Jerry Spring is a Franco-Belgian Western comics series created by the Belgian artist Jijé.
[1] The character aimed to replace the American-made Red Ryder as Belgian publisher Dupuis, which had long paid for the series' license, was growing increasingly dissatisfied with its declining quality.
Jijé was Dupuis' jack-of-all-trades, and had already authored a few custom-made pages for Red Ryder during World War II, when the political climate disrupted the availability of the American originals.
[2] According to the artist's son, however, his love of the Western genre was sincere and, among his diverse output, Jerry Spring was most representative of his personal affinities.
[3] The replacement of Red Ryder by Jerry Spring marked the end of American comics in Spirou, which from now on would be fully based on homegrown material.