DICKIE - SILENCE IS GOLDEN

Dickie is the name of a comic-strip which follows the exploits of a pitiful anti-hero who always ends up drawing the short straw. Now I'm sure many of us would be able to recognize our own shortcomings and weaknesses within Dickie’s flawed character. That is, everyone except for his creator, Pieter de Poortere, who I was fortunate enough to interview only the other day. Pieter, it's now over to you, pal.





1) What are your own origins, Pieter?   I’m from Ghent, a small but beautiful city located in Belgium.

2) What inspired you to create, ‘Dickie’?   In the Dutch language the name Dickie is pronounced ‘Boerke’, which means 'little farmer' in English. Before moving to the city I grew up in the countryside and saw a lot of cows, pigs, and farmers around me. So when I started developing the concept of Dickie, it was obvious for me to use a farmer as my main anti-hero. Since then, Dickie has evolved into a versatile character and can be anyone, from prince charming to a rockstar to an alien.

3) In your own words how would you describe this story?   Dickie is best described as being ‘the universal loser’. In every story I create I try to imagine the worst thing that could possibly happen to him. Quite often his stories are dark and cynical, but I like to use an innocent style of drawing with bright colors and simple designs, just to confuse people.

4) What song would you say best represents this comic and why?   There’s a song by the punk band Bad Religion called ‘Stranger than Fiction’, and to me, that represents the spirit of my stories quite well. Even though I have a lot of imagination, what I see in reality often beats the things I can make up in my mind. So creating Dickie comics are a way for me to handle the madness in the world I see around me every day.

5) If you could get a celebrity – either living or dead – to promote your wares, who would you choose, and why would you want to choose this particular person?   I’m not picky in selecting my heroes, as they range from people like Walt Disney, Matt Groening, Tim Burton, Nick Park, Chris Ware, Bill Watterson, and Roald Dahl. I mean, lets face it, each of them are great people who are able to create great characters you simply have to love -- or love to hate. 

6) What have you learnt about yourself through this endeavor?   Over the years I've learned that it's fun working with other people and creating things within a team. 

7) During your time in this field, what is the one thing that has kept you in good stead?   On the whole I like to think that I'm an optimist and I don’t give up very easy. Which, if I come to think of it, is the complete opposite of my hero, Dickie. 

8) If ‘Dickie’ had a motto, what would it be?   As Dickie is a silent comic-strip, I guess: 'Speech is silver and silence is golden', would fit him nicely!

And so on that great note, I'd like to thank Pieter for telling us about his comic-strip, Dickie, before directing you towards his official website and facebook page.