Profile: Florence Mixhel, first female editor-in-chief of classic comic Spirou

How did you get into the world of comics?

I did a master’s degree in journalism, but I wasn’t so keen on a career as a classical journalist. It was fortunate: Dupuis was looking for someone, I was interested and applied. But I admit that’s not what I expected to end up doing.

How do you choose your stories?

Our writers are always coming up with storylines – we have 40 to 50 writers and they are very creative. What I have to do is see whether it’s a line we want to follow, whether it’s interesting and to our tastes. Sometimes when we have themes for an issue – for example, we may do something on cooking – then we encourage our writers to come up with relevant ideas.

There have been a number of live-action films based on Spirou characters recently. Have you been involved?

We didn’t have any input in the films themselves. But we have covered the recent movies in depth: we published a special edition, which included a “making of…” section, and photos of the actors behind the scenes.

Do comic strips still have a place in a digital world?

Yes, comics do have their place. I was just at a book fair in Brussels, which was extremely successful. People like to read, they like to have something in their hands. We still have a weekly circulation of 65,000, which is quite a lot. I think paper will always be there. But for the digital generation, we are developing a way to read Spirou on phones or tablets. Sometimes people think things will become outdated, but they find a way to adapt and stay relevant.

What has been the biggest moment of your time at Spirou?

After the attacks on the Charlie Hebdo office in Paris, in January 2015, we came together to make a special issue of Spirou. We were all shocked and stunned that they should try to kill cartoonists. But we felt we had to do something, as an homage and out of solidarity. We wanted to express our feelings. This was all in addition to our regular magazine. We normally plan weeks in advance, but this was done in just four days, and over a weekend. It was not about politics but about dealing with a tragedy. Many readers felt this helped them cope; for example, we had one strip that explained how to talk about the attacks to a daughter. I was really proud of that.

This article first appeared in WAB (Wallonia and Brussels) magazine