Zep

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Zep (born December 12, 1967 as Philippe Chappuis) is a comics creator from Switzerland, known especially for his series Titeuf, which is very popular in French-speaking countries.

He also established the magazine tchô!, which is aimed primarily at children and young teenagers, like the Titeuf series. His pseudonym Zep derives from the band Led Zeppelin. References to his musical tastes can often be found in his comics (mainly one-pagers); he is a fan of Bob Dylan. In the UK, Titeuf appeared under the name Tootuff in The Dandy. The Titeuf bandes dessinées (cartoon books) have recently outsold traditional French favorites such as Asterix and Lucky Luke. The first Titeuf cartoon book God, Sex And Suspenders appeared in 1993 and sold only a few thousand copies, but the nine subsequent books have gradually won over a huge readership. Today 11 million copies of the series have been sold, and they have been translated into 15 languages, including Chinese, Italian and German. While adolescent fans of Titeuf are enamored with his adventures, many parents have raised concerns about his unexpurgated curiosity with all things related to bodily functions. The name Titeuf ostensibly derives from French tête d'oeuf (egg-head), but it could also be the familiar, contracted and inverted (verlan) form of petite fête (little party).

Titeuf is concerned with all things anatomical.