Tuesday, December 17, 2024

Comics Sans Frontières • March 20-23, 2025 at Rice University

Comic Art Teaching & Study Workshop (CATS)

Art, Comics and Books at Rice University

Comics Sans Frontières • March 20-23, 2025

http://cats.rice.edu/

Comics Sans Frontières:
Border Defiance in Graphic Narratives
Rice University, Houston, Texas

From panels and gutters to speech balloons and narrative boxes, comics has been famously marked by graphic borders. Yet, with its inherent co-mixing of words and images, comics has been equally about the defiance of borders, offering a literary stage for artists and narratives that challenge graphic, national and cultural frontiers. Echoing a similar act of academic border-defiance, we will bring together esteemed artists and scholars from around the globe who produce and study such texts.

The keynote event will feature Pulitzer Prize-winning comic artist Art Spiegelman, the author of the groundbreaking graphic memoirs Maus and In the Shadow of No Towers. This opening event will be followed by three days of presentations, exhibitions, and comics-making workshops in locations across the Rice campus, all FREE and open to the public. A volume of papers and art will be collected in the graphic anthology š! from kuš! komikss, available at the conference.

Join us for an international, interdisciplinary and cross-campus dialog on a form whose relevance to 21st-century communication and literacy is constantly growing.

Want to promote our conference at your school or community center? Download a letter-sized poster here.

Please note: All events are FREE and OPEN to the public on a first come, first served basis. Need help getting here? Plan your visit and parking here, with Google Map links to event locations and parking options.

Click here for schedule and other information.

Sunday, December 8, 2024

Event Recording: Charles Burns in conversation with Seth

Charles Burns was in Toronto on Thursday October 24, 2024 to help promote the debut of FINAL CUT, his newest book published in the Pantheon Graphic Library series. Released on September 26, the book is an omnibus of a story that was originally serialized in France over three volumes (from 2019-2023) under the title DÉDALES which translates into English as "Labyrinths".

To support the hotly anticipated release of the North American English language version, renowned comics retailer The Beguiling organized a special book talk in an auditorium on the St. George Campus of the University of Toronto that featured Burns interviewed by local cartoonist Seth (himself one of The Beguiling's most famous supporters and clients).

Seth (left) in conversation with Charles Burns

I was lucky enough to have my travel stars align in order to attend this unique event and listen in on this conversation between two cartoonists whose work I've followed and admired since the early days of their careers. Though situated on opposite tail ends of the generation of post-underground cartoonists, what Burns and Seth have in common are highly-stylized individual graphic sensibilities that are informed by a genuine nostalgia for an American popular culture that was before their time. This served as the basis for a leisurely hour-long conversation that explored their artistic relationships with their inspirations, and how these influences fuse with their autobiographical tendencies to express their respective comics voice. One of the more enjoyable and interesting segments involved Burns recounting his first meeting with Art Spiegelman and the subsequent mentor role that he occupied in his artistic development during the RAW years.

Their conversation was framed with words of introduction by Peter Birkmoe, the owner extraordinaire of The Beguiling, and a brief Q&A session with the audience.

For IJOCA readers interested in listening to this talk, my recording can be found here.

-Nick Nguyen

Recording and photos taken by Nick Nguyen

Seth and Charles Burns

Tuesday, December 3, 2024

GIVING TUESDAY - IJOCA NEEDS YOU (to subscribe)

....although we'll take donations as well. Paypal him at john.lent@temple.edu

A Cry for Financial Help

John A. Lent

Rarely, if ever, have I cried "poor mouth" on behalf of IJOCA. However, at this moment, the journal is facing hard times with the ever-increasing cost of postage and printing, the dwindling number of subscribers as we face competition from a number of periodicals started in this century, and the plight of financially-strapped libraries.

Perhaps, help can be found by ensuring that your university's library be convinced to subscribe, soliciting advertisements from book publishers and other groups tied to comics art, making sure that subscriptions are paid on time, asking subscribers to chip in a few extra bucks when renewing (which three or four already do), and convincing more of the comics studies community to subscribe. Over the years, there were requests that IJOCA also be put online. Mike Rhode took the time to format and digitize all issues, and we offered online subscriptions at $40.00 for individuals and $100.00 for institutions per year. That was two or three years ago, and only three new subscriptions have been received. A possibility that I would use only as a last resort is to raise subscription rates.

For a number of years, I have used my personal funds to pay an assistant's wages, purchase office supplies, and pay for other incidentals associated with IJOCA. I am willing to continue doing this, but the coffers of the journal need to be replenished. Thank you for any help that you are able to give.

CARTOONISTS RIGHTS - support them on Giving Tuesday

SUPPORT CARTOONISTS RIGHTS, MARKING TWENTY-FIVE YEARS IN THE FIGHT FOR FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION

by Terry Anderson

Almost a decade ago, cartoonists everywhere were alerted to an unfolding event in the city of Paris, France. There aren’t that many in the profession, so everyone has a friend (or at least a friend of a friend) in France. Via social media posts and text messages on the morning of January 7^th, 2015, it became apparent that something had happened at the office of Charlie Hebdo magazine. By the end of the day, it was known that twelve people, among them five of France’s best-known cartoonists, were dead. Within a week, crowds of a size not seen in the post-war period had gathered in Paris and world-leaders walked arm-in-arm, declaring their commitment to free expression.

As we approach the tenth anniversary of that day, much has changed. France indelibly so – cartoonists’ events there still take place under armed guard – while the rest of the world has either qualified or largely forgotten the spirit of “Je Suis Charlie”. Free speech has become a political football, and a favored hobby horse of authoritarians and populists. When asked, cartoonists no longer cite the violence of rogue fundamentalists as their chief concern. Indeed, it's now those chummy world leaders who made a conspicuous showing of solidarity on Parisian streets whom they’re most worried about.

Increasingly, editorial and political cartoonists are abused and threatened online by party-politically motivated trolls, often en masse. They are criminalized under vaguely worded cyber security or anti-misinformation laws, jailed for “insulting” the government, judiciary, or army, and in the worst cases labelled seditionists and terrorists. For many, their only choice is to go into exile.

Cartoonists Rights Network International (or CARTOONISTS RIGHTS for short) was incorporated in 1999, the world’s first human rights non-profit with such cartoonists in mind. Founded by Dr. Robert “Bro” Russell, a resident of Virginia, over the last five years the organization’s program has been led by Executive Director Terry Anderson. Currently our president is Matt Wuerker (Politico). Other press cartoonists who currently or in the past have served as directors or advisors include Michael de Adder, Kevin “Kal” Kallaugher, Marc Murphy, Pat Oliphant, Joel Pett, and Ann Telnaes, as well as Dr. John A. Lent, founder of the IJOCA.

Like all non-profits, CARTOONISTS RIGHTS is now operating in a uniquely hostile environment. The passage of bill H.R. 9495 from House of Representatives to the Senate brings the Presidency one step closer to sweeping powers to penalize civil and human rights organizations.

Nevertheless, should any cartoonist in the USA be characterized as an “enemy within” during the next four years, they can expect the same level of commitment from us that we have extended to cartoonists from the Middle East, Asia, Africa, and Central and South America in the last quarter-century.

Last year, we welcomed Abecor – a press cartoonist from Bolivia – to the National Press Club to receive the Robert Russell Courage in Cartooning Award after he had been harassed online and in person, and he and his family threatened with violence by partisans.

“For me and for my country this award is very important, since it renews the sense of preserving the right to free expression and knowing that artists, journalists and especially cartoonists around the world do not walk alone.” – Abecor

In recent years our award has been given in an alternating pattern with the FREEDOM CARTOONISTS FOUNDATION, Geneva. And so, in 2025 it falls to us once more to recognize a cartoonist whose bravery has exemplified adherence to democratic ideals and the principle of free expression under duress. The event will take place at a Washington, DC venue on May 3^rd – World Press Freedom Day. More details to be announced nearer the time.

To support CARTOONISTS RIGHTS, please consider contributing during our Pledge Drive, commencing on “Giving Tuesday”, December 3^rd.

Visit cartoonistsrights.org/donate and keep an eye on our social media for further announcements through the next three weeks: Bluesky – @cartoonistsrights.org • Facebook/Instagram – @cartoonistsrights • Mastodon – @cartooniststrights@newsie.social

Sunday, December 1, 2024

Exhibition in Photos: The Inaugural Collective Exhibition of Martel BXL

Exposition Collective Inaugurale. Brussels, Belgium: Martel BXL. November 16 - December 7, 2024.

by Nick Nguyen

If Brussels considers itself as the capital of comics, then a new player has set up shop in town to provide an energizing boost to that claim. Martel BXL is the second comics art gallery founded and directed by Rina Zavagli, whose Galerie Martel in Paris has steadily and rightfully earned itself an influential reputation since opening in 2008. Zavagli's exhibition programming over the years has distinguished itself with an eclectic internationalism in scope and stylistic range that recalls the vision and spirit of RAW, the seminal comics anthology magazine edited by Francoise Mouly and Art Spiegelman. That and the combination of Zavagli's refined artistic eye, her formidable relationship-building skills, her deep respect for the labour of the artist, and a generous approach to hospitality have established Galerie Martel as a must-see stop for the comics cognoscenti on any trip or layover in Paris. In addition, the gallery's vernissages are intensely attended social events that jam pack its humble space to the point of spillover outside into the small street that bears its name.

Not content to simply rest on the lofty laurels that she has earned, Zavagli has extended her operations with this new Brussels location that aims to carve out its own identity while maintaining the brand consistency with the Paris gallery. This dual operation is a growth milestone that is subtly signaled with the understated adoption of a new name and logo to mark this shift. Jettisoning the word "Galerie" and de-emphasizing the emboldened "art" in "Martel" removes the tautological indices to its function and location so that the Martel name now confidently stands on its own.

To inaugurate Martel BXL, Zavagli wisely chose to present a selling exhibition featuring the work of 40 different artists who have each collaborated with her at one time or another over the years at Galerie Martel. It is a fitting, intelligent and strategic approach to announce her arrival on the Brussels scene as the exhibition pays tribute to the past, present and future of Zavagli's gallery experience. The stable of artists affiliated with the Martel banner represent a mix of established comix veterans and maturing bande dessinée contemporaries who offer access to bodies of work that shape a certain idea of the international history of comics art championed by the gallery. This group exhibition also serves as an amuse bouche for a Brussels comics art community steeped in Franco-Belgian comics tradition to anticipate future collaborations to be presented in Martel BXL

The lineup of artists for the inaugural exhibition as announced on the poster and invitation cards.

The announcement of an exhibition of such collective scope also includes the consideration that it takes an appropriate amount of space to display the work of all these artists. It is in this spatial respect that Martel BXL immediately distinguishes itself from its Paris predecessor as it offers over twice as much display real estate. Situated in the socially heterogeneous commune of Ixelles, the gallery occupies the main floor of a classic maison de maître (townhouse mansion) whose window facade faces out onto one of the busiest thoroughfares in its neighbourhood.

The street view of the gallery offers even the most casual of passersby the chance to clearly see the depth of the space from the entrance right through to the back garden.

The sheer length of the gallery corridor provides the sufficient space to showcase 43 individual pieces with enough breathing room between them so they can stand alone on their own merits while still dialoguing with their neighbors. Each piece was framed to respect its individual style and physical attributes so that the only aspect that was uniform about them all was their eye-level placement along the walls. Each piece was also presented without any immediate metadata to indicate authorship, materiality, or date and context of creation, allowing visitors to engage with them on purely visual and aesthetic terms before being moved to interact with the very knowledgeable and amiable gallery manager Simone Mattotti to discover further information.

Looking into the gallery from the street

Looking toward the street from inside the gallery at its midway point.

From the midpoint of the gallery looking toward the back of the gallery

Looking toward the street from the back of the gallery, where a staircase leads to the storage area.

At the midpoint of the gallery is a central space that widens the corridor to become a room with larger floor space to include a coffee table where BD albums, catalogues, portfolios and sketchbook collections by the exhibited artists are available for browsing. This room also offers an open passage to the working area of the gallery which is situated next to an enclosed open air garden patio, the first of two that were designed by Dutch graphic artist Rudy Vrooman (the second garden is at the back end of the gallery, near the hospitality area).

Side garden patio to the left of the staircase

Garden patio at the back end of the gallery, behind the hospitality area.

The coffee table at the central room of the gallery.

There's no question that Martel BXL has come out of its starting gate with a bang while still being attentive to its integration into the Brussels arts scene. The gallery's artistic identity is so clearly defined that its arrival contributes a unique major presence to the city's cultural landscape without treading on the toes of other established comics art galleries. In this spirit, Martel BXL's immediate plan to follow up on the inaugural group exhibition is to acknowledge and highlight their Belgian artistic collaborative partners. The final day of the group exhibition on 7 December will welcome Herr Seele of Cowboy Henk fame for a special dédicace/book signing session. A week later, the first monograph exhibition to be held at Martel BXL will showcase the work of Eric Lambé, whose newest book ANTIPODES in collaboration with author David B. has just been announced as part of the official selection for the 52nd edition of the Festival International de la Bande Dessinée at Angoulême.

Following this path, the future augers well for the fortunes of Zavagli and her Martel enterprise as Brussels, and by extension Belgium, offers whole new opportunities and markets for collaboration, partnerships and collecting. There is little doubt that Martel BXL, like Martel Paris, will soon feature as a new must-see stop for comics lovers on any trip or layover in the capital of Europe.

-Nick Nguyen

All photos taken by Nick Nguyen.

PS. Below are photos for the curious completist wishing to get an idea of the arrangement and presentation of the 43 pieces that made up the group exhibition.

The full list and description of the works is found here.