Tif et Tondu

[1] Within a few issues Tif had made the acquaintance of Tondu, a shipwrecked sea captain, and the two joined forces, traveling the world in search of adventure.

Monsieur Choc (in English it would be "Mister Shock") was the leader of a major criminal organisation called "La Main blanche" ("the White Hand").

In accordance with the attitude of French censors of the time, who disapproved of bungling police officers, Allumette (whose name means "matchstick") was treated respectfully; in fact he was often shown as a step ahead of even Tif and Tondu.

Rosy was succeeded by Maurice Tillieux (from L'ombre sans corps on) who brought to the series the mixture of humour and mystery that he had employed in others such as Gil Jourdan.

Desberg used the strip to highlight more political and social issues: the use of cheating in sport for monetary gain (Échecs et match!, 1981); the world-wide reach of organised crime (Dans les griffes de la main blanche, 1986); and the influence of the extreme right-wing in the south of France (Les Phalanges de Jeanne d'Arc, 1987, and La Tentation du bien, 1989).

Starting with Prise d'otages, writer Denis Lapière and artist Alain Sikorski took over, turning the strip into a more mundane detective series.

So far Spirou has been content to republish stories from the Will period, including Tif and Tondu's first encounter with Mister Choc, which coincided with the Dupuis publication of an omnibus edition of their early adventures with their sworn enemy.

Tif and Tondu by Will