Tom Poes - Tom Pouce

Marten Toonder is widely considered one of the "Big Three" of Dutch comics, alongside Hans G. Kresse and Pieter J. Kuhn. Though in terms of importance, influence, production and cultural status he surpasses both of them. Toonder was the creator of the long-running newspaper comic 'Tom Poes en Heer Bommel' starring the adventures of the white cat Tom Poes and his friend, the nobleman bear Olivier B. Bommel. He also created other well-known series such as 'Kappie' (1945-1972), 'Panda' (1946-1991) and 'Koning Hollewijn' (1954-1971). Toonder's comics are renowned for their high-quality artwork, storytelling and colourful language. He worked within the funny animal and fantasy genre, but more as a fabulist than as a children's storyteller. He used clever social satire and unforgettable characters which were witty archetypes of human personalities. Toonder also stood out for his highly eccentric and colourful use of language. His characters speak in very antiquated speech and he often made use of verbal wordplay. Certain words and expressions have even entered the Dutch language. As a result Marten Toonder managed to achieve a highly dignified reputation in literary circles. He was the first (and is still the only) comics artist to be accepted as a member of the Dutch literary institution Maatschappij der Nederlandse Letterkunde. Text (c) Lambiek