Exhibition catalogue ‘Visionary Comics: The collection of Alain Van Passen’, Comic Art Museum – Brussels, 16.09.25 – 07.12.25 Hidden within the millions of panels and magazine pages collected by Alain Van Passen, a devoted Belgian comics collector active from the earliest days of the comics clubs, lies a long-forgotten history of vibrant, surrealist, and even ‘visionary’ images. His pristine collection, built over decades of searching and exchanging comics, offers unprecedented insight into the diverse trajectories of twentieth-century popular publishing. Focusing on comics magazines published between 1935 and 1965, this catalogue reveals a ‘lost world’ of French and Belgian comics, as well as their translations and reworkings of American, British and Italian strips. Ten concise and colourful chapters introduce readers to the zany and fascinating pages and panels across genres such as humour, science fiction, history and adventure. Shedding light on often-forgotten or little-known artists, this volume traces a counter-history of French-language comics. Richly illustrated with largely unseen material, it offers the reader an introduction to the visionary art of French-language comics. Preface and foreword by Tine Anthoni and Dan Nadel. Hugo Frey is professor of cultural and visual history at the University of Chichester. He is a cultural and political historian who has published widely on comics, graphic novels, art history and cinema. Maaheen Ahmed is associate professor of comparative literature at Ghent University specialised in comics and graphic novels, periodicals, children’s culture and intermediality. Hidden within the millions of panels and magazine pages collected by Alain Van Passen, a devoted Belgian comics collector active from the earliest days of the comics clubs, lies a long-forgotten history of vibrant, surrealist, and even ‘visionary’ images. His pristine collection, built over decades of searching and exchanging comics, offers unprecedented insight into the diverse trajectories of twentieth-century popular publishing. Focusing on comics magazines published between 1935 and 1965, this catalogue reveals a ‘lost world’ of French and Belgian comics, as well as the translations and reworkings of American, British and Italian strips. Ten concise and colourful chapters introduce readers to the zany and fascinating pages and panels across genres such as humour, science fiction, history and adventure. Shedding light on often-forgotten or little-known artists, this volume traces a counter-history of French-language comics. Richly illustrated with largely unseen material, it offers the reader an introduction to the visionary art of French-language comics. Foreword by Dan Nadel and afterword by Tine Anthoni. Foreword Dan Nadel Acknowledgements Introduction. The Visionary Art of Franco-Belgian Comics, 1930s to 1960s Hugo Frey Chapter One. Enter the European Superhero Maaheen Ahmed Chapter Two. The War Comics Hugo Frey Chapter Three. Wacky Inventions, Extraordinary Science, and Eccentric Professors Maaheen Ahmed Chapter Four. Slapstick: Crazy Fights, Memorable Accidents Eva Van de Wiele Chapter Five. Topsy-Turvy Worlds: Carnivalesque Children and Talking Animals Maaheen Ahmed Chapter Six. The Earth Trembles: Dino Comics and Palaeo-Utopias Felipe Muhr Chapter Seven. “Overcrowded” Comics Skies: The Mesmerising Aviation Comics Hugo Frey Chapter Eight. Fantastical Landscapes and Disturbing Places: The Surreal Geographies of Adventure Hugo Frey Chapter Nine. A Graphic Kaleidoscope: Experiments in Form Benoît Crucifix Chapter Ten. Literary Adaptations, or Something Else? Jan Baetens Alain Van Passen “In His Own Words” Interview conducted, edited, and translated by Hugo Frey and Maaheen Ahmed A Unique Collection: An Interview with Philippe Capart Interview conducted, edited and translated by Jan Baetens Afterword Tine Anthoni Contributors Works Cited Index