We’re sorry to report the passing of Belgian comic artist Frank Pé, aged just 69, a creator among the most widely recognised authors of contemporary Franco-Belgian comics. Initially working for the comic magazine Spirou, his career spanned many different and disparate projects across comics, illustration and film.
A meticulous but imaginative, artist, his output was limited by his slow pace, but much admired. His best-known comic series are Broussaille, and the acclaimed trilogy, Zoo, written by the late Philippe Bonifay.
His work also included a much lauded reinterpretation of of Winsor McCay’s Little Nemo in Slumberland, published in English by Magnetic Press in 2021, various contributions to collected works such as Entre Chats: Histoire d’un homme qui aimait les chats (Delcourt, 2004) and, most recently. a realistic interpretation of the enigmatic ‘Marsupiliami’ creature in La Bête (2020-2023).
Noted for his philosophical and spiritual comics, centred around the relationships between humans, animals and their surroundings, he was well known for his love of animals dating back to his early years.
A tribute from his publisher, Dupuis, notes “Frank Pé was an animal at heart. He possessed the instincts of an animal, and above all, a thirst for freedom. And the animal was the guiding thread of a rich and remarkable body of work, evident in albums like Broussaille, Zoo, and, more recently, La Bête. He was a demanding yet generous artist who constantly adapted his drawing style to the stories of his writers and who loved to step outside the panels to explore other avenues: animation, murals, sculptures, a book on drawing, the creation of an animal park…”
Born in Ixelles, Frank studied sculpture at the Institut Saint-Luc in Brussels. Initially inspired by comic artists André Franquin, Moebius and Dany, his comics first work featuring in Spirou’s “Carte blanche” section in in 1973, before starting on an exotic adventure story, “Comme un animal en cage”, written by Terence (Thierry Martens) who was chief editor at that time, originally intended to have been written by Jean-Marie Brouyère.
In his profile for the artist for Lambiek, Bas Schuddeboom notes it took Frank six years to complete this sole episode, starring the muscular hero Vincent Murat. Serialisation in Spirou didn’t start until 1984, and a book publication followed in 1985.
He provided the illustrations for the Nature-Jeunesse section of the title and created the character of Broussaille to present his own views on the subject. “Broussaille”, the double of his creator, soon became a comic book hero of his own accord, starring in both poetic and philosophical complete stories written by Pé’s partner and friend, Bom, and even great adventures, including Les Baleines publiques, Les Sculpteurs de lumière, and La Nuit du chat. The series won a dozen awards, including the Alpages de Sierre (1985), the Grand Prix de Grenoble (1989) and l’Alph’Art of Angoulême readers (1990).
The character was the was the very first comic strip mural in Brussels, today well known for its bande dessinée inspired street art, back in July 1991.
In 1992 the CRDP Poitou-Charente composes a whole set of school books for secondary education pupils featuring Broussaille, to liven up the natural sciences, literature and arts classes.
Frank Pé’s other major work is the dramatic graphic novel trilogy Zoo, created in collaboration with French author Philippe Bonifay. The series centres on a Normandy zoo with an Art Nouveau design and exotic animals that forms a safe haven against the grim reality of the 1910s.
“Like the settings in the ‘Broussaille’ stories, the zoo can be considered a character in itself,” says Bas Schuddeboom. “It loses most of its grandeur over the course of the narrative, as the wartime tragedies take over the carefree environment.” The first two volumes were published in 1994 and 1999 by Dupuis, but the third and final volume was not released until 2007.
“Throughout his career, Pé’s comic albums appeared with relatively long interludes,” he also notes. “This was not only due to the artist’s meticulous perfectionism with regard to his graphical direction and storytelling, but also to his many side projects.”
In the final years of his life, Frank Pé was working on the concept of The Animalium, in an earlier stage known as the Atelier Zoo, a zoological park displaying various types of animal art.
He was working on the third volume of La Bête when he passed away on 29th November 2025, after a long illness. The series reimagines the iconic French comic character Marsupilami in a poignant, postwar Belgian setting. The story blends social realism with mythic undertones, showcasing writer Zidrou’s talent for crafting narratives that are both tender and unflinching.
Magnetic Press, publishers of Pé’s Little Nemo, previously announced it would publish La Bête Volumes One and Two in English next year, on 12th May and 2nd June 2026 respectively.
“We are incredibly saddened to learn of the passing of Frank Pé, the amazing artist of so many beautiful, imaginative books (including his tribute to Little Nemo, which we were very proud to publish a few years ago),” the publisher said in a short statement.
As are his many admirers. Our sympathies to family and friends at this time.
Frank Pé, born 15th July 1956, died 29th November 2025
Head downthetubes for…
• Lambiek: Frank Pé Profile (highly recommended reading)
• Frank Pé: Official Site: frankpe.com
Une vie en dessins (“A Life in Drawing”) was published in in French in 2020 by Champaka Bruss. His latest book, published in 2024, Dessine ! … et tu connaîtras l’univers et les dieux, published by Glénat, also offered his thoughts on the practice of comics.
• The Beast Volume One is scheduled for release by Magnetic Press on 12th May 2026 | ISBN: 978-1962413596 | 156 Pages
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 ostracised for their connection to past events.
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. 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 Volume Two is scheduled for release by Magnetic Press on 12th May 2026 | ISBN: 978-1962413589 | 204 Pages
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 features spectacular scenes full of nostalgic melodrama. A heartwarming, unforgettable story that is visually well realised.
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John is the founder of downthetubes, launched in 1998. He is a comics and magazine editor, writer, and Press Officer for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He also runs Crucible Comic Press.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine and Overkill for Marvel UK, Babylon 5 Magazine, Star Trek Magazine, and its successor, Star Trek Explorer, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics; and has edited several comic collections and graphic novels, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”, and Hancock: The Lad Himself, by Stephen Walsh and Keith Page.
He’s the writer of comics such as Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs”, with Dave Hailwood.
Categories: Comics, Creating Comics, downthetubes News, Features, Obituaries
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