Mr Bommel the bear, gentleman and owner of a manor, Tom Poes the white cat (Tom Pouce in french), modest and clever, are living near a big town calles Cinq-Mars (in french), and near very savage countries. Between tradition and modernity, they fight some strenghts and win only after numerous damages.
This microcosm is the reflection, a little distorted, of our world
If the serial begins without Mr Bommel, with the only heroe Tom Poes, some characters become usual. Ther is the grocer, Mr Graindavoine, the neighbourly miss Hortense Michu, the aristocrat Marquis of Chantecler, the employee Pressibus, or the sorcerer Hocus Pas (Hocus Pocus), the mad professor Bouctin, the gangsters Bull Super and Hyp Hyper etc (all here in french names). But the more famous will be Mr Bommel, he will become the first heroe, before his friend Tom Poes. There are, from 1941 to 1986, 177 stories and 11.768 strips.
It is around the towns of Nantes (the newspaper Presse-Océan, during 31 years), of Tours (La Nouvelle République du Centre-Ouest, 27 years) and d'Amiens (Le Courrier Picard, 24 years) that thes two heroes acquired a real popularity in France. There are also the comics books "Tom Pouce" at the end of the 50', publishef by "Les éditions Mondiales".
1979 : the comics magazine S.T.P. publish (issue #2) a long article about Tom Poes and Mr Bommel, called "A solid microcosme". Marten Toonder sent a drawing, here above, dedicated to the author of thr article, Yetchem, who now works in "Les Fables de Marten Toonder", published by Pressibus.
