Le Journal de Spirou #43/1939
Le Journal de Spirou #43/1939 is a representative wartime instalment of one of the most consequential weekly comics magazines in Franco-Belgian history, capturing the publication at the precise moment its ambition was being tested by the outbreak of World War II. By this point in the autumn of 1939 — just weeks after the German invasion of Poland prompted the magazine to expand to sixteen pages — the issue carried an extraordinary cross-Atlantic roster under one cover: Rob-Vel's homegrown bellhop Spirou alongside his newly introduced pet squirrel Spip, Fernand Dineur's long-running Tif et Tondu partnership, Chester Gould's American crime strip Dick Tracy, and the localised Belgian adaptation of Superman retitled 'Marc, l'Hercule moderne.' The simultaneous presence of those characters makes issues from this period a snapshot of the cultural crossroads at which European comics learned from, and began to assert independence from, the American newspaper-strip tradition. Running continuously since April 1938, Le Journal de Spirou would go on to shape the entire 'École de Marcinelle' aesthetic, and its unbroken wartime publication is itself a testament to Dupuis's determination to keep children's culture alive under occupation.
In "Marc Hercule Moderne [Superman]", the earliest known appearance of Superman in a European publication, the Man of Steel faces off against a menacing submarine crew in a tense, action-packed sequence. Written by Jerry Siegel and illustrated by Joe Shuster, with inks by Dennis Neville, this 1939 issue from Dupuis presents a bold, early adaptation of the character, complete with Rob-Vel's striking cover art in both pencils and inks.
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Le Journal de Spirou was conceived by Belgian publisher Jean Dupuis and launched on 21 April 1938, with French cartoonist François Robert Velter — pen name Rob-Vel — providing the flagship strip and Belgian artist Fernand Dineur contributing Tif et Tondu from the very first issue. By mid-1939, Rob-Vel had shifted Spirou from single-panel gags into serialised adventure stories, a transition that brought Spip the squirrel into the cast in June 1939. With the outbreak of World War II in September 1939, Rob-Vel was mobilised into the French army, and production increasingly fell to his wife Blanche Dumoulin (pen name Davine) working from Paris; the magazine simultaneously expanded its page count to accommodate additional American licensed material, including the Superman strip it had been running since issue #9/1939. By the time issue #43 appeared, Dupuis was already navigating the logistical strains that would only intensify when Germany invaded Belgium in May 1940.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Le Journal de Spirou was a weekly Belgian comics magazine published by Éditions Dupuis, first issued on 21 April 1938 — issue #43/1939 falls in its second year of continuous publication.
- The magazine used an annual numbering system in its early years, so '#43/1939' denotes the 43rd issue of the 1939 volume; the Grand Comics Database records 52 issues for the full year 1939.
- Spirou — created by Rob-Vel — and his pet squirrel Spip (who first appeared in issue #23/1939, on 8 June 1939, within the story arc 'L'Héritage de Bill Money') were both featured as ongoing serials by the time of this issue.
- The Superman strip appeared under the title 'Marc, l'Hercule moderne,' with Clark Kent localised as 'Marc Costa'; it had been running in the magazine since issue #9/1939 (2 March 1939) and continued through early 1941.
- Dick Tracy (Chester Gould's American crime strip) was one of several US newspaper-comic reprints licensed via a French press agency and serialised throughout the 1939 volume alongside the Belgian-original content.
- Tif et Tondu, created by Belgian artist Fernand Dineur and present in the magazine since its very first issue, was running its 'Au Congo Belge' serial during the second half of 1939 (issues #26–#49/1939), meaning this issue likely contains an instalment of that adventure.
- In September 1939, following the outbreak of World War II, the magazine expanded to sixteen pages (from issue #38/1939 onward) to accommodate its growing American-licensed content — a format change in effect for issue #43.
- Rob-Vel's mobilisation into the French army in autumn 1939 meant that his wife Blanche Dumoulin (Davine), sometimes assisted by Luc Lafnet (who died in September 1939), increasingly contributed to the Spirou strip's production during this period.
Cast · 7 characters
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Full plot ⚠ may contain spoilers
▸ Reveal full plot — may contain spoilers
Alors que le feu roulant est sur le point de venir a bout du yacht, Superman aborde le sous-marin et monte sur la tourelle. Il jette le commandant et son second par-dessus bord avant d'arracher le canon de son socle et de lui faire suivre le meme chemin. Le capitaine ordonne au radio de prevenir leur superieur. Ce dernier disparait dans le submersible et envoie un message en morse. Leur chef considere qu'une capture du sous-marin est trop risquee. Le radio du sous-marin rapporte au capitaine que leur chef ordonne la destruction des preuves du complot.
Plot details indexed by the Grand Comics Database (CC BY-SA).