Agent 327 is a playful Dutch action/comedy comic series by cartoonist Martin Lodewijk. It was a regular feature from 1966 until 1983, and again from 2000 to the present. The eponymous Agent 327 is a James Bond/Maxwell Smart-like Dutch secret agent who fights for "Righteousness and World Peace"; his looks are based on the character of Peter Gunn. Often partnered with the junoesque Olga Lawina, his adventures take him around Europe and the rest of the world as he battles numerous villains, both fictional and parodies of real people. The song "Denk toch altijd met liefd' aan je moeder" by Gerda en Herman Timmerhout is a common feature in the comic, and is often used to hideously torture someone or provide a plot-turning emotional reaction.
Publication history
Agent 327 debuted in 1966 as a feature in Pep magazine #21, written and drawn by Martin Lodewijk and published by Geïllustreerde Pers. Agent 327 ran in Pep as a weekly 4-8-page feature until 1975, when Pep and the comics magazineSjors merged into Eppo, published by Oberon. Meanwhile, in 1970 Geïllustreerde Pers published the first Agent 327 album, titled Dossier Stemkwadrater. Further albums followed every few years, continuing under Oberon after Pep's acquisition. Agent 327 was cancelled as a feature in Eppo in 1983, but returned in 2000 as a regular feature. In 2009, Agent 327 returned to Eppo as a regular feature.
Characters
Main characters
;Agent 327: Initiated into the world of espionage in the Dutch resistance, his creative and elaborate disguises just to get to work in the morning form a running gag and catchphrase: Grrrutjes-nog-aan-toe, wat een geheim agent toch allemaal niet moet doen om incognito op zijn werk te verschijnen. Agent 327's real name, Hendrik IJzerbroot, is derived from the Dutch political figure Hendrik Koekoek and an allusion to the Dutch resistance fighterBernardus IJzerdraat. The character's physical features were modelled after actor Craig Stevens who played in Peter Gunn. ;The Chief: One of his main concerns is to keep the costs down. ;Willemse: The doorman. When Agent 327 wants to enter the premises they exchange pass words. ;Miss Betsy: The secretary of the office. Obviously modelled after Miss Moneypenny. ;Olga Lawina: A Swiss secret agent partnered with Agent 327 in a wide variety of adventures. Her good looks often present both an advantage and a liability.
Recurring villains
;Boris Kloris: Ruthless spy with paper white skin. ;Dr. Maybe: Brother of Dr. Yes and Dr. No. With his assistant Fi Doh, and sometimes Herr Dr. Vonvonderstein. ;Colonel Bauer: German officer who held many war secrets.
Minor (real life) characters
;Martin Lodewijk: Member of several jug bands. First appearing with the badly-received Endatteme Jugband, he now plays with Chickenfeed. ;Jan Tromp: Struggling painter who was drafted by Boris Kloris to forge Rembrandt's The Night Watch. After being exposed he confessed that he'd turned down an offer to draw a one-page family comic for a women's magazine.
On May 15, 2017, the Blender Foundation released a teaser trailer that was almost four minutes long, for an upcoming computer-animated feature film based on the comic. It stars 327 as he investigates a barbershop, battles his nemesis Boris, and learns the dangerous truth about the shop. The 3-minute film was released online as a proof of concept to attract funding for a feature-length adaptation.
Tribute stories
Between 2017 and 2019, Eppo pre-published twenty-one shorties drawn and scripted by others. They were released as two volumes.
Translation
The agent's name has been changed in several languages:
