The graphic novel The Beast, created by Zidrou and Frank Pé, will be published in English for the first time thanks to Oni Press and Magnetic Press. The story reimagines the marsupilami, a creature by André Franquin, in a post-war Brussels. A specimen captured in Palombia escapes from traffickers in Antwerp and is taken in by François, a boy marginalized for being the son of a German soldier. The work denounces the trafficking of exotic animals and mistreatment, while exploring the friendship between the boy and the beast.
The process of adapting a classic beast to modern comics 🎨
Zidrou and Frank Pé have worked on a timeline that blends the dirty realism of post-war Belgium with animal fantasy. The marsupilami's design maintains its elongated essence and prehensile tail, but moves away from Franquin's original humorous tone to adopt more organic textures and dense shadows. The use of watercolors and colored pencils in large-format pages reinforces the harshness of the urban environment. The visual narrative alternates between tight panels for the oppression of captivity and splash pages that show the lost jungle freedom.
How to survive animal trafficking and end up in a Belgian school 😅
The marsupilami in The Beast goes from being contraband in Antwerp to the pet of a boy with integration issues. If it was already hard being the son of a German soldier in 1950, imagine showing up to class with a yellow primate with an elastic tail. The kid not only has to hide it from nosy neighbors, but also prevent the creature from eating the uniform or tearing up the playground. At least the critter doesn't speak Flemish, so the teachers' complaints fall on deaf ears.