Belgian comic book withdrawn amid outrage over racist depictions

Publisher ‘profoundly sorry’ for hurt caused by Spirou and the Blue Gorgon as it recalls 30,000 copies from shops

A comic book has been withdrawn from sale by its Belgian publisher after an outcry over racist depictions of Black people and “hyper-sexualised” images of women.

The publisher Dupuis announced that its graphic novel, Spirou and the Blue Gorgon, would be removed from shops after the book caused a storm on social media.