The career of Dutch comic artist Stefan de Groot started 30 years ago with Kwab Hippo later known as Horus Hippo. In 1992 he drew the first comic strip of Kwab Hippo. To celebrate the 30 years anniversary Creative Cave Publishers brings you the ebook Kwab aka Horus Hippo 30 Years. It is now available on Apple Books.
This ebook tells the story of Kwab Hippo from a comic character to a cartoon character. Dutch comic artist Stefan de Groot tells his report on the basis of comics, illustrations, interviews, and previously unpublished daily comics. About the successes and setbacks. Between 1993 and 2014, 12 Kwab comic albums appeared: An Incredible Tale, The First Hippo, The World Championships, Kwab and the Fridgedair.
In 1996 Kwab Hippo changed into Horus Hippo. Stefan de Groot revealed the true origin of Kwab Hippo; he used to be a cartoon character his grandfather designed and animated in the late 1920s. In the series, the following books were published in Dutch: Kwab of the Silver Screen, Kwabenezer Scrooge, Kwab’s Travels, Baron Von Kwabschaussen, Kwab-San de Stonecutter, Kwab and the World of Whatif? The Retroflash, Kwab Valentino. The book has sketches, designs, and never published comic strips. For the first time, they are translated into English. The book also has QR links to videos about this cartoon hippo.
In the early spring of 1992, I first drew a comic strip with Kwab Hippo. It was an idea for a new daily comic for the newspaper. At that moment I had to make a choice between the Art of Academy and the Conservatory of Music. I chose music because I didn’t see myself sitting alone behind a drawing board for the rest of my life. Now, thirty years later, that is the daily reality. Life is full of surprises. This also applies to Kwab’s life, which began with the discovery by Prof. dr. Anton Mole in the book series The Incredible Tales of Prof. dr. Anton Mole that I made together with author Paul Rooyackers. This book is a retrospective of all the books that were published of Kwab. I show a lot of sketches, drawings, and designs of my chubby friend.
I am proud to say that all of the original drawings of Kwab Hippo are now part of the National Comics Collection of Allard Pierson Museum in Amsterdam. It houses original art of renowned Dutch comics artists.
When you draw you are never really alone. You surround yourself with the characters you create. Of all the comics, cartoons, paintings, children’s book apps and artworks I’ve made, Kwab is the most dear to my heart. While compiling this book, I came across newspaper articles, photographs, sketches, unpublished comics, and drafts for new stories. Some people have a flashback when they hear a song from the past. I relate my life to the books I have published. Kwab is an integral part of that. I hope this book and the republishing of the old books will give him the audience he deserves.
Stefan de Groot
For the 30th anniversary, Creative Cave Publishers will publish all of the Kwab books in English for the first time. In 2014 the series The Incredible Tales of Prof. Dr. Anton Mole was published on Apple Books. It is an interactive ebook series with narration and interactive elements. In these e-books, Kwab Hippo was introduced. The sequel to this series is the book Kwab and the Fridgedair, which is now available on Apple Books. Author Stefan the Groot rewrote and redrew all of the pages. The original book was published in 1994. Now for the first time, it is published in English.
