by Today’s fanart is from a 2012 April Fools joke on the Finnish site Kvaak.fi. If Google Translate makes correct sense of it, the story was that the next one-shot would be made by an unknown Finnish duo, Areng & Leaudelaboue:
In reality, it seems, those names are an obscure Finnish pun, and it was really drawn by Anssi Rauhala. (Anyone who can actually read Finnish are more than welcome to correct any misunderstandings or add further detail.)
I wrote the article, and the names Areng and Leaudelaboue are puns of French words Hareng and l’eau de la boue (herring and muddy water). The names were supposed to be pseudonyms of two of known Finnish comic artists. The readers were to guess who they might be.
As we say in Finnish: April fool! Eat herring and drink muddy water!
Ah, thanks! With that explanation the story makes more sense.
Shucks, I’m speechless. Getting noticed outside the close circle of friends and family being such a rare occasion, I don’t know what to say. Except thanks, it was fun.
Trying to get some new work done (Spirou being so clearly out of reach), I wish you all the best in your future enterprises.
-ar-