Jump - 'De IJzervreter' (2008).
Charel Cambré is a Flemish illustrator, animator and comic artist. He first came to notice with various celebrity comics based on popular Flemish media stars, such as 'De Pfaffs' (2003-2004), 'Spring' (2004-2007), 'Mega Mindy' (2007-2009) and 'K3' (2009-2010). Since 2005 he is one of the artists continuing Willy Vandersteen's long-running and succesful series 'Suske en Wiske', assisting Luc Morjaeu. He was also the artist who drastically rebooted the franchise with the spin-off series 'Amoras' (2013), scripted by Marc Legendre. This modernized and more mature spin-off polarized audiences, but nevertheless became a huge bestseller, paving the way for other projects reimagining Vandersteen's characters. Cambré also drew a series of his own named 'Jump' (2007-2015), about a group of adventurous teenagers. He is one of the few artists in the otherwise so despised celebrity comics genre who managed to outgrow this niche and gain more respect from critics and audiences alike. Not only is his artwork more accomplished, but he is also able to write funny gags and stories of his own. Cambré proved himself to be a witty satirist as well, thanks to his gag comic 'Albert & Co' (2008-2013, renamed 'Filip & Mathilde' from 2013 on) about the Belgian royal family. He and Legendre also created the satirical comic 'Schuimslagers' (2011), which satirizes Belgian politics and the European Union through the metaphor of a shipwrecked crew on a deserted island, and a retro-styled Flemish rendition of the Franco-Belgian classic 'Spirou et Fantasio' ('Robbedoes Special', 2017-2018).
Early life
Charel Cambré was born in 1968 in Herenthout. His parents owned a local bar and he learned drawing on beer felts when he was young. Cambré studied arts at the Kunsthumaniora of Lier for three years, and between 1987 and 1991 at the Animation Academy in Ghent. He ranks the "School of Marcinelle" with artists like André Franquin, Peyo, Jean Roba, Albert Uderzo, Berck and Will among his main artistic influences. Later in his career he also expressed admiration for José-Luis Munuera.
Animation career
After his studies, Cambré had his first jobs with Belgian animation studios like Fenix Animation in Ghent and Raymond Burlet's Kid Cartoons in Brussels. He then worked as an advertising designer through Disket Reclamewerken in Turnhout, while continuing to work on storyboards, key frames and lay-outs for several French and German animation projects through Graphics & Animations in Antwerp. At Graphics & Animations, he made designs for the children's TV series 'Rocket Power' (1999-2005), produced by Klasky-Csupo, and for the German animated feature film 'Till Eulenspiegel' ('Jester Jill', 2003) and the animated TV series adaptation of Astrid Lindgren's 'Pippi Longstockings'.
'Street Kids' (2000).
Jaak / Streetkids
Cambré also drew cartoons for magazines, including the weekly feature 'Jaak' in the magazine Vacature. In the late 1990s the young artist proposed his gag comic 'Streetkids' to Suske en Wiske Weekblad, and was accepted. 'Streetkids' featured the humorous adventures of two hip boys, Dolf and Ket. Unfortunately Suske en Wiske Weekblad published its final issue in 2003, which meant the end of 'Streetkids' too.
De Pfaffs
In 2003 Cambré came up with the idea to create a celebrity comic based on the popular reality TV series 'De Pfaffs', starring former goal keeper Jean-Marie Pfaff and his family. His former editor Ronald Grossey came on board to write the stories, while Ward De Graeve helped out with the inking. 'De Pfaffs' was prepublished in Dag Allemaal and published in album format by House of Books. Cambré wasn't the first comic artist to publish a comic book about Pfaff, though. Two decades earlier, in 1984, F. Defossez already drew 'Jean-Marie Pfaff - De Held van München'. While 'De Pfaffs' sold well, much of the profits went to VTM, the channel that broadcast and produced the series. After two albums the publisher couldn't invest in any more titles, which meant the end of the series by 2004.
De Pfaffs 2 - 'Kan de Sam nog zingen?', featuring a caricature of Lyndsey Pfaff, daughter of Jean-Marie Pfaff.
Studio 100
From 2004 on Cambré created celebrity comics for Studio 100, the succesful Flemish media concern who specializes in various popular children's TV series and associated merchandising. Aided by scriptwriters Luc Morjaeu and Bruno de Roover and inkers Ward De Graeve, Steven Dupré, Randall.C, Roberto Bazal and Pol Vierset, he drew 'Spring!' (2004-2007) - based on the teenage TV soap of the same name - and 'Mega Mindy' (2007-2009) - based on the children's TV superheroine. The cast members of 'Spring' were frequently replaced by other actors, which forced Cambré to remodel his comics stars in between all the other commissions he already had. He got more enjoyment out of 'Mega Mindy', for which he wrote most of the comics narratives personally. Unfortunately the sales of the comics weren't lucrative enough to continue. In 2009 Cambré succeeded Patriek Roelens as the artist of the comic series about Studio 100's popular girl group K3, which was scripted by Jan Ruysbergh and inked by Ward De Graeve and Pol Vierset. The trio made two 'K3' albums. It took until 2019 before the new line-up of K3 starred in a new comic series, this time written by Bruno de Roover and drawn by Dirk Stallaert.
Mega Mindy #6 - 'De Superplant'.
Assistant work
In 2005, Marc Verhaegen was fired as the main artist behind 'Suske en Wiske' at Studio Vandersteen. This opened opportunities for Luc Morjaeu and Cambré, who joined the studio and quickly worked themselves up as two of the franchise's prime artists. Usually Morjaeu is the lead artist behind 'Suske en Wiske', while Cambré assists him. The first album they collaborated on, along with Walter Van Gasse, was 'Het Slapende Goud' (2005). Ward De Graeve also provided background art on some stories. Cambré also assisted Tom Bouden on a few adventures of 'Kroepie en Boelie Boemboem'.
Jump
In 2007 Cambré managed to launch his own comic strip, 'Jump', published by Standaard Uitgeverij. This children's series centers around the courageous young skater Dweezil, confident inline skater Lisa, geeky but clever BMX'er Brains and his pet armadillo Armando. At first Cambré feared that audiences might confuse 'Jump' with his other series 'Spring', since the verb "springen" means "to jump" in Dutch. But luckily 'Spring' was cancelled, so this confusion was prevented. 'Jump' was serialized in the children's magazine Zonneland. Cambré wrote and drew all stories personally, but left the inking to Jan van Rooij and Jos Vanspauwen. Ward De Graeve also assisted on the series. Tom Metdepenningen served as the colorist and also gave public relations workshops about the series. One of the series' admirers was veteran cartoonist Merho. For the 12th 'Jump' album, 'De Kop van Kiekeboe', Merho gave Cambré permission to make a crossover with the cast of his own series 'De Kiekeboes'. In 2012 Standaard Uitgeverij cancelled 'Jump', but it found a new home at publisher Strip2000. Up until 2015 about 19 albums of 'Jump' have been published, some with gags, others with full-blown adventure stories. In these modern times quite an achievement for a comic series not based on a popular media franchise.
The series came back to attention in September 2020, when the Dutch publisher Personalia used the characters as mascots for the new children's comics monthly Jump. The magazine features reprints of existing 'Jump' stories and gags, but also new cover artwork and editorial comic strips by Cambré. The rest of Jump consists of a selection of classic Dutch comics and translated foreign material, as well as a comics interview by Margreet de Heer and the ten-year old editor-in-chief Tim, son of publisher Seb van der Kaaden.
Albert & Co - 02 - 'Op Reis Naar Oostende!'. Belgian king Albert II is surprised to see his son Prince Laurent take a picture of Prince Filip on a toy horse. Laurent's comment: "It's a pity you don't have a white beard, because otherwise you would be the spitting image of uncle Leopold" refers to Belgian king Leopold II. In a case of life imitates art the real-life Prince Philip also started wearing a beard later!
Filip & Mathilde
In 2008 Cambré created his first comic strip for a more adult audience: 'Albert & Co' (2008). The idea came from Sophie Verbist, employee at House of Books, who wanted Cambré to create a gag comic about the Belgian royal family. Such an idea had never been attempted before, although king Baudouin/Boudewijn and Albert II had occasionally been given cameos in comic series like Marc Sleen's 'Nero' and Willy Linthout's 'Urbanus'. Guido van Meir and Jan Bosschaert's one-shot comic book 'Pest in 't Paleis' (1983) had poked fun at Boudewijn and queen Fabiola too, but only as side characters. Verbist suggested stand-up comedian Geert Hoste as scriptwriter for Cambré's comic. At the time Hoste enjoyed tremendous popularity in Flanders with his annual theatre shows poking fun at current events and particularly the monarchy. Yet their collaboration didn't go so well. Although the plan was cancelled the artist still liked the idea enough to send some material to publisher Glénat, who instantly greenlighted the project. All episodes are serialized in the gossip magazine Story and on the 'Albert & Co' Facebook page.
The series started off as 'Albert & Co', with king Albert II as main protagonist and the rest of the family as side characters. When the monarch abdicated in 2013 in favor of his son Filip, the comic underwent a title change: 'Filip van België'. By that time it was published by Strip2000. Three years later, when a new publisher took over, Ballon Media, the title was changed again to 'Filip & Mathilde'. 'Filip & Mathilde' depicts former king Albert II, his wife Paola, king Filip & queen Mathilde, prince Laurent & princess Claire and their respective children in exaggerated versions of their public image. Originally former queen Fabiola was a recurring character too, but after her death in 2014 she was written out of the series. Cambré draws 'Filip & Mathilde' completely on his own, while Jos Vanspauwen provides the inking. Cambré also writes most of his own gags, although Kristof Berte and Marc Legendre also provide plot ideas. One of the inkers on the series was Eric de Rop. Cambré stated that the Royal Family provides an endless source of funny material. Quite an understatement, given that, as of today, 'Filip & Mathilde' is effectively his longest-running comic series still in production. 'Filip & Mathilde' was also Cambré's first comic strip to be published in both Dutch as well as French. No surprise, given that the Royal Family is more popular in Wallonia. However, since the celebrity comic is a gentle satire it's enjoyable to both royalists as well as republicans.
On 30 August 2019, the cover of the 'Filip & Mathilde' album 'Femme Fatale' received a lot of publicity, since Cambré had drawn queen Mathilde posing naked, yet draped in the Belgian flag. The album quickly sold out. As Cambré revealed, interviewed by Wouter Porteman (1 June 2022) on the website Stripspeciaalzaak, he even couldn't sign copies at the annual Boekenbeurs book fair in Antwerp, since there weren't any left.
'Schuimslagers', with cameos of German chancellor Angela Merkel, French president Nicolas Sarkozy, Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Zapatero, President of the European Commission José Manuel Barroso and European President Herman van Rompuy. Zapatero's line 'I know nothing' is a reference to Manuel the Spanish waiter from the TV sitcom 'Fawlty Towers'.
Schuimslagers
On 20 July 2011 Marc Legendre scripted a satirical comic strip, 'Schuimslagers', drawn by Cambré and published in Knack during the summer. The story satirizes the European Union and the then ongoing Belgian government formation crisis. Herman Van Rompuy (European president at the time) is depicted as the captain of a huge ship, with German chancellor Angela Merkel as first mate and French president Nicolas Sarkozy as boatswain. Suddenly their ship starts making water because sailor Giorgos Papandreou, jr. (Prime Minister of Greece at the time) didn't close the porthole, in reference to Greece's bankruptcy in the late 2000s which caused a crisis within the union. They strand in Belgium, where they are instantly baffled by all the quarreling local politicians. Merkel asks the Belgians to direct them to "their leader". Unfortunately nobody in the country knows who that might be, since government negotiations are still ongoing. She is directed to the previous leader Yves Leterme (who remained PM as long as the crisis wasn't solved), depicted as an ineffective beach guard. Leterme directs her to N-VA party leader Bart De Wever and PS party leader Elio Di Rupo, winners of the last elections in their respective language regions. Both are still playing their game of Stratego and refuse to give up. Meanwhile, on board of the stranded ship, mutiny is at hand...
'Schuimslagers' was well received and hailed as the best political satire in comic book form since Humo published Guido van Meir and Jan Bosschaert's 'Pest in 't Paleis' (1983). Legendre and Cambré's comic is brimful with funny cameos of European politicians such as Catherine Ashton, José Manuel Barroso, Silvio Berlusconi, Brian Cowen, Jan Kees de Jager, José Ángel Gurría, Viktor Orbán, Viviane Reding, Mark Rutte,José Sócrates, Jean-Claude Trichet, Geert Wilders, José Luis Zapatero and Belgian politicians like king Albert II, Gerolf Annemans, Wouter Beke, Siegfried Bracke, Pieter De Crem, Alexander De Croo, Karel De Gucht, Jean-Luc Dehaene, Filip Dewinter, Caroline Gennez, Paul Magnette, Olivier Maingain, Charles Michel, Joëlle Milquet, Kris Peeters, Jan Peumans, Didier Reynders, Annemie Turtelboom, Vic Van Aelst, Wouter van Besiën, Johan Vande Lanotte, Frank Vandenbroucke and Guy Verhofstadt. Belgian animal welfare activist Michel Vandenbosch, Belgian historian David Van Reybrouck and Dutch historian Geert Mak also have cameos.
Ironically enough the entire comic strip stranded too when Knack's chief editor Karl van den Broeck - who greenlighted its publication - was fired. As such the story ended prematurely with the ironic caption 'To be continued?' Despite a satisfying conclusion to the narrative 'Schuimslagers' was still only 16 pages long, too short for an album publication.
'Amoras'.
Amoras
Between 2012 and 2015 Legendre and Cambré also breathed new life in the classic series 'Suske en Wiske' by creating a five-volume spin-off series named 'Amoras', based on an original idea of Ronald Grossey who previously made a similar reboot of Vandersteen's 'De Rode Ridder' with Marvano under the name 'The Red Knight'. While 'The Red Knight' was hardly commented upon, 'Amoras' caused a veritable media storm. Online teasers showed a more realistic drawing style with mature, action-packed and even gory content. The official press release went so far to publish an obituary for the character Wiske, which further outraged fans. 'Amoras' is set in the future year of 2047, with Suske and Wiske as young adults rather than children. Other characters and familiar elements of the franchise are reimagined in the style of an American superhero comic. The project either intrigued or upset audiences. Some felt it betrayed the fun and family friendly spirit of the original series by making it overly violent, erotic and filled with foul language. It bowed down to commercialism and Americanized a beloved Flemish classic. Others felt 'Amoras' was a fresh new look at the franchise, which actually took some chances the original series never dared (or was allowed) to take. Either way Standaard Uitgeverij reassured purists that the traditional 'Suske en Wiske' stories would keep running unaltered and that 'Amoras' would be its own separate entity.
As always, the media buzz did translate in huge sales. 'Amoras' even became the bestselling 'Suske en Wiske' album in decades! This paved the way for more 'Amoras' albums and new spin-offs. Vandersteen's 'Jerom, de Gouden Stuntman' was also rebooted as 'J.Rom- Force of Gold' (2014-2016), a spin-off series by Romano Molenaar and Bruno De Roover, which reimagined Jerom as an American-style superhero. When the original 'Amoras' cycle was concluded after six albums, Cambré and Legendre embarked upon a prequel series called 'De Kronieken van Amoras' ("The Chronicles of Amoras", 2017), which focuses on the backgrounds of secondary characters. After three albums about major villain Krimson (2017-2018), the dangerous witch "Zwarte Madam" ("The Dark Madam") became the center of attention.
Other Suske & Wiske projects
In 2015 Cambré, Ilah, Jan Bosschaert, Ivan Adriaenssens, Kim Duchateau and Kris Martens were asked to draw an adventure of 'Suske en Wiske' in their own style, based on a story by a celebrity. Cambré made the story 'De Spitse Bergen' with actor and TV host Tom Waes. The proceeds went to S.O.S. Children's Villages. With the cartoonist Kim Duchateau as his scriptwriter, Cambré relaunched 'Suske en Wiske Junior' in 2020. The comic series about the childhood adventures of the classic characters had previously appeared under the titles 'Klein Suske en Wiske' and 'Junior Suske en Wiske' between 2002 and 2015. The new series debuted in 2020 with no less than three new issues appearing throughout the year. Cambré has also illustrated a couple of primers related to the series.
De Kronieken van Amoras #4 - 'Gardavu!'.
Pinanti United
In 2015 Cambré launched the gag series 'Pinanti United', prepublished in the magazine Fan. It centers around an obese association football trainer, Raymond, who tries to run his juvenile club Pinanti United, despite continuous failures. The comic is notable for featuring regular cameos of real-life football stars. Tim Bolssens (Tibo) assists on the inking of the series.
Spirou/Robbedoes Special
Following their successful stint on 'Amoras', Cambré and Legendre proposed Ballon Media to make a spin-off of 'Spirou et Fantasio' ('Robbedoes en Kwabbernoot' in Dutch) as well. The publisher saw the opportunity to give this Franco-Belgian classic a boost on the Flemish and Dutch market, and greenlighted the project for three albums. The first album, 'Happy Family', appeared in a limited series called 'Robbedoes Special' in May 2017, and was followed by 'Het Plan van Wiebeling' (2017) and 'De Wolfman' (2018). The duo additionally made a special story to promote the 2018 Red Nose Day, a fundraising event for the mental welfare of youngsters at school. Wim Swerts, Michiel Offerman and Steve Van Bael have all lent a helping hand in the production of these stories. Unlike their more controversial take on 'Suske en Wiske', Legendre and Cambré's 'Spirou' is more classically oriented and reliant on slapstick comedy, influenced by the albums of earlier 'Spirou' artists like André Franquin, Jean-Claude Fournier and Nic Broca. Following Cambré and Legendre's Flemish 'Spirou', artists from other countries got the opportunity to create a 'Spirou & Fantasio' for their local markets as well. Hanco Kolk wrote and drew 'Tulpen uit Istanboel' (2017) for a Dutch audience, while Flix created 'Spirou in Berlin' (2018) for Germany.
Piet Pienter en Bert Bibber
In 2021, Cambré and Marc Legendre released 'De Geniale Soepselder' (2021), a comic album rebooting Pom's classic series 'Piet Pienter en Bert Bibber', featuring the first brand new adventure of the characters since Pom's death in 2014.
Heden Verse Vis
As a funny side project, Cambré and Marc Legendre use their experiences in the comic industry for their gag strip 'Heden Verse Vis' (2018). In style comparable to Raoul Cauvin and Willy Lambil's 'Pauvre Lampil', the authors use themselves as protagonists. Legendre and Cambré depict themselves as a comic writer and artist, desperately searching for success and recognition. Unfortunately they have to deal with editors, publishers and general audiences who all talk out of their ass. But the authors also poke fun at themselves. While they complain about everyone and everything, the quality of their comics leaves a lot to be desired.
'Heden Verse Vis' originally started out as a webcomic, published irregularly on Facebook since November 2018. The title (translation: "Currently Fresh Fish") is a nod to an episode of Willy Vandersteen's gag comic 'De Grappen van Lambik', in which the character Lambik tries to sell fresh fish, but feels obligated to keep changing the sign. At the same time it's also an inside joke. One of colleagues at the publishing company Standaard Uitgeverij, Johan de Smedt, once said he should better open a fish store, which to him seemed more gratifying than having to deal with the arrogance and pettiness within the comics industry. Cambré and Legendre developed this into a running gag.
'Heden Verse Vis' was picked up by Eppo Magazine and since29 March 2022 runs in the newspaper De Morgen too. To widen their scope, 'Heden Verse Vis' not only spoofs the comic industry, but also the Flemish press and media landscape in general. Originally a pure gag comic, Legendre and Cambré were allowed to develop a full-blown storyline in which their characters travel to Spain to cope with their mid-life crisis. This aspect makes the narratives also recognizable to people outside the comic niche. The first installment of the story, 'En route!', was published in book format in 2022.
The witty satire of 'Heden Verse Vis' has been praised by their colleagues. Though one character, the artist Formosus, accidentally bore a canny resemblance to real-life artist Brecht Evens. Evens regretted the authors' mockery, especially since he's depicted as a posh cartoonist who exploits government funds for his projects without doing anything of substance. Yet interviewed by Wouter Porteman (1 June 2022) for Stripspeciaalzaak.be, Cambré said that the resemblance was purely coincidental. He just drew a stereotypical "artist" and actually respects Evens' graphic novels. In order to avoid future complaints, the character Formosus was given a different haircut.
Cartoonist
Starting in February 2020, Charel Cambré makes a weekly cartoon for the newspaper Het Laatste Nieuws. During the lockdown due to the 2020 coronavirus pandemic, Cambré posted several cartoons about the subject on his Facebook account. They were collected in book format by INdruk under the title 'We Mogen Niet Klagen...' in July 2020. Virologist Marc Van Ranst, often portrayed by Cambré as the superhero "Pulloverman", wrote the foreword.
Gamekeepers
Charel Cambré's latest celebrity comic series is 'GameKeepers', based on the children's TV show of the same name, broadcast on Ketnet. The script is written by Nico De Braeckeleer, who also scripts the storylines for the TV series. The drawings are provided by Pedro Colombo, while Cambré inks. 'Gamekeepers' is serialized in the Jommekeskrant, the children's supplement of Het Nieuwsblad, De Standaard, Het Handelsblad, De Gentenaar and De Landwacht.
Robbedoes - 'Happy Family'. The café owner in the second image is a caricature of André Franquin.
Graphic contributions
Cambré was one of many artists to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Willy Vandersteen's 'Suske en Wiske' in the book 'Suske en Wiske 60 Jaar!' (2005). He made contributions to 'Defensie Stript' (2005), a comic book to promote the Belgian army and 'Brussel in Beeldekens' (Vlaamse Stripgilde, 2009), a collaborative comics project about the history of Brussels. Two other comic series Cambré paid homage to were Jef Nys' Jommeke in 'Jommekes Bij De Vleet' (2010), Pom's 'Piet Pienter en Bert Bibber' in 'Kroepie en Boelie Boemboem. Avontuur in de 21ste Eeuw' (2011). and André Franquin's 'Gaston Lagaffe' in 'Gefelicitaart!' (2017), all collective tribute albums. In 2020 he joined 75 Dutch & Flemish comic artists to make a graphic contribution to the free collective comic book ‘Striphelden versus Corona’ (Oogachtend, Uitgeverij L, 2020). The book is intended to support comics stores who had to close their doors for two months during the lockdown at the height of the COVID-19 virus pandemic. Cambré also paid homage to Merho's 'De Kiekeboes' in the collective tribute album 'Vier door Derden' (Standaard Uitgeverij, 2022).
Recognition
In 2015 Cambré's 'Amoras 5: Wiske' (co-created with Marc Legendre) won the Willy Vandersteenprijs. On 17 September 2020, Cambré became the winner of the annual "Bronzen Adhemar", the most important Flemish comics award.
Studio Cambré
All in all, Charel Cambré is one of the most productive Flemish comic artists around. Like major artists before him, he can rely on several assistants. The only difference with the classic studios of the olden times is the fact that all his co-workers are freelance associates working from home. Steve van Bael, Tim Bolssens and Steven Dupré take care of inking duties. Shirow Di Rosso is one of Cambré's regular colorists, while Kristof Berte and Marc Legendre help out with plot ideas.
Family
Charel Cambré is married to Chantal Kashala, a singer of radio jingles and back-up vocalist for acts like Natalia and Clouseau. His niece is 2D animator Sarah Menheere, who has also helped out with the coloring of several of her uncle's comics.
Books about Charel Cambré
For those interested in Cambré's life and career, the artbook 'In Het Hoofd van Charel Cambré' ("In Charel Cambré's Head", Oogachtend, 2020) is highly recommended.
'Heden Verse Vis'.