It’s almost 25 years of adventure for this elder, but also for his wife Olivia, his daughter Linda and their four grandchildren that are coming to an end. Readers were able to smile at their stories one last time when the newspapers of the Cooperative Nationale de l’Information Indépendante (which includes La Tribune, La Voix de l’Est, Le Soleil, Le Droit, Le Quotidien and Le Nouvelliste) published the released the last four boxes, closing this great chapter forever.
The decision to end Ben didn’t come primarily from Daniel Shelton. These are the newspapers that have decided in their digital transformation to no longer offer their readers comics.
While readers have grown fond of these characters over the years, Quebec newspapers have been slow to believe that Ben and his family would find a place in their hearts and morning reading habits. I founded Ben in 1996. First it was for the English speaking market. It wasn’t until the following year that I realized it was imperative for me to translate it and make it available to newspapers here in Quebec. It took some time to convince newspapers to publish something local, something Québecois, he recalls.
“I hope to continue for the newspapers on the English side. But like all dailies, they go through certain difficulties. So how long will it take? I don’t know. »
— A quote from Daniel Shelton, cartoonist and author of Ben
Luckily for fans of this series, Ben’s anecdotes will live on in English on the GoComics website, which has more than 30,000 subscribers.
And if you missed some of Daniel Shelton’s stories, you can read them on the Patreon platform. There is a possibility of receiving one comic strip in French per day. But that’s what happened from the start. We get the comic of the day, but from the beginning, in 1996.
Ben: Seniors, without prejudice
With his comic, Daniel Shelton wanted to give seniors a golden place while avoiding falling into degrading clichés. I’ve always wanted to keep my writing contemporary without becoming obsolete like what happens on the news. I’ve always wanted to write in a timeless way, and it’s always done with great respect and love for grandparents and retirees. I go in that age group! he laughs. I see things differently than I did 27 years ago. I try to avoid certain clichés.
The latest boxes released in Quebec comic dailies Ben.
Photo: Daniel Shelton
The last writings in which Ben is on the stage are simple and touching. It’s a tight scene with the two characters. Ben wonders what to say? Olivia tells him to speak from the heart and say what he feels. Ben would like to thank all readers who have been with us for 25 years with great loyalty and friendship. In the last box we see all the characters and Ben says, “I’m hungry!” says Daniel Shelton, laughing.
And maybe in the not too distant future, Ben will find himself in a paper comic. Daniel Shelton isn’t ruling out the idea.
With information from Valérie Ambeault