Flupke (left) and Quick (right).
Quick and Flupke (Quick et Flupke) is a Belgian comic strip drawn and written by Hergé, best known as the creator of Tintin. It's his second best known comic book series, but never reached the same universal popularity Tintin did. After his death in 1983 it was terminated too, though there hadn't been any new episodes since The '50s.
Quick & Flupke is a gag comic in which two little boys are the protagonists. Quick is the elder of the two and always wears a beret and a red sweater. Flupke is a bit smaller and always wears a green coat and a long scarf. They live in Brussels and like playing pranks on everybody, including their Arch-Enemy, police officer "Agent 15".
Tropes found in Quick and Flupke
- Adolf Hitlarious: Some 1930s gags poked fun at Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini. After World War II, these innocent jokes suddenly weren't that funny anymore and thus no longer appear in the official album series. For Hergé they were an Old Shame.
- Affectionate Nickname: Flupke's official name is actually Philippe. The name "Flup" is a Flemish derivation of this name. The suffix "-ke" is a Belgian diminutive that means as much as "little, tiny, small". Thus "Flupke" is "little Flup". This also implies that he might be Flemish.
- Amusing Injuries: Some of them even lethal.
- Animated Adaptation: In 1983–85, an animated cartoon series was made for television.
- Anti-Hero: Quick and Flupke are misbehaving children.
- Anyone Can Die: Hergé didn't mind killing off his characters for the sake of one joke and bringing them Back from the Dead as if nothing happened in the next episode.
- Arch-Enemy: Agent 15.
- Author Avatar: When Flupke is about to be arrested for a parking offence he calls up Hergé and asks him to do something about it. Hergé then erases the top half of the no parking sign, leaving Agent 15 very confused.
- Black Comedy: In some gags Quick and Flupke die as a result of an explosion or accident and end up as angels in Heaven.
- Bottle Episode: All episodes take place in 1930s Brussels and usually in the streets.
- Brats with Slingshots: Quick and Flupke, usually Flupke, enjoy pestering Agent 15 that way.
- Breaking the Fourth Wall: Quick and Flupke are often seen breaking the fourth wall.
- Butt-Monkey: Agent 15.
- Comic-Book Time: Nobody ages.
- Creator Cameo:
- In one gag, Flupke goes skiing and hits the frame of the page. He then visits Hergé and beats him up out of revenge.
- In another gag Hergé is kidnapped by his characters and forced to promise that he will no longer take the monkey out of them in each episode.
- Creator Provincialism: All action takes place in Brussels, Hergé's home town.
- Downer Ending: Some gags have Quick and Flupke die in car accidents or explosions and fly to Heaven.
- Dub Name Change: In Sweden, they're called Smecken and Sulan.
- Face Fault: Used to accompany the punchline of some gags.
- Frozen in Time: All gags take place during the 1930s, the time the comic strip was made.
- Funetik Aksent: Quick's handwriting is full of spelling mistakes.
- Gag Series: It's a gag comic with each story never being longer than two pages.
- Heterosexual Life-Partners: Quick and Flupke are always seen together.
- Home Base: All gags take place in Brussels. So much even that the characters have become somewhat of cultural icons of the city.
- Karma Houdini: Interestingly enough, Quick and Flupke are not always punished for their bad behaviour.
- Limited Wardrobe: In one gag Flupke is even angry about the fact that Hergé keeps drawing him with a scarf... even in summer!
- Manchild: Agent 15.
- In one gag Quick and Flupke play leapfrog. Agent 15 can't resist the temptation and joins in.
- Once, Agent 15 catches Flupke drawing a doodle of him on the side of a wall. He demands to have the crayon and then draws himself arresting Flupke.
- Meddlesome Patrolman: Agent 15 always interferes or tries to interfere with Quick and Flupke's actions.
- Minimalist Cast: Apart from Quick, Flupke and Agent 15 there are no notable recurring characters.
- Name and Name: The title is Quick and Flupke.
- Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Several gags have Quick and Flupke accidentally breaking something then trying to get it back together again, with often disastrous results.
- In one gag they saw a book case and had the impression that the books were in danger of being full of mold. They use a hair dryer, a hot iron and then glue everything back together.
- No Name Given: We never learn Agent 15's real name.
- Police Are Useless: Agent 15 is just as childish as Quick and Flupke.
- The Prankster: Quick and Flupke like playing pranks on people.
- Slapstick: Several gags involve slapstick.
- The Smart Guy: Quick. He reads a lot and is dedicated to his studies.
- The '30s: All gags were published in this decade.
- Time Marches On: The entire atmosphere of the stories is very much based in the 1930s. The cars, telephones, radios, and police uniforms, are obviously dated nowadays.
- Train Problem: Flupke has to solve a math problem about two trains leaving different stations and he must answer at what time they'll meet close to one another. Flupke then ask his uncle who works at a train station, but he couldn't find the answer. Both of them take the matter to the Ministry of Transport who couldn't resolve the problem either. Finally, everyone all hop on a train and closely watch the time when the other train will come close-by.
