- In October 1947, Marc Sleen started a new series, The adventures of detective Van Zwam in the newspaper De Nieuwe Gids. In the first adventure Detective Van Zwam encounters a fool who thinks he is emperor Nero. After he regains his senses, they continue calling him Nero and slowly he became the star of the series. The name changes accordingly to The adventures of detective Van Zwam and Nero and after nine stories to The adventures of Nero and co. The series appeared for 55 years with a rhythm of two strips every day. This was typical for the Flemish comic tradition, as with Suske en Wiske (Spike and Suzy).
- Growing up, Sleen devoured books and was a fervent drawer.
- He was one of the few comics artists in Belgium who had a museum dedicated to his work.
- Sleen joined the daily De Standaard after the war becoming its chief draughtsman. He produces courtroom sketches, portraits and even maps.
- He studied drawing in Ghent. During the Second World War he was imprisoned by Nazi soldiers in Fort Breendonk because his brother worked for the resistance. He was tortured and put in the death cell, but saved by the fact that D-Day broke out and the officers took away all the prisoners to a different prison, where he could escape.
- In 1944 he started to work as a political caricaturist in the Flemish newspaper De Standaard. He also contributed illustrations and short comics for the newspaper and the youth supplement, and made illustrations and his first comics for the magazine Ons Volk.
- In 2005 he was selected as one of the 111 nominees for the title "The Greatest Belgian" (De Grootste Belg) in the Flemish edition. He ended in 48th place.
- Between 1950 and 1965 Sleen published Nero in Het Volk, after which he moved to De Standaard. This caused a huge licensing fight, as several magazines fought over the rights over his syndicated comics. Thousands of readers switched from Het Volk to De Standaard, just to able to continue to follow his adventures in the newspaper. After that switch, he dropped all other series and devoted himself solely to Nero.
- Sleen passed away in his sleep in Hoeilaert. The Sleen Family says that the cartoonist died after a fascinating and choc-a-bloc life in which he enriched several generations thanks to his creativity and artistic spirit.
- Sleen was one of the most celebrated comics artists in his home country.
- On June 19, 2009, a museum dedicated to his life and career was opened in Brussels: the Marc Sleen Museum. Both Marc Sleen as well as king Albert II of Belgium were present.
- Marc Sleen is still a big name in Belgian (Flemish) comics. He is respected and popular with children and even more with adults for his brilliant caricatures, political and social references and ironic humour. He is commonly considered one of the four fathers of the Flemish comics, together with Willy Vandersteen, Bob de Moor and Jef Nys.
- His work is admired for its absurd and sometimes satirical comedy, as well for the fact that he worked completely singlehandedly without any assistance for 45 years on end, a feat that landed him a spot in the Guinness Book of Records.
- In 1997 he was knighted by King Albert II of Belgium.
- Statues of his creations have been erected in Turnhout (1991), Hoeilaart (1994) and Middelkerke (1997). An exclusive museum opposite the Belgian Centre for Comic Strip Art is devoted to his work.
- Former Belgian King Albert II and his brother Baudouin were a fan of Nero since their youth and both of them learned Dutch by reading "Nero.
- Many of his comics featured animals and countries he has visited.
- Marc Sleen was also known as a traveler and animal friend. He made 35 safaris to Africa between 1961 and 1991, making more than 20 documentaries for the Vlaamse Radio- en Televisieomroep, mostly for the TV show "Allemaal Beestjes". A few books and records about his safaris appeared as well.
- He was was a Flemish/Belgian comics artist and cartoonist. He was mostly known for his comic The Adventures of Nero and Co., but also created gag comics like Piet Fluwijn en Bolleke, De Lustige Kapoentjes, Doris Dobbel, Oktaaf Keunink and De Ronde van Frankrijk.
- From 1992 to 2002, he was aided by Dirk Stallaert, a young Flemish comic artist, and at first the intention was to let Stallaert continue the series after Marc Sleen retired. But in the end, Stallaert didn't feel ready to continue it alone, and at the end of 2002, at the age of 80, Marc Sleen ended his career as a comics artist.
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