Fragment of Kjell Knudde's autobiographical comic about his grandfather's World War II anecdotes, posted on Facebook on 30 May 2024.
Kjell Knudde is a Belgian writer about comics and pop culture in general, contributing regularly to the online Lambiek Comiclopedia and the magazines Brul and Zone 5300. Co-editor of the Comiclopedia since 2015, he has worked with Bas Schuddeboom on a "New Deal" of writing biographies, with more analytical depth and background information. Since 2024, Knudde has been publishing the webcomic serial 'Pandemiestrip' ("Pandemic Comic"), a satirical reflection on the COVID-19 pandemic and a homage to the comics medium.
Early life
Kjell Knudde was born in 1982 in Antwerp, as the son of a computer analyst. Since childhood, his keen interest in history, culture and comics was stimulated by his parents. He also loved to read, draw and record comedy sketches. His maternal grandparents owned a newspaper and magazine store in Antwerp's Hoboken district, which brought him into contact with books and comics of all genres. As a child, he grew up with strong admiration for classic Belgian comic artists such as Marc Sleen, Hergé, Willy Vandersteen, Pom, Merho, Willy Linthout, André Franquin and comic writer Jean Van Hamme. Knudde developed an equal lifelong love for foreign artists such as the Americans Carl Barks, Charles M. Schulz, E.C. Segar, the Dutchmen Marten Toonder, Martin Lodewijk, Hanco Kolk, Peter de Wit, René Windig & Eddie de Jong, along with French comic writer René Goscinny.
As a teenager, his mind was shattered by cartoonists appearing in the magazine Humo, namely the Belgians Ever Meulen, Kamagurka, Fritz Van Den Heuvel (A.K.A. Joris Vermassen) and Dutchmen Gummbah and Peter van Straaten. He got hooked on Mad Magazine, finding further excitement in underground comix maestro Robert Crumb and the equally subversive Hara Kiri / Charlie Hebdo cartoonists Jean-Marc Reiser and Roland Topor. Knudde also underwent strong inspiration from alternative comic artists Peter Bagge, Daniel Clowes, Art Spiegelman and especially Matt Groening. Later in life, he also added artists like Gotlib, Ilah, Ronald Searle, Gerrit de Jager, Margreet de Heer, Quino and Marnix Rueb among his graphic heroes. Outside the world of comics, Knudde is also passionate about political cartoonists, singling out Gal (Gerard Alsteens), Fritz Behrendt and Willem as personal favorites. He has additional strong interest in painters, literature, film, animation, classical music, jazz, blues, rock, reggae, world music and avant-garde music (especially Frank Zappa).
As a child, Kjell Knudde won a couple drawing contests organized by local newspapers and magazines. He studied Plastic Arts at the Pius X high school in Antwerp, where one of his classmates was the future children's book illustrator Inge Bogaerts. While pursuing several odd jobs, Knudde's knowledge of pop culture, history and politics led to lengthy in-depth essays which he distributed among his friends by mail. Kjell's brother, Todd Knudde, has been active as a graphic artist and illustrator.
Gal
In 2010, Knudde started a Facebook fan page for the Belgian cartoonist Gal (Gerard Alsteens), which received praise from both the cartoonist himself and his son Anant. On a couple of occasions, Knudde met Gal in person, including at the cartoonist's home. To this day, Kjell and Anant Alsteens maintain Gal's official Facebook fan page. Between 2022 and 2024, Knudde was assigned to help with documentation and descriptions of Gal's archived cartoons at the Free University of Brussels (VUB).
Kjell Knudde (right) with Gal in 2011.
Comiclopedia
In 2015, Knudde began a close correspondence with Bas Schuddeboom, the editor of the Comiclopedia on the website of comic shop Lambiek in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. This resulted into his co-editorship of this encyclopedic reference guide of worldwide comic artists, initiated in 1999 by Lambiek founder Kees Kousemaker. Knudde's involvement marked a turning point in the site's general content. His extensive and well-documented analyses inspired Schuddeboom to expand the Comiclopedia's overall tone to more thorough analytical articles, instead of presenting just the plain biographical info. One of the things Knudde instigated was the inclusion of historically relevant proto-comic artists - like Hieronymus Bosch and Pieter Bruegel the Elder - with the intention of putting comic art into a wider perspective. Thanks to his cultural baggage, he managed to spot interesting additions for the site in the wildest places. Over the years, the two editors have been revising older articles in addition to writing new ones. An ongoing and time-consuming process, Kjell and Bas have managed to maintain the Comiclopedia's reputation, while their texts are proofread for style, grammar, objectivity and suitability for international audiences by overseas consultant Dan Schiff.
Knudde and Schuddeboom's "New Deal" of writing articles did not go by unnoticed. The Lambiek website has seen an increasing number of visitors, and is recognized as an important resource by prominent scholars and historians. A landmark in the team's collaboration has been 'The Story of Lambiek', an extensive chronicle of the history of Kousemaker's shop on the occasion of its 50th anniversary in November 2018. They thoroughly sifted through the store's archives, and constructed their findings into a coherent text, written by Knudde and edited by Schuddeboom and Schiff. Their research also formed the basis for the anniversary book '50 Jaar Lambiek' (2018), compiled by Boris Kousemaker, Bas Schuddeboom and Cyril Koopmeiners, that came with an English translation insert by Knudde. Bas Schuddeboom once noted that with Kees Kousemaker, Klaas Knol and Kjell Knudde, Lambiek has had three notable associates with the same initials.
Although he has a wide variety of interests, Knudde often writes entries about Belgian and British comic artists, as well as pre-20th century cartoonists. In terms of genres, he enjoys writing about political cartoonists, underground comix, erotic comics, painters, engravers, book illustrators, animators and magazines like Mad Magazine and Hara Kiri/Charlie-Hebdo. Much like his writing partner Bas, he also has a fondness for peculiarities and comics from unexpected corners of the Earth.
During the presentation of the P. Hans Frankfurther Award in October 2020, Kjell Knudde (left) and Bas Schuddeboom (right) not only received a badge, but a deed of appraisal, calligraphed by Frits Jonker.
Recognition
On 2 October 2020, Bas Schuddeboom and Kjell Knudde received the P. Hans Frankfurther Prize for special merits by comic appreciation society Het Stripschap. They were praised for their ongoing efforts to keep Lambiek's Comiclopedia going and up-to-date, while the driving forces of the site's early years (Kees Kousemaker and Margreet de Heer) received a special mention as well. Even though the award was announced in February, it took until October before the ceremony was held due to the COVID-19 pandemic measurements. The event took place in a stately hall of the Haarlem library, and was presented and hosted by the Comic Artist Laureate of the Netherlands, Margreet de Heer. After Ronald Grossey receiving the prize in 2007, Knudde is the second Belgian P. Hans Frankfurther laureate.
Kjell's tribute to Lambiek's iconic store employee Klaas Knol (1954-2019), who was known for his "aansmeergarantie" ("fob off guarantee"), which meant that he suggested a certain comic to customers with the guarantee that they could get a refund if they didn't like it. In the drawing, Klaas is welcomed in the afterlife by Kees Kousemaker, who died 9 years earlier. Among the many cameos of comic characters we recognize (behind Klaas) : Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse, Art Spiegelman's Maus, Will Eisner's The Spirit, André Franquin's Gaston Lagaffe, Morris' Lucky Luke, Hergé's Tintin and (second row) Bob van den Born's Professor Pi, Robert Crumb's Fritz the Cat, Jean Roba's Bill and Margreet de Heer's alter ego. Standing next to Klaas is Carl Barks' Uncle Scrooge, while a Smurf (by Peyo) and Ignatz the Mouse (from George Herriman's Krazy Kat) accompany Kees. Behind Kees we recognize (first row): Martin Lodewijk's Olga Lawina, H.G. Kresse's Eric de Noorman, Joost Swarte's Jopo de Pojo, Franquin's Marsupilami, Marten Toonder's Olivier B. Bommel, E.C. Segar's Popeye and a Don Martin character. In the second row we spot Willy Vandersteen's Lambik, Marc Sleen's Nero and Theo van den Boogaard's Sjef van Oekel, Charles M. Schulz' Snoopy, Windig & De Jong's Heinz, Peter de Wit's Sigmund, Uderzo's Astérix, Jean-Marc van Tol's Fokke, Mad Magazine mascot Alfred E. Neuman and Bill Watterson's Calvin and Hobbes.
Articles and promotional texts
Besides his work for the Lambiek Comiclopedia, Kjell Knudde has also contributed to other projects. In 2020, he wrote informational texts in both Dutch and English for a summer exhibition celebrating 75 years of Willy Vandersteen's comic strip 'Suske en Wiske', held in Blankenberge between 1 July and 13 September. The exhibition was initiated by Patrick Mortier, also the driving force behind the annual Comic Festivals in Koksijde and Middelkerke. For a 2022 exhibition in Sint-Truiden about Jean-Michel Charlier and Victor Hubinon's aviation comic 'Buck Danny' - again organized by Mortier - Knudde also wrote the board texts. The expo, celebrating 75 years of 'Buck Danny', was originally planned from 1 June until 2 October 2022. Due to success, it was lengthened up until 15 November.
Since 2020, Knudde has been a regular writer of articles and essays about pop culture for the Dutch alternative comic magazines Brul and Zone 5300.
Knudde's "Favorite Comic Pages As Long As The Pandemic Lasts"
At the start of the 2020 lockdown measurements due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Kjell Knudde took his writing to Facebook. Every day, as long as the pandemic lasted, Knudde faithfully posted a personal and informative article about one of his favorite comic pages, chosen out of a versatile collection of hundreds of different comic creators and series. His project, titled 'Mijn Favoriete Strippagina's Zolang de Pandemie Duurt' ('My Favorite Comic Pages as long as the Pandemic Lasts'), entertains comic fans in both Dutch and Belgian Facebook groups. Knudde celebrated the 700th installment of his series on 21 February 2022. When life had gotten back to normal, he eventually ended the series after 792 episodes.
Kjell's contribution to Lambiek's 50th anniversary book. The two-page gag comic spoofs the origin story of the store. In the early days store founder Kees Kousemaker indeed encountered quite a few people who thought his "strip shop" was actually a "strip (tease) club". During the first few months, Kousemaker had borrowed a bunch of comics from friends and relatives to make his store look "more full", on the condition that he wouldn't accidentally sell them. The comic strip also features cameos of Ankie and Methusalem from Thom Roep and Co Loerakker's 'Van Nul tot Nu' in the first panel, Willy Vandersteen in the third and Frans Piët in the fourth.
One-shot comics
In his spare time, Kjell Knudde has been active as an amateur writer and cartoonist. To celebrate Lambiek's 50th anniversary, he drew a special satirical homage to the store - starring founder Kees Kousemaker and mascot Lambiek - included in the '50 Jaar Lambiek' book (2018). In 2019, Knudde also created a special "In Memoriam" cartoon in honor of the recently deceased Lambiek employee Klaas Knol. On 30 May 2024, he posted his first comic about a serious topic on Facebook, a one-shot story based on personal anecdotes his late grandfather told him about World War II.
Pandemic comic
Knudde's 'Favorite Comics As Long As The Pandemic Lasts' project indirectly gave him the idea for a serialized webcomic. During the COVID-19 pandemic, when lack of access to social venues depressed everyone, Knudde found escapism in (re)reading comics. He observed that the COVID safety measures and people's polarizing reactions towards them sometimes got rather cartoony. And yet, once the corona crisis ebbed away, the comic industry underwent some serious blows. Small comic stores were forced to close down, while several long-running Dutch and Belgian comic series were discontinued or suddenly removed from newspapers. The artificial intelligence craze also made many comic artists fatalistic about the future of the medium. All these events motivated Knudde to create his 'Pandemic Comic'. After two years of preparation, the first episode was posted on Facebook on 9 October 2024. At this occasion, Knudde also launched a personal Facebook page for all his (future) comic strips, Kjell Knudde's Comics.
Knudde's 'Pandemic comic' is an ambitious satire of the corona crisis, told in comic strip format. The general misery of contaminations, death tolls, depressions, bumbling government measures, conspiracy theorists and illegal lockdown parties are tackled. Yet the comic also reflects on how various people in society dealt with the new challenges presented by the pandemic and that it perhaps wasn't all that horrible as people tend to remember it. Since comics saved Knudde's sanity during the pandemic, he has given hundreds of well-known and obscure comic characters cameo appearances throughout the narrative, all fitted into thematic situations. The COVID-19 satire in Knudde's comic eventually morphs into a more autobiographical reflection of his memories regarding reading and drawing of comics. He looks back at specific famous series, stories and gags that stayed with him his entire life, some closely linked to personal anecdotes. Other scenes reflect on his own lifelong aspirations to draw comics.
Kjell Knudde with the finished pages of his Pandemic Comic at Comiclopedia HQ in Bas Schuddeboom's house, New Year's Eve 2023-2024.