Tintin Special 77 years

As a child, I received a subscription to Tintin. I had whined long enough to get a comic magazine, and eventually, it became Tintin. Not Kuifje, because the practical had to be coupled with the pleasant. The magazine greatly fueled my imagination, especially the humor comics like Cubitus (by Dupa) and Léonard (by Turk & De Groot), and later, when I could read French a bit better, Ric Hochet (by Duchâteau & Tibet) and Adler (by Sterne). The features about the authors were equally fascinating. Who were they? How had they managed to become comic artists in the first place? You would see them in photos with their sketchbooks under their arms, entering the editorial office at the publisher Le Lombard. You know, in that building at Brussels-South where Tintin and Snowy spin around on the roof. It seemed like an unattainable boyhood dream to ever do the same.

When I signed a contract for Kinky & Cosy with Le Lombard in 2005, I had the opportunity to step into that same building. Not with sketchbooks under my arm, but with a USB stick in my pocket. The satisfaction was already immense. However, publishing in the Tintin weekly was no longer possible because it had stopped in 1993. But look at what fate still had in store. Le Lombard is celebrating its 77th anniversary this year with a tribute issue to the Tintin weekly. The little boy in me couldn't believe his luck at the opportunity to pay homage to Ric Hochet!