Spirou turns 80 during an exhibition in Saint-Malo

Spirou, created in 1938 by the Belgian publisher Jean Dupuis and the French designer Rob-Vel, took his summer quarters in Saint-Malo for an exhibition that reveals its different transformations, from one designer to another.

Because if 80 years Spirou has not taken a wrinkle, it has changed regularly and the illustrious groom owes his physical transformations to the pencils of several designers.

"Thanks to the 150 pages on display, we clearly see the graphics of the comic strip evolve. Each designer has appropriated the world of Spirou, "says Gérard Cousseau, curator of the exhibition" Chapeau bas Spirou ", organized by Quai des bulles, badociation of the comic book festival of the same name.

Among the designers , one of the more important is Rob-Vel, without whom Spirou would never have existed. A space is dedicated to him in a reconstituted liner.

"Dupuis wanted Spirou to be a schoolboy, but Rob-Vel found that it limited the possibilities of history." By regularly taking the shuttles between New York and Le Havre, he saw young bell ringing mums, the ancestors of the grooms, which immediately inspired him to draw Spirou ", explains the curator

It was natural for the exhibition managers to pay tribute to the creator of the exhibition. Soul of Spirou … especially since Rob-Vel spent the last years of his life in the corsair city and is even buried there. A bronze statue with its effigy was designed specifically for the event and will then be installed on a square in Saint-Malo.

The exhibition does not forget the other major cartoonists, including Jijé, Franquin, Fournier, Nic, Janry, Munuera and Yohann, the current draftsman of the groom.

– Marsupilami and Palombie –

But from one draftsman to another, Spirou did not always have the same success. "With the exhibition, everyone is able to see the difference between a good and a great cartoonist.The reader is demanding and attached to the appearance of the characters," says Cousseau.

It is under Franquin that Spirou knows his golden age. "He brought the adventure side to Spirou's comics and made real films by alternating close-ups, mid-planes, top views and down-plots." Franquin knows how to draw everything where others are. designers draw out their hair ", badures the commissioner.

It is also he who in Spirou created the characters of Gaston Lagaffe, Marsupilami, Count de Champignac or Seccotine. "Spirou is the main character but not necessarily the most interesting.With Franquin, the secondary characters take over," says Mr. Cousseau.

The Marsupilami hides besides in a reconstruction of the Palombie within the chapel Saint-Sauveur which hosts the exhibition. "Franquin did not just invent fabulous characters, he also created a country," smiled the commissioner.

The tale of Champignac also has its own space where he leads a funny experiment to enlarge the hat of Spirou. Placed in the center of the chapel, 14 original plates of Rob-Vel, Fournier, Yoann and Munuera hide under the huge red hat.

In parallel with the exhibition, several events including comic strips, comics, a treasure hunt and workshops for children are organized throughout Saint-Malo until October.

Exhibition "Hat low Spirou", until October 14 at the chapel Saint-Sauveur of Saint-Malo. Full price: 5.5 euros.