La Patrouille des Castors

"La Patrouille des Castors" is a Belgian comics series drawn by Mitacq on a scenario by Jean-Michel Charlier. 30 albums were published by Dupuis, all relating the adventures of a Scout patrol.

History

This series, which was first published in "Le Journal de Spirou" on November 25 1954, relates the fictional adventures of a Scout patrol. In the first album, the patrol consists of six Scouts, with Lapin (rabbit) who fast disappeared, five main characters being a more usable number for the authors and for the interest of the series. The drawer, Michel Tacq, was himself been a Scout during a large part of his life. He first thought about creating a series with Scouts as main characters, but he needed a scenario to fulfill the series, which was provided in 1954 by Charlier, already a very active scenarist. The publication in Spirou lasted from this year until 1979 but it knew a long interruption between the beginning of 1967 and April 1971, and the following publications were rarer than in the past, because Charlier was then very busy with the several other series whom he was the scenarist. Charlier was then replaced by Marc Wasterlain who wrote the scenarios of two albums, and then, MiTacq took over as writer. Several albums only mentioned Mitacq as writer and drawer, whereas he was in reality helped either by Charlier, Wasterlain or his friend Jacques Stoquart.

tyle

The Beaver Patrol is a group of scouts who are taken in adventurous situations provided most of the time by their Scout camp during the holidays in foreign countries. As all Scouts, they make good and charitable actions, but have to face with some enigmas in each region they visit. Each character has a very distinct profile, which makes it possible for the patrol to have all the qualities needed in difficult situations.

As the series goes on, the graphic style evolves and the protagonists get older. They replaced their blue shirt (designed for 12 to 17 years-old boys) by a red shirt (made for Pioneers, 15 to 17 years-old scouts), according to the 1964 reforme applied for Belgian Scouts. If the Spirou Magazine is Belgian, as well as the two creators of the series, its audience was mostly French. However, the Beavers left fast their native country to fly in other continents. The Beavers travelled in various countries but also in several grounds, as they went through adventures taking place underground, on the sea and even underwater.

These series was parodied by the author himself on a scenario of Yvan Delporte with the series "La Patrouille des Zoms".

Characters

The patrol is a built like an example of Scout troop, with each member having a totem and specific qualities:

* Poulain (foal) : the Patrol leader, courageous but prudent and reasonable. He is 15 at the beginning of the series, he is the perfect hero without any fault, he makes the appropriate decisions in case of difficulties.
* Chat (cat) : the patrol second, Poulain's double, as reasonnable but more discret at the beginning of the series, then has a profile a bit more different and varied.
* Faucon (hawk): the intellectual, very ressourceful in ideas, he is 15, wears glasses and intervenes to solve enigmas thanks to his huge knowledge, and provides cultural or scientific references when needed. His father Mr. Bridoison, is a famous physician and chimist.
* Tapir (tapir): lively 14-years-old boy and MiTacq's favorite character, he provides the series with the gags and the humour. He is very greedy, fat and often moans. Eating is a real obsession, so that he is the Scout in charge of the food and the meals in the patrol. His father, Mr. Lebedon, is a grocer.
* Mouche (fly): the youngest member of the patrol (13 years old), introverted and physically and psychologically weak.

Albums

All published by Dupuis:

* 1955 Le mystère de Gros-Bois
* 1957 Le disparu de Ker-Aven
* 1958 L'inconnu de la villa mystère
* 1959 Sur la piste de Mowgli
* 1960 Le trophée de Rochecombe
* 1961 Le secret des monts tabou
* 1961 Le hameau englouti
* 1962 Le traitre sans visage
* 1963 Le signe indien
* 1964 Les loups écarlates
* 1965 Menace en Camargue
* 1965 La couronne cachée
* 1966 Le chaudron du diable
* 1967 L'autobus hanté
* 1969 Le fantôme
* 1972 Le pays de la mort
* 1973 Les démons de la nuit
* 1974 Vingt milliards sous la terre
* 1977 El demonio
* 1979 Passeport pour le néant
* 1980 Prisonniers du large
* 1983 L'envers du décor
* 1984 Souvenirs d'Elcasino
* 1984 L'empreinte
* 1986 L'île du crabe
* 1987 Blocus
* 1989 Le calvaire du mort pendu
* 1990 Torrents sur Mésin
* 1993 La pierre de foudre

All of these albums were grouped in the collection "Tout MiTacq", consisting of 14 volumes published between 1989 and 1996 by Dupuis.

References

* [http://www.sossi.org/articles/mitacq.htm Mitaq/La Patrouille des Castors] in the Scout on Stamp Society International website
* [http://www.latoilescoute.net/mutu/La-Patrouille-des-Castors On another website dedicated to scoutism]
* [http://www.bdoubliees.com/journalspirou/series5/castors.htm La patrouille des Castors in le journal de Spirou]
* [http://www.jmcharlier.com/patrouille_castors.php On the Jean-Michel Charlier website]