Dupuis
Encyclopedia
Éditions Dupuis S.A. is a Belgian
publisher of comic books and magazines.
Based in Marcinelle
near Charleroi
, Dupuis was founded in 1922 by Jean Dupuis, and is mostly famous for its comic albums and magazines. It is originally a French language
publisher, but publishes many editions both in French and Dutch
. Other language editions are mostly licensed to other publishers. Dupuis was for a long time a family business but was sold in the early 1980s and has since changed ownership a few times.
in Dutch) and a women's magazine (Bonnes Soirées (good evenings) in French, De Haardvriend (the hearth's friend) in Dutch) a children's comics magazine, Le journal de Spirou
. Originally, it was only in French, and contained a mixture of American comics (e.g. Superman
, Brick Bradford
, and Red Ryder
) and new creations (Spirou et Fantasio
and Tif et Tondu
). A few months later, a Dutch edition called Robbedoes followed.
(together with Tintin magazine
).
Dupuis started publishing some books as well, but had real success by republishing the comics that had appeared as serials in the magazine, collected as albums afterwards. Sometimes these were one shots, but mainly they came in series. Dupuis has some of the best selling comic series, including Lucky Luke
, The Smurfs
, Gaston Lagaffe
and Largo Winch
. Many of these comic books have been reprinted constantly for thirty or forty years, thereby generating a constant revenue for the editor.
But the core business, the comics and the magazines, continued to be hugely successful, with a comics catalogue of more than 2000 titles available in French. Many of the series have been turned into animated movies in the 1990s, including Papyrus and Spirou et Fantasio
, and are being sold as movies and as comics throughout Europe. Dupuis has also started producing computer games.
In June 2004, Dupuis was bought by Média-Participations
, which now owns almost all major European comic book publishers, including Dargaud
and Le Lombard
.
are released in hardcover, which, due to the extra costs involved in its manufacture, makes them more expensive to buy than publications that were published with soft covers. Since about 1999, Dupuis has issued cheaper softcover editions under the label Collection Pirate, a cheeky reference referring to unauthorised pirated
editions.
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
publisher of comic books and magazines.
Based in Marcinelle
Marcinelle
Marcinelle is a Walloon town in the Belgian province of Hainaut, it is currently a municipality within the Charleroi borders. Until 1977, the town was a municipality of its own....
near Charleroi
Charleroi
Charleroi is a city and a municipality of Wallonia, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. , the total population of Charleroi was 201,593. The metropolitan area, including the outer commuter zone, covers an area of and had a total population of 522,522 as of 1 January 2008, ranking it as...
, Dupuis was founded in 1922 by Jean Dupuis, and is mostly famous for its comic albums and magazines. It is originally a French language
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
publisher, but publishes many editions both in French and Dutch
Dutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
. Other language editions are mostly licensed to other publishers. Dupuis was for a long time a family business but was sold in the early 1980s and has since changed ownership a few times.
Origin
The growth of Dupuis towards the leading comic book editor of Belgium started in 1938, when Dupuis added to its portfolio of a men's magazine (Le moustique (the mosquito) in French, HumoradioHUMO
HUMO is a popular Belgian weekly radio and television magazine, written in Dutch.Originally the magazine was titled Humoradio, a portmanteau of 'humor' and 'radio'....
in Dutch) and a women's magazine (Bonnes Soirées (good evenings) in French, De Haardvriend (the hearth's friend) in Dutch) a children's comics magazine, Le journal de Spirou
Spirou (magazine)
Spirou magazine is a weekly Belgian comics magazine published by the Dupuis company...
. Originally, it was only in French, and contained a mixture of American comics (e.g. Superman
Superman
Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
, Brick Bradford
Brick Bradford
Brick Bradford was a science fiction comic strip created by writer William Ritt, a journalist based in Cleveland, and artist Clarence Gray. It was first distributed in 1933 by Central Press Association, a subsidiary of King Features Syndicate....
, and Red Ryder
Red Ryder
Red Ryder was a popular long-running Western comic strip created by Stephen Slesinger and artist Fred Harman. Beginning Sunday, November 6, 1938, Red Ryder was syndicated by Newspaper Enterprise Association, expanding over the following decade to 750 newspapers, translations into ten languages and...
) and new creations (Spirou et Fantasio
Spirou et Fantasio
Spirou et Fantasio is one of the most popular classic Franco-Belgian comic strips. The series, which has been running since 1938, shares many characteristics with other European humorous adventure comics like Tintin and Asterix...
and Tif et Tondu
Tif et Tondu
Tif et Tondu is a Belgian comic strip originally created, written and drawn by Fernand Dineur. Several artists and writers have worked on the series but the most popular version is that drawn by Will, with writers Maurice Rosy, Maurice Tillieux and Stephen Desberg...
). A few months later, a Dutch edition called Robbedoes followed.
Growth after WWII
After some difficulties during the war (mainly because of the scarcity of paper towards the end of it, but also because American comics weren't allowed to be published anymore), Dupuis started to grow quickly. Le moustique became one of the leading magazines with info on radio and (later) television in Belgium, and Spirou was one of the two leading European comic magazinesFranco-Belgian comics magazines
Belgium and France have a long tradition in comics. They have a common history for comics and magazines.In the early years of its history, magazines had a large place on the comics market and were often the only place where comics were published. Most of them were kids-targeted.In the 1970s,...
(together with Tintin magazine
Tintin (magazine)
Le journal de Tintin or Kuifje , was a weekly Belgian comics magazine of the second half of the 20th century...
).
Dupuis started publishing some books as well, but had real success by republishing the comics that had appeared as serials in the magazine, collected as albums afterwards. Sometimes these were one shots, but mainly they came in series. Dupuis has some of the best selling comic series, including Lucky Luke
Lucky Luke
Lucky Luke is a Belgian comics series created by Belgian cartoonist, Maurice De Bevere better known as Morris, the original artist, and was for one period written by René Goscinny...
, The Smurfs
The Smurfs (comics)
The Smurfs are a Belgian comic series, created by cartoonist Peyo . The fictional characters of the Smurfs first appeared in Johan and Peewit in 1958, and the first independent Smurf comics appeared in 1959. Twenty-nine Smurf comic albums have been created, 16 of them by Peyo...
, Gaston Lagaffe
Gaston Lagaffe
Gaston is a comic strip created in 1957 by the Belgian cartoonist André Franquin in the comic strip magazine, Spirou. The series focuses on the every-day life of Gaston Lagaffe, a lazy and accident-prone office junior...
and Largo Winch
Largo Winch
Largo Winch is a Belgian comic book series by Philippe Francq and Jean Van Hamme, published by Dupuis.The principal character is Largo Winch whose birth name is Largo Winczlav. Other important characters include Nerio Winch , senior Group W executives John D. Sullivan and Dwight E...
. Many of these comic books have been reprinted constantly for thirty or forty years, thereby generating a constant revenue for the editor.
Stabilization and diversification
In the early sixties, Dupuis started with other activities, including the merchandising of its comic series (puppets, posters, ...), and the making of animated movies. Most of these weren't very successful but raised the visibility of their comics even more. Still, towards the end of the 1960s, the golden age of Dupuis seemed to be over. Some of the magazines were struggling, the merchandising activities were vastly reduced, and the movie studio didn't seem to get any successful movies.But the core business, the comics and the magazines, continued to be hugely successful, with a comics catalogue of more than 2000 titles available in French. Many of the series have been turned into animated movies in the 1990s, including Papyrus and Spirou et Fantasio
Spirou et Fantasio
Spirou et Fantasio is one of the most popular classic Franco-Belgian comic strips. The series, which has been running since 1938, shares many characteristics with other European humorous adventure comics like Tintin and Asterix...
, and are being sold as movies and as comics throughout Europe. Dupuis has also started producing computer games.
In June 2004, Dupuis was bought by Média-Participations
Média-Participations
Média-Participations is a French media concern, controlled by a Belgian holding concern, specialized in Franco-Belgian comics. It has some forty publishers in its portfolio, including Dupuis, Dargaud, Le Lombard and Fleurus.-History:...
, which now owns almost all major European comic book publishers, including Dargaud
Dargaud
Les Éditions Dargaud is a publisher of Franco-Belgian comics series, headquartered in the 18th arrondissement of Paris. It was founded in 1943 by Georges Dargaud.Initially, Dargaud published novels for women...
and Le Lombard
Le Lombard
Le Lombard or Lombard Editions is a Belgian comic book publisher established in 1946 when the Tintin magazine was launched. In 1986 the company was acquired by Média-Participations.-Titles:Lombard's more famous series include:*Clifton...
.
Collection Pirate
Most Franco-Belgian comicsFranco-Belgian comics
Franco-Belgian comics are comics that are created in Belgium and France. These countries have a long tradition in comics and comic books, where they are known as BDs, an abbreviation of bande dessinée in French and stripverhalen in Dutch...
are released in hardcover, which, due to the extra costs involved in its manufacture, makes them more expensive to buy than publications that were published with soft covers. Since about 1999, Dupuis has issued cheaper softcover editions under the label Collection Pirate, a cheeky reference referring to unauthorised pirated
Copyright infringement
Copyright infringement is the unauthorized or prohibited use of works under copyright, infringing the copyright holder's exclusive rights, such as the right to reproduce or perform the copyrighted work, or to make derivative works.- "Piracy" :...
editions.