I've had the honor of working together with Standaard Uitgeverij, Roderick Leeuwenhart (writer), Shirow Di Rosso (colors) and a talented team to create our very own manga interpretation of the classic comic heroes Suske and Wiske (aka Spike and Suzy / Bob et Bobette).

As long time manga and European comic fans and creatives Roderick and I pitched this passion project to Standaard and with their blessing and the crowdfunding help of over 1800 fans and comic book stores we are very happy that early June the finished books will be shipped out!

We're very grateful that we've been able to give our manga-inspired take on these iconic characters and hope that in the future we might be able to continue this journey. Thank you for your confidence and support!

In case you've missed the crowdfunding window of this limited print run, please be sure to order your own copy early at participating comic book stores or at the publisher's online store for the last remaining stock.

Some sample images from Belgian comic SUSKE & WISKE, by Willy Vandersteen (1913-1990). I mentioned this comic the other day, but wanted to dive a little deeper.

SUSKE & WISKE, in its heyday from the 1940s to the 1990s, probably was the most popular comic in the Dutch-speaking countries, that is: Holland and Belgium (or Flanders). The albums were recognizable by their red bands (see for example image 7), and the “human tower” on the back cover, which depicted the main characters. The bumbling but heroic Lambik (the second character from below in the tower) probably was the series’ most beloved character, mine though were headstrong Wiske (at the top), and super-powered Jerom, my namesake. I loved the series: the shadowy characters spying in the background, the creepy extraterrestrials hovering above those flat, rainy Belgian landscapes, the ghosts, masked strangers, nightly visitors, hatching their nefarious plans...

The name Wiske is derived from Louise, Suske from François. But Louise and François were fancy names, whereas Suske and Wiske were the dimunitive, “common” versions, as SUSKE & WISKE was a comic mainly aimed at ordinary folk.