Meet the Marsupilami - a character that originated in Belgian comics in the 1950s that is so well-known and thought of it has at least three public statues of it across that country. It's a complete bodge by Mother Nature, with a leopard kind of pelt, blue hands and feet, something of the monkey in the way it can lope about on four feet, and a humongous tail. Here, it washes ashore in Belgium in the post-WW2 years, practically the sole survivor of a failed animal capture expedition for the zoos, and while homeless gets adopted into the menagerie of an oft-picked-on schoolkid. With no idea what kind of books and stories it featured in in the past, I have to say this packs a lot in, from the burgeoning romance story for the lad's mother, herself persona no grata due to certain wartime activities, to the rest of the characters in amongst the kid's collection of animal foundlings. And all told it's a really good reboot – really strong visuals, that lift this from being a throw-back to a kid's title, are the best thing here. But the story is no throwaway nostalgia-fest, giving us a lot of shade and interest. The fact this is planned as a two-part, two-book product, with the second chunk still yet to come in French (as of March 2021), means we may well not see the likes of a further thirty books bearing the animal, as before, but the end result is certainly an intriguing piece, and more than suitable as an adult's read. A strong four stars.

A really beautiful, weirdly funny graphic novel, in the vein or Heimat or Maus. The art is gorgeous, and the story of Longtail, François and his “zoo” is one that I need to keep reading to find out what happens.

This is not what I was expecting and I'm not sure if I liked it. I knew this would be a dark story but I wasn't expecting it to be so depressing. I mean there were definitely some solid parts and the art was really good. I just don't really think this was for me unfortunately.

I love the way Belgian comics combine humor and pathos in ways I don't expect, and this book certainly didn't disappoint. The characters are funny, sometimes tragic, and the adventure element is absolutely terrific!

Who said comics/graphic novels were just for children? Because Marsupilami: The Beast can be enjoyed by all ages.

Francois Van Den Kroot is a young boy with a big heart and a deep love for animals. It is Francois’ love of all creatures big and small that leaves him with a mini zoo at his home.

The son of a departed German soldier, Francois becomes the “punching bag” for bullies at his school. The victim of a constant barrage of ridicule, jokes and harassment, Francois tearily runs and hides under a bridge for safety, comfort, and solitude. There, under the bridge, he discovers an unusual creature. A creature that appears to be a cross between a leopard and a monkey with dog-like ears, and with an extremely long tail. Francois aptly names the creature “Longtail.”

Proud of his new discovery, Francois is eager to share his discovery with his classmates at school. What can go wrong in a small classroom with dozens of ooglely-eyed children?

Marsupilami: The Beast is the first part of a two part comic series. And it certainly got my attention. The cover is what intrigued me at first. Then after “googling” Marsupilami, I was hooked and just had to read the comic. I was not disappointed. The illustrations and storyline just grabbed me and I couldn’t put it down until I finished it. I can’t wait for part two. Five illustrious stars.

I received a digital copy of the comic from Europe Comics through NetGalley. The review herein is completely my own and contains my honest thoughts and opinions.

After reading another book by the aptly-named publishing house, European Comics, and absolutely loving it – I decided to wade into their catalogue to see what else they had to offer. I picked Marsupilami based on the cover, as it looked fairly interesting. I’m glad I did because this was a great comic in each and every way.

“Belgium, 1955. A mysterious animal is caught in the jungles of South America and transported to Europe on a cargo ship, where it ends up starving and half-dead on the outskirts of Brussels. François, a young boy with a fondness for taking in strays, finds it and brings it home to his mother and his menagerie—his best and only friends. As the son of a departed German soldier, François is the favorite target of every bully in school. Nobody can identify the strange creature with the voracious appetite and the stupendously long tail, and François figures his new pet is perfect for show-and-tell… But with a wild beast and a small classroom, things quickly get out of hand. Will this spell the end for François’s new animal friend? The real story of the legendary Marsupilami!”

Marsupilami is an interesting story, not too different than a typical “dog bites somebody and the villainous neighborhood busybody wants it put down” story with a number of interesting twists. First and foremost – the setting. This takes place in Belgium a decade after the end of World War II. With the war over, some wounds take time to heal, and being seen as someone that had ANYTHING to do with the German occupation put that person in a bad place. Thus the plight of our hero Francois, a boy relentlessly bullied at school due to being the lovechild of a Belgian Woman and a German Soldier, he retreats into a world of taking care of exotic animals in his very own home menagerie.

Next up we have the “dog” which is a crazy cryptid of some sort – seemingly a monkey with feline attributes and a 30 foot long tail. I was initially worried this would be a simple horror story with “The Beast” going on a rampage, but truthfully he seems pretty intelligent and acts only in self-preservation. whether it be animal smugglers, or The bullies at Francois’ school – something is always trying to attack the poor creature. Francois and his family, including the animals, are his only allies, it seems.

This was part one of a two part story, it’s hard to read it without the other half, but I quite enjoyed this. The setting was awesome, and the tropes were used well to create something wholly unique. I can’t wait to finish this, but hope that it doesn’t end on a huge downer.

I really appreciated this. The juxtaposition between the delicate art and the story was wonderful, and the dialogue sharp and taut - as one would expect from a graphic novel.
It is violent, but there is a quiet beauty to the violence. I thoroughly enjoyed it

Not really my sort of thing. It has a really sad, depressing and violent story, and I'm not sure about the art.