Zorglub is a fictional character in the Belgian comic strip Spirou et Fantasio , created by Greg and André Franquin , and first appeared in the serialised story Z comme Zorglub in Spirou magazine in 1959, later published in the diptych albums " Z comme Zorglub " (1961) and " L'ombre du Z " (1962). Zorglub's character was initially that of a sinister megalomaniac, mad scientist , but also a clumsy and bungling one who later reformed and became a friend and ally to the protagonists.
42-611: He was a student in Brussels during his youth and became friends with the Count of Champignac and Miss Flanner. After a failed experiment to attract the moon maxed out all the university's money, he not only became the laughing stock of the campus but was expelled as well. He reappears with the intent of starting an experiment on the moon, but he wants the association of his friend the Count, willingly or not. He has reformed entire villages into bases for his army made from hypnotized policemen,
84-475: A breach of the fourth wall Switch got the characters of Spirou magazine mixed up with those of rival publication Tintin magazine. Zantafio is a recurring antagonist in the series. He was created by Franquin and first appeared in Spirou et les héritiers (1952). Zantafio bears a strong resemblance to Fantasio, because they are cousins. Zorglub was created by Greg and Franquin, and first appeared in
126-465: A gas turbine, and the emblematic car of the series. Gustave Labarbe is usually referred to by the title of his office, the Mayor of Champignac. He is notable for his large ego, his pompous and nonsensical speeches, and his suspicion of all things from out-of-town, in particular Spirou and Fantasio themselves. A man who loves to hear himself speak, a simple conversation can turn into a speech in itself. He
168-648: A good friend to Marsupilami during his stay near the village, the pair appearing in a few short stories together. Ororéa is a brave female reporter of Polynesian descent, first introduced in Tora Torapa . Fournier , who was not interested in using Seccotine, replaced her with this new female character, also a journalist, but more friendly with Fantasio. His infatuation with Ororea contrasts with his frequent exasperation at Seccotine. Character created by André Franquin in 1952 in Spirou et les Héritiers . Roulebille
210-503: A kidnapping spends much of the story with a Band-Aid covering his mouth, and Spirou and Fantasio don't notice it. Sprtschk is an atomic scientist genius, whose mind is constantly fixed on physics formulas in pursuit of discovering the solution to create the ultimate bomb. Invited to The Count 's castle for reason's unknown during the hatching of the Mesozoic egg, the Count appears to quite dislike this scientist, and he spends most of
252-556: A live specimen Marsupilami . The character appeared in two Franquin stories, and later featured in the Marsupilami spin-off series. Pacôme Hégésippe Adélard Ladislas de Champignac is an old, castle-dwelling aristocrat, genius of a scientist . He works in many fields such as chemistry, biology, physics, but most frequently he creates chemical substances from various mushrooms found in his castle's park. These experiments may have extraordinary effects such as softening metal, allowing
294-479: A number of major and minor recurring characters . Spirou is the main character of this series. Fantasio is introduced by Jijé in 1943 as faithful friend and comical sidekick, and appears in all published Spirou et Fantasio adventures afterwards. Bring M. Backalive is an intrepid poacher who hunts in the Palombian jungles, obsessed with achieving his career's last remaining elusive triumph, to capture
336-678: A story from the spin-off series Le Petit Spirou , which showed Zantafio as a child (but still wearing a moustache), but this story was done for comedic purposes. In Spirou à Moscou (1990), Zantafio returns, as the "White Prince of the Russian Mafia", attempting to become the new Tsar of Russia . He uses the alias, as well as the anagram, "Tanaziof". When Morvan and Munuera took over as Spirou creative team, Zantafio returned in their second issue, L'homme qui ne voulait pas mourir (2005). Count of Champignac The long-running Franco-Belgian comic series Spirou and Fantasio has
378-442: A strong resemblance to Fantasio , because they are cousins. In Le dictateur et le champignon (1953), he is a South-American dictator of the fictional country Palombia. Zantafio first appears at an inheritance contest, arrogant and in debt. He and Fantasio are the only heirs, and he who wins three challenges wins the inheritance. After continually employing dirty tactics and still losing, Zantafio admits defeat, claiming to see
420-588: Is a former veterinarian of Champignac-en-Cambrousse, who after retirement has assumed the role of town alcoholic. He paces about the town in a constant state of drunkenness, though he remains impeccably dressed. He was first introduced in Le voyageur du Mésozoïque (1957), by Franquin. A gynoid, built by Louis LaGarne , but turned maverick and is bent on conquering humanity by any opportunity she can get. Created by Tome and Janry. Recurring maffia boss character, created by Tome and Janry. This mild-mannered, timid official
462-540: Is a racing driver at Turbot. With Martin, he participated in the construction and development of the Turbotraction, powered by a gas turbine, and the emblematic car of the series, which is at the center of the story La Corne de rhinocéros . He also makes a short appearance in Vacances sans histoires and appears in a few pages of Aux sources du Z , a story following the end of La Corne de rhinocéros . Seccotine
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#1732790348745504-495: Is a strong-willed reporter, and was the first major female character in the series. She was created by André Franquin , and made her first appearance in La turbotraction , serialised in 1953 and published in the album La corne de rhinocéros in 1955. A strange animal from the future that has been suggested to look like the cross breed of a tapir and a vacuum cleaner. It has appetite to devour nearly anything, and by flatulent biology,
546-475: Is able to quickly pass out what it ate, encapsulated in bubbles. Spip is one of the central characters of the series, Spirou's domesticated, courageous and sharp, grouchy pet squirrel. As his companion in all his adventures. Spip cannot talk, but his thoughts, often witty or sarcastic, are displayed to the reader, reflecting his usually grouchy mood. He's not pleased to frequently find himself in danger, but will be helpful in any situation as much as he can. Over
588-530: Is better known as the hero of his own series , where Spirou and Fantasio appear regularly as well. Because Franquin kept the rights to this character, he hasn't appeared in any Spirou et Fantasio adventures since Franquin abandoned the series. John Helena nicknamed "The Moray" is a criminal character encountered in Spirou's maritime adventures. Initially introduced in Le repaire de la murène as "the good captain" of
630-484: Is first encountered in the third act of Spirou et les héritiers , and from then on remained a near-constant character fixture in the following Franquin adventures. After this he featured in Fournier's first story, Le faiseur d'or under Franquin's supervision, and never appeared again, save for depictions as plush animal toys and in framed photos. This is because Franquin kept the rights to the character to himself, while
672-405: Is the "Zorglonde" which he uses to bring others under his spell. Depending on the wave level, the zorglonde can be used to temporarily hypnotise whole populations, prevent outsiders from approaching Zorglub's bases or having an entire army under his control. Zorglub uses the zorglonde to steal inventions developed by others which he then claims as his own. He also turns police officers from all over
714-513: Is the Mayor's assistant and right hand man. He was first introduced in Il y a un sorcier à Champignac (1951), by Franquin and Henri Gillain. Gaston Lagaffe first made a discrete appearance in Le voyageur du Mésozoïque , a slightly more noticeable appearance in Vacances sans histoires , and had an active role in La foire aux gangsters , before appearing in Franquin's two final Spirou adventures. He
756-455: The fourth wall , acknowledging that he is in a comic book and sometimes even complaining that Spirou and Fantasio are not exactly his idea of comic book heroes. Complaints aside, he was still an active (if often unwilling) participant in the stories, even saving the day on a few occasions, such as in L'abbaye truquée . In the beginning, Tome and Janry continued Spip much as Fournier had, letting him make biting remarks about whatever situation he
798-452: The body to resist water pressure, speeding or reversing the body's ageing, giving people super-strength, or even turning people black. Also a skilled engineer, he has constructed numerous incredible machines such as individual dolphin-like submarines, and other handy gadgets. He is also proven to be a paleontologist, an astronomer and an astrophysicist. Champignac is connected to several almost as eccentric scientists who frequently visit him at
840-409: The capacity to speak through "thought balloons" (similar to Snoopy and Garfield ). From this point he is given to state his opinion on any situation, often in a comical manner, and his communications appear to be understood. Under Franquin's authorship, Spirou and Fantasio lose the ability to understand Spip, and when the Marsupilami joins the family, he also loses a great deal of attention but gains
882-520: The castle, bringing new inventions and experiments that often bring about troublesome consequences. Due to his overall brilliance, he has several times been the victim of industrial espionage . A wife of some time in his past has been mentioned, but no explanation of her absence was ever given. He has no children, but would eventually have a near-identical looking nephew, Aurélien de Champignac ( L'horloger de la comète ). (incomplete) Célestin Dupilon
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#1732790348745924-408: The end of the story he has started up a tourist organisation that shows people the abandoned base where the clandestine operation took place, a changed man who's earning his money the honest way. Ibn-Mah-Zoud is a character who makes a strong impression, despite appearing in a single Spirou adventure: Vacances sans histoires . A wealthy sheikh , he suffers from colour blindness and is notoriously
966-572: The errors of his cheating ways, and feels guilty about it. The cousins part on good terms while searching for the Marsupilami in the Palombian rainforest. Yet, Zantafio, under the alias of General Zantas , returns as the dictator of the country, much to the surprise of Spirou and Fantasio. He offers Spirou and Fantasio a place within his army, but they are repulsed by Zantafio's change in personality. No longer friendly, Zantafio becomes merciless, brutal, and drunk on power. Spirou and Fantasio, with
1008-699: The inventions of the Count of Champignac , initiate a revolt in Palombia. During the revolution, Zantafio is ousted from power and disappears into the jungle. Zantafio later strikes back at his cousin by framing him for thievery. He employs special henchmen to impersonate him and therefore disgrace him, but Spirou manages to foil his plans. Zantafio continues to return several times as the nemesis antagonist, exploring many variants of crime. He even becomes Zorglub's second-in-command and then tries to replace him to gain power in L'ombre du Z (1956). When Fournier took over
1050-482: The latest album La Face cachée du Z , Zorglub has built a space base on the other side of the Moon... but that forced him to bow before investors and build them a lunapark . That makes him so mad he finally decides to be a villain again, this time in space, and (supposedly) far from humans. Zorglub also had his own series of spinoff albums with his daughter, written and drawn by José Luis Munuera . His major invention
1092-579: The local rebel movement opposed to Schmetterling eventually succeeded in overthrowing him and restoring the King to his authority. Ladislas subsequently introduced reforms to overcome the economic plight caused by the General who had been fraudulently embezzling the state's coffers. The King even awarded Switch the Bretzelburg Medal of Courage! Switch had a sister whose children enjoyed comics. In
1134-469: The mental state of a child but with the help of the Count, Spirou and Fantasio he is cured and rehabilitated. An impressive arch-villain , his initial appearance is that of a visionary evil genius, but the comical aspects of the character soon come through. Although possessing a great deal of advanced machinery, his only true invention (as he admits) is the "zorglonde" (zorglwave, a mind-control radio wave). He boasts that he could, if he wanted to, take over
1176-417: The other characters belonged to publisher Dupuis . Since 1987, the specimen from Le nid des Marsupilamis stars in his own comics . Character created by Franquin in 1952 in Spirou et les Héritiers . Motor racing driver, Martin is the first driver (and driving instructor) of the firm Turbot. With his teammate Roulebille, he participated in the construction and development of the Turbotraction, powered by
1218-528: The perspective to feel ignored and underappreciated. In the shadow of his extraordinary fellow pet, he is less influential, although there are exceptions. In La corne de rhinoceros , he saves his friends from an angry elephant, earning him the title "king of creation". Near the end of this era, in QRN sur Bretzelburg , he is allowed to shine. Fournier's Spip continues where Franquin's left off, his sarcasms becoming more frequent and self-pitying. He occasionally breaks
1260-509: The reluctant Switch along with him. Switch was terrified from the start, and became even more so as they progressed through Bretzelburg, being convinced that they last hour had come at every minute. Disguised as window cleaners he and Spirou managed to sneak into the Royal palace during which a nervous Switch wrote out his will . He even fainted when he overheard an outburst by the intimidating General Schmetterling. Switch, Spirou, Fantasio and
1302-534: The series, the criminal organisation known as the Triangle became the main recurring antagonist focus of the series. In Tora Torapa (1973), Zantafio returns as leader of the Triangle. After Fournier left the series, Zantafio disappeared for a long time as well: the new creative team of Broca & Cauvin created new villains for their short run and their successors Tome & Janry started out their run creating own villains well. Their La jeunesse de Spirou included
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1344-471: The several authorship periods the character has evolved: Spip is saved by Spirou in Rob-Vel's and Jijé's first joint adventure L'Héritage de Bill Money ( The Inheritance of Bill Money , 1938), and from then on he stands by his master's side. Under Rob-vel his presence is just visual, occasionally serving to gnaw ropes that bind his master, or adding to a comical detail. It is under Jijé's authorship he gains
1386-437: The sunk vessel Le Discret , he is eventually revealed to be a hardened antagonist of the worst sort. During this adventure, he elaborates on his nickname, describing the moray as a fish with teeth that bothers no-one unless a fool comes by to disturb (i.e. Spirou). In his final appearance in the album "Virus" we find him after doing his time behind bars. He redeems himself by exposing an international gang of viral arms traders. At
1428-635: The time by himself to ponder his scientific riddle. Sprtschk's appearance in the Spirou adventures is very brief, though memorable and ironic. Having presumably just discovered the great goal of his career with sinister satisfaction, he is suddenly eaten, accidentally, by a vegetarian dinosaur. The Count feigns some guilt about his part in Sprtschk's death, but is more distraught when his trees are destroyed. Marcelin Switch appeared in QRN sur Bretzelburg . Switch
1470-466: The world into his soldiers, known as Zorglhommes (Zorgl-men), who operate his worldwide secret bases. Zorglub designed a special language to talk with his zorglhommes in order to maintain the secrecy of his plans. It's just normal speech spelled backwards: "Gnol evil Bulgroz!" translates as "Long live Zorglub!" In Le réveil du Z (1986), Spirou and Fantasio travel through time and meet Zorglub's son, who has followed into his father's footsteps and conquered
1512-417: The world of the future. Zorglub junior looks exactly like his father, but he suffers from dwarfism . This however adds some irony, as he still refers to himself as The Great Zorglub . 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 (1952). Zantafio bears
1554-405: The world's worst driver. This is proved during the course of Vacances , once he has slipped away from his driver's guardianship and mistakes Spirou and Fantasio's blue Turbotraction:Turbot-Rhino I for his own red one. Surviving the catastrophic results of his joyride, he later proves himself to be a man of honour, replacing the destroyed car with a brand new prototype Turbot 2 . The Marsupilami
1596-408: The world, but considers it too petty for a man of his genius. His real aim is to be recognized as the greatest scientist of all time, but being eccentric, schizophrenic and with a big ego, he has a tendency to make foolish mistakes which lead to his downfall. He later rehabilitates, but his ego is never "shot down" which makes him an easy target to manipulate as evidenced in the album Tora Torapa . In
1638-421: The zorglhommes. With them he manages to steal several military secrets and technology, including the zorglumobile. As the album progresses, he repents and starts dismantling his bases. After dismantling all but one of his bases he is again sent on the evil path by Zantafio . When Zantafio betrays him by showing that all that he desires is power, Zorglub is shot and becomes catatonic. After the ordeal he reverts to
1680-501: Was a ham radio operator who got in touch with King Ladislas of Bretzelburg who was being kept a virtual prisoner in his palace by General Schmetterling. Ladislas wanted Switch to inform world opinion of his plight but the Bretzelburg secret police intercepted their communications and set out to kidnap Switch. By mistake however they captured Fantasio instead. Spirou resolved to go to Bretzelburg in order to rescue Fantasio and dragged
1722-558: Was first introduced in Il y a un sorcier à Champignac (1951). (incomplete) Maître Mordicus is the attorney in charge of fulfilling Fantasio 's uncle's will, functioning as arbiter in the battle of skills and wits between Fantasio and Zantafio . Le Petit Noël ( Little Noël ) is a melancholic, dreamy boy who lives in Champignac-en-Cambrousse . He was created for the 1958 Spirou Christmas special issue. He would receive several small cameo appearances and become
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1764-423: Was in, providing comedy relief and occasionally contributing to the plots. However, as the series evolved and grew more dramatic and mature, Spip's role was greatly reduced, his comments becoming less frequent until he stopped talking entirely. In later albums he's more or less a background character, still always by Spirou's side but seldom noticed by anyone. This was even parodied in Spirou à Moscou , where he after
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