Jean Roba started illustrating for Spirou magazine in 1957, after a stint as an illustrator in advertising. He created the first Boule et Bill adventure in 1959, with a script by Maurice Rosy. After a complete trial story, Boule et Bill became fully established as a weekly cartoon strip, and Roba kept to this pattern for almost 20 years, giving the characters only one book-length adventure in 1982.

It's serious business being man's best friend! Billy's family is a perfectly normal one. Dad, Mom, some cousins, a tortoise... and of course the best dog in the world, Buddy! Oh, true, the cocker spaniel is too smart for everyone's good sometimes, and occasionally triggers disasters or raids the fridge. But that's a small price to pay for a loyal companion who'll always be there to cheer you up and give you a good laugh!