European comics king Zep turns from toons to tunes

Swiss cartoonist Philippe Chappuis, better known as Zep, poses with a figurine of the character Titeuf in Geneva. Photo: AFP

One of Europe's top cartoonists Philippe Chappuis, better known as Zep, is swapping pencils and brushes for guitars and ukuleles, turning his artistic talents towards folk pop with an English-language debut album entitled Automatic Songs.

Chappuis, 56, is behind the Titeuf comic book series - one of the most popular children's comics in French-speaking countries over the past 30 years.