| Sophie |
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 The series main character, 1970 illustration |
| Author(s) | Jidéhem, Vicq |
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| Current status/schedule | Terminated. |
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| Launch date | 1965 |
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| End date | 1994 |
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| Syndicate(s) | Dupuis |
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| Genre(s) | Humor comics, Adventure comics |
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Sophie is a Belgian comics series, originally written by Vicq and co-written and drawn by Jidéhem.[1][2] It follows the adventures of a young girl and was prepublished in Spirou between 1965 and 1994.[1] The series was notable for being the first comic strip series in Spirou with a female character as its leading character.[3][2]
History
Sophie was originally a side character in Jidéhem's Starter, which was a column dedicated to automobiles in Spirou. Starter featured the adventures of a young mechanic, Starter, and a young female companion named Sophie. When readers showed more interest in Sophie than in Starter she received her own spin-off.[1]
Concept
Sophie is a young black-haired, pig-tailed girl who is the daughter of electrotechnician Mr. Karapolie.[1] She was named after Jidéhem's own daughter.[2] They both live in a villa in a quiet neighborhood outside the city, where they are aided by a butler, Joseph. Sophie has three friends, Starter and Pipette, who work as mechanics and Petit Bernard, a little boy who is two years younger than her and far more cowardly. Pipette furthermore owns a black car, Zoë, with a sentient mind.[1] Many storylines revolve around criminals who want to steal the inventions of Sophie's father.
