Franquin, Spirou, Lagaffe, Le Trombone illustré [illustrated magazine], Idées noires [dark thoughts], About some examples of folly/madness in Franco-Belgian comics

Abstract

In this article, we study the concept of “folie”to show how it was used by Franquin in his bandes dessinées [comics] as a critical tool. From the adventures of the hero Spirou and his fanciful friend, Fantasio, published by a catholic publisher between the 1930s and 1950s in a magazine aimed at the family, to Gaston, the burlesque antihero who, in his own way, protests against the system of production which became hyper-controlling and rigid in the Dupuis family business in the 60s-70s, this critique lead to the “anarchist” gags of the magazine sup-plement Trombone illustré (quickly rejected by its publisher) and the dark humour of Idées noires in the 70s. Both of these two express the mortiferous madness of human beings and the Fran-quin’s nervous breakdowns.