Boule et Bill

Boule et Bill(known in English asBilly & Buddy) is a popularcomic, created in 1959 byBelgianwriter-artistJean Robain collaboration withMaurice Rosy.In 2003, the artistic responsibility of the series was passed on to Roba's former assistant Laurent Verron. The stories center on a typical family: a man and his wife, their young son Boule and Bill thecocker spaniel.
Boule et Billfirst appeared in theBelgian comicsmagazineSpirouon December 24, 1959.The ambition was to make a sort of EuropeanPeanuts. The debut was made in a so-calledmini-récit(mini-story), a story in 32 very small pages, printed on the inner spread of the magazine. Roba had until then mainly made illustrations for the magazine and had helped some other authors (includingAndré Franquin), and now started with his own series. A few months later, a four-page comic with the same heroes appeared, and shortly thereafter Roba created a weekly one page comic. For the next twenty-five years,Boule et Billwas one of the most popular series of the magazine, and appeared mostly on the back cover. From 1961 to 1965, the strip appeared in British comicValiant, renamedIt's A Dog's Life. Boule's name was changed to Pete and Bill's was changed to Larry. Apart from those changes this strip was mostly the same. 21 Albums were edited byDupuisuntil 1985, containing one long story and some 800 gags. Thereafter, Roba changed from editor, moving toDargaud. In 2006, Jean Roba died, but he had announced that he wanted the series to be continued, and had appointed Verron as his successor.
Boule et Billrelates the homely adventures of seven-year-oldboy Boule and his dog Bill, aCocker Spaniel, as well as that of Boule's mother and father and Caroline theturtle. Bill, while slightlyanthropomorphized, basically acts as a normal dog, and the whole series places comical adventures in therealistic setting of a normal family in a normal town, with normal lives. Most of the gags happen in or around the house, but also include an almost yearly holiday setting with the family travelling away from home, usually at the beach.
Boule et Bill were first published byDupuisin 1959, then from 1988 byDargaud.
Cinebookhas been publishing the books in English, withBoule and BillrenamedBilly and Buddy, respectively.
The series is translated in about 15 other languages, in which the characters names also vary:
Boule et Billis among the best-selling French-language comics, with 300,000 copies for the new album by Verron in 2009.
In 2013, a Belgian-French-Luxembourgish film was released, "Boule et Bill (fr)", based on the comics. It starsFranck Duboscas the father,Marina Foïsas the mother, and Charles Crombez as Bill. It was dubbed in different languages. The movie received bad reviews,but was commercially successful enough to warrant a sequel "Boule et Bill 2", released in 2017.
Four animated television series based onBoule and Billwere produced:
ANintendo DSvideo game based on the comic was launched in 2008 byAtariandAnuman Interactive.
In theBelgian Comic Strip CenterinBrusselsthe permanent exhibition brings homage to the pioneers ofBelgian comics, among them Jean Roba and his seriesBoule et Bill.
Boule et Bill is among the many Belgian comics characters to jokingly have a Brussels street named after them. The Rue au Beurre/ Boterstraat has acommemorative plaquewith the nameRue Boule et Bill / Bollie en Billie straatplaced under the actual street sign.
In 1992 a wall painting representingBoule and Billwas painted in the Rue du Chevreuil inBrussels.It was designed by G. Oregopoulos and D. Vandegeerde.
In 2000a statue of Boule and Bill was erected inJette,Belgium,next to where Roba lived. It was sculpted by Tom Frantzen.In 2014 the statue was subject of vandalism.
In 2002La Poste, France'spost officesystem, issued twopostage stampsillustrating Boule and Bill. Three out of eight weresemi-postalstamps benefiting theFrench Red Cross.