What made Klepzeiker, described by Schreurs himself as “eternal loser”, so popular? A combination of factors, Van Driel thinks. “Crude humor, sexuality, shit, piss, everything was in it. School diaries were also sold.”
According to Van Driel, Schreurs sometimes found it a pity that the public mainly associated him with Klepzeiker. He was still drawing every day until his death, says Schreurs. “His recent work was even more detailed and more complex in drawing style. He also had a feeling for blues and melancholy, not many people knew that side of him. That was reflected in his later work.”
Underground artist with mainstream success
Other Schreurs comics are Geharrebar and Dick van Bil. In 2002 he won the Stripschappen Prize for his entire oeuvre. This prize is intended for a draftsman or copywriter “who has made an exceptional contribution to cartoons in general and Dutch cartoons in particular”.
According to Boris Kousemaker, owner of the Amsterdam comic shop Lambiek, it is quite special that “an underground artist achieved so many mainstream successes”. Most cartoonists occasionally poke their heads above ground level, he says, but such a long-term success as Joop Klepzeiker is uncommon.
Overtime for guardian angels
Both Kousemaker and colleague and friend Van Driel say that Schreurs did not always live healthy. He struggled with an alcohol problem, for example, Van Driel calls him a “quarter drinker”. “He could also stay away from the drink for months. But guardian angels have always had to work overtime with him. Last year he also had two heart attacks.”
Schreurs lived in Leiden. He was found dead by his father. Comic shops in the Netherlands and Belgium speak of a great loss.
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