Comics
The first comic magazine I found at my grandparent's house was 'Sjors'. I mainly liked the stories about 'Sjors en Sjimmie' a white and black boy. They lived with the Colonel and it felt to me both were accepted the way they are. The comic books about Sjors and Sjimmie were published years later. In 1969 it was Jan Kruis who changed the 'stereotypical' look of the boys. Today they look totally different. Sjors and Sjimmie are an original comic of Frans Piët.
The most known comics are 'Donald Duck'. Nearly every household had it. It was delivered on Fridays by the postman. The magazine still exists but there aren't as many comics. If you grew up with it and saved them you recognize hardly any new story is made. Same for the comic books being published a few times a year. My favourite character is Dagobert Duck (McScrooge) but also the two witches (Magica and Mikmak), Midas and de Zware Jongens (the Beagle Boys). The most annoying character is Mickey Mouse. I skipped those stories about him. For a short time, a monthly comic (luxury pocketbook) about Mickey was published. It never became a hit.
See here for more international names about the characters
In weekly lady magazines were cartoons too. The Libelle published "Jan, Jans en de kinderen". I always liked it. It was about a couple and their kids. The friend of the youngest daughter Jeroentje was part of these stories too. Once in a while, grandpa with his cigars stopped by. To me it lost its charm as feminism was introduced, mother Jans started working and so on. It felt as if the comic was meant to make statements and raise people into a different way of thinking. Books of these cartoons, made by Jan Kruis, were published
The weekly magazine Margriet had the comic 'De Familie Achterop' (the family on the back, the comic was printed at the back of the magazine). It never impressed me.
The comic books about the pirate Roodbaard (Barbe-Rouge/Red -beard) and his adopted son I liked very much. I read them during my stay at my granny's house. These were the comics of my uncle. Stories about a different world, different norms and values. Good enough to escape from the world I lived in. Text by Jean-Michel Charlier and drawings by Victor Hubinon. As a teenager, I started buying comics myself.
The comics mentioned above started in the 30s and around the 50s it expanded. Some with a lot of text others with hardly any.
Billy Turf (Billy Bunter) was one of my favourites too. A fat boy at boarding school mainly interested in food. Interesting is the way Billy looks never changed and teachers beating children was a common thing to do.
In the 70s, there were weekly comic magazines for teenagers(girls) with different stories like 'Tina' and 'Debbie'. Debbie didn't make it but Tina still exists although the comics are no longer the minority and the drawings not as good. It never was the kind of magazine Debbie was. The best of these magazines were their big comic books. One Summer vacation edition and one for the Winter. Good for days of reading pleasure. I remember the Debbie had stories about the middle ages, haunted houses, orphanages and other stories that kept the mind busy. A part of the comics was black and white.
Other popular comics were Bruintje de Beer (Rupert Bear) by Mary Tourtel, Inde Soeten Suikerbol (1934- W.G van de Hulst father + son) and Tom Poes (Olivier B. Bommel is more famous today than Tom Poes) by Marten Toonder). All comics and later booklets where text was printed underneath the drawings.
All these comics are still available. At times published new. As years passed by some characters look different or their position or character changed.
More modern comics?
I love Opa. It's about a very active elderly men living in an elderly home. He gives the director and cook a hard time.
Urbanus (comic where the Belgian comedian Urbanus is the main character. It's hard to tell if he's young or old although, he looks like 35+ years old but still visiting a primary school and living with his parents. It's the largest collection of comic books still present.
Haagse Harry (The Haugue Harry) the 'common guy' in the Hague. He's jobless, doesn't discriminate and speaks the Hague dialect. It's hard not to like him and his freedom of speech.
I assume each country has its comics. I grew up with W.G van der Hulst a writer of children's books. His son started to make the drawings and had his first debut at the age of 16. I loved the stories about the baker in the comic 'Inde Soete Suikerbol' just like the tv series they made it out of drawings which they showed. The voice of a storyteller made it complete.
I never liked Tom Poes (Tom the cat) -he's the Dutch annoying version of Mickey Mouse- but I love Sir Olivier B. Bommel the bear and with me many do. Tom Poes is kind of forgotten. The animation 'Als je begrijpt wat ik bedoel' (The Dragon That Wasn't (Or Was He?) made in 1983 made everyone forget about the cat it all started with once in a comic.
Those comics like pop eye , Mr. Bean cartoon series, tom and Jerry and Donald duck reminds me in my childhood days that it was good to cherished. I love to reminisced it even though that was decades pass but still new to my memory.