Written by: Tome
Illustrations: Janry
Coloring: Stéphane De Becker
Publisher: Dupuis
De Kleine Robbe #17 Iedereen ziet je! – Comic Book Review
Robbedoes (also known as Spirou) is one of the biggest icons in the Belgian comic book history and many will immediately recognize him thanks to his distinct red bellboy suit. Even though his job as bellboy did not last that long, he kept his iconic suit, while becoming somewhat of a detective. Thanks to his popularity he even received a spin-off series which revolves around the young Robbedoes, namely ‘kleine Robbe’ (little Robbe). Today it’s all about when he was eight years old but already faced the troubles of growing up.
Even though this album doesn’t really have a storyline, as it’s one big collection of one paged gags (except for the introductory ‘gag’), there is still a red line that runs through the entire album. The little Robbe seems to have a big problem, namely he is slowly starting to grow up. While he is a long way off from becoming his well known adult version, Robbedoes (Spirou), he is troubled by the fact that he can’t reverse his ever growing and changing way of life.
As this seventeenth album is mainly about growing up in a gag-like form, things also have a rather adult undertone, as it seems Robbe does fancy a good looking girl and even a ‘dick joke’ or two will pass by when reading through this issue. Throughout the entire album things stayed fresh, original and never got predictable, which made the overall experience rather witty. Even though the writing may be rather slim, some gags were sometimes more complex than you’d imagine and thanks to this Tome kept the album interesting.
Janry keeps the iconic Robbedoes intact, albeit for his shorter persona, little Robbe. Things are portrayed in a comical fashion with very thick black lines, but never without sufficient details. The backdrops are often rather simplistic, but the amount of clutter in them often contributes to filling up the panels, making them crowded and adding up to the overall atmosphere of the somewhat chaotic/active gags. The colors by Stéphane De Becker have an old school touch to them, with a rather bland palette. At certain times one might even suggest that series such as Kid Paddle and Game Over even took series such as this one as an inspiration for their art style.
Conclusion
De Kleine Robbe #17 Iedereen ziet je! is all about a young boy being afraid of growing up too fast. While most children will not have this issue, as they would love to be an adult, it’s clear that the issue is intended for a more adult audience who wish they were a tad younger once again. Overall you’ll be treated to original, witty gags that will make you grin quite often.
De Kleine Robbe #17 Iedereen ziet je! - Comic Book Review,
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