recruits will fail to make a convincing identity to the magazine which will result in lower newsstand sales ...

number 3132 of April 22, 1998

... before that Olivier van Vaerenbergh initially (2005/2007) ...

The nude ber 3494 of March 30, 2005

... then Sergio Honor and Fripiat Benedict (Acting for 2007/2008 ) ...

number 3690 of December 31, 2008

... finally arrive to restore color and passion to the weekly, preparing for the arrival of the excellent Frederick Niffle in April 2008 that will impose a new formula that was hoped for years without much conviction, though when she ran from source: make sure to find the spirit of Spirou on their best period, roughly from 1956 to 1980. With the unexpected return of concepts that have made its success, namely the 100-page special issues related to the seasons (summer and Christmas), and supplements alluring (posters, cards quiz collection stripbooks, stickers, postcards, calendars, mini stories etc.). Return of special holiday ( representative cover little spirou posing on the beach very proud of her creations alongside Sandy ) held July 2, 2008 for No. 3664, 20 years after total interruption of these special issues of seasons. The return to this tradition was thus an event hailed by all readers, and sales of this issue on newsstands were enormous, and those of special Christmas No. 3688 of December 17, 2008, the first since 1986 .

number 3688 of December 17, 2008

In this No. 1019 of October 24, 1957
Fantasio began a strike in
the weekly for 4 weeks. But not!

I would also say that in my humble opinion, if the collections of back issues have their place, the Spirou should ideally be read through its original booklets. To be happy optimum reading. For guilty pleasure and enjoyment to own the subscriber every week pending exciting and feverish the next issue! And especially to benefit from supplements ever again in code. hindsight that we possess, it is clear that the Spirou has always kept his playful spirit, humor and good-natured , still refusing to fall into the famous fashion of what has been called from the 70's adult comics, this cream pie I've ever been duped and that for me death is a failure baby. This movement conveyed by newspapers and pretentious hast thou vu as Driver , Metal screaming or Echo savannah there are only a few great writers who have drawn their game as Bilal, Druillet , Manara or Gotlib . At that time it was fashionable for the media and the fans of these magazines, looking down with the patronized Spirou and its readers. But the figures and facts are stubborn: Spirou is the only magazine to have survived all the titles that were supposedly to dethrone him. Even his direct competitor, the newspaper Tintin, has surrendered 20 years ago. It's sad but what a lesson! For me, this title remains indestructible ideal emblem of comics 7 to 77 years , the origins, rather humorous that which unites generations and which keeps the link with the spirit and mischievous cartoon always. I'm not elitist in this area and remains convinced that comics must maintain at all costs its popular roots. Do not forget that the last Spirou has always been from the beginning of a great editorial imagination! Special numbers are legion in the history of the magazine. There was experimenting with new printing techniques and workmanship for concocting such copies unforgettable, especially those so-called "season", the famous Christmas Special , special holiday, Easter Special who snapped today on auctions sites for ... the delight of those to whom the numbers belong and which are butter (caviar, not peanuts) when such huge sales and gargantuan.

Some examples of numbers having original findings or supplements mythical, highly sought after today by collectors:

- No. 1042 Easter Special of April 3, 1958 fully printed with scented ink (I have in my collection, and Fifty years later we can still feel the slight fragrance),

- the No. 1092 Spring Special of March 19, 1959 and his playing card bearing the image of the heroes of the newspaper (I personally found a copy in good condition in this issue of 32 pages sold in Internet auctions can be won over 120 euros (787.15 CHF )

- No. 1107 of July 2, 1959 and the advent of the mini-story (comic miniature small detached and self-assembly, which will provide opportunities for future greats of comics to test new characters) and the No. 1159 special holiday of June 30, 1960 proposing a real little pinball of GastonLagaffe to assemble yourself (ha, ha, yes! But there were many of stuff to buy, and DIY many developed to achieve),

- n 1264 special holiday of July 5, 1962 globe and square GastonLagaffe to rise (ha ha)

- the No. 1548 Christmas Special of December 14, 1967 and parking disc GastonLagaffe approved (very popular on the internet and very expensive)

- the No. 1973 special sound of February 5, 1976 and 45s of Smurfs (very popular too),

- the No. 2017 Christmas Special of December 9, 1976 and light coverage (one of the most beautiful covers of Christmas log),

But as the No. 2031 special buttons of March 17, 1977 and the advent for this issue, and the remaining 29 following supplement mythical The trombone illustrated stapled center pages (where a few authors critical Spirou such Franquin and Yvan Delporte offer large format on 8 pages a "parallel newspaper," so- saying secretly concocted "in the cellar of writing "And with a quirky and sweetly cheeky) No. 2088 the special 40th anniversary of the April 20, 1978 offering the drive-gadget and two sets of three slides (very popular) ; the 3000 Special of October 11, 1995 and CD concocted by the editors and various authors of the successful series, designed especially to make sound gags many of this number, and those to come, the No. 3058 Special Spirouvision of November 20, 1996 offering a pair of reading glasses to read revolutionary 3D embossed on several issues (new technology across the Atlantic to replace the famous red and blue anaglyph glasses of the 80s), No. 3653 special 70 years of April 16, 2008 and four different covers accompanied by a book collector ( Who designed Spirou? ) No. 3658 of May 21, 2008 and mini-comeback stories (the first signed Lewis Trondheim ) No. 3679 of October 15, 2008 and launching the first 8 cards quiz collection on the heroes of the newspaper from its origins to now, (and that should eventually total 250 units), so on, and the best. ..

When I jump in all these magazines representing various periods of my life, but also at times when I was not born, emotion overtakes me. For over reading these back issues, besides the pleasure of enjoying good comic cults, I can sniff the air time almost forgotten for years 50, 60 and 70 through the various advertisements of the era, how to make a comic in those ancient times, or the evolution of the French language and language through popular expressions used or abandoned since. I can see in these Spirou "scroll" of French society and Belgian "golden era" in this delightful journey back in time. A cozy travel, undeniably nostalgic, especially for numbers Special Christmas very emotional and that I am particularly attached. O and p time Now, via subscription, is rejoicing every weekend with this cute go to my mailbox. And the satisfaction of supporting one of the best adventures the history of comics while providing a direct link between my childhood, my adolescence, and future years.

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