#elcaf2019

Samandal Comics is a volunteer, non-profit collective that is dedicated to advancing comics in Lebanon, based in Beirut. The talk was based on the question ‘Speaking Up and Speaking Out’. The panel was composed of several members of the organisation; Rui Tenreiro, Francesca Sanna, Raphaelle Macaron and Joseph Kai.

How to use comics to advance politics?

Francesca: “Critiques always say to me, ‘Why have you got to be so political, in children’s books?’ I reply with the fact that a message in children’s books is something everyone looks for. What is and what isn’t, everything can be made political. Children’s books have been used to motivate political stances in kids.”

Rui: “Politics should reflect in the structure of what you’re doing. For example, comics written for and by refugees. These people should be allowed to tell their story. It’s empowering. You should involve people directly in what you’re doing to make a real statement, that’s how it becomes political.”

Is it necessary to be talking about politics in comics?

Raphaelle: “No, but it’s a powerful tool that should be used more.” 

Francesca: “A book is yours until you publish it, and you can’t control it after that. 

It’s undeniable that children are affected by the events in this world and comics provide a way to talk about it.”

Joe: “Young authors have a lot to say about our current political situation. Comics trigger questions and it gives an incentive to start a conversation.” 

Raphaelle: “I agree, gathering a community through comics is a political act in itself. It starts that conversation for people who aren’t ready to talk about politics but want to in the future.”

LGBTQ+ community, discrimination and religion

Q: What isn’t spoken about in your home countries? 

Raphaelle: “People aren’t afraid to talk, but religion is a sensitive topic in comics with the Catholic church being the most problematic. The biggest issue is visual imagery of religious artefacts or symbols. We have problems with comics being taken out of context by religious groups claiming they are ‘initiating hate and blasphemy’.”

Joe: “They have to consider how to deal with censorship and artists/authors that have to contend with an ‘eye’ constantly watching over them.”

Diversity in comics 

Francesca: “Comics including same-sex and diverse parents were taken from public libraries, even with a book about colours, Little Yellow Little Blue, was banned as it opposed ‘gender norms’ and went against ‘traditional values’. How ridiculous. However, books that are removed from libraries often get more publicity and interest from young readers as they are curious as to why it’s ‘wrong’.”

Topics covering Islam 

Raphaelle: “The only major problems are with the Catholic church but any religious extremist will find any adaptation of their religion ‘unholy’ and ‘wrong’. 

People generally think Islam has the most issues with the content in comics but it’s a relief to say actually no, it’s the Catholics!”

Joe: “You always have to consider, ‘who are we addressing these comics to? Who’s going to read them?’ Authors of comics have to ask themselves, ‘Do I want to provoke? Do I want to be loud or quiet or in danger?’”

Preaching to the choir

Q: How do you expand your audience? Do you want people to join the conversation?

Rui: “It’s all about structure - the people in question should be involved, so you need to bring them into the argument.”

Raphaelle: “The publisher will need to share my views in order for my comic to actually go somewhere. For example, for the International Day Against Homophobia, I was told to make posters instead of comics.”

Joe: “It’s not effective to preach something without including the people affected. Always be inclusive.”

Making for others - not your experiences

Francesca: “You need to do a lot of research, find a universal voice, common ground and a pattern.”

Joe: “Don’t feel entitled to speak about a topic but you can still give your personal opinion, even if it’s not fully relevant. 

If you feel strongly enough about something, you should be able to talk about it.”

East London Comic and Arts Festival 2019

Joe Stone 

Joe is a comic and zine maker who works both collaboratively and lone. “Some comics can take an hour, some take months but this is technically my part-time job. It’s hard to be a maker all the time. Everything is a slow work in progress.” 

Jenny Tang & Jonny Sexton of Doggo Collective

Jenny: “I love making zines because it’s narrative-based, and writing is a skill I’m trying to get better at. I find writing really difficult but by making zines, I can express my thoughts visually.” 

Jonny: “I have somewhere I can complain and no-one minds.”

Doggo Collective’s stall 

Olivia Sualdea

“I’m trying to get used to making with colour using Promarkers as I used to work solely in monotone. I take inspiration from everywhere I go for my zines.”

Anna Mill 

Anna is an illustrator and author of Square Eyes. “I was an architecture student to begin with. You can probably see that through my meticulous drawings for Square Eyes.” When asked about how she started with the huge graphic novel, Mill says, “I wrote hundreds of drafts and cut out major characters that I loved so that the story would flow. It took eight years to get to print and it was a huge collaborative effort, putting the artwork and storyline through a number of people to get perspective as it’s easy to get tunnel-vision. I used multiple journals of thumbnails to draw from initially, with many of these illustrations being used in the final product.”

Some of Mill’s journals for Square Eyes at ELCAF

Jon McNaught

Jon is an illustrator, print-maker and teacher. When asked about his constant colour palette for his works, McNaught says; “I used to be a print-technician so I learned colour theory through that, and I use layers of colour to achieve a three-dimensional effect in my illustrations. I inquired about how he comes up with the initial idea for his zines and graphic novels. “I get inspiration from my own memories and re-visit the place multiple times where this memory occurred. In my book Kingdom, for example, I visited a gas station so many times to try and get a new perspective.” I then asked why he began his signature style of using small, square panels for his comics. “It allows me to get a better flow of narrative and it’s way easier to concentrate on one small section at a time.”