Dick Matena, Dutch comic and literary adaptation pioneer, dies at 83

Dutch comic artist Dick Matena, known for pioneering literary comic adaptations and for his influential work in adult graphic storytelling, has died at age 83 in Amsterdam after a short illness. His death was confirmed by Rob van Bavel, editor-in-chief of the magazine Eppo, where Matena had long contributed. The artist died in his Amsterdam home, according to his publisher Uitgeverij L.

Matena gained national and international recognition for transforming novels and children’s books into comics, including De Avonden, Turks Fruit, Kruimeltje and Dik Trom.

He is widely regarded as the founder of literary comic adaptation in the Netherlands. Reflecting on this work in a 2011 interview, Matena said: “I am a fairly classical artist, who started adapting those books into comics for my own pleasure, mainly because I found a way to use all the authors’ text. I like that I was able to bring something new, but for me it is more an ode to real literature than that I am trying to create literature myself.”

He began his career at age 17 at Toonder Studio’s, where he learned from leading figures including Marten Toonder, Thé Tjong Khing and Piet Wijn. During that time, he contributed to well-known series such as Tom Poes and Panda. He later became known for comic series including Argonautjes, Ridder Roodhart and Grote Pyr, and created Virl for the monthly magazine Mickey.

Matena broke through in the 1970s with comics aimed at adults, producing short stories later collected in albums such as Amen, Mythen and Het Web. His work helped shape modern adult comics, combining complex narratives with themes involving violence and sexuality. Van Bavel told news agency ANP that Matena was “the founder of the modern comic for adults,” adding: “That is in the subjects; the comics had more violence and more sex, they were complex stories with more layers. It was also in the form of the lines, which triggered people to want to read it. You have to bring life into a picture.”

Matena’s work was published internationally, including in the United States, France and Spain. He lived in Spain during the 1980s, where he worked for a Spanish agency on titles such as Het Web and De Prediker. The latter caused controversy due to its depiction of a nude girl. Speaking to magazine Vooys, Matena said: “It was ridiculed and it ruined my entire international career. I suffered a lot from it, and I absolutely did not like that, but on the other hand I did unsettle people quite a bit, which is also a definition of art.”

In 1986, Matena received the Stripschapprijs, the Netherlands’ top lifetime achievement award for comic artists. “With the passing of Dick Matena, the Dutch comics world loses an iconic comic artist and storyteller,” Van Bavel said. “His drive and craftsmanship were unparalleled.”