9 minute read
The Ninth Art
Alternative Art
by Giovanni Stanislao
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What happens in these events, without even romanticizing too much, is magical. Thousands of people with the same passion and interests gather in the same place to meet their idols, maybe a writer of a fantasy book they love, an artist from Marvel Comics who draws their favorite character, or an actor from a TV Series; they gather to “cosplay”, dressing up as their favorite characters from anime or movies; they gather to buy and read the newest publications presented during the festival by the authors; they share this moment as part of a community, with enthusiasm and energy.
Probably this sense of being part of something is why every comic book lover will get angry when people dare to say that comics (or bande dessinè or manga or whatever you want to call them) are only for kids, when they dare to say they are not a form of art with the same dignity as the others.
Captain America
From escape to art
USA, between the nineteenth and twentieth century a new form of visual communication was born. In the beginning, comic books were a way to escape reality, giving the readers the tool to run away from their problems, from the daily life. It’s in this moment that Superman, Batman or Captain America were created. In their series these characters would deal with issues that were representing the real society of the time, so that the american citizens didn’t need to do it . That’s why we have Captain America, the common man become superhero, punching Hitler’s face in one of the most famous cover from Marvel Comics.
Superman by Andy Warhol
But what is art if not a way to express ideas or reflecting on society and people? Probably without even realizing it, authors like Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster (Superman), Bob Kane and Bill Finger (Batman), Stan Lee, Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko (who had the genius idea of the “superhero with super problems”, creating characters like Spider-man, Hulk, the X-Men, Black Panther etc.), influenced society in a way it was impossible to predict.
It’s in the 60s that art started to evolve and take a different path: artists like Andy Wharol and his Pop Art movement didn’t want to relegate it anymore to the traditional forms like sculpture and painting, but there was the necessity to find new way to express creativity: comics became that way.
El Eternauta
Many names, same concept
It’s true that when most people hear the words comic books, they go with their mind to superheroes and action, maybe some would think about Disney’s characters. Not many would imagine that actually other countries outside of the USA have a developed comic book culture, with amazing example of how this form of art deserves more attention by the big public.
Parallel to the so called Silver Age of Superheroes ( from the 50’ to the 70’, when comics became a real mainstream source of entertainment, with an increase of popularity among the youth), in other countries masterpieces were being produced.
The Argentinian Historieta reaches its peak in the 60’s with masters such as Hèctor German Oesterheld, Hugo Pratt, Francisco Solano Lopez and Alberto Breccia. The most representative work from this period is surely El Eternauta (Oesterheld, Lopez), a series that uses sci-fi tropes and archetypes to metaphorically talk about the geopolitical situation of the country, even of the entire south american region. Now considered a masterpiece, the plot is of ten seen as an anticipation of the golpe in the 1976, in which Oesterheld himself will be a victim as one of the many desaparecidos.
Corto Maltese
Tintin
Italy sees the creation of the comic industry (“fumetto” in italian) as an evolution of the educational or religious comic books for children. Artists used this platform to create and develop their talent, even if in the beginning this medium was not even considered a form of entertainment, let alone a form of art: the point was to teach something to the young readers. But the quality of the work was high and that’s where italian masters of this art began: Attilio Micheluzzi, Jacovitti, Dino Battaglia. Gianni De Luca and many others, who later created their own and adult stories for us to enjoy. Then a new phase started with characters now famous all over the world: Tex Willer (Giovanni Luigi Bonelli), Diabolik (Angela and Luciana Giussani), Kriminal (Max Bunker), Dylan Dog (Tiziano Sclavi) and, probably the most important, Corto Maltese (Hugo Pratt). The difference from before was that from now on the tone will be darker, more adult, with often political connotations.
Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind
France and Belgium are, with their Bande Dessinnè, the most important european comic book industry. The production in these countries has always been huge, with characters that today are known by everybody; some exemple: Tintin by Hergè, Lucky Luke by Morris, Asterix and Obelix by Renè Goscinny and Alber Uderzo or The Smurfs, created by Peyo. In this country comics are perceived as a form of art, the comic books festival are actual cultural events that even politicians and institutions attend.
Ms. Marvel- Kamala Khan
Japan has maybe the biggest comic books industry in the whole world, with extremely popular manga like Dragon Ball, One Piece, Naruto, Attack on Titans. These series are known by everyone, thanks to the anime screening in TV or platforms like Netflix. The manga culture is interesting because it often shows all the contrasts and idiosyncrasy of the japanese society: 20th Century Boys by Naoki Urawasa, Akira by Kutsuhiro Otomo, Doraemon by Fujiko F. Fujio or Ranma ½ by Rumiko Takahashi are different examples of how mangaka (the term used to call comic book creators in this country) use their own artistic style to talk about common themes. From genres that can space from comedy to horror, they often describe this peculiar society, its people, their social issues and traditions, even if the story is set in a fantasy world or a distant sci-fi future; and very often environment and respect for nature are the main topics, starting from Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind by Hayao Miyazaki or Battle Angel Alita by Yukito Kishiro.
Something serious
“ When I want to relax I read essays by Engels. When I want something more serious I read Corto Maltese”- Umberto Eco
For the famous author of “The Name of the Rose”, comics were a serious thing. Sadly is not common to see intellectuals, writers or institutions talking about them or sometimes even considering them a form of art or something valuable for culture. Proof of this prejudice is that in schools, very rarely comics are a subject of study, usually education systems around the world focus on the so-called classic arts, such as painting, sculpture and music.
But, as we said before, comics have a huge impact in every day society and people.
When muslim immigrants living in america understand they can be whatever they want to be despite the cultural differencies, just because in 2014 Marvel Comics created the new Ms. Marvel, Kamala Khan, a teenager girl who happend to be the first muslim superhero, it’s something meaningful.
When black men all over the world finally find representation in media thanks to Black Panther (1966), the most important African superhero, it is meaningful.
When, through comic books, we can learn about important topics, social issues, human rights, it is meaningful: not a lot of people in Italy knew about the Kurdish conflict in Syria and Turkey till Kobane Calling, an amazing Graphic Novel by Zerocalcare, became one of the best selling books in the country (next to extremely popular titles like Harry Potter or My Brilliant Friend).
And when comic books are a way to overcome personal tragedies and express yourself, in a way that other people can relate and use it to do the same, it is meaningful: that’s the case of Emil Ferris with her My Favorite Things Are Monsters, a work that the artist used to describe her difficult life as a girl in the 70s and her illness that made her paralyzed for a long time and forced her to learn how to draw or even walk again.
But the examples of why this art should be more appreciated and considered are endless.
It’s encouraging to see important museums like the Louvre or the British Museum hosting exhibition about comic books artists, treating them as all the other artists; or the permanent exhibition the Uffizi Gallery in Florence created with 52 of the most important italian comic book artists; it’s inspiring to see Belgium government deciding to celebrate their culture redesigning citizens passports that from this year will feature characters like Tintin and the Smurfs between the pages.
Kobane Calling by Zerocalcare
My hope is that more will follow this model and society will accept this beautiful form of art as part of the “valuable” culture. Excelsior!
My Favorite Things are Monsters
