'Gnossiënne nr. 2' (Incognito #4, June 1994), starring Laurel & Hardy.
Mark Schilders is a Dutch cartoonist and musician, who was part of the Dutch small press comics wave of the 1990s with publications in Iris, Incognito and Zone 5300. For the anthroposophical magazine Jonas, he drew the comic 'Wiro'. Between 2003 and 2006, Schilders was one of the artists drawing 'Dirkjan' gag strips for Mark Retera, as part of the "Mark Retera Ensemble".
Early life
Mark Schilders was born in 1965 in Aalst, a town in the Dutch province of North Brabant. Studying Graphic Design, Schilders attended the St. Joost Academy in Breda (1983-1985), as well as the Rietveld Art Academy in Amsterdam (1989-1991).
Cover illustration for Iris #7 (1993).
Indie comics
In the early 1990s, Schilders joined a group of Nijmegen-based cartoonists in the launch of the indie comic magazine Iris. Among them Mark Retera, Remco Polman and Wilfred Ottenheijm. Between 1991 and 1997, he appeared in all fifteen issues of the magazine, contributing comics in both realistic and humorous drawing styles. Among his recurring features were a gag strip with the elephant Sylvain, and the serials 'Maar Als Mijn Hart Dan Toch...' and 'Mijn Opa Was Mijn Thuis'.
'Bob Hoop' strip from Incognito #6 (October 1994). Translation: "No, the high expectations evoked by its price card, haven't redeemed it for now: my new design poof."
From 1993 to 1996, Schilders was also present in Incognito, the small press comic magazine edited by Robin Schouten in Zaandam. Again, his contributions varied between gag strips ('Bob Hoop', a pun on comedian Bob Hope) and realistically-drawn pages of a more profound nature. He also participated in the Incognito chain comic 'Het Lieve Leven'. In the first half of the 1990s, Schilder was additionally present in the early issues of Zone 5300, a magazine from Rotterdam. In addition to indie comic magazines, Schilders made the comic strip 'Wiro' for the anthroposophical magazine Jonas.
'Dirkjan' strip, drawn by Mark Schilders. Translation: "Can I help you, gentlemen?" - "Not yet." - "Eh, we'll be closing in a few minutes." - "Ah. We're here for your last minute offer."
Dirkjan
Since the 1990s, Schilders had regularly worked with fellow Studio Iris cartoonist Mark Retera. In 1994, he assisted Retera on the backgrounds of his weekly caricature drawings for Panorama magazine. Later on, he was part of Retera's production team for the daily 'Dirkjan' newspaper comic. After starting in the Nijmegen student magazines of the 1990s, the gag strips of the wimpy student Dirkjan, with overbite and trademark striped shirt, and his unhygienic, boozing pal Bert have become a big hit in several Dutch newspapers and magazines. With its offbeat and literal humor, grotesque characters and regular pop culture spoofs, 'Dirkjan' quickly became the most popular gag strip in the Netherlands, with additional appearances in tear-off calendars, advertisements and other products. This resulted in a heavy workload for Retera, who called in help from several of his former Iris colleagues. Between 2003 and 2006, he formed the "Mark Retera Ensemble", consisting of Mark Schilders, Remco Polman and Wilfred Ottenheijm, who helped with plotting and drawing the daily 'Dirkjan' gags. Several of the 'Dirkjan' strips from this period show Schilders' characteristic art style.
Further career
By the end of the 1990s, Schilders had largely left the comic field, and focused on music and commercial art. He was the singer and guitarist of the psychedelic folk rock band Hort Keller Kollektief, which also had fellow Iris contributor Remco Polman in the ranks. Since 2007, he works for hire as a music teacher and also runs cartooning workshops.
'Buurman en Buurvrouw', Later comic strip, posted by Mark Schilders on Facebook in November 2022. Translation: - "And, neighbor, do you think that the winter will happen this year?" - "My prediction: it'll come very suddenly this year... and last a very short while."