La Ribambelle

La Ribambelle (French for "" or "") is a Belgian comics series about a gang of kids living in the same neighbourhood. There were two versions of this strip: Joseph Loeckx (better known under the pen-name of "Jo-El Azara") drew a one-off story in 1958, but the longer-lasting version was that of Jean Roba (best known for Boule et Bill) who created a whole new set of characters who came from various countries and ethnic backgrounds but lived in the same city. They played in a local yard and even had adventures abroad. Others who contributed to the strip included writers Vicq, Maurice Tillieux and artist Jidéhem.

Roba's version was published in Spirou magazine between 1962 and 1975 and in book form.

In the 1920s, the Sunday pages of American artist Martin Branner's Winnie Winkle the Breadwinner focused on the adventures of her little brother Perry and his gang the Rinkydinks, which included a Chinese boy called Chink. Their stories proved very popular in Europe. Perry was renamed Bicot for the French market and European artists made new comics about him and the Rinkydinks when Branner's weekly pages were no longer sufficient. The Our Gang films were also popular and featured African-American kids as well as whites. Among the Belgian children who enjoyed these series were André Franquin and Jean Roba.

By 1957 Franquin was a leading artist and contributor to Belgian comics. Artist Joseph Loeckx asked him for advice on a series that could get him work at Spirou magazine. Franquin suggested a gang of kids similar to Branner's Rinkydinks, coming up with the name "Ribambelle" (French for "" or ""), which "sounded right". A lover of jazz, Franquin also suggested that Loeckx include a black boy trumpeter called Dizzi, named after Dizzy Gillespie.

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