1971, Belgian Comics: Bessy, De drie vlechten

In 1971, the 85th Bessy album, "De drie vlechten" ("The Three Braids"), was published by De Standaard Uitgeverij. Inspired by the American Lassie films, including "Lassie Come Home" (1943), Willy Vandersteen, in collaboration with Karel Verschuere, created the comic series Bessy under the pseudonym WIREL. The comic was first published in French in the Belgian newspaper La Libre Belgique in 1952, and in Dutch from 1953 in De Standaard. The series is set in the Wild West, where the Scottish Collie Bessy and her owner, Andy Cayoon, experience all sorts of adventures.

Cover

No 85 "De drie vlechten"
- full-colour
- publisher: De Standaard Uitgeverij
- never published in English
- drawings by Studio Vandersteen
- story by Studio Vandersteen
- French title: "Les trois nattes" (No 85) published by Erasme
- German title: "Der geheimnisvolle Desperado" (No 179) published by Bastei-Verlag
- Swedish title: "Den hemlighetsfulla desperadon" (1971 No 7) published by Semic Press

Andy Cayoon

Bessy

Mary Webb aka Kaa-Hoora or Drie Vlechten (Three Braids)

In addition to Dutch and French, the series was also published in German and Swedish. The German-language editions were especially popular, prompting Vandersteen to set up a dedicated team to meet the high demand. By 1992, a total of 952 albums had been published in German, 164 in Dutch, 151 in French, and 92 in Swedish.

The main characters in this album are Bessy, Andy Cayoon, Mary Webb aka Kaa-Hoora or Drie Vlechten (Three Braids), Snelle Puma (Swift Puma), Bill Rogers, Phil Rife, Sheriff, and Stinkend Zadel (Smelly Saddle).

Bill Rogers

Phil Rife

Synopsis
Bessy rescues the young woman Mary Webb from the river when her canoe capsizes. Mary Webb, also known as Kaa-Hoora or Three Braids, was abducted by Shawnee Indians after the death of her parents. She later ended up with the Cherokee tribe, where she became the wife of Swift Puma...

Sheriff

Snelle Puma (Swift Puma)

Stinkend Zadel (Smelly Saddle)

Trivia

• WIREL is a combination of the first two letters of Willy and the last two letters of Karel.
• In 1961, a soft drink brand of the same name was launched by the HOBSOR brewery in Hoboken. The logo on the glasses and bottles was designed by Vandersteen himself.
• Bessy also made appearances in two "Suske en Wiske" albums: "De spokenjagers" (1956) and "De Zwarte Zwaan" (1959).

Bessy Limonade & Tonic glasses designed by Willy Vandersteen