Philémon is a series in the Franco-Belgian comics style created by French artist Fred and published by Dargaud. The series began serial publication in the French magazine Pilote on July 22, 1965, before it eventually became an album series. (Pilote was a direct response to the Franco-Belgian weeklies Spirou and Journal de Tintin, and sought to test more recent and dynamic strips on young and adolescent readers.) The general tone of the series is of fantastic realism, depicting the adventures of the young farmboy Philémon in surreal adventures featuring odd creatures in odd places, and it is considered one of the most poetic and original bande dessinée series of all time.