Comics of the World (Part 4)

Last part!

Last stretch…!

Bhutan

Not a lot of them. Most of them are self-published. Including a promo for an animated movie. The only specialized publisher is a Thimphu Comics made by an artist who spent time in Japan. Even had a crowdfunding campaign to try and reach a bigger audience. Didn’t work out, but they’re still trying by focusing on local myths, folklore, and climate change.

Montenegro

A few artists and a growing annual festival have the most spotlights here. There’s another one too. But no specific titles.

Ethiopia

Honestly, Beserat Debebe and Etan Comics say everything you need to know about Sensi’il’s uniqueness. I’ll give you the rundown version from the newsletter.

Started from religious accordion-style parchments called Sensul.

The modern version expands from this base to make readers feel the Ethopian community’s perspective. For one, Amharic script had to find more ways to express emphasis, often with text color changes. The whole thing is about giving the audience only the necessary details for the narrative. Sometimes that’s visually through shapes, patterns, and symmetry.

Only part that really matters is what techniques best communicates the narrative.

Something like this: a realistic look emphasizes how serious a moment is. A stylized one meanwhile emphasizes how much a character feels in the moment.

While we’re on topic, along with Etan, Qedamawi Studio is another publisher gaining traction with its historical fiction comic Bugnad.

Botswana

Probably more, but all I could find was the strip Mabijo. It’s a bunch of light-hearted social satire and commentary in seTswana.

Namibia

The first comics were strips from France, might or might not have had colonial attitudes. But they did have their fans with the natives, some as recent as the 2000s. You don’t have organizations like the Franco Namibia Cultural Centre starting workshops and exhibitions without them. Or funding from multiple sources like the National Service.

Hence why the first comic here was a collection of strips based on existing stories. People even got a chance to see it for free as display paintings, each with a different story and message per artist. That gives plenty of new fans a better chance to buy a copy.

Several years after this more comics start to come out. Some have causes like raising awareness of assault victims. Another one won an investment fund award for sustainability.

But there are also comics that are just for fun and passion like Keeper. Co-creators Silas Mentos and Kondjashili Ndeutapo Shaimemanya have an alien working with his recruits to protect Earth’s power source. But their biggest challenge was getting an audience. Compared to workshopping, and saving enough funds, Namibia doesn’t have much of a reading culture. The real competition is social media.

Which is why comics like The Free Rangers make partnerships for distribution, marketing, and funding. National newspapers like The Nambian help get this comic around, while the UNDP and KAYEC make it viable for kids to learn how to read. Especially in a series where characters have defined personalities where they’re justifiable selfish in places but mean well overall. Enough for kids not from Nambia to wanna join in.

Most recently, the Ombetja Yehinga Organisation launched a comic about a deaf hero called Hear Me to encourage inclusion in the arts. What made this special was the cartoonist in the workshop took feedback from the kids in the program to make it the best version of itself.

Things are looking pretty good for comics in Namibia.

Oman

People are really into manga here. Well the internet generation is. One even made how-to-draw books as part of the #OmanPride projects.

Most artists have to rely on self-publishing to get their ideas out. That’s after spending time perfecting the expressive side of manga.

They are steadily coming out for younger audiences including the classroom. Some of the highest successes get to the level of the Sultanate like Black Night Symphony, sometimes even at the request of the Japanese embassy.

Kyrgystan

Very few.

In fact one attempt at a superhero was considered too “American” for trying to be like Spider-Man. Not to mention sharing a name with a historical figure. Who I think was in an epic poem called Manas. Which got comic versions that are badly translated… This character doesn’t seemed to have survived long on Facebook where a picture was posted.

Others try to raise awareness of issues like bride kidnapping.

Guyana

One of the earliest comes from this Barry… Bray-thf…wait. This guy did a lot! Strips for newspapers and comic books like The Mighty Itanami. Like many others, these works revolve around local folklore and colonial history that link to the human experience in epic form. So popular that productions companies have to share him. These projects even get funding from public commissions.

So influential Braithwaite is a regular voice in the Guyana Chronicle. Some of his most notable articles include advocating for visual language, especially in the graphic novel as illustrated literature.

There are also a few others whose name get around in comics… but not anything specific.

St. Lucia

Most I could find is an adaptation of a native folk tale called Soucoyan.

Somalia

It’s hard to tell how many of these were made by Somalians IN Somalia. Probably because of a decades long civil war and jihadist group attacks. Hence why a major topic is the point-of-view of refugees. Usually these are little life stories given to artists and script writers in collaboration with human rights organizations meant to encourage empathy.

As for anything else, an American based Somali creator has made larger-than-life heroes trying to reclaim their dignity from the wars. If a stable home can encourage locals to make comics why not?

Sudan

A lot of fans go to the Khartoum Comic Con. Some even participate in the National Sudanese Comic Competition to help encourage local talent. Couldn’t find any specific winners, but I have found one artist who collaborated with writer about empowering Arabic girls.

Papua New Guinea

While the Phantom appears everywhere, he’s not the only presence. One of the best remembered comics is Mista Grasruts, a strip dubbed “the social conscience of PNG”. The title character felt like a friend you’d want to be around and stick up for in every social ill no matter what ethnic group you’re from. Even though the character is probably already way ahead of everybody else. Especially when he teaches people how to speak like the locals while inventing new words.

As for more recent stuff, KMD Comics has gained a sizable following. It’s premiere title Loverboii is an epic about building confidence which really struck a chord with audiences. Probably because it feels like teenage boys trying, failing, and getting better at talking to girls.

Azerbaijan

First domestic comic is apparently Koroglu. It’s an adaptation of a heroic epic about the life and deeds of its protag. Not word for word, mind you. In fact it’s a crossover with other heroes; kind of like how some people add more Greek heroes to the Trojan War.

Guernsey

Don’t have much of a presence save for some anthologies and an adaptation of a book that took place there. But most creatives find work out of the micro-nation with some leaving guides.

Haiti

A few publishers and creators try to make their own superheroes. Djatawo was the first… in a newspaper. By the time it went into books and book fairs, it got the attention of NYU and NYCC. He was basically a national icon for a while.

These days his creator helps spotlight others like Thony Lui’s Tanama. With a superhero story inspired by real-life experiences of farmers, it’s not hard to see how it got around. Especially with its sponsor and support by a few foundations like the Smallholder Farmers Alliance.

As for Tropical Comics Haitian Max, the makers are trying to grow their audience while minimizing costs and production.

Finally there is one publisher going a different direction. Chevelin Illustration is dedicated to Haitian culture, history, and characters inspired by them. If you’re asking for bestsellers or popular titles, maybe Pye Poul is up there. But the studio is mostly doing commercial art.

Haiti has plenty to show and tell.

Mali

Most I could find is two groups using funds from the European Union to adapt survey results from citizens. Surveys for what? Mostly security. From jihadists, military groups, pastoralists, and even farmers.

Cuba

Newspaper strips were around since the 19th century, usually for social commentary about the state of Cuba. But everybody agrees that comics got the most prominence after 1959’s Revolution. There are two ways to look at it. One from academics ready for moral panics to keep a national independence since kids still liked American ones. Only for local artists to use comics to build a revolutionary consciousness to move people towards the new government.

For a while these comics thrived with adventure and comedy while seeing revolution as the big push forward. Most heroes were put into real life battles like Elpidio Valdés fighting for liberation from Spain in the 1890s. Usually anything that would never even look imperial whether past or present. The comics that weren’t overtly political at least had public service announcements.

But eventually like all socialistic status quos, expression started to get strong-armed. One cartoonist Antonio Prohías got labeled a spy for speaking about the Castro hypocrisies after he was initially celebrated by the revolutionary leader. So he went to the US and used the label to create MAD Magazine’s iconic Spy vs. Spy based on some of his old characters in El Hombre Siniestro.

Comics would stay relevant in Cuba throughout the 70s and 80s. But because of how many were aimed at kids, older audiences couldn’t take them seriously. Only the most dedicated collectors kept anything like Comicos. By the economic crisis of the 90s, it all came to halt. Conditions have gotten better in recent years with publishers getting more flexible with distribution especially with the internet. But nothing very viral as of late.

Togo

Earliest I could find is a state commissioned propaganda comic books following the real life Eyadema. There’s also some commentary strips.

Belize

Between a workshop made with outside help from the US for high school artists to promote Belize culture and very sparse conventions, Belize’s comic status is very thin in recent years.

Madagascar

Like many things involving a French colony, newspaper comics influenced by Bande Desinee and American strips were a big thing from the 60s to 70s. The French Michel Faure made a few strips about legends of the island pretty respectfully too.

By the 80s, magazines and full series of comics entered a golden age. So many that one name stands out Ranaivo Delano and his Danz magazines especially around its hero Inspector Radanz. This would inspire a lot of fanzines.

In the mid-80s, these publishers would gain a more professional structure and organization. With its best representative being Koditra and its spin-offs.

Problem was despite organizations like the Mada BD Association, comics started to get less productive around the 2000s. Newer magazines and newspapers weren’t getting the circulation like they used to even with new talent. So events like festivals and artistic residencies had to pick up the slack.

These days more recent comics involve education on epilepsy. Or controversially AI, where a comic strip goes into the subject. It’s meant to encourage discussions about its use, good and bad. Because in a land slow on digital strategies, this is a necessary step to take.

Eritrea

People from here make comics, because locals don’t really understand them. Artists words. Won’t stop em from trying.

Grenada

Most they got was a US propaganda piece called Grenada: Rescued from Rope and Slavery.

Syria

Don’t know when it started, but the 70s had strips in magazines published by official cultural organizations. As far as I know, Syria wasn’t the most open place, but magazines like these seemed to be the best places for kids. Especially for different viewpoints. Unlike the propaganda pieces for the Ba’ath party that got basically everywhere.

As for satirical cartoons they have a long history of getting censored. It wasn’t till the 2000s when al-Domari made the effort to stay off their radar. Indie magazines can do that. To an extent since it criticized corruption and bureaucracy. But it sure did make an impression to inspire Comic4 Syria. Every anonymous cartoonist got the chance to tell a story as people leant an ear. Every moment gives hope of a human moment worth preserving.

Central African Republic

Can’t find how back it goes but 1985 has three magazines of note. Two of which were published by the “Archbishop of Banqui”. Mostly to fight against the country’s low morals.

Frankly that’s a feeling that goes to the most famous artist in CAR. Didier Kassai uses his strips to reach struggling people to help guide them through daily life. Often with help from aid organizations and UN agencies. He even trains younger ones to keep the feeling going. Better to have more perspectives than militant conflicts.

Palau

Just a comic adapting a legend for cultural preservation.

The Rest

So all I got left is two creators from Senegal and Gabon trying to make their mark while encouraging others to make theirs.

And that’s them all! Every major comic presence in these borders throughout the planet! What do they all have in common? Cultural preservation, colonization, state and private sponsors (messages limited), fight for free speech, dedicated organizations and events, artists going to animation, and finding a space on the internet!

Now I can start that book with all of this data!