'WikiTom'.
Tom Metdepenningen ("Tommeke 't Gommeke") is a Flemish comic artist, animator and colorist. He is best known for creating a 2008 celebrity comic based on the humorous folk and cult band Katastroof. Since 2025, he has also drawn the educational webcomic 'WikiTom'.
Early life and career
Tom Metdepenningen was born in 1986 in the Flemish town of Edegem and raised in Wilrijk. He showed an early interest in comics, especially for Disney comics and Willy Vandersteen's 'Suske en Wiske' ('Spike and Suzy'). A big fan of this latter comic, he set up a fan forum, and also launched the online comic magazine Studio ARTuur. Metdepenningen studied Information Design, but eventually found his calling in animation at the Media & Design Academy of the Katholieke Hogeschool Limburg in Genk. As a day job, Metdepenningen has worked as a librarian for civil servants at the Federal Public Service for Policy and Support ("Federale Overheidsdienst Beleid en Ondersteuning", the FOD Bosa) in Brussels, occasionally making promotional drawings for them too.
Katastroof
Metdepenningen's earliest notable comic excursion was a 2008 celebrity comic he made for the Antwerp folk band Katastroof. Katastroof has enjoyed a cult following since 1978, performing songs about low-brow topics like alcohol and sex, sung in dialect. Since their songs were deemed too vulgar for mainstream media, the band barely receives airplay or press coverage. Nevertheless, they have a loyal fanbase who appreciate them for not "selling out". As early as 1989, a first attempt was made to launch a celebrity comic about the band. The artist assigned to this project was Rudi Geubels, who created several pages, but his try-out never found a publisher. Since Katastroof's lead singer Zjuul Krapuul also had a talent for drawing, he had designed several of the band's album covers in a cartoony style. Still, he felt creating a whole comic book wasn't up his sleeve, so the band placed an ad, looking for an artist willing to make a comic book at the occasion of the band's 30th anniversary. Metdepenningen reacted and 'De Strippende Stroof' (Uitgeverij Mannekesblad, 2008) hit the market with a regular and luxury edition. He drew all of the one-page gags, while Katastroof singer, guitarist and keyboard player Steven Boers, nicknamed "Stef Bef", wrote the jokes.
Comic with the band members from Katastroof (2014).
Citytrip / De Toerist/ Tom Bardon
Metdepenningen was also present in P@per, the comic supplement of Brabant Strip Magazine, for which he made the gag comic 'Citytrip' (2011) and the story 'De Toerist', both in collaboration with writer Ivan Claeys. In September 2014, Metdepenningen published his comic strip 'De Dolle Avonturen van Tom Bardon: De Theepot van Shakara' on the website of Stripelmagazine. In an email to Comiclopedia, Metdepenningen explained that the 'Tom Bardon' story about a special teapot came to him after he bought an ordinary one in an IKEA store and wondered whether he could write a narrative about this object.
WikiTom
When he wasn't drawing comics, Metdepenningen was mostly active in the fields of advertising and company films. Despite having a steady career, these commissions got very monotonous, so after 12 years of freelancing, he needed a change of scenery. He decided to quit freelancing, backed up by developing health problems. But after a few years, he regained his interest in drawing and decided to make an educational comic strip based on his passion for history. In 2025, the 'WikiTom' strip was launched on his Instagram account, featuring Metdepenningen's comic alter ego informing readers about historical facts and trivia. Since January 2026, 'WikiTom' can also be found on strips.be, the online comics platform of publisher Standaard Uitgeverij. Metdepenningen's nickname "WikiTom" was given to him by Standaard editor Johan Desmedt when he participated in the Wolfpack project (2016-2017), a collective formed to come up with new concepts for the classic Willy Vandersteen comics.
'WikiTom'.
Coloring and lettering
Metdepenningen has also been active as a colorist for Kristof Berte ('Lise Op Monstereiland'), Nix ('De Buurtpolitie'), Marc Verhaegen ('Strijd Tegen Het Water') and Steve Van Bael ('De 9 Levens van Bommel') and Wim Swerts ('Hilary King'). He colorized various covers and gags for comic books by Charel Cambré, one story for Franky Drappier and illustrations for the children's series 'Suske en Wiske Junior'. He has additionally provided lettering voor Lectrr and Stedho's comic series 'Red Rider' (one of the Wolfpack concepts).
Animation and other film activities
Metdepenningen is co-founder and maintainer of the film site FilmCentrum. He has also been active as an animator, having made animated cartoons for GZA Hospitals and Superprestige. In 2010, as part of a a traineeship, he contributed to Tono Errando, Fernando Trueba and Javier Mariscal's animated feature 'Chico y Rita' (2010). The film won the Goya Award for "Best Animated Film" and was nominated for an Academy Award for "Best Animated Film". Metdepenningen has also made storyboards for the live-action TV series 'De Bende van Jan De Lichte' and 'Grenslanders'.
Comic for the Children's Cancer Fund.
(Graphic) contributions
Between 2009 and 2010, Tom Metdepenningen made a comic strip for photography company Kodak. He was one of many comic artists who contributed to the one-shot comic book 'Op het Spoor van Pom' ('t Mannekesblad, 2011), a homage to Pom, the creator of 'Piet Pienter en Bert Bibber'. In his one-page story, Piet and Bert meet the comic book versions of the Katastroof band members. The profits of this book went to fund cancer research for children. The same year, Metdepenningen also drew another comic strip for the cancer research fund for children, paying homage to Willy Vandersteen by mimicking his style.
In addition, Metdepenningen contributed to the collective comic book 'De Pierkes' (Stripbeurs Gent, 2013), starring the Ghent folkloric character Pierke Pierlala. In 2016-2017, Metdepenningen became part of "The Wolfpack", a creative team of Standaard Uitgeverij assigned to come up with new ideas for spin-offs with Willy Vandersteen's classic creations, following the success of 'Amoras' (2013) and 'J.Rom Force of Gold' (2014). The other members were storyrunner Johan De Smedt, film director Vincent Bal and the Dutch/Flemish comic authors Bruno de Roover, Lectrr, Stedho, Romano Molenaar, Gerben Valkema and Aimée de Jongh.
For the comics theme park Comics Station in Antwerp, near the city's Central Station, Metdepenningen helped out with the installations devoted to the comic series 'Lucky Luke' (by Morris) and 'Urbanus' (by Willy Linthout), and provided animated shorts starring 'De Kiekeboes' (with help from 'Kiekeboes' artist Kristof Fagard). The artist has additionally given workshops in drawing comics, both general courses and public relations workshops for the celebrity comic 'Jump', written and drawn by Charel Cambré.
'Katastroof. De Strippende Stroof'.