'Cubitus'.
Dupa was a Belgian comic book artist, known as the creator of 'Cubitus'. Born Luc Dupanloup in Montignies-sur-Sambre Luc as the son of painter André Dupanloup, he enrolled at the Academy of Fine Arts in Brussels in the 1960s. He studied there for three years before being hired by Studio Greg as a background artist on series like 'Zig et Puce' and 'Achille Talon'. He has also cooperated on 'Fifi', 'Fleurette', 'Luc Junior' and Tootsy'.
'Cubitus'. Dutch-language version.
He was offered a spot in Tintin magazine in 1968, and this resulted in the creation of Dupa's famous dog 'Cubitus'. The adventures of the sympathetic, fluffy white dog gained immediate popularity, and the cast was soon enhanced by Cubitus' master, the retired sea dog Sémaphore, and the evil cat next door Sénéchal. The series remained a regular feature in Tintin throughout the 1980s, and even got its own, although short-lived, magazine in 1989. More than 100 animated shows starring 'Cubitus' ('Dommel' in Dutch, 'Wowser' in English) have been made in the mid-1990s, and have been broadcasted in Belgium and abroad. 'Cubitus' is also one of the most-featured Belgian comic characters in advertisements.
'Niky'.
In addition, Dupa created other series, including 'Petit Biniou' from 1968 to 1970. Between 1972 and the early 1980s, he succeeded Macherot on the funny animal series 'Chlorophylle' with text writers Greg and Bob de Groot. He has also written comic scripts for Éric ('Coup d'Oeil' and 'Le Verrou', for Dargaud in 1984).
Dupa was co-author of 'Alice au Pays des Merveilles' together with Greg, Dany, Turk and De Groot. From 1980 on, he occasionally drew stories starring 'Niky', a truck driver. In 1980 he was one of many Belgian comic artists to make a graphic contribution to the book 'Il Était Une Fois... Les Belges'/'Er Waren Eens Belgen' (1980), a collection of columns and one-page comics, published at the occasion of the 150th anniversary of Belgium. In 1990 Dupa paid graphic tribute to François Walthéry in the collective homage book 'Natacha. Special 20 Ans' (Marsu Productions, 1990), which celebrated the 20th anniversary of Walthéry's series 'Natacha'.
Dupa passed away in 2000 in Ottignies-Louvain-la-Neuve from a cerebral haemorrhage. 'Cubitus' was honoured with his own comic book wall in October 1994, designed by G. Oreopoulos and D. Vandegeerde, located in the Rue de Flandre/ Vlaamsesteenweg 109, as part of the Brussels' Comic Book Route. In 2000 Cubitus received a mural painting in the Rue de Montmoreau as part of the Comic Book Route in Angoulême, France. On 3 October 2002 a statue of Cubitus, sculpted by Luc Cauwenberghs, was erected at the Albert I Square in Limal, where the cartoonist often paid a visit.
Dupa was a strong influence on Thierry Capezzone.
'Chlorophylle', 1976.