“Pipo the Horrific” was a comic strip that I published in our local club’s magazine. The local club in Leuven was called “Wega” and still kind of exists today. Back the, the late eighties and early nineties, it was really doing well. There was a monthly magazine published by our editor Steven Stroeykens. Pipo was obviously a clown, which justified his jokes and stupid adventures. The “Horrible” was an adjective stolen from the comic “Hagar”, I suppose just to make hime more fearsome. All situations were based on situations related to observing. In a lot of cases the club’s politics or funny experiences were illustrated after a real situation. Usually when the magazine was handed out at the meeting, this comic was the first item you would look for.
(c) Joost Verheyden 2018 Translation: “On my own, I’m not really scared in the dark. … With the two of us however…”
“Pipo the Horrific”
(translation) Pipo (facing a group of boy scouts during observation): “Do you want to look at a star?” Boy Scouts: “Yeesssss!!!!” (anxcious to look thorugh the big telescope) pipo: “there you go, ther you can see one”
“Wega builds a 2-meter telescope! So we can finally see M13!” referring to all highway signs and the city lights in the background.
“Pipo, you are the dullest comic strip in this magazine”
Advertisement for” A dream become thru, the observing umbrella” Different models available. Garantied magnitudes, colors, seeing, waterproof. “Fantastic, better then reality” Little observer saying “really nice this Horsehead nebula”
Pipo finds himself going nuts with his alien friend. He states: “This situation calls for a psychiatrist”. After which the alien promptly calls in a psychiactric friend. Which does not help really!
Translation: “This alien is tarting to work my nerves” …. Alien: “that from his nerves, he can forget about for now”
Everything is relative: Pipo says: “In Wegazetje you will find everything. Even me”
After Robert Houdart build his first 40cm Dobson, this illustration stating “a 40cm etcetera, all good and well, but who’s going to clean all of that? ”
Same article on the new 40cm that made use of trusses. Radio weather forecast: “… with local fog banks…”
As an illustration to an article on nebula filters, and punning on the fact that somebody who’ intoxicated with alcohol looks “beneveld” in Flemish, which means litterally translated “nebular”. So Pipo says: “Not a drop, I swear it! Police Agent: “Oh no? in fact with the UHC you looked pretty ‘nebular’!”
This episode was illustrating the ongoing quarrel between Deep-Sky observers and their evil counterpart, the Moon observers. Unfortunately there was only one Moon observer in the club at that time so Herman had a tuff time, but he put up a good defense. Translation: “All Bullsh*t. The Moon is just perfect! -… for observing DeepSky!”
“Street lighting is usefull. It promotes group spirit”.
