Oni Press and Magnetic Press have partnered to publish the first-ever English edition of the graphic novel The Beast, and today, The Beat can reveal an exclusive sneak peek.
The Beast is written by Zidrou and illustrated by Frank Pé, featuring their take on André Franquin’s Marsupilami. The creature first appeared in Franquin’s 1952 Spirou as the titular character’s pet, captivating Franco-Belgian audiences from the jump. In the decades since, the fictitious marsupilami species has become the cornerstone of multimedia successes spanning an animated series, feature film, and a Sega Genesis video game.
Zidrou and Pé’s story puts a serious spin on the marsupilami existence in its exploration of animal trafficking in post-World War II Brussels.
Here’s the synopsis:
Captured in the heart of Palombia by Chahuta Indians and sold to exotic animal traffickers, a marsupilami lands in the port of Antwerp in the 1950s. Managing to escape, he arrives in the suburbs of Brussels and is taken in by François, a young boy who is a fan of animals and whose daily life is far from easy. François is picked on by the local kids, particularly because his father had been a German soldier, an unforgivable crime in those postwar years; a fact he and his mother cannot escape. Both are ostracized for their connection to past events.
Check out a preview below.
“This sometimes dark but always hopeful adventure by renowned author Zidrou and celebrated gallery artist Frank Pé portrays a beautiful friendship between a boy and his beast,” said Magnetic Press Director of Publishing, Mike Kennedy. “The authors pay a superb tribute to the fabulous animal created by Franquin in the series Spirou et Fantasio while denouncing the mistreatment and trafficking of exotic animals. A magnificent adventure whose heart is the extraordinary friendship that can unite a child with an animal.”
The Beast, Vol. 1 will be available everywhere books are sold on May 12. The Beast, Vol. 2 will be available June 24.
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