Friday, May 08, 2009

Jean Van Hamme Can't Find Worthy Successor To Provide Words for Graphic Novels


Legendary Belgian comics writer Jean Van Hamme is retiring. Who will write the great future comics in Belgium? WSJ has the story.

A wonderful peek into the country's comic culture:

"Belgium is so comic-crazy that the books are published in hardcover, printed in rich colors on glossy paper and sell for about $15 apiece. Publishers churned out more than 4,000 new titles last year. Museums and art-school curricula are devoted to comics. Around Brussels, murals of comic-book characters adorn 37 buildings. A towering picture of Tintin, Belgium's most famous cartoon, greets train travelers arriving from Paris and London. Brussels officials Thursday unveiled what they said is the world's largest comic, a 69-by-105-feet reproduction of one page from a Tintin adventure, amid celebrations marking 2009 as the city's 'year of the comic strip.'"

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