Illustrated War | The Atlantic Wall in Comics

In 2024 the provincial domain Atlantikwall Raversyde will feature a large exhibition about comics and the Second World War.  This conflict inspired numerous cartoonists and scriptwriters to write and draw hundreds of comics in different genres. Along the circuit visitors will find out how the Atlantic Wall was portrayed, how refugees, the resistance and collaboration became a theme in comics, how the war at sea and in the air was depicted or how the consequences of the war for the local population were illustrated. Attention is also paid to current topics such as the construction of new walls or the impact the aftermath of the Second World War still has.   

Visitors will also discover several installations especially created for the exhibition, spread across the different bunkers.  Flemish comic strip heroes appear in historical photos dating from the Second World War, drawings come to life thanks to Augmented Reality, stop motion and shadows, and two artists share their unique view on the topic. e.g. Dirk Stallaert, Jan Bosschaert and others made drawings especially for the exhibition.   

In addition, visitors will encounter some 50 life-size figures along the circuit, drawn by cartoonist Marcel Rouffa, who bring the different aspects of war to life. Eye-catchers include a crashed Spitfire and German soldiers, but the liberating forces and the general population are portrayed as well.

New comic 
Atlantikwall Raversyde commissioned Marcel Rouffa to draw a brand-new comic for this exhibition:  ‘Victor’s War: 4 fearful years on the coast’. The comic follows the adventures of Victor, a boy who lives in Ostend and is soon confronted with the German occupying forces. It takes the reader to Ostend during the Second World War and to the Saltzwedel-neu battery, located in what is now the provincial domain Atlantikwall Raversyde. It also includes a section specifically dedicated to the Atlantic Wall and the Second World War. The comic will be available in four languages (Dutch, French, English, German) in the Atlantikwall Raversyde shop as from Saturday 9 March for a price of € 5.