Typical Van Gucht humor and wordplay from the 'Suske en Wiske' album 'De Nachtwachtbrigade' (2006). Artwork by Luc Morjaeu.
Peter Van Gucht is a Belgian comic scriptwriter, actor, painter, illustrator, cartoonist and musician, also known under the pen name PuG. Early in his career, he was a gag writer for Luc Morjaeu's 'Rafke de Raaf' (1999-2001), Ron van Riet's 'Zwik & Zwak' (1996-1999) and Marc Legendre's 'Biebel' and 'Kas'. Since 2003, he has been working as a scriptwriter for Studio Vandersteen. Together with Luc Morjaeu (2005-2023) and then Wout Schoonis (2023- ), he has formed the creative team behind the humorous adventure series 'Suske en Wiske', originally created by Willy Vandersteen. In addition, he has served as a scriptwriter for another Vandersteen creation, the chivalry comic 'De Rode Ridder' and the spin-off 'Galaxa' (drawn by Romano Molenaar, 2022- ). Van Gucht has also lent his writing talent to Merho's humorous family comic 'De Kiekeboes', the TV-based comic 'De Nachtwacht' (drawn by Steve Van Bael, 2019-2023) and several comics on commission with Jan Bosschaert. Outside of the comic industry, Van Gucht has been active as a (voice) actor for advertisements, films, plays and TV series.
2004 cartoon by PuG, posted on the now-defunct Pug.be website. The cartoon makes a pun on the beef dish preparé ("filet americain") and the Dutch word "ree" ("roe deer").
Early life and career
Peter Van Gucht was born in 1963 in Ekeren, a town in the province of Antwerp. Between 1978 and 1982, he studied theater and diction at the Academy of Music and Word in Brasschaat, where he graduated cum laude and received a government medal for recitation. Between 1983 and 1986, he followed up his education with a study in Animation at the Royal Institute for Theatre, Cinema and Sound in Brussels. Between 1986 and 1991, Van Gucht was creative and technical employee at the MBS, the national radio advertisement center, specialized in regional radio channels. Van Gucht wrote and voiced various radio commercials, while also hosting his own shows, 'De Electronische Koe' and 'Pugland'. In September 1990, he founded his own company Pugcreaties, through which he has been working as a freelance writer and voice actor. Among his clients have been Temple of Tune (1997), the actor Wim Geysen (2005-2006) and La Vita e Media (2000-2011).
Among general audiences, Van Gucht is best known as a comic author, although he considers himself more a storyteller. On occasion, he has also drawn his own cartoons and comics, for instance for the TV magazines TeVe Blad and TV Express, as well as regional and specialized magazines. Among his creative influences have been Willy Vandersteen, René Goscinny, Jef Nys and Bill Watterson. His pseudonym PuG was inspired by his mother, who misread his initials on his paintings as "PuG" instead of "PvG".
2017 cartoon by PuG, posted on Facebook. "Habitable planet discovered." "This one?" "No, fool. That's Earth."
Humor comics
During the 1990s and early 2000s, Peter van Gucht thought up jokes for several gag comics, including Marc Legendre's 'Biebel' and 'Kas'. From September 1995 until the end of the 1990s, Van Gucht worked as scriptwriter for the artist Jan Bosschaert, creating 'Zapman' for the weekly TeVe Blad. The main character was a superhero who helps people surf to other TV channels. In most episodes, he does something TV-related, while trying to "save the day", but nobody takes him seriously. References to real-life TV shows were omnipresent. In 2001, 'Zapman' was collected in comic book format by Arcadia.
In the second half of the 1990s, Van Gucht also made his first connection to Studio Vandersteen, the comic studio founded by Willy Vandersteen, now owned by publisher Standaard Uitgeverij. His first contribution was writing the pantomime gag comic 'Zwik en Zwak' (1996-1999) for the comic weekly Suske en Wiske Weekblad, drawn by studio employee Ron van Riet. The gags star two clowns, one short-sized and grumpy, the other tall and happy. For the same magazine, Van Guch collaborated with the artist Luc Morjaeu on 'Rafke de Raaf' (1999-2001), a gag comic featuring a cynical raven.
Studio 100
In February 1998, Peter van Gucht became a freelance writer for the children's TV production company Studio 100. Until July 2009, he wrote scripts for their TV shows 'Samson en Gert', 'Wizzy en Woppy', 'Kabouter Plop' and 'Big en Betsy'. Although he wasn't involved with Studio 100's comic productions, the artists Luc Morjaeu and Bruno De Roover were. Through De Roover, Van Gucht was informed in 2003 that Studio Vandersteen was searching for a scriptwriter.
'Suske en Wiske': 'De Flierende Fluiter' and 'De Joviale Gille'.
Studio Vandersteen
In 2003, Peter van Gucht was hired as a scriptwriter for Studio Vandersteen's 'Suske en Wiske' comic, by then produced by lead artist and writer Marc Verhaegen. Van Gucht's earliest contributions were modest. He gave some narrative suggestions to the 'Suske en Wiske' story 'Kaapse Kaalkoppen' (2004) and co-wrote 'Verraad Op De Veluwe' (2004) with Verhaegen. His first solo stories were commercial projects, drawn by Walter Van Gasse and Bruno De Roover, like 'De Koppige Kluizenaar' (2004), commissioned by Dash washing powder, and 'De Guitige Gast' (2004) for the Dutch catering trade association Koninklijke Horeca Nederland. In 2004-2005, he also wrote his first story in the regular 'Suske en Wiske' series, 'De Flierende Fluiter', drawn by Van Gasse under supervision of Verhaegen. It quickly became clear that Marc Verhaegen had a strong personal vision, and generally refused to compromise. It wasn't until Verhaegen was fired in early 2005 that Peter van Gucht got more artistic freedom. By then, Verhaegen's eccentric stories had polarized both the studio and their loyal readers to such a degree that it had contributed to diminishing sales of the 'Suske en Wiske' comic books.
Instigated by publisher Standaard Uitgeverij and the heirs of Willy Vandersteen, the studio took the opportunity to restructure itself and apply a "back to basics" policy. In 2005, Peter van Gucht was appointed lead scriptwriter, while an earlier contributing writer, Erik Meynen, was brought back to the team as well. Until 2008, the latter contributed to a handful of 'Suske en Wiske' stories. As official scriptwriter, Van Gucht remained in charge of the writing team, which since 2007 has also consisted of Bruno De Roover, while the art team was supervised by the new lead artist, Luc Morjaeu. Additional artists working in Morjaeu's team have been Eric De Rop, Peter Quirijnen, Walter Van Gasse, Christian Verhaeghe, Charel Cambré, Dirk Stallaert, Wout Schoonis, Jeroen Bullaert and Thijs Wessels. On occasion, Van Gucht has been brainstorming scripts with Vincent Bal, best known as director of the children's film 'Minoes'.
For the first time in its history, the creative team of 'Suske en Wiske' has been led by both a scriptwriter and an artist. Previous creators - Willy Vandersteen, Paul Geerts and Marc Verhaegen - were all doing both script and artwork. But thanks to their previous collaborations and shared passion for Willy Vandersteen's legacy, the Morjaeu-Van Gucht team-up has proven successful. Another difference with the earlier Studio Vandersteen years was a departure from the traditional studio system, where the entire team is working in the same room. In the digital era, all the Studio Vandersteen members have been working from home. With the retirement of Luc Morjaeu in 2023, Wout Schoonis was promoted to new lead artist.
From the 'Suske en Wiske' episode 'De Watersater' (2010). Artwork by Luc Morjaeu and Dirk Stallaert.
Suske en Wiske
The new team was specifically instructed to bring the 'Suske en Wiske' series back to its familiar roots as an entertaining but conventional family comic. This way, the publisher hoped to appeal to young readers as much as nostalgic adult fans. Just like in the old days of Willy Vandersteen and his direct successor Paul Geerts, straightforward gags and adventure became the comic's hallmarks again, with a bit of social awareness and fantasy added to the mix. The main characters - Suske and Wiske, aunt Sidonia, goofy Lambik and superstrong Jerom - drove the narratives again, while secondary characters from the early years occasionally returned, such as the childlike Van Zwollem, a favorite of both Morjaeu and Van Gucht. Plotlines were based on folklore tales ('De Joviale Gille' [2007] about the Gilles of Binche), historical events ('Het Lijdende Leiden' [2011], about the 1574 Siege of Leiden) or environmental themes ('Lambik Plastiek' [2019], about plastic in the oceans).
To analyze the secret of their success, Peter van Gucht carefully studied the old 'Suske en Wiske' stories by Willy Vandersteen. One of the things he emphasized among the new creators was that the stories ought to be understandable purely on the visuals, to avoid too many "talkative" panels. But the stories were also simplified for other reasons. Since the albums were nowadays aimed at younger children than the original 10 to 12-year olds, complicated words were avoided. Van Gucht did try to add some parental bonus gags every now and then. In 'De Knikkende Knoken' (2009), for instance, a medieval sheriff is named Gregorius Bosch, clearly modeled after U.S. President George W. Bush. Van Gucht and his colleagues also dared to take a stance. In the story 'Suskewiet' (2015) Suske is changed into a finch, a bird nicknamed "wiet" in Flemish dialect. At first, the publishers suggested changing the title to 'Het Kletsende Kruid', since Dutch readers would mistake the word "wiet" for "weed" (marihuana). But in the end the album was released both in Flanders and The Netherlands as 'Suskewiet' after all.
Through audience test groups with children, it was decided to let Morjaeu and his team redesign the characters' physical looks. In the early 1970s and again in 1999, Suske and Wiske had been seen in different outfits for brief periods, but fan backlash always forced the studio to reverse their changes. However, starting with the 2017 album 'De Planeetvreter', the cast finally received a drastic new and permanent look. Wiske was given a blue vest, scarf and boots, while her characteristic egghead was adorned with a ponytail. Suske was restyled with a red hooded sweater, a pair of jeans and a more playful quiff. Both received an age upgrade as well. This in itself wasn't that unusual. In the mid-1940s, the characters started out as toddlers, before becoming ten-year olds by the end of the 1950s. Now Suske and Wiske were redesigned as secondary school students. Wiske even received a small bosom. Audience tests with children unfamiliar with 'Suske en Wiske' had also proven that many failed to recognize the flat-chested, big-nosed aunt Sidonia as a woman. To clarify her gender a bit better, Sidonia was also given breasts. Another radical break with tradition was that Suske and Wiske were now seen at school.Throughout the series, they were never pupils, but in 'De Halve Havelaar' (2010), the duo was first seen in a classroom, alongside other children.
'Suske en Wiske'.
Themes
To gain momentum, certain 'Suske en Wiske' albums were made in anticipation of thematic events. 'De Nachtwachtbrigade' (2006) celebrated the 400th anniversary of painter Rembrandt Van Rijn's death, while 'De Bibberende Bosch' (2016), did the same for the 500th anniversary of Hieronymus Bosch's passing. 'De Verloren Van Eyck' (2020) highlights a thematic year built around the medieval painters Jan and Hubert van Eyck. 'Het Machtige Monument' (2008) celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Atomium monument in Brussels, while 'Sterrenrood' (2014) promotes the opening of the Red Star Line Museum in Antwerp. The albums 'Suske de Rat' (2014) and 'Het Schrikkelspook' (2014) were made in the light of the centennial of the First World War.
Other new 'Suske en Wiske' stories cashed in on the popularity of TV shows, like 'Prison Break' ('Krimson Break', 2009), 'Expeditie Robinson' ('Expeditie Robikson', 2011) en 'Game of Thrones' ('Game of Drones', 2016). With 'Het Verloren Verleden' (2015), Van Gucht and Morjaeu made the first interactive comic strip. Readers could decide online how the plot of this new story would develop. Still, Studio Vandersteen kept informing young readers about the dangers of new technology. The story 'De Sinistere Site' (2006) was made at the request of Peter Vanvelthoven, Belgian Secretary of State for the Information of the State (2003-2005). It was distributed among children in their final year of elementary school, making them cautious of dangerous websites. A cautionary tale outside of the regular book series was 'De Coole Kastaar' (2012), which appeared as a supplement to Troskompas magazine. The story warns of the "lover boys" phenomenon, where young teenage girls are hustled by pimps to prostitute themselves. This was not only a very adult theme for a children's comic, it also clashed considerably with Willy Vandersteen's desire to not show or imply sex in his signature series. Interestingly enough, previous Studio Vandersteen artist Marc Verhaegen covered the same topic in his 2007 'Senne en Sanne' story 'Loverboys'. In the same vein, the 'Suske en Wiske' story 'Sooi en Sientje' (2015) is set during World War II, a theme considered taboo a decade earlier when Verhaegen proposed it for a 'Suske en Wiske' story.
Spin-offs
In 2005, Peter van Gucht additionally wrote new gags for a revival of the series 'De Grappen van Lambik', a 'Suske en Wiske' spin-off starring comic relief character Lambik. In addition to comic stories, Peter van Gucht also wrote 'Engels Leren met Suske en Wiske' and 'Frans Leren Met Suske en Wiske' (both by Standaard Uitgeverij, 2011), two language guides in respectively English and French for elementary school children. Together with Nix, Van Gucht co-wrote 'De Gegaste Gasten' (WPG Uitgevers, 2014), a cross-over between 'Suske en Wiske' and the Nix characters 'Kinky & Cosy'. In 2019, Van Gucht and Morjaeu created a special 'Suske en Wiske' story for 'Kalmthout in Beelekes', a collective comic book about the history of the town of Kalmthout.
'De Rode Ridder' and 'Galaxa'.
De Rode Ridder & Galaxa
In 2015, Van Gucht wrote two stories of Willy Vandersteen's chivalry comic series 'De Rode Ridder', namely 'De Drakar des Doods' and 'De Satansvrucht', the final installments drawn by Claus D. Scholz. Van Gucht wanted to bring the character back to a more realistic setting, inspired by a historically accurate depiction of the Middle Ages. However, 'De Drakar des Doods' did feature a dragon. Van Gucht planned 'De Satansvrucht' als the first part of a two-parter and ended the story on a cliffhanger. Yet halfway through the production, he was informed that 'De Rode Ridder' series was to be restructured with a new writer-artist team, consisting of Marc Legendre and Fabio Bono. As a result, Van Gucht couldn't finish his planned storyline.
In 2022, Van Gucht however returned to the franchise as writer of 'Galaxa' (2022- ), a spin-off series of 'De Rode Ridder' centering around the comic's magical "Fairy of the Light" character. Artist on duty was Dutchman Romano Molenaar, with Shirow Di Rosso providing the coloring. Since 2023, starting with volume #278 of the series ('Het Bloedmoeras'), Van Gucht has also been assigned as scriptwriter of the main 'Rode Ridder' series. In an interview published on the Standaard Uitgeverij website, Van Gucht anvounced that he was going to send "Red Knight" Johan on an epic journey consisting of independent adventures, but with a connecting thread. That way, he connected the narrative structure of the main series to the 'Galaxa' spin-off.
'Dario' and 'Nachtwacht'.
Non-Vandersteen comic projects
Since 2006, Peter van Gucht has been collaborating with the artist Jan Bosschaert again, creating comic books on commission. Their first new production was 'Dario: De Rioolrace', a comic book for the water management company Aquafin. Starring a duck and a mouse, this environmental comic strip taught readers about the importance of water treatment and preservation. In 2014, the two men created 'De Havengeest' (Departement Mobiliteit en Openbare Werken, 2014), a comic book about the history of the Antwerp harbor, based on ancient legends. The city of Antwerp was also the subject of 'De Zandzoekers' (2015), an educational comic about the Antwerp harbor, and 'Lut' (2019), about the centennial of the Antwerp union BBTK.
Between 2017 and 2022, Van Gucht has also written scripts for Merho's humorous adventure comic 'De Kiekeboes', drawn by assistants Kristof Fagard and Steve Van Bael. Van Gucht and Van Bael also collaborated on 'De Nachtwacht' (Standaard, 2019-2023), a celebrity comic based on the children's TV series of the same name. After 13 volumes, Nico De Braeckeleer took over as scriptwriter.
Other media activities
Besides comics, Peter van Gucht has been active in several media. In the 1990s, he wrote sketches for several popular comedy shows by Jacques Vermeire and Gaston Berghmans on VTM television. Starting in 1997, he did the same for Chris Van den Durpel's sketch series 'Chris & Co'. Van Gucht is a regular Dutch-language dub voice in children's films. He is most recognizable as the voice of Hamm the pig in the 'Toy Story' franchise and Zeke the sabre tooth tiger in the 'Ice Age' films. His voice can also be heard in 'Finding Nemo', the 'The Super Mario Bros. Movie' and several radio advertisements. He played small parts in TV dramas, such as fire commander Willy in the medical show 'Spoed'. To viewers of the soap opera 'Familie', he was most recognizable as inspector Derijcke and later as a different character, police officer Andy Vereecken.
Since 2013, Peter van Gucht has been the lead singer of the band Zoekende Reizigers. The group has performed on festivals like Dranouter, Gentse Feesten and Boombal. In February 2016, they won the Nekka Public Award during the Nekka Nacht event. The house atelier where he paints is also used for his band rehearsals.
Cameo appearance of Peter van Gucht in 'Suske en Wiske' album #358, 'De Drakenprinter' (2021), drawn by Luc Morjaeu.