Spirou et les héritiers
Encyclopedia
Spirou et les héritiers, written and drawn by Franquin
, is the fourth album of the Spirou et Fantasio
series, and a great leap in the expansion of the Spirou universe. After serial publication in Spirou
, it was released as a complete hardcover album in 1952.
is told he must compete against his cousin Zantafio
to inherit from a long-absent uncle. The deceased has devised three trials for the two men: creating an original and useful invention, achieving a top 6 Grand Prix race position, and finally capturing a mysterious animal, the Marsupilami
in the Palombia
n jungle. The dishonest Zantafio uses extreme tactics to win, and the two cousins are tied after the second task.
The third task proves the hardest, as the creature's prodigious reflexes and abilities make it impossible to capture, until it accidentally drinks a gallon of heating oil. Spirou and Fantasio nurse it and put it in a cage. On their way back, they are ambushed by hostile natives, but Zantafio, who has seen the errors of his ways and decided to drop out of the race, rescues them. Back home, Fantasio is declared the winner but learns that his impoverished uncle devised the race because he had nothing to leave his young relatives. The inheritance is the lessons in life learnt in the course of the competition. Fantasio declares himself satisfied.
's household with Will
and Morris
, from a joke concerning a very active tramway conductor with too many duties, in need of a long, agile rat's tail to help with the tasks, and how this core idea allowed the Marsupilami character to grow. Another influence was Eugene the Jeep
("Pilou Pilou" in French) a character from Thimble Theater which Franquin was fond of. He later expressed regret at having bound the Marsupilami species to a South American jungle, considering marsupial
s are found in Australia.
With Les Heritiérs, Franquin also reveals his passion for automobile sports.
André Franquin
André Franquin was an influential Belgian comics artist, whose best known comic strip creations are Gaston and Marsupilami, created while he worked on the Spirou et Fantasio comic strip from 1947 to 1969, during a period seen by many as the series' golden age.-Franquin's beginnings:Franquin was...
, is the fourth album of the 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...
series, and a great leap in the expansion of the Spirou universe. After serial publication in Spirou
Spirou (magazine)
Spirou magazine is a weekly Belgian comics magazine published by the Dupuis company...
, it was released as a complete hardcover album in 1952.
Story
In Spirou and the Heirs, FantasioFantasio
Fantasio is a fictional character from the Spirou et Fantasio comic strip. He was introduced in 1944 by Jijé, who was then drawing Spirou's adventures. Fantasio is Spirou's best friend and co-adventurer, a graphic reporter with an uncontrolled imagination and a mop of blond hair...
is told he must compete against his cousin Zantafio
Zantafio
Zantafio is a recurring fictional antagonist in the Spirou et Fantasio comic book series. He was created by André Franquin and first appeared in Spirou et les héritiers . Zantafio bears a strong resemblance to Fantasio, because they are cousins...
to inherit from a long-absent uncle. The deceased has devised three trials for the two men: creating an original and useful invention, achieving a top 6 Grand Prix race position, and finally capturing a mysterious animal, the Marsupilami
Marsupilami
Marsupilami is a fictional comic book species created by André Franquin, first published on 31 January 1952 in the magazine Spirou. Since then it appeared regularly in the popular Belgian comic book series Spirou et Fantasio until Franquin stopped working on the series in 1968 and the character...
in the Palombia
Palombia
Palombia is a fictitious South American country from the Belgian Spirou et Fantasio and Marsupilami comic book stories. The name is a portmanteau of Paraguay and Colombia. In French, Palombie is especially a word game between Colombie, Colombe and Palombe.-Overview:Palombia is a small country in...
n jungle. The dishonest Zantafio uses extreme tactics to win, and the two cousins are tied after the second task.
The third task proves the hardest, as the creature's prodigious reflexes and abilities make it impossible to capture, until it accidentally drinks a gallon of heating oil. Spirou and Fantasio nurse it and put it in a cage. On their way back, they are ambushed by hostile natives, but Zantafio, who has seen the errors of his ways and decided to drop out of the race, rescues them. Back home, Fantasio is declared the winner but learns that his impoverished uncle devised the race because he had nothing to leave his young relatives. The inheritance is the lessons in life learnt in the course of the competition. Fantasio declares himself satisfied.
Background
This album marks the first ever appearance (originally in Spirou issue #720, published January 31, 1952) of the Marsupilami. The character appeared in most subsequent Spiriou et Fantasio stories by Franquin before getting its own series. Franquin told that the ideas leading to its creation stem from the period Franquin lived in JijéJijé
Jijé was a Belgian comics artist, best known for being a seminal artist on the Spirou et Fantasio strip and the creator of one of the first major European western strips, Jerry Spring.-Biography:Born Joseph Gillain in Gedinne, Namur, he completed various art studies Jijé (13 January 1914 – 20...
's household with Will
Will (comics)
Willy Maltaite known by the pseudonym Will, was a comics creator and comics artist in the Franco-Belgian tradition...
and Morris
Morris (comics)
Maurice De Bevere , better known as Morris, was a Belgian cartoonist and the creator of Lucky Luke. His pen name is an alternate spelling of his first name.-Biography:...
, from a joke concerning a very active tramway conductor with too many duties, in need of a long, agile rat's tail to help with the tasks, and how this core idea allowed the Marsupilami character to grow. Another influence was Eugene the Jeep
Eugene the Jeep
Eugene the Jeep is a character in the Popeye comic strip. A mysterious animal with magical abilities, the Jeep first appeared in the March 16, 1936, appearance of Thimble Theatre strip...
("Pilou Pilou" in French) a character from Thimble Theater which Franquin was fond of. He later expressed regret at having bound the Marsupilami species to a South American jungle, considering marsupial
Marsupial
Marsupials are an infraclass of mammals, characterized by giving birth to relatively undeveloped young. Close to 70% of the 334 extant species occur in Australia, New Guinea, and nearby islands, with the remaining 100 found in the Americas, primarily in South America, but with thirteen in Central...
s are found in Australia.
With Les Heritiérs, Franquin also reveals his passion for automobile sports.