Spirou

### Family

Unnamed parents (mentioned in film), unnamed twin brother, unnamed sister, unnamed uncle

### Friends

Fantasio (best friend), Spip, Seccotine, Zaoki, Luna Cortizone, Count Champignac, Zantafio (sometimes), Zorglub (sometimes), Vito Cortizone (sometimes), Gaston Lagaffe, Madame Jeanne, Léon Prunelle, Marsupilami

### Enemies

Zantafio (sometimes), Zorglub (sometimes), Cyanure, Vito Cortizone (sometimes)

### Likes

Adventures, part time working in the hotel, his squirrel Spip

### Dislikes

Zantafio, Zorglub's evil plans, getting very ill after diagnosed with lupus (The Bellhop's Life and Death)

## Character's Bio

### Birthdate

21 April 1938 (comic)
7th June 1994 (The Bellhop's Life and Death)

### Deathdate

16th September 2018 (The Bellhop's Life and Death)

### Deathplace

**Life and Death fanfics:** Reykjavík, Republic of Iceland
**Other fanfics:** London, England, United Kingdom

### Cause of Death

Lupus (The Bellhop's Life and Death)
Kidney failure (other fanfics)

### Age

Late teens or early 20's (comics and cartoons)
24 (2018)

## Physical Apearance

### Hair Colour

Red
Reddish Brown (film)

### Eye Colour

Black (comics and cartoons)
Light hazel brown (film)
Light blue-green (fanfics)

### Complexion

Fair (comics and cartoons)
Pale (fanfics)

### Status

Alive (comics and cartoons)
Deceased (fanfics)

**Spirou** is one of Spirou et Fantasio comic characters. He was originally drawn by Rob Vel in the comic book magazine Journal de Spirou published by Jean Dupuis in 1938. He is the main character of the Spirou and Fantasio series. Spirou had already been used on some posters made by the designer.

His first name means squirrel in Walloon, a first name which is not by chance: Spirou is red like most squirrels, he is said to be small, clever and intelligent (spirou would also mean that), and he will adopt a squirrel, Spip.

## Character

### Rob-Vel period

The character is born from the request of Mr. Papillon (director of the Moustic Hotel) to Rob-Vel, a young and virtuous bellhop in his staff. Rob-Vel draws it and takes it out of the paper with a little brandy. At its beginnings, Spirou was young (maximum 16 years old), and his adventures were mainly humorous gags, making it possible to be a comic book appreciated by young people. But he quickly sets off on a great adventure, The Legacy of Bill Money , and, although still dressed as a bellboy, his stories no longer have any connection with his profession.
He began to travel the world and the grown-ups, Spirou even became very well known, he was a high personality, but with low income! It is during his mysterious adventure The Lair of Sosthene Silly that he saves Spip and decides never to leave him again.
According to his time, when the war arrives, Rob-Vel first makes him a patriot, sends him to the colonies. And during the Occupation, Spirou will live joyous adventures, friendships (especially with a black, La Puce , an idea that surprisingly escapes German censorship). If Spirou never finds himself in War or conflicts, he experiences light and often fantastic or science-fictional adventures, escaping reality.

### Jijé period

When Jijé officially takes over Spirou, he makes the series even more comical and far-fetched than it was with its predecessor. Spirou then works for his own newspaper, and on this occasion meets Fantasio, a character from the newspaper who presented the games section.
This wacky friend will take Spirou away from his travels around the world for more local adventures, which this whimsical will cause almost every time. Spirou nevertheless remains closely linked to this strange friend, with whom he never gets bored.

### Franquin period

When Franquin takes over the series, he keeps the character of Fantasio and lastingly transforms the universe by writing his scenarios beforehand, breaking with the incredible adventures of the groom.
Spirou is getting older, he seems to be around 18 when Franquin takes over him and in his twenties when he leaves him. Spirou becomes a reporter with Fantasio, and they work together for the daily Le Moustique alongside some reports for the newspaper Spirou. During vacation, he meets the Comte de Champignac, with whom he and Fantasio will become friends.
He will then help Fantasio capture a marsupilami , which they will try to set free without success. The animal will sometimes live in the large park of the Chateau de Champignac.
He ends up buying a house where he lives in collocation with Fantasio. They will become owners of two beautiful cars, Turbotractions.
He will, along with Fantasio and the Count, be confronted with Zorglub on the last episodes of this period. His naturalness turned towards the truth, justice and the spirit of adventure will put him in front of recalcitrant enemies like the gang at Valentino, Zantafio, John Héléna dit La Murène, the Zabaglione circus and many times the army. But He will also make faithful friends like Seccotine, Martin and Roulebille, or the inhabitants of Champignac-en-Cambrousse.

### Fournier period

Fournier will also age the character. Spirou seems to be in his twenties, he follows the fashion of his time and wears long hair for a long time.
His actions are more than always pacifist and even become environmentalists, while remaining impartial journalist on all fronts. He protested against nuclear power, oppression or drugs (the latter on several occasions). We discover with Ororéa that he is not immune to the charm of women.
We also see that despite his wacky spirit, his environment becomes a little more real: more marsupilami, simple and not luxurious car.

If former enemies like Zantafio return from time to time, Spirou goes to war against greater threats: dictators (Kodo, the Tyrant / Beans everywhere), even international crime organizations with the Triangle.

### Nic and Cauvin period

Spirou is getting old. He is approaching his thirties, his features are more drawn.
He begins to be weary of too dangerous adventures. He is no longer looking for them, wants a certain tranquility. But when the danger, once again global, arises, it nevertheless sets out to counter it.

As before, most of the adventures are caused by Fantasio, again becoming wacky and inventor.

### Tome and Janry period

Spirou is slowly approaching his thirties, which he seems to reach in Machine qui rêve.
He returns to the adventure, and seems ready to do anything to save a friend, a people, or simply to receive a little money in a report. More realistic, the Tome and Janry period shows a human hero, enjoying female company (Luna fatale) or having money problems (Spirou in New York).

He is firmly rooted in his time, listens to contemporary music, makes reference to 80's films.
He made a new enemy: the mafia, which he faced directly in Russia and especially in the United States with Vito Cortizone .
He always faces injustice, sometimes at the cost of great danger (Dreaming Machine).

### Morvan and Munuera period

Morvan and Munuera seek to humanize Spirou even more. If his adventures are always eccentric, he goes to real places (Paris, Amazonia, Tokyo...). He also goes to a shrink to calm his hero complex and falls madly in love! A too sudden revolution that will be decried.
If Spirou's age seemed to be approaching 30 years in volume 46, we no longer know from this period whether the character is in his twenties or thirties, certain drawings leaning more towards one age than the other. The character thinks of himself a little more than of others. Under the influence of Miss Flanner, he will be tempted to erase the 70 years of his life to live something else.

It is deeply rooted in the 2000's and is very close to the manga boom (Spirou in Tokyo).

### Yoann and Vehlmann period

With Yoann and Vehlmann, the character is anchored in his time while remaining more classic, and he feels this discrepancy (which forces him for example to wear his groom costume, lost in Panade à Champignac). He appears to be around 30 years old, but it is impossible to be more specific.

Spirou is always ready to help but age has made him suspicious and sometimes grumpy. He supports injustice less and less. He seems more and more interested in pretty girls, who give him back (La face cachée du Z).

sometimes eccentric period (Alert to the Zorkons), sometimes science fiction (The hidden side of Z) or sometimes realistic (In the claws of the Viper), the Yoann and Vehlmann period is rich in secondary characters: the return of  Seccotine, and the by Vito Cortizone  that we had not seen since  Luna fatale  but also pure inventions: Gil-coeur-Vaillant, La Vipère, Ninon, Blythe Prejlowieky, Poppy Bronco...

They offer us with their 54th album a story of great adventures à la "Indiana Jones": The groom of Sniper Alley very focused on current events and the incessant conflicts of Israel-Palestine. With a first part rather political the second is more focused on the adventure itself with the search for the treasure.

The 55th album reconnects with the classic vein by bringing back the Marsupilami (domestic) in the series ( The Wrath of the Marsupilami )

Yoann and Vehlmann reconnect with Spirou's "classic" period by forcing him to wear his groom's costume each time, although this one, in itself, has no interest. So, sometimes it's for advertising or branding reasons (Zorkon alert, In the clutches of the Viper, Sniper Alley's groom), sometimes it is about errors of his "close" or friends (The hidden side of Z). In the last album The Wrath of the Marsupilami, Spirou wears his costume in order to reassure the Marsupilami they have found after many years of separation (since The Gold Maker).

### Other authors

Spirou did not experience any adventures in World War II, some authors of the series Une aventure de Spirou et Fantasio par... take advantage of the fact that he was born in 1938 to reimagine his history and make the Occupation the key moment when Spirou decides to be a journalist. His meeting with Fantasio and Spip is also revisited, as well as his origins, made more real. In the 1960s, Spirou was treated in different ways. If he is always the hero who rushes against all dangers, he works as a bellboy because journalist is not a sufficient livelihood to live well, or he already seems to open up to love by having strong views over Seccotine.

In the 2000's, he got closer to the Spirou of his time, but seemed more composed, more classic, but also "softer" in love (Les géants pétrifiés).

## Physical Appearance

In the comics, Spirou has fair complexion, red hair styled in quiff like Tintin and black eyes. When he works in the hotel, he wears red bellhop outfit, matching hat with golden bell button and black line and trousers with black lining each, and a pair of black shoes.

In Spirou's adventure outfit, he wears white turtleneck sweater, red jacket, matching trousers and black shoes.

In the 2006 cartoon, Spirou wears red jacket, dark burgundy long sleeved shirt, red pants and shoes.

In the 2018 film, Spirou has fair skin, light hazel brown eyes and messed curly reddish brown hair.

In the fanfics, Spirou has pale skin, red hair and light blue green eyes. Since 2016, his hair became thin and he had to wore a red head cap to covered his head. When he was hospitalized, he wears pale cornflower blue hospital pyjamas, a nasal cannula putting on both his nostrils that helping him with his breathing through his lungs, a needle on a front of his left hand that connecting with the IV pole and hospital wristband around the wrist of his left hand.

During his funeral, he wears black jacket, white dress shirt, black necktie, matching trousers and shoes. His corpse was half covered with a Belgian flag, both his arms were on top of it and his hands holds the rosary with a cross on it.

## Fanfics

The Bellhop's Life and Death

In 10th March 2015, Fantasio was aware that the doctor tells him that Spirou has been diagnosed with lupus due to his high fever and he would giving him three years to live. Spirou and Fantasio decides to staying in Count Champignac's mansion as both he and Count Champignac would taking care of him until they're going to the hospital for his treatment. 52 days later, Fantasio tells Seccotine, Luna and everyone that Spirou was diagnosed with lupus due to his high fever and the doctor gives him three years to live.

A year later, Spirou's lupus had caused his hair became thin. Fantasio had made a decision to get Spirou a headwear to covered his head.

In 7th June 2018, Spirou, Fantasio and everybody celebrates his 24th birthday at the hospital in Reykjavík, Iceland. Spirou blows the candles on the cake to make a wish. He wishes that he wants Fantasio to take care of Spip and their friends with good before he died. Fantasio accepts his wish to decided to do the next part of his own to taking care of Spip and their friends.

On 16th September 2018, Spirou died of lupus after the doctors and nurses were working on him but they're failed to reviving him. Fantasio and everyone were really sad that Spirou had died.

The Tales of The Quadruplets & The Triplets

In 2020, two years after Spirou's death. Fantasio first met the Trousseau triplets, Amira, Amina and Amila at the park in Champignac-en-Cambrousse. He tells them a story about Spirou and he said that the doctor tells him that he has been diagnosed with lupus due to his high fever and he's been giving three years to live. Fantasio also telling them that how Spirou dies.