One Perfect Moment Week: Spip

[nezchan]

Since I already did a OPM post for Fantasio, then it only makes sense I do one for Spirou's other lifelong companion, Spip.





To anyone familiar with Spirou, there are three things that define the series. The red bellhop outfit, Fantasio, and his oldest companion of all, a squirrel. That squirrel is Spip. His name, as is Spirou's own, is a reference to squirrels in the original language. Spip is sarcastic, quick-witted and usually in a bad mood due to all the foolish goings-on he tends to get caught up in. Which usually involve him having to get out of the way of people and things for his own safety. He can't talk, but the reader is privy to his thoughts, and he seems to be the only one aware of the narrative, so his simple presence often breaks the fourth wall.

Attitude aside, though, he cares deeply for his two fellow adventurers, and despite his dim opinion of adventuring in general he never hesitates to tag along on whatever fool errand the humans are embarking on this time.

For your consideration, the first page of Spirou et Fantasio à Tokyo (my translation):

Comments

[icon_uk]

Now I want to see Spip, Snowy and Dogmatix team up, or at least form the core of the centuries spanning League of Extraordinary Pets Companions!

[nezchan]

Come now, we don't want to make the Pet Avengers feel inadequate now, do we?

[icon_uk]

If I say "Yes", will anyone mind?

[skalja]

Well, I like the Pet Avengers, but I like Dogmatix and Snowy even more (don't read Spirou).

[nezchan]

Spip would totally fit in with the other two. They're all seasoned adventurers as well, so I could see the three of them on some pretty wild trips.

[psychopathicus_rex]

If we're going that route, I would add Iago the parrot (uh, from 'the Castafiore Emerald', I mean, not 'Aladdin') and Jocko the chimp from 'Jo, Zette and Jocko'. (I'd also suggest Ace the Batdog, but we seem to be going in a Eurocentric direction here, so...)

[slim-summer.livejournal.com]

I'm almost tempted to add Snoopy to that list.

[psychopathicus_rex]

Except that he's more on the anthropomorphic end of things - he walks on his hind legs, plays baseball, flies (sort of) an airplane, etc. - whereas all the others may be exceptionally intelligent, but are otherwise just regular animals. (Also, like I said with Ace, the team is made up pretty exclusively of European characters so far, and an American canine wouldn't really fit it.) If Snoopy were to go on a team, I'd put him on one with other animals of his type, such as Garfield, Heathcliff, Hobbes, Bill the Cat... wait a minute; I'm seeing a problem here...

[dalf]

The american would show up in the inevitable Hollywood adaptation, to the grat dismay of the fans of the original series. He would be the team leader!

[psychopathicus_rex]

And it would be renamed 'the Snoopy Movie'. The others would be his loyal sidekicks, and Spip would be killed off just after he'd mentioned how he was going to retire.

[nezchan]

Charlie Brown himself, of course, would be written out and Snoopy would be the dog of a handicapped Asian girl who only appears in one scene but is inexplicably played by a white actress.

[psychopathicus_rex]

Named 'Henrietta Wong-Chu Smith'. Who would get top billing, because the actress would be related to a star.

[dalf]

"Damn it, Snoop, I'm too old for this shit!"

[psychopathicus_rex]

'Suck it up, soldier! The Red Baron is attacking!

'Well, I guess it makes no difference seeing as how I'm reti... *Red Baron shoots him* ...urk!' *dies*

'Spip! NOOOOOOOOOO! Curse you, Red Baron!'

[dalf]

And in the end, Snoopy WAS the Red Baron.

SUCK IT FIGHTCLUB

[psychopathicus_rex]

Well, technically speaking, since his battles with him are pretty much all imaginary, he already IS the Red Baron - if you're fighting an imaginary enemy, you're basically fighting yourself, after all.

[nezchan]

Ah, but just to screw things up (although the filmmaker will later claim it was intentional), the Red Baron will actually affect one of the characters and the continuity editor will miss it, causing endless fan speculation.

[psychopathicus_rex]

Director: OK, let's take some questions from the audience. Yeah, you, the guy in the hat.

Fan: Yeah, um, you said earlier that Snoopy IS the Red Baron, but then there's that scene in Zorglub's laboratory, where the Baron attacks Snowy...

Director: The one with the mini-attack biplanes? Yeah, the studio insisted on that one; said the picture needed more 'oomph'. But man, it came out pretty cool, huh? Look at the CGI on those things! Took two months shooting and cost five million dollars, that scene, and worth every penny!

Fan: Yeah. Uh, but if Snoopy's the Red Baron, then how does it make sense?

Director: ...What?

Fan: Well, Snoopy isn't IN Zorglub's lab. He's nowhere near it. The lab is in the Congo, and you clearly established, uh, in the previous scene you clearly established that at that point Snoopy was in Ontario playing canasta with Heathcliff and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. So how can he be the Red Baron if he's on another continent while the Baron's in Africa?

Director: Er... well... it's... experimental... you see... it's... I was trying... new technique... testing the audience... it was... of course he's... Imeanttodothat, let'smoveon!

Fan: But...

Director: NEXT!

Another Fan: Yeah, there's also that scene where the Baron shoots Snoopy in the shoulder with a sniper rifle while he's surrounded by the others...

Director: You people were supposed to be watching the explosions! DOESN'T ANYBODY WATCH THE EXPLOSIONS ANYMORE?!

[nezchan]

MOVE OUT OF YOUR PARENTS' BASEMENTS!

[psychopathicus_rex]

'Stop harassing innocent directors! You're supposed to watch the movie while DRUNK, damn you; it was written and directed that way! Goddamn lightweight sober kids... Man, I need a drink...'