SUSSI BECH (Susanne Ilsted Bech) was born in 1958 in Birkerød and graduated from the School of Applied Arts (Skolen for Brugskunst) in Copenhagen (the line for illustration and graphics) in 1983. She is married to Frank Madsen, also a comics artist.
Her comics and books have been published in 13 countries: Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, the Faroe Islands, Iceland, Estonia, Germany, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Chile, and Indonesia.
In 1977, Sussi debuted as a professional comic artist after her illustrations in the school paper led “Folkebladet for Allerød og Birkerød” to ask her to create a weekly comic strip for the newspaper. Her strip “Birkerødderne” told the life of Birkerød, using Sussi’s own family as main characters.
In 1980, Sussi joined the newly founded studio Tegnestuen Gimle while still attending the School of Applied Arts. There, she became colleagues with Peter Madsen, Freddy and Ingo Milton, Per Vadmand, Frank Madsen, and other like-minded artists.
Zainab
The first comic book Sussi published was “Zainab“, inspired by A Thousand and One Nights but infused with Sussi’s own ideas and insights into 9th-century Baghdad. “Zainab” was serialized as a weekly Sunday comic in the national newspaper Berlingske Tidende and then published as a book in 1985 by Interpresse.
The first print run of 10,000 copies sold out in less than three weeks, and an additional 5,000 copies were quickly ordered from the printer. Zainab was also published in Norway.
Nofret
Sussi’s major work in comics is the “Nofret“ series (“Nefriti” in French), about a girl who travels through the ancient Mediterranean world, witnessing (and participating in) the political and religious intrigues of the time. The series has been published in France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Indonesia, and has also appeared in several Danish newspapers, including Berlingske Tidende, three regional newspapers, and Ekstra Bladet. There are 14 volumes in the series, which has sold nearly 100,000 copies in Denmark alone.
In the fall of 2019, “Slave i Levanten” (A Slave in the Levant) was released, a standalone Nofret book that tells the origin story of the heroine. In April 2022, the final volume of the series, “Tutankhamon” (Tutankhamun), was published, supported by a working grant from the Danish Arts Foundation.
Aida Nur
In 1991, the two-volume series “Aida Nur” was released, a crime story set in Egypt in 1922, where the dancer Aida Nur is drawn into dramatic intrigues after accidentally becoming a middleman in the illegal sale of antiquities from a previously unknown pharaoh’s tomb. “Aida Nur” was serialized as a daily feature in the newspaper B.T. The series was also published in Dutch and French.
In 2021/22, Aida Nur was published in the German monthly magazine ZACK in a redrawn and recolored version. This edition was released in Denmark in the fall of 2023 and also in Estonia in 2024.
Eks Libris
In September 2009, Sussi, at the request of the weekly newspaper Weekendavisen, created the satirical comic strip “Eks Libris” for the newspaper’s supplement BØGER (Books).
Initially, it was co-written with Mette Finderup, but after about a year, her husband Frank Madsen took over the scripting. The series mainly focused on the Danish literary scene but also addressed current political issues. More than 500 strips were created during the series’ 11 year run and published in annual book collections.
In 2024, a collected edition, “Den store Finn Sysholm” (The Great Finn Sysholm), was published, featuring the 235 best strips with commentary by Frank Madsen and an accompanying text by the fictional author Finn Sysholm, a character from the strip, recalling events in Danish and international literature from 2010-2020.
Ørsted & The Copenhagen Mystery
In 2020, Sussi collaborated with Ingo Milton and Jens Olaf Pepke Pedersen to create the comic book “Ørsted. He Electrified the World“, in celebration of the 200th anniversary of Ørsted’s discovery of electromagnetism. The comic has since been reprinted seven times and has sold over 6,000 copies, making it the best-selling Danish comic of 2020.
In the spring of 2023, Sussi Bech, Frank Madsen, and Jens Olaf Pepke Pedersen released a new comic book with a scientific theme, “Københavnermysteriet” (The Copenhagen Mystery), a thriller about the history of Physics featuring four high school students as the main characters. The project was supported by the Novo Nordisk Foundation.
Other Comics
Sussi has created several other comic books, including “Dalila den Drevne” (The Cunning Dahlila), “De vilde svaner” (The Wild Swans), and “Egtved Pigen” (The Egtved Girl). After completing the Nofret series, she is working on a new series set in medieval Europe with Frank Madsen. Additionally, she is working on a new science biography comic to be published in Spring 2025.
Book Illustrations
Sussi Bech has also illustrated more than 160 books for a wide range of Danish publishers, including over 60 titles featuring the popular TV puppets “Kaj and Andrea” for Danmarks Radio, “Emmy” for Sesam, and “Snus Mus” for Forlaget Bolden. Together with Frank Madsen, she publishes the sci-fi book series for 9-12-year-olds, “Gustav and the Rocket Brotherhood”, with Frank writing the text and Sussi providing the illustrations.
Children’s Book Author
In 2016, Sussi debuted as a children’s book author with the “Aziru” series, set in ancient Levant. Sussi co-wrote the books with Ingo Milton and provided over 80 illustrations. The story was serialized in Weekendavisen’s children’s supplement, Faktisk, over 20 weeks in Spring 2016. The Aziru books were Forlaget Eudor’s best-selling titles in 2016. In 2020, Sussi released her next illustrated children’s book, “Gravrøverens lærling” (The Tomb Robber’s Apprentice), this time set in ancient Egypt. She is currently working on a new children’s book with an ancient theme.
Awards
Sussi received the Danish children’s librarians’ cultural award (BØ-FA) in 1991 and the comic industry’s Ping Award in 1994. The Nofret series has been chosen multiple times as the best comic and best comic character by colleagues at the annual Danish comic society’s convention. In 2006, she was named Artist of the Year in her hometown of Birkerød. In 2015, she was invited to Stockholm, where the Swedish Comics Academy presented her with the Adamson Statuette at the academy’s 50th anniversary gala. In 2017, Sussi received the Hanne Hansen Award in Copenhagen with Frank Madsen.
The Danish Christmas Seal 2010
In 2010, Sussi designed that year’s Christmas Seal, which was unveiled at a reception at the National Museum, attended by Crown Princess Mary, Count Ingolf, and Countess Sussie, along with children from the Christmas Seal Homes.
Chairmanship
Sussi is the chairman of the trade association Danske Tegneserieskabere (Professional Danish Comics Artists & Authors).
More info:
Sussi Bech biography at Comiclopedia
Sussi Bech biography at Wikipedia (in Danish)
Sussi Bech biography at Den Store Danske Encyklopædi (in Danish)
Related Websites
www.eudor.dk
www.nofret.dk
www.facebook.com/sussi.bech
Award List
1990: Danish Comics Society Convention Award (Best Comic Character)
1990: Danish Comics Society Convention Award (Best Comic)
1990: BØFA Award (Children’s Librarians’ Professional Group)
1992: Danish Comics Society Convention Award (Best Comic Character)
1994: Ping Award
1995: Danish Comics Society Convention Award (Best Comic Character)
2005: Orla Award (Best Picture Book)
2006: Artist of the Year in Birkerød
2015: Adamsonstatyetten (Swedish Comic Academy)
2017: Hanne Hansen Award (with Frank Madsen)
Sussi has also been nominated for several awards, including the Claus Deleuran Award in 2017 and 2021. In 2021, Sussi was included in Kraks Blå Bog (Who’s Who in Denmark).
Exhibitions
⬤ CLICK HERE to buy comics by Sussi Bech
Sussi’s comics has been exhibited in 9 countries, including three times in France and twice in Germany:
1977: Copenhagen, Huset i Magstræde (Danish Comics)
1980: Copenhagen, Huset i Magstræde (Danish Comics)
1982: Copenhagen, Nikolaj Kirke a.o. (Danish Comics Art in the Eighties)
1989: Copenhagen, Galleri Asbæk (Danish Comics)
1989: Italy, Prado (Danish Comics – XII Convegno Internationale del Fumetto)
1989: Finland, Helsinki
1990: Copenhagen, Dansk Forfatterforening (Illustrations)
1992: Roskilde, Galleri Skt. Agnes
1992: Germany, Comic-Salon Erlangen (The Danish Comics Tradition)
1992: Copenhagen, Det Kulørte Bibliotek (The Danish Comics Tradition)
1994: Ballerup, Tegneseriemekka in Baltoppen (Nordic Comics)
1994: Gørlev Bibliotek (The Danish Comics Tradition)
1994: Iceland, The Nordic House in Reykjavik (The Danish Comics Tradition)
1997: France, Festival BD Angoulême (Gare du Nord, Nordic Comics)
1997: Copenhagen, Det Kulørte Bibliotek (The Danish Comics Tradition. Danish Comics in 100 Years)
1998: France, CNBDI Angoulême – and then Angers and Chatou (Tout’an BD, L’Egypte dans la bande dessinée)
1998: Copenhagen, Det Kulørte Bibliotek (From the Nile to Asgaard, An Exhibition of Danish Comics)
1998: Copenhagen (The Wild Swans)
2002: Jystrup, Gaudi-Galleriet (Comics from The Gimle Studio)
2002: Poland, Centrum Kultury Zamek in Poznán (Duński komiks)
2004: Jystrup, Gaudi-Galleriet (Nofret Exhibition)
2005: Hald Hovedgaard (H.C. Andersen’s Fairy Tales)
2006: Frederiksberg, Kedelhallen (Nofret Exhibition at the Komiks.dk comic con)
2006: Kalundborg og Omegns Museum (Danish Christmas Illustrations)
2007: Jystrup præstegård (Water Colours)
2007: Sorø, Kunstnergården (Danish Comics)
2009: Roskilde, Palæfløjen (Danish Comics)
2010: Copenhagen, The Round Tower (Water Colours)
2012: Gl. Holtegaard (Cool Comics)
2014: Holte Bibliotek (The Comics of Sussi Bech)
2017: Germany, Comicfestival München (Die Dänen)
2019: France, la Grande Salle de l’Aubette in Strasbourg (Exposition La Bande Dessinée Danoise Contemporaine)
2022: Aarhus, DOKK1 (Danish Comics on new Adventures)
2023: Copenhagen, Copenhagen Comics in Øksnehallen (Nofret 1986-2023)
2023: Aarhus, DOKK1 (Danish Comics on new Adventures)
2023/24: Belgium, Centre belge de la bande dessinée in Brussels (La BD danoise vers de nouvelles aventures)
2024: Gladsaxe Bibliotek (Nofret 1986-2023)
2024: England, Bolton Central Library in Manchester (Danish Comics on new Adventures)
Bibliography
THE NOFRET SERIES
1986: Nofret 1: Flugten fra Babylon
1987: Nofret 2: Amons gemalinde
1988: Nofret 3: Kætterkongens hof
1989: Nofret 4: Den sidste Minos
1991: Nofret 5: Rejsen til Hattusas
1992: Nofret 6: Den hemmelige traktat
1993: Nofret 7: Med døden om bord
1995: Nofret 8: Gravrøverne
1998: Nofret 9: Nattens hævner
2001: Nofret 10: Kiya
2004: Nofret 11: Bagholdet i Tempelsøen
2011: Nofret 12: Nilens fange
2019: Nofret: Slave i Levanten
2022: Nofret 13: Tutankhamon
OTHER COMICS
1985: Zainab
1991: Aida Nur 1
1993: Aida Nur 2
1993: Dalila den Drevne 1 – Ballade i Bagdad
1993: Dalila den Drevne 2 – Tyven fra Cairo
1998: De vilde svaner
2007: Egtved pigen
2012: Eks Libris 1: Problemer med Carsten Jensen-robotten i Zone 7!
2013: Eks Libris 2: Tænk på signalværdien!
2013: Mis med de store kugler
2013: Eks Libris 3: Jyderne er vældig flinke… men stille!
2014: Eks Libris 4: Lotte går til parterapi!
2015: Eks Libris 5: Zenia Nyker genopliver kulturrrrradikalismen!
2016: Eks Libris 6: Finn Sysholm går i sort!
2017: Eks Libris 7: Bob Dylan svarer ikke!
2018: Eks Libris 8: Dr. Lidegaard og Mr. Hyde
2019: Eks Libris 9: Hætten i hytten kan Halfdan få!
2020: Ørsted – Han satte strøm til verden
2020: Eks Libris 10: Finn Sysholm sejrer!
2023: Københavnermysteriet
2024: Den store Finn Sysholm
Interviews with Sussi Bech
IN DANISH
Serieland: Sussi Bech – oldtidens formidler (2009)
Sjællandske Nyheder: Cool Comics på Gl. Holtegaard (2012)
Forfatterinterview med Ingo Milton og Sussi Bech (2016)
Art Bubble TV: Sussi Bech i DOKK1 (2017)
Jakob Stegelmann: Sussi Bech besøger StegelCast (2018)
Nummer 9: Sussi Bechs rødstrømpebørn (2019)
DR, P1 Hjernekassen: Hvordan laver man en tegneserie om H.C. Ørsted? (2021)
Frederiksborg Amts Avis: Prisvindende tegneserieskaber sætter punktum for sit hovedværk (2022)
Fysikkens historie i korte træk (2023)
IN OTHER LANGUAGES
Stripschrift #356: Egypte heeft me altijd gefascineerd (2003) (The Netherlands)
Totleger: Sussi Bech und Frank Madsen (2014) (Germany)