'Rolfke en Rulfke'.
Geo, pseudonym of Georges Debuyser, was born in Wolvertem and educated at the Sint-Jans-Molenbeek art school. He started his career in 1954 as art director and lay-out provider for the Flemish newspapers from the Hoste publishing group (Het Laatste Nieuws, Kwik, De Post and Telstar). Geo found his way at the company through a stroke of luck. Working as a delivery boy for a baker, a customer noticed how the 16-year old boy had difficulty cycling against the wind, since his bike carried such heavy luggage. Taking pity on the teenager, he told Geo that he could help him get a job at publishing company Hoste, but "from that point on, you're on your own." Geo studied art at the Teken- en Sierkunstenschool in Molenbeek, graduating as illustrator.
He also made political and sports cartoons and illustrations for these publications. Between 1959 and 1967 he made the adventurous comic strip 'Rolfke & Rulfke' for the children's weekly Pum Pum, the juvenile supplement of Het Laatste Nieuws. Three of the in total five stories were scripted by Carlos De Veene. The series originally revolved around the boy Rolfke and was a gag comic. Eventually he started appearing in longer stories, becoming secretary of captain Pum Pum, the mascot of the magazine's children's club. Later Rolfke met the side characters Rulfke and Gritje. Rulfke is his younger and smart friend, while the pony-tailed girl Gritje is also their friend. The series was abruptly discontinued on 11 January 1967, leaving their final adventure, 'Een Wonderlijk Wagentje', unfinished. Pum Pum as a whole was canceled too.
'Rolfke en Rulfke'.
Geo also drew the realistic newspaper strips 'Het Leven van een Mulat', 'De Olympische 5000 meter van Gaston Reiff' and 'De dood van Tom Simpson' and the comic strip 'Tijl Uilenspiegel Leeft in Vlaanderen' (1961). Debuyser then focused on painting and sculpting.
In 1999, at the instigation of Henri Christaen, the entire 'Rolfke en Rulfke' series was republished by Brabant Strip and from 2005 on by Peter Bonte. It was difficult to find the original artwork, but luckily the Liberal Archives still had copies of the original newspapers. At the occasion, Geo also finished the previously discontinued story 'Een Wonderlijk Wagentje'. This marked the first time in 30 years that he had drawn comics. It motivated him to started drawing comics again and new 'Rolfke en Rulfke' stories ran in 't Mannekesblad in the 2000s and 2010s, collected by Bonte in book format in 2008 and 2009. Geo also named three of his cats after Rolfke, Rulfke and Gritje.
In 2011 Geo paid graphic homage to Pom in the collective tribute album 'Op Het Spoor van Pom' (2011). In 2015 he published a book with 50 portraits of Flemish cyclists. On 9 July 2019, Geo made regional news when he celebrated the 60th anniversary of his marriage.
Geo should not be confused with another Flemish cartoonist, Gejo, pseudonym of Jos Geboers, author of the political propaganda comic 'De Leeuw van Vlaanderen' (1982).
'Rolfke en Rulfke'.