La corne de rhinocéros
Encyclopedia
La corne de rhinocéros, written and drawn by Franquin
, is the sixth album of the Spirou et Fantasio
series. The material was first serialised in Spirou
in two parts, Spirou et la Turbotraction and the sequel La corne de rhinocéros, and finally merged into one for the release of the hardcover album in 1955.
and Fantasio
rescue their friend the racecar driver Roulebille (from Spirou et les héritiers
) who has been wounded by murderous thugs. Roulebille's employers, Turbot, have designed a car so spectacular that competitors will stop at nothing to steal its revolutionary plans. In order to find Roulebille's partner Martin and retrieve the car's blueprints, the two reluctantly team up with another journalist, an initially irritating but ultimately priceless young woman called Seccotine. The search for Martin takes them to several regions of Africa - complete with rather dated portrayals of the natives. After retrieving the missing blueprints from the titular body part, Spirou and Fantasio are given the very first prototype of the car, baptised Turbot-Rhino to celebrate their adventure.
The introduction of cheeky and quick-witted Seccotine into the Spirou universe was quite ahead of its time for Belgian comic books. She returns in several other stories.
The futuristic-looking Turbotraction:Turbot-Rhino I was not as far-fetched as it looked at the time. Franquin based it on actual prototypes depicted in scientific revues. A life-size model of it and other vehicles created later in the series was created for the World of Franquin exhibition in Paris and Brussels in 2006-2007.
André Franquin
André Franquin was an influential Belgian comics artist, whose best known comic strip creations are Gaston and Marsupilami, created while he worked on the Spirou et Fantasio comic strip from 1947 to 1969, during a period seen by many as the series' golden age.-Franquin's beginnings:Franquin was...
, is the sixth album of the Spirou et Fantasio
Spirou et Fantasio
Spirou et Fantasio is one of the most popular classic Franco-Belgian comic strips. The series, which has been running since 1938, shares many characteristics with other European humorous adventure comics like Tintin and Asterix...
series. The material was first serialised in Spirou
Spirou (magazine)
Spirou magazine is a weekly Belgian comics magazine published by the Dupuis company...
in two parts, Spirou et la Turbotraction and the sequel La corne de rhinocéros, and finally merged into one for the release of the hardcover album in 1955.
Story
In The Rhino's Horn, SpirouSpirou (character)
Spirou is the main character of the Spirou et Fantasio and Le Petit Spirou comic strips. The character was originally created by Robert Velter for the launch of Le Journal de Spirou in 1938....
and Fantasio
Fantasio
Fantasio is a fictional character from the Spirou et Fantasio comic strip. He was introduced in 1944 by Jijé, who was then drawing Spirou's adventures. Fantasio is Spirou's best friend and co-adventurer, a graphic reporter with an uncontrolled imagination and a mop of blond hair...
rescue their friend the racecar driver Roulebille (from Spirou et les héritiers
Spirou et les héritiers
Spirou et les héritiers, written and drawn by Franquin, is the fourth album of the Spirou et Fantasio series, and a great leap in the expansion of the Spirou universe...
) who has been wounded by murderous thugs. Roulebille's employers, Turbot, have designed a car so spectacular that competitors will stop at nothing to steal its revolutionary plans. In order to find Roulebille's partner Martin and retrieve the car's blueprints, the two reluctantly team up with another journalist, an initially irritating but ultimately priceless young woman called Seccotine. The search for Martin takes them to several regions of Africa - complete with rather dated portrayals of the natives. After retrieving the missing blueprints from the titular body part, Spirou and Fantasio are given the very first prototype of the car, baptised Turbot-Rhino to celebrate their adventure.
Background
Publisher Dupuis had Franquin retouch an early sequence when thugs chase Spirou and Fantasio in the department store, removing their guns.The introduction of cheeky and quick-witted Seccotine into the Spirou universe was quite ahead of its time for Belgian comic books. She returns in several other stories.
The futuristic-looking Turbotraction:Turbot-Rhino I was not as far-fetched as it looked at the time. Franquin based it on actual prototypes depicted in scientific revues. A life-size model of it and other vehicles created later in the series was created for the World of Franquin exhibition in Paris and Brussels in 2006-2007.