| Dupuis is above all the inheritance of his founder Jean Dupuis (1875-1952). He is of humble origin, was brought up in the Catholic morality by his uncles and aunts, after his mother's death and his father's leaving for America. In 1898 the young man was an apprentice printer, earning his living with odd jobs. But in Brussels he decided to buy back this little Kobold pedal press (foot operated). He installs it at home, in Marcinelle, and starts with small works such as printing labels, leaflets… and the small-scale workshop quickly expands, thanks to Jean Dupuis' commercial skills. In 1911, Dupuis' printing house was Hainaut's biggest one and employed about thirty people. | |
A stroke of fate in January 1914: a fire destroys everything. Within 6 months, Dupuis manages to rebuild a new, more modern workshop… and the war breaks out. The plant is ticking over, most of the workers are on the front line. In 1918 at the end of the war, business starts again well. But an event will change the company's destiny: a canon gives Dupuis the responsibility for the printing of his parish newsletter, L'Ami du Foyer (Home's Friend). This is Dupuis' first periodical publication. Then comes a parish magazine, Le Roman (The Novel), the goal of which was to get the modest classes away from the cheap popular novels, considered debauched and not Catholic enough… but it won't be very successful.
© Editions Dupuis Les Bonnes Soirées, first issue; the text says « She came and knelt close to the young girl, and took her by the shoulders… » |
However this magazine will make Jean Dupuis think about the opportunity to create a family magazine, suitable for everybody, attractive but self-righteous… on April 2nd, 1922, he launches Les Bonnes Soirées (The Good Evenings, cover on the left, and another one here), a weekly women's magazine. Two years later, on November 23th, 1924, comes Le Moustique (The Mosquito, cover on the right, and another one here), which is the version "for men": reports, cartoons, a serial, and later radio and T.V. programs. | © Editions Dupuis And the first issue of Le Moustique; the caption says « PERSPECTIVE - We won't be able to come back home!… - Why?… - 'Cause it got too small!… » |
Dupuis keeps growing in the 30's: Flemish versions of Les Bonnes Soirées (De Haardvriend, 1934; this title means Home's Friend, as you can see Dupuis re-used the name of his very first parish newspaper) and of Le Moustique (Humoradio, 1936) are launched, as well as a series of novels which won't have great success. The company's core business is definitely the illustrated press. And in relation to this, the upheaval will be the creation of the third magazine: after the women and the men, the children, with Spirou.
Jean Dupuis wants to resist the invasion of American comics in Europe, such as Robinson, Hop-là ! (Oops !) and above all Le Journal de Mickey (Mickey's Magazine), which were at this time successfully published in French by Hachette Publishing. He launches this magazine for young people on April 21st, 1938, christening it Spirou, the Walloon name of the squirrel, the quick and crafty animal. The French drawer Rob-Vel (a nickname for Robert Velter), whose Belgian wife Davine (Blanche Dumoulin) already works for Dupuis as an illustrator for Les Bonnes Soirées, Le Moustique and the novels published by Dupuis, is chosen to imagine and draw the title role, which will soon become the symbol of Dupuis' success in the comics world.
© Editions Dupuis Jean Dupuis in 1948 |
At this time the second generation began to take over the reins of the business: Jean Dupuis' two sons, Paul (the technician, specialist of printing technology) and Charles (the artistic, responsible for the content of the publications), as well as his son-in-law René Matthews (responsible for the Flemish publishing). Later, in the 60's, his other son-in-law, the engineer Marcel Dupuis (yes, his name is Dupuis too but this is a coincidence), will progressively take over the management of the production from his namesake Paul Dupuis. |
But before that, war breaks out again and it was panic. Jean Dupuis leaves for England, authors and workers are enlisted, paper deliveries are blocked, Paul Dupuis is even taken prisoner of war, but somehow or other Spirou keeps coming out until September 1943… and starts again at the Liberation in October 1944.
The post-war period is definitely the one of comics' victory. This is the time of the birth of great talents, Franquin, Morris, Peyo, Roba… spiritual sons of the forerunner Jijé who made almost everything in Spirou during the war. Jean Dupuis passes away but during almost 30 years, Dupuis is synonymous with these masters of classic comics, to such a point that other activities remained in obscurity: novels, movie cartoons won't be very successful. The birth of Gaston Lagaffe in February 1957 is the peak of Spirou's creativity, under the direction of the inventive Yvan Delporte, an extraordinary versatile artist, Franquin's great friend, a big kid with a big beard, all this brilliant team working under the kind protection of Charles Dupuis, who considered Spirou as his private domain, his breath of fresh air.
| Until the 70's and their major changes. First the incredible commercial success of the Smurfs created by Peyo (this time, the movie cartoons triumph!) and of the albums in general, the sales of which explode while the circulation of the Spirou magazine decreases. The identity crisis is brewing: while the major authors get older and begin to stand back, the competition of the albums and of other leisure activities, above all TV, shakes Spirou. The heirs quarrel about the power and some of them would like to recoup their capital, in spite of the principle the founder laid down: to re-invest all the profits in the company. |  |
A new chapter begins in 1985 when the family finally sells the company to the finance group Bruxelles Lambert allied to Hachette, while the Éditions Mondiales Publishing takes control of the family magazines (Télémoustique, Bonne Soirée, Humo, the three heirs of the pre-war time). The crisis is overcome thanks to the investments made by the new shareholders, including a new high-tech printing house in Fleurus. At the same time, the Spirou magazine finds a new lease of life through a deep editorial renovation. The dynamism of its editors in chief, like Philippe Vandooren, who made Spirou cross the 80's, and then Patrick Pinchart and Thierry Tinlot, made the necessary modernization possible. This didn't happen to Spirou's biggest competitor, Tintin, which was never able to get out of his bad ways and disappeared in 1988.
 Dupuis in Marcinelle in 1946 |
 Dupuis in Fleurus 40 years later |