For the first time in his 80-year history, Spirou is taken on an adventure by a German comics creator: Flix! Prepare yourselves for a whole new Spirou experience as our favorite bellboy travels to 1989 Berlin together with his BFFs Fantasio and Spip, to rescue the kidnapped Count of Champignac and to foil evil Zantafio’s diabolical scheme to take over East Germany. We asked Flix a few questions to find out more about him and his landmark work.

What led you to the world of comics? How did you become a comics creator?

It all started in a public library. I was about 6 years old and found a ton of comics there: Spirou, Asterix, Lucky Luke, Tintin, Snoopy, Benoît Brisefer, the classics. They were all there! I was instantly hooked and as, like all children, I loved to draw, it wasn’t long before I started to make up my own stories. And that hasn’t stopped to this day.

How would you describe the comics scene in Germany?

Comics in Germany aren’t as ubiquitous as they are in, say, France. It’s a rather niche genre in the market. But although the German comics scene is negligible, a lot has happened in the last ten years. Comics are being talked about more in the media, the number of publishers has grown, and there are more and more artists. Comics are being taken seriously in art schools and are increasingly becoming the subject of academic studies. More and more German comics are being published abroad, German artists are being nominated for the Eisner Awards (Reinhard Kleist) and Angouleme awards (Ulli Lust). It isn’t easy to make a living from comics in Germany, but it’s possible.