Kalmthout – following an ambiguous headline of an article in the newspaper “De Standaard”, (antisemitism as top priority) the heirs of the Vandersteen studios had the false impression that antisemitism is suddenly not forbidden but rather preferred. In an attempt to outshine their competitors in this respect, the drawing studio announced today a new name in the popular series Suske en Wiske. The drawing on the cover shows the erroneous perception, popular in antisemitic circles, that Jews are misers who lend money at exorbitant interest.
The spokesman, Danny Penseels explains the decision: “We searched here among the old drawings of Willy (Vandersteen, the spiritual father of Suske en Wiske and founder of the studio) and right away we found a few old but more or less ready comics stories from his period as “Kaproen” before 1945, that conveyed the atmosphere as described in the article in the De Standaard newspaper. Actually, it is nice to see how drawings and text balloons from sixty years ago can still be relevant. Our marketing managers saw there a great opportunity to outdo our competitors; therefore we immediately sent the volume to the printing house.”
It turns out that the Vandersteen Studio’s decision was a big mistake. The Center for Equal Opportunities and Struggle against Racism is threatening to file a complaint, and Michael Freilich form the ‘Joods Actueel’ will file a legal claim. “Who reads nowadays beyond the newspaper headline anyway?” they tried to respond in the Vandersteen Studio. The studio’s Board of Trustees is debating whether to file a complaint against the De Standaard newspaper because of erroneous information.
