The Beast (2026)

This sometimes dark—but always hopeful—adventure by renowned author Zidrou and celebrated gallery artist Frank Pe portrays a beautiful friendship between a boy and his beast with a magnificent adventure whose heart is the extraordinary friendship that can unite a child with an animal . . .  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. 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.

The Beast has been captured and finds himself in the pound, waiting to be transferred to Antwerp Zoo. Little François hasn't given up on helping him—but how? He doesn't yet know it, but he can count on the help of class bully Fut-fut, who is starting to feel remorseful for having harassed his classmate. However, he will have to be wary of Professor Sneutvelmans, an undisputed expert in cryptozoology (a new scientific discipline of his own invention) who is convinced that the strange animal is proof of an ancient myth. Everyone will embark on a vast chase through the streets of Brussels. The conclusion of this two-part novel by renowned author Zidrou and celebrated gallery artist Frank Pe features spectacular scenes full of nostalgic melodrama. A heartwarming, unforgettable story that is visually well-realized.