It's been in the back of my mind for a while now. I've always liked Dante as a character, but I couldn't quite put a finger on something. I love the cap over his eyes. I love his poetic side. I love his semi-conflictual relationship with Arthur.
Then I saw an old Belgian comic book I used to read in school. "Boule et Bill", created in 1959 by Jean Roba. It's the story of a 8-9 year old boy (Boule) and his dog (Bill). Boule has a friend called Pouf. He has a cap over his eyes (although you can usually see them barely), is on the quieter side and doesn't really like Bill.

Anyone not familiar with these books (as I suspect most of you aren't), have a look-see at this page
http://www.linternaute.com/livre/bd-manga/photo/bo ule-et-bill-50-ans-d-aventures/quand-y-en-a-plus.s html
And see what I mean.

Thanks for the smiles, Dave. Good clean humour is getting harder to find.