Flanders’ sharpest and most linguistically skilled comic-strip humourist
Enola
Bart Schoofs (who signs his work ‘brt’) takes aim at our society both extensively and with great precision. Although he mainly pokes fun, with obvious pleasure, at anti-wokers, conscious and unconscious racists or climate-change deniers, nobody is safe from Schoofs, not even himself.
A selection from a series of vertical comic strips created between 2017 and 2022, the beautifully RISO-printed ‘Thighbootman’ dives deep into Wide Vercnocke’s universe. That universe is almost boundless, aside from the format of the strips. His work is unapologetically fantastical and subversive, as is his humour.
Cutting Edge on ‘The Hunt for the Sabre-Toothed Tiger’
After a year of trying to get pregnant, the verdict is harsh for Ben and Mina: they won’t succeed by natural means. They start out on a long and demanding course of ICSI treatment. Meanwhile Ben, an illustrator, grapples with his feelings by drawing a world of clay, where the creation of a child fails too. In pencil and in orange and blue ecoline, Leroy creates a loving and moving portrait of two people who despite everything keep rediscovering each other.
Brilliant. An already great artist reaching even greater heights
The Comics Journal
‘Sunday’ follows a man from morning till midnight. For 472 pages, we follow every single one of his banal, uninteresting, sometimes embarrassing and frequently irritating thoughts. From this seemingly dull and unlikely premise, Olivier Schrauwen manages to distil a brilliant graphic novel.
The Pellinors have been hunting the Beast for a thousand years - to no avail. Reluctantly, their descendant Pelli decides to accept the quest of his forefathers. With its colourful, dynamic drawings and wondrous events, ‘The Quest’ is bound to appeal to young and old alike.
In preparation for the battle between good and evil that is just a matter of time, Arthur’s father trains him and talks him into believing that nobody can be trusted. In his incomparable fashion, Brecht Evens creates the paranoid world of a child who is doomed to mistake illusion for truth.
Araya moves from Belgium to Thailand to go live with her mother. In simple black-and-white drawings, the semi-autobiographical ‘Araya’ paints a complex portrait of a young woman struggling with her bi-cultural identity, her sexuality, the relationship with her mother and her self-image.
Minimalist with strong dialogue. Simply extremely powerful
De Stripkever
Two strangers at a bar become embroiled in a philosophical discussion about belief, disbelief, science, truth and God, while the bartender acts as a peacekeeper. Ben Gijsemans’ minimalist linework gives us little more than talking heads and the bar with the three characters. ‘The Barflies’ is a remarkable book about conviction, faith and self-image, and ultimately also about persuasion.
One of the greatest artistic talents of the world of Flemish graphic novels
Enola
Jean is not only the son of a witch, he’s the grandson of a witch, the brother of a witch and the cousin of a whole host of witches. But he can’t cast spells. When a magic-drinker attacks his family, turning the witches one by one into lifeless dolls, it’s up to Jean and his sister to try to save them. ‘Witch Child’ is an utterly thrilling adventure. With humour and verve, Stedho and Max L’Hermenier create a world that is both realistic and magical.
Ambivalent, subjective, with more questions than answers. And precisely for that reason very honest and brave
Rekto:Verso
‘Scheisseimer’ is an overwhelming set of impressions in ink. Through the eyes of a child, we see the cruelty and banality of war come up against the naivety of a little boy who sees adventure and play in everything. At the same time the book depicts the struggles of an adult artist who is trying to come to terms with his past, his family and his origins. A necessary book, full of darkness and empathy, heart-rending experiences and devastating disillusionment.
Janssen and Moradi show the beauty of fragile people
Knack Focus
On the edge of Ghent lies a square kilometre hemmed in by a railway line and a major highway. In writing that is both poetic and philosophical, Moradi describes the lives of the residents of her district. With pen, pencil and felt-tip Janssen records colourful impressions of views, homes, people, lives. On assignment in their own neighbourhood, they show the beauty that resides in its ugliness.
An impressive, improbable yet nevertheless true story
Het Belang van Limburg
In ‘Galapagos’ Michaël Olbrechts portrays what has become known as the Galapagos affair, the unsolved mystery of what happened in the early 1930s on Floreana that led to three deaths and two disappearances. Olbrechts’ exceptional insight into the human psyche dazzles once again.
In this first part of a forthcoming trilogy, Luc Cromheecke draws part of the life story of the famous impressionist painter Claude Monet as it has never been seen before. Without words but with plenty of humour, Cromheecke gives a unique interpretation to events.
In this tragicomic tale, Inne Haine and Mathias Van den Berge interweave the lives of a handful of villagers who, like so many, yearn for a different life. How far are they prepared to go to achieve their dream? A wonderful combination of evocative, colourful illustrations and a carefully crafted script.
In 1950s Hollywood, Newland Archer and May Welland are the glamour couple du jour. But Newland soon discovers that he’s not entirely immune to the charms of one of May's male friends. With ‘Bungalow 5’, Maarten Vande Wiele breathes new life into ‘The Age of Innocence’ by Edith Wharton.
1792. Pierre-Marie Dragon is a mounted infantryman in the French revolutionary army. With this character, Juncker and Spruyt lift the anti-hero to an entirely new level. Oversexed, arrogant and gutless yet full of himself, Dragon Dragon is the undisputed star of this grotesque, picaresque narrative.
A tender tale, chronicling the ever-complex quest of an adolescent boy coming of age
Faro
The Cyclades, five thousand years ago. Atan has an extraordinary gift for modelling clay. During his training as a sculptor, the boy is forced to abandon his creativity to concentrate on skill and technique, until his master recognises that Atan’s muse must not be silenced. 'Atan of Kea' is a touching and intimate story, that proves, yet again, that Vanistendael is a peerless story-teller.
In this moving and sometimes funny dual coming-of-age story, Ben Gijsemans presents us with extraordinary page compositions that offer a wonderful insight into the relationship between Harold and Carl. The two brothers want only the best for each other, but burgeoning hormones disturb the harmony between them. A magnificent portrayal of the tension between child and adolescent in the 1990s.
A delightfully designed period thriller that can both speak to a broad public and a connoisseur of graphic novels
Knack
François is a driver for a dry-cleaning business. When he suddenly comes upon a gruesome scene and spots a chance to grab a bagful of money, it proves his downfall. In panoramic spreads that highlight faded glory, Joris Mertens creates a universe all his own. Its noir atmosphere is offset by the tragicomic aspect that Mertens has given his antihero. A beautifully crafted graphic novel.
In a dystopia that lies halfway between a western and science fiction, a team of adventurers goes in search of a mythical hoard of gold in the ghost town of Centralia. With this debut, Miel Vandepitte proves that we can expect a great deal from him in the future.
In ‘Passages’ Martha Verschaffel interweaves four mysterious stories. Are there any connections between them? Is there a single main narrative? Or is that just the interpretation you favour as a reader?
Extremely funny, sometimes touching and of course exceptionally well-drawn.
9e kunst
Brecht Evens brilliantly subverts the conventions of the fairy-tale and fantasy genres in ‘Idulfania’. Populated by trolls, giants, kings, witches and dwarves, Idulfania is a land where high hopes tend to be quickly and painfully dashed. Dark humour at its best.
A tale of exceptional beauty. Moving, tender, thoughtful and unique
Ligne Claire
A postman at sea befriends an enormous, ancient whale which carries an entire library inside her belly. When two extremely talented professionals join forces, the result is bound to be impressive. Zidrou’s poetic and playful fable about the importance of inspiring stories is lifted to an even higher level by Judith Vanistendael, whose gorgeous paintings depict the characters and their surroundings with great love and tenderness.
An engaging, intimate and expressive portrait of two women, with exciting and vivid drawings
9e kunst
This extraordinary graphic novel tells the story of two women at a crossroads in their lives. Rita, a middle-aged woman who has just got divorced, challenges herself by becoming a nude model in drawing classes given by Esther. Vulnerability and courage, looking and being looked at, daring to be naked and closeness are all central themes.
De Saeger rightfully claims his place within the group of distinct and talented Flemish illustrators-storytellers.
Enola
A group of blind people takes a daytrip into the woods. They are led by an older, sighted guide. When he suddenly turns out to have vanished, the group tries to pass the time, but they edge closer and closer to panic. Based on a play by Belgium’s only winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature, Maurice Maeterlinck, ‘The Blind’ is an intriguing drama and an intense visual experience.
Shady has just one goal in life: to get attention. That’s the same, after all, as love and recognition. Both narcissistic and subject to crippling insecurity, he lives a life full of drama. ‘Shady’ is a merciless examination of our cultural and human depravities, and a real feast for the eye.
Magnetic and cruel. A fascinating book bathed in captivating graphics
Télérama
Vincent Bosse is a young drummer in Napoleon’s army. During the campaign in Russia, angel-faced Vincent manages to save his own skin time and again. Can a man be blamed for saving himself in a thoroughly insane situation? With watercolours and a limited but carefully chosen palette, Spruyt brings the war and its horrors convincingly to life. A brilliant exploration of a universal theme.
Wondrous. Madness in the beauty or beauty in the madness, who’s to say?
Cutting Edge
1899. Belgian Joseph Lippens travels to the Congo, where his father disappeared off the face of the earth several months earlier. In this scintillating debut, Thibau Vande Voorde shows us what he is capable of. With virtuoso control of his colour pencils, he conjures up the scorching heat and the beautiful abundance of Congo, as well as the contorted facial expressions of a man who becomes a victim of his own ambition.
A moving stroll through early parenthood and all the powerful emotions that go with it
De Morgen
Having a child marks the greatest possible change to a life and ‘Never Alone Again’ aims to illuminate not just the wonder it brings but the darker side too. Ephameron describes the multiplicity of emotions upon a child's arrival not in a straightforward story but as fragmented impressions in watercolour. This creates an extraordinarily intimate atmosphere and provides an intense reading experience.
An atmospheric, melancholic graphic novel about growing up in the nineties *****
NRC
Gus is in his thirties when he returns to the village where he grew up. Cas and his friends are in their final year in school, balancing on the cusp of adulthood, and can’t wait to get away. Ward Zwart shows himself a master of low-key yet telling images and detailed facial expressions, rendered fully in pencil. It’s the poetry of small things that, more than anything, speaks loud and clear in the work of Zwart and Smits.
Shameless locker-room banter, portrayed with impressive visual style
Cutting Edge
Simon Kennedy and Chuck Atkins are well-known TV presenters. In the course of an 18-hole round of golf, we get to know them as sexist, racist jocks who are utterly repellent in every way. Bram Algoed’s minimalist illustrations pare this portrait of toxic masculinity down to the essence. ‘Assholes’ is outrageous, repulsive, disturbing and downright hilarious.
Four books for the price of one: an adventurous travelogue, a suspenseful whodunit, a biography and a history book
Gazet van Antwerpen
Hilde Baele met Mzee Jerôme Sebasoni, a gardener, in Kigali, Rwanda. He told her his incredible life story. He claimed to have fought against the Belgians and to have been a close comrade of Che Guevara’s in the struggle to oust the Congolese dictator Mobutu. Baele roped in her illustrator friend Jeroen Janssen to help her get to the bottom of Che's guide's claims. All the powerful graphic material in this impressive book was sketched and painted on the spot by Janssen. This is a remarkable testament to an extraordinary life story.
Right from the very first anecdote Janssen wins you over, lock, stock and barrel.
Stripspeciaalzaak
‘Posthumous’ is an imaginative ode to the life and music of Franz Schubert. We encounter the young composer on his deathbed, where colourful, feverish dreams take over. We dive into some of Schubert’s most famous songs, in which he himself plays the leading part. Every song has its own background colour and is based on both facts and fantasy. A magisterial collaboration.
After her house in Paris has burned down, killing her lover, Madame Catherine moves to her country home, where she begins to be consumed by nightmares. A presence watches her, follows her, and touches her in the night. Catherine gradually loses her mind. In this idiosyncratic version of ‘The Horla’ by Guy de Maupassant, Maarten Vande Wiele ably allows suggestion to do its work.
Incredibly carefully thought-out, refined, perfectionistic and subtle, but also unbearable and heart-breaking
BRUZZ
In contrast to his comic book heroes, Aaron lacks a talent for witty one-liners, breath-taking courage and a woman in need of rescue. As the summer slowly passes, he is forced to confront something he would rather not face. Ben Gijsemans’ drawings are meticulously detailed, and in their sometimes slow-motion narrative rhythm they perfectly portray Aaron’s struggle with his feelings. A beautiful but painful and subtle portrait.
A breath-taking visualisation. A powerful and profound statement
nrc handelsblad
The Nazi collaboration and subsequent imprisonment of Wide Vercnocke’s grandfather was never talked about by his family. Seeing the physical resemblance between himself, his father and his grandfather, Vercnocke wonders whether this biological inheritance also extends to other areas. This intriguing story is yet another building block in his innovative and unconventional oeuvre.
Pure emotion evoked by a succession of drawings. A gem
Veto Stript
In this terrific adventure chockful of exuberant fantasy and fun ideas, Daan and his ginger cat Panza are gathering the ingredients for that evening’s spaghetti. Stedho proves that this graphic novel doesn’t need words to tell its story. Daan, Panza and granddad Pier promptly conquer a place in the hearts of readers, be they children or adults.
A fascinating wordless adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe’s well-known short story ‘A Descent Into the Maelström’. Hudréaux has gone for a free interpretation in ninety-nine etchings that swaps the sense of oppression in the original for a broader, more atmospheric depiction. An intriguing and beautiful graphic novel.
1972. Young Beatrice is transported back to the roaring twenties when she finds a photo album in a discarded bag and goes in search of the places in the pictures. Drenched in nostalgia and melancholy, with detailed drawings dominated by shades of red and brown, ‘Beatrice’ is a story full of enchantment and atmosphere.
Jan Bouvaert is a man with ambition and a painter trained in Italy. On his return to Antwerp, he and his wife build up both his business and his reputation. Spruyt uses baroque images to create a fictitious biography that also pokes fun at the ego of artists and poses questions about what gives meaning to life.
Penelope is a surgeon on the Syrian front. Returning home is becoming increasingly difficult. While her daughter is growing up and worries about the size of her nose, Penelope tries to save human lives. In dynamic watercolour compositions with dialogues that reveal razor-sharp observation, Vanistendael wonders how to deal with a choice that is not a real choice at all.
Dino is thirteen when he and his father have to start life afresh. While Dino struggles with terrible hormonal acne and would love to be Luke Perry of Beverly Hills 90210, his father is slowly falling to pieces. Dieter VDO’s signature cartoonesque figures in eccentric colours produce a deeply human story, one that is both tragicomic and recognisable.
This is a truly major debut. ‘Buck’ is pretty terrific.
Stripspeciaalzaak
In the beginning… there is Buck, the first man on earth. This absurd but very clever story of creation, full of acerbic wit, shows us a wonderfully anachronistic paradise filled with dazzling colours, in which Buck wanders like a blank page. The humour, the well-structured narrative and the awe-inspiring natural beauty make ‘Buck’ a very impressive debut indeed.
Olbrechts is quietly working on what may well turn out to be one of the strongest Dutch language graphic oeuvres.
9e Kunst
Hawk struggles to live up to his name. Unlike the strong, uncompromising bird, he is timid, insecure and the target of his colleagues’ ridicule. Following an incident, he is suspended from work and goes to recuperate at his aunt, who lives in a quiet village surrounded by nature. He is determined to change.
A feast for the eyes. Mannaert is one of the stars of the contemporary graphic novel
Enola
Yasmina's father is struggling to make ends meet, but luckily Yasmina knows the right people and places so she can serve him a delicious meal every day. But one day an addictive type of potato appears on the market with rather strange consequences for those who eat them. When her father falls victim to this mystery as well Yasmina decides that enough is enough.
A brilliant, wry and funny debunking of the pirate genre
Knack Focus
Guy is a pirate. And a boozehound, a liar, a lazybones, a thief and a murderer. We follow his exploits as he staggers through life. This first collaboration between Olivier Schrauwen and French duo Ruppert & Mulot results in visual fireworks.
Gus is a rising star in Russian football. As the trainer of Sporting Club Moscow he is having the perfect season and the Champions League trophy is within reach. But then the Chinese mafia gets involved and things get too hot for Gus. With 'Deathfix' Nix & Benus have created a crime story full of black humour.
Like an empathetic etcher Casaer goes in search of the canine side of human nature
Stripgids
In 'Your Inner Dog' a man wearing a dog mask tells a series of different characters what kind of dog is inside them, and what that means, carefully analysing their flaws and innermost secrets. Casaer knows how to identify any sensitive issues, move the reader and even make them laugh out loud at times. A real gem that delves deep into the human psyche.
‘The City of Belgium’ is set in the same nocturnal universe as Brecht Evens’ big breakthrough ‘The Wrong Place’, but the aftertaste is so much nastier. In a riot of colour and impressions, Evens shows himself to be both a master of his uniquely fantastic style and at capturing the mental darkness that masquerades as light-hearted.
Aldo has been twenty-eight for three hundred years. Despite that lengthy period of time, he still does not have very good social skills. His whole family has been dead a long while and nobody believes he is immortal.But then he spots someone on television and recognises him from an encounter two hundred years ago.
Glitter, glamour, love, jealousy, intrigue, tears and above all lots of pink: this is Maarten Vande Wiele at his best. His elegant, black brush strokes give playful expression to a world he clearly adores: that of 'Dynasty' and other vintage soap series.
An overwhelming debut and a mind-expanding book *****
De Standaard
A psychedelic road trip full of chases, fights, religious hallucinations and freaked-out characters and dialogues. The drawings, in pencil and with a basic colour palette, are brimming with movement and energy. Lukas Verstraete really pulls out all the stops with graphic fireworks.
Maarten De Saeger confirms his status as a top talent.
Cutting Edge
In order to run away from her worries, Ines moves to her late grandfather’s farm in the Ardennes. One day a tramp appears on her doorstep who introduces himself as John. Ines offers him a bed for the night, but it soon becomes clear that the wandering eccentric is not in any great hurry to leave.
Masterfully composed by an enlightened illuminator
Terres de legende
A cross between a coming-of-age story and a social satire. This colourful, hilarious and tragic graphic novel is about identity and humanity, about not very intelligent design, about yesterday and tomorrow. With ‘Papa Zoglu’, Simon Spruyt has shown once again that he is one of the most ingenious and funniest comic-book creators in Flanders.
What is love? Is it still possible in this day and age to go through life as a couple? This exuberant and multifaceted piece that deliberately unsettles the reader offers the authors' destabilising, crazy and brilliant take on those universal questions.
Fantomia’ provides hours of viewing pleasure, with lots of silliness, creativity and visual spectacle. Reviewers have compared Dieter VDO to the likes of ATAK, Basil Wolverton and medieval painter Jeroen Bosch.
This comic book’s recognisability has a comforting effect that radiates a warm feeling of gratitude.
Knack
Ilah portrays relationships between men and women in a way that says more than an exhaustive analysis. Her short comics are both candid and subtle, true-to-life and dramatically adapted, apparently nonchalant and virtuoso, modest and self-assured.
Ward Zwart and Enzo Smits evoke the atmosphere of endless boredom in which teenagers sometimes find themselves. Zwart creates fabulous things with a pencil. His dreamy and accurate drawings of joyless details and gloomy faces create a slightly nostalgic universe.
Sublime, sketch-like artwork by Mannaert, with sharp dialogue
Metro
The American Weegee’s street photographs made him world famous. Wauter Mannaert and Max de Radiguès turn the photographer into a man of flesh and blood and make you identify with him, so his rather tragic fate hits all the harder.
When widower Anton breathes his last breath and goes looking for his wife Betty in the ‘thereafter’, nothing is quite as he expected. Jan Truyens’ debut is nothing less than an art project: an enormously rich book, with nods in the direction of the ‘Divina Commedia’.
A book in which everything is just right. The best comic book of 2016
De Groene Amsterdammer
Wide Vercnocke subtly builds up a story in which, through shaman’s sessions, the tragedy of the equipment manager at an athletics club is connected to the iconic narwhal and its spear-like tusk. A surprising and highly original story about physicality and rejecting absolute rationality.
A masterpiece of atmosphere and empathy, a must-have book of the year
Focus Vif
‘Mikel’ tells a true story, based on the experiences of the author, Mark Bellido, who spent four years protecting Basque politicians against ETA. With her brilliant use of colour, Judith Vanistendael depicts the light of a wild and rainy Basque Country.
A poetic comic book that fully spotlights Cromheecke’s drawing talent
Enola
Luc Cromheecke and Bruno De Roover depict brief scenes from the life of the cheerful bon vivant Daubigny, based on the letters he wrote to his wife or friends on his travels. The result is a wonderfully relaxing book that paints a beautiful picture of the artist as a human being.
Gijsemans can shout if he wants to, but he's more than happy to whisper.
The Herland Scotland
Gijsemans’ drawings, washed out but somehow lush, too, are tender and telling, from the doleful curve of Hubert’s back to the workaday treads of the stairs in his apartment building. In this gentle account, Hubert is neither noble aesthete nor creepy loner, simply a man who likes pottering around looking at art.
Following a stroke, Louis can no longer live at home with his wife. Before he has to leave for the care home, the whole family wants to give him one last unforgettable day. Michaël Olbrechts sketches a very convincing portrait of an average dysfunctional family.
His most personal and at the same time most universal book
De Standaard
'Abadaringi’ is a sketchbook and an intriguing documentary about the genocide in Rwanda. Janssen draws the landscapes and settings he encounters, and creates portraits of the people he speaks to. He also tells his own story, in handwritten notes. A phenomenal piece of journalism.
An ultramodern Romeo and Juliet that takes place in two different time dimensions. Dutch artist Hanco Kolk and Fleming Kim Duchateau each tackle one dimension. There is just enough friction between the two styles of drawing to maintain the tension.
With a few very assured brushstrokes and a unique use of colour which adopts a different palette for each story, Gisquière succeeds in creating a sense of alienation while at the same time writing atmospheric, poetic stories.
A poetic comics debut, a parable about being different from other people, about being introverted rather than extroverted, about the past and how we always carry it with us.
The wave of migration in the 1960s and 70s in a child-size format
Knack Focus
Grandpa Monji tells his granddaughter and grandson the story of how he, a Tunisian, ended up in Belgium. The young reader learns about another time, a time when people moved thousands of kilometres for work, and a marriage between a Belgian woman and an ‘outsider’ encountered a great deal of suspicion. A plea for mutual understanding, and a sensitive book about respect, with a dash of humour.
Arnon, a guy who flitted from one romantic conquest to another before his death at a young age, looks back at his brief life. One by one, Maarten De Saeger tells the story of various people who played a role in his life. Gradually it all comes together to form a mosaic that does not present Arnon in the best light.
Without grand gestures but all the more impressive for that
Cutting Edge
At the age of 56, Ephameron’s father was struck by primary progressive aphasia, which meant that he lost his speech and language and gradually succumbed to dementia. ‘Us Two Together’ is his daughter’s autobiographical account of the last ten years of his life.
The quirky little sisters Kinky and Cosy manage to wreak havoc with all their naivety and innocence. Three small panels – that’s all Nix needs for a daily dose of nonsensical and politically incorrect humour.
Anneleen, Bert, Bavo and Astrid form the Honey Honeys, an ABBA tribute band. As their success grows, their lives start to run increasingly in parallel with those of the original ABBA members, with all the associated drama. Maarten Vande Wiele’s unabashed love for ABBA leaps off the pages.
Every page reveals an eccentric and original cartooning mind at work.
The Comics Journal
Olivier Schrauwen’s grandfather Arsène leaves for the Belgian colony of Congo in 1947, where he and his cousin Roger have planned a hugely ambitious project: a utopia of modernism, right in the middle of the jungle. Sometimes funny, slightly surreal and often beautiful.
Blond quiff, jutting chin, self-confident grin and completely ignorant of any taboos – that’s him, the one and only Cowboy Henk! With their most popular hero, the illustrator Herr Seele and his writer Kamagurka have created a mixture of Mr Clean, Adonis and a hillbilly, entirely in the tradition of the Belgian Surrealists.
El Pocero, a filthy rich estate agent, loses everything overnight when the property market collapses. And Marinaleda, a Spanish village organised as a cooperative, is led by an extremely left-wing mayor. ‘El Mesías’ tells, in uninked pencil drawings, the tale of people who are searching for something, in a story that actually keeps hope alive.
The drawings of Johan De Moor and the text of Gilles Dal form an organic unit. Dal’s dark, uncompromising text screams the despair of a mid-life crisis. The constantly thudding question is: is this all there is?
A dark fairy tale filled with troubling implications and haunting illustrations
Publishers Weekly
‘Panther’ is an unsettling graphic novel about a little girl and her imaginary feline companion. Iconoclastic in his cartooning and page layouts, subtle in his plotting, and deft in his capturing of the human experience, Brecht Evens has crafted a tangled, dark masterwork.
Unique in the stream of books published to mark the centenary of World War One
Cobra.be
On 19 August 1914, in a matter of hours, the university city of Leuven transformed from the Belgian military headquarters into a city occupied by German soldiers. Soon after that, Leuven was reduced to ashes. Gerolf Van de Perre and Johanna Spaey portray these dramatic early days of World War I in powerful, poetic images and words.
‘Sugar’ is a comic story about life as seen through the eyes of a cat. In masterfully drawn black-and-white pictures, Serge Baeken juggles with the narrative structure and page layout in this quirky and appealing graphic novel.
A surprisingly good debut from another promising Belgian
De Groene Amsterdammer
Filip tells his four children about Great Granny, who was born almost a century before in the Dutch island colony of Java. Author Michaël Olbrechts blends a piece of family history with the wider social context and does so in a very mature and understated way, with little moments of humour and nostalgia.
Wide Vercnocke is the master of physicality: he knows better than anyone how to depict bodies, muscles and the power of the physical form. Using fine lines and full planes of colour, he creates a unique style, in which characters never look exactly the same twice.
The design is soft and clear, the jokes are cynical and as hard as nails ****
De Standaard
Sometimes the culprit, sometimes the victim, Dickie always finds himself in awkward and embarrassing situations. The contrast that develops between the stylised drawings and the often coarse jokes creates a balance that is rarely found elsewhere.
In a loose, fluid and sketch-like style, Joris Vermassen draws a story based around important themes: saying goodbye, things coming to an end, disappointment and grief. And yet ‘Mad with Joy’, like the statue of the same name, is an ode to life.
A stunning debut by an instant grande dame of the Belgian comic strip
Cutting Edge
The locals of Vierves-sur-Haynes practically worship the stag Gérard, who draws many tourists to the Ardennes village every year. When François accidentally runs Gérard over and kills him, the fat hits the fire. ‘The Miracle of Vierves’ proved Inne Haine’s credentials as a very talented teller of tragicomic tales. An extremely strong debut.
Brilliant use of the narrative and graphic possibilities of comics
Strapazin
In the trenches, the nameless corpse of a German machine gunner attempts to construct his own history. He tries to get to grips with the insanity of war by tempering the brutal reality with stories.
There’s a lot to laugh at in Schoofs’ world that has gone off the rails.
Knack
You won’t soon find anything as acutely absurd as the work of Bart Schoofs. Never mind though: everything is possible and there’s always a solution to be found. Tomorrow is another day.
A deceptively light story about absent parents and a lonely child
Knack
In this highly acclaimed debut, Shamisa Debroey displays a graphic maturity that is unexpected for such a young author. This poetic and nuanced portrait of a difficult parent–child relationship is a strong and exceptionally self-assured first step.
The most daring comic-book debut in Flanders in recent years
Knack
Wide Vercnocke’s poetic ode to laziness allows him to go to town with his narrative and graphic skills, making ‘My Muse Lies on the Settee’ both narcissistic and ironic, lazy and virtuoso, literary and visual. This multifaceted book is a most impressive debut.
The book grabs hold of you and does not let you go.
PlaneteBD.com
Maarten Vande Wiele adapts five short stories by Guy de Maupassant. It is no easy task to transform De Maupassant’s dark mood into an extravaganza of colours, and yet Vande Wiele succeeds with aplomb.
The polder village of Doel, situated in the shadow of a nuclear reactor near the port of Antwerp, has been a pawn in the power games of successive politicians since the 1960s. Jeroen Janssen became fascinated by those who stayed behind and by their stories. ‘Doel’ is an impressive account of a personal journey of discovery in a village whose fate has long been uncertain.
Vandenbroucke’s distinctive work blends the highbrow with the low, drawing equally from Gordon Matta-Clark’s site-specific artwork and the Three Stooges’ slapstick timing. With a knowing wink at the reader, Vandenbroucke continuously uncovers something to laugh about in the stuffiness and pretentiousness of the art world.
This sparkling, beautifully designed book is a real revelation.
De Standaard
This humorous and text-free story is extremely fast-paced. De Decker’s humour explores the boundaries of the (im)possible, but remains disarmingly innocent at the same time. Otto’s world is one of weird trains of thought and unexpected twists and turns. Its warm heart immediately draws the reader in.
A coherent and bittersweet meditation on family foibles
Comicsalternative.com
Karel, Valère and Roger are three brothers who each need to come to terms with their own demons. Reading about their troubled lives, we get a sense of just how cruel and thankless as well as enchanting and hilarious the world can be: extremes we have no choice but to accept.
A delightful piece to read and look at, with international allure
De Morgen
Verbeke and Verplancke offer a parody of the sovereign power of the artist in modern society. At a more abstract level, this story, taking place in the limited confines of a ski lift, is about an unsympathetic society that demands the artist to justify him- or herself. The result is a parable you will not easily forget.
David is diagnosed with cancer of the larynx, a terminal form of cancer that means he will soon be unable to speak. Judith Vanistendael zooms in on David and the three women who surround him: his wife and his two daughters. A touching and subtle book that compassionately depicts the fruitless struggle to find the meaning of life.
In short sketches of usually just one strip, Billy Bob, a trainee cowboy, and Woody, his somewhat tougher friend, roam around the Wild West, doing what a cowboy should do: killing Indians. A hilarious and challenging comic for young readers.
Steven Dupré has given his unbridled imagination free rein.
Actuabd.com
Steven Dupré is a craftsman: his assured, very natural drawing style is of the highest quality. In addition, as a scriptwriter the author has mastered the art of taking his readers with him to a parallel universe, by means of subtle, profound stories.
A fantasmagoria without balloons in which a man sets out on a surreal quest in search of his animality
Le Soir
In this wordless tale, the young human boy Mowgli lives alone in the jungle. He soon feels lonely and goes in search of a soulmate. Mowgli’s quest is full of slapstick humour with bloody violence and elephant droppings, but also contains reflections on philosophical questions like individuality and complementarity.
Murphy is an anti-hero: an astronaut who continually has bad luck. In his miserable space adventures, Charlotte Dumortier is able to experiment fully with colour, framing and page division. The young artist pulls out all the stops. She lets fly with lay-out, rhythm and colouring.
Adriaenssens brings the insanity of World War I to life: the battlefields pocked with craters, the villages and towns shot to smithereens, the harrowing conditions in the trenches and the absurd orders of authorities, who had not the faintest idea what they were doing. The powerful story is told with muted shades and concise text.
‘The Making Of’ is a work of art, an absolute gem from start to finish. Evens captures emotions, both large and small, along with funny little human traits and tics. His story feels very familiar, with all of its absurdity. There’s not one single page that will leave you indifferent.
‘SGF’ is a comic about comics, it’s satire, it’s a Freudian manifestation of the It, it’s a load of nonsense, it’s a declaration of love for pulp culture, but above all, it’s rock & roll.
One of the most original books of the year, by a long way
parutions.com
With each of these seven short stories, Olivier Schrauwen changes his style: he uses different colour palettes, makes stories without words, composes pages as miniatures instead of the usual grid layout. A unique exercise in style by an extraordinary talent.
In Janssen’s extravagant visual idiom, Africa is an intoxicating place.
NRC Handelsblad
This picaresque story about Bakamé and Mpyisi, which contains plenty of sex and black humour, is a perfect illustration of what drives people and can make them so unappealing. The hare’s cunning, lust and egocentrism are at the centre of this story, but other characters’ traits are also explored in depth. A satirical look at a world in which desire, violence and magic are inextricably entwined.
Vande Wiele has illustrated a knowingly ridiculous yet loving portrayal of a world he clearly adores, bringing an elegant black line to the page as he pays tribute to the most superficial of the brilliantly superficial.
This is not simply a comic book for adults – it is literature.
De Standaard
For thirty years, Adan Diss has been waiting for San Borondón, a mythical island that appears on the horizon every once in a while. He used to have his whole life ahead of him. He could have been a butcher or a doctor, but he chose to become nothing. He believes patience is all he needs to find happiness. Waiting for an Island is about you and me, about our rays of hope and our daydreams, which in the worst case can become real demons.
A pink alien discovers the world without saying much. His sense of amazement creates ample opportunities for successful jokes. The enormously surreal situations from Letzer’s brain are taken to a very high level by Cromheecke’s clear and deadly efficient style.
A powerful look into the complexities of the human heart and prejudice *****
Comic Heroes Magazine
An enjoyable, flowing and exceptionally readable graphic novel about the author’s relationship with a Togolese political refugee. The story consists of two parts, in which we see the same relationship from two different perspectives. The visual narrative is vivid and follows a rhythm that matches the story perfectly.
Linthout’s choice to leave his pencil-work bare, is a masterstroke
Blog Critics
Willy Linthout has created a powerful, groundbreaking graphic novel that grabs the reader by the throat. From the very first page, he draws us into the difficult processes that await Charles as he lurches between loneliness, grief, incomprehension and love, often losing sight of the difference between reality and fiction.
Upon its publication, ‘The Wrong Place’ set off artistic fireworks in the Flemish graphic novel scene. This comic strip is bursting with artistic ambition: Brecht Evens has introduced a new and daring style with his expressive drawings and powerful choices of colour.
Adventures that are very recognizable for anybody who has gone through babyhood
Forbidden Planet International
This comic book series is a contemporary, humorous stop-comic about a young couple and their girl twins. The neurotic father, quick-witted mother and two pig-headed children live in a pink bunker and drive a pink tank. But apart from their eccentric residence and means of transport, they lead a perfectly ‘normal’ life. At least they try.
Fantastic. Evens' linework is wonderful... but his coloring is even better.
Time.com
‘Night Animals’ contains two dreamlike, wordless stories that transform everyday experiences into fantastic journeys to strange new worlds. Brecht Evens surprises with stories and images in which he continually seems to extend the limits of his capabilities.
A poetic trip and an aesthetic shock that makes your jaw drop
Knack
As the title suggests, this book has a very meditative, dreamlike quality. At the beginning of the book, the story seems to consist of short, individual anecdotes. As you read on, it becomes clear that, in spite of the unexpected twists and turns, everything forms a coherent whole in which the ideas flow together seamlessly.
As you read the stories you sometimes have the feeling that you are looking in a mirror.
Rifraf
A graphic novel that reacts to the here and now and is set in our modern multicultural society with all its pros and cons. 'Over to You' is also inextricably linked with Antwerp, the city where the Comic book artist and the scriptwriter have lived all their lives.
A human story without corniness, with an overdose of emotions and identifiability
De Morgen
Although this graphic novel begins as a classic boy-meets-girl story, the tone quickly becomes less cheery. Author Conz chose a visual narration with a limited amount of text, but a great richness of imagery. His dark, expressive pages perfectly fit this loaded story about characters whose past keeps catching up with them.
Humour of the highest class: often absurd and surrealistic, but always sharp
De Standaard
Esther Verkest is possibly the sexiest heroine in the Flemish comic book universe. Bad is too respectable a word for her, mean is an understatement. Kim Duchateau’s lewd heroine lives in an absurd world full of freaks, strange fairytale figures and capricious gnomes.
