29 March, 2024
Festival Spirou 2017 poster (ill. Franquin etc.; Copyright (c) 2017 Dupuis and the artists; image from dupuis.com)

Light from Borneo wins Brussels Comic Prize

Festival Spirou 2017 poster (ill. Franquin etc.; Copyright (c) 2017 Dupuis and the artists; image from dupuis.com)

This weekend was the 8th annual Brussels Comic Strip Festival, which was also the 4th Festival Spirou (with Gaston as the featured character this time around, in honor of his sixtieth anniversary). Among other events, the Festival included a special pre-release screening of Le Petit Spirou the movie (which opens in cinemas 27. September).

Another addition this year was a set of prizes for comics creators, the Prix Atomium, which this year were handed out by former Spirou & Fantasio writer Jean-David Morvan. Sponsored by various organizations, each prize is awarded based on different criteria and comes with a monetary award ranging from 3,000 to 20,000 EUR. The Prix Atomium Spirou (15,000 EUR and publication in the magazine) is sponsored by the Journal and is awarded to a humoristic 44-page adventure in the tradition of the magazine’s classic series. It was won by Pebble’s Adventures by Nols.

Prix Atomium 2017 laureates including Zidrou and Frank Pé, with host Morvan (photo from dupuis.com)
Prix Atomium 2017 laureates. Zidrou second from left, Frank Pé fifth from left. Host Jean-David Morvan third from left.

Meanwhile, the Prix Atomium de Bruxelles (7,500 EUR) is sponsored by the Minister-President of the Brussels region to recognize a comic that showcases Brussels. It was won by the Spirou one-shot La Lumière de Bornéo (“The Light from Borneo”) by Frank Pé and Zidrou, which features the city extensively (the Atomium itself plays an important role in the story). The jury’s decision was unanimous.

Congratulations to all the winners!

Spirou Reporter

I grew up reading Spirou in Scandinavian translations. Now I'm learning French and trying to decode the originals.

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