Americas

United States

Research

The Algerian War in French-Language Comics: Postcolonial Memory, History, and Subjectivity, by Jennifer Howell, has bee published through Lexington Books. Link (English, WG)

Asia

Singapore

Education

Ian Gordon (National University of Singapore) has produced the online course, Superhero Entertainments. Link (English, WG)

Europe

Belgium

Culture

From October to December, an exhibition on the Belgian small-press and alternative comics scene takes place in Brussels. It is called “Les Triplettes de Bruxelles” and is organised by three local libraries together with three publishers. Link (20/10/2015, French, BC)

Research

On the 29th October at the Université catholique de Louvain, Benoît Glaude publicly defended his doctoral dissertation, entitled “La Bande dialoguée : formes et fonctions des interactions verbales dans la bande dessinée franco-belge.” Link (20/10/2015, French, BC)

On the 6th October, the ACME Comics Research Group organised a study day on experimentation in comics, with talks by artist Pascal Matthey and scholar Pedro Moura (ULisboa/KU Leuven). Link (24/09/2015, French, BC)

L’Art d’Hergé: Hergé et l’art by Pierre Sterckx is published posthumously by Gallimard. Richly illustrated, it draws on the art historian’s research in the archives of the Hergé Museum in Louvain-la-Neuve. Sterckx focused on Hergé’s art, his style and technique, but also on Hergé’s fascination for and collection of contemporary art. Link (01/10/2015, French, BC)

France

Culture

On the 24th October, Sotheby’s held in Paris an auction of original comic art and related items stemming from the collection of Jean-Arnold Schoofs. Of note, a double page from Tintin et le Sceptre d’Ottokar sold for 1,563,000 euros, breaking a new record in the list of Hergé auctions. Link 1 (24/10/2015, French, BC), Link 2 (26/10/2015, French, LTa)

The last album in the Astérix series was released on the 22nd October, accompanied by a strong media attention for its print run of 4 million albums. Link 1 (12/10/2015, French, BC), Link 2 (23/10/2015, French LTa)

Research

The seminar “Les écritures visuelles de l’histoire de la bande dessinée”, organised by Pierre-Laurent Daurès, Vincent Marie and Adrien Genoudet, opened on the 2nd October at the Bibliothèque nationale de France. The series of conferences will run until June 2016 and tackles the visual representation of history in comics. Link (14/09/2015, French, BC)

Germany

Culture

Four exhibitions were shown as part of Comicfestival Hamburg, one of which is still on until the 7th November. Link (01/10/2015, German, MdlI)

A Line Hoven exhibition was shown in Ottobrunn from the 23rd September until the 24th October. Link (08/10/2015, German, MdlI)

ILLU festival took place in Freiburg from the 23rd October until the 1st November; guests included Marguerite Abouet, Daniel Lieske and Barbara Yelin. Link (22/10/2015, German, MdlI)

Comicfestival Köln is going to take place in Cologne from the 12th to the 14th November; guests include Flix and Ralf König. Link (German, MdlI)f

The exhibition, “Die Duckomenta – Weltgeschichte neu ENTdeckt”, is being shown in Mannheim until the 24th April 2016. Link (26/10/2015, German, MdlI)

Research

There is a call for papers for the edited collection Cultures of War in Graphic Novels. Abstracts are due by the 1st February 2016. Link (27/10/2015, English, WG)

The Netherlands

Law & Politics

The court in The Hague has once again ruled in favor of the fan-club Het Hergé Genootschap for its use of Tintin images. In May, the court had already granted right to the fan-club, a decision appealed by Moulinsart. The court decided that there was a lack of evidence regarding Moulinsart’s ownership of the copyrights for the Tintin albums and further invoked the right to quote. Link (27/10/2015, Dutch, BC)

Portugal

Culture

From 23rd October until the 8th November the city of Amadora is hosting the 26º Festival Internacional de Banda Desenhada 2015 (26th International Festival of Comics). Link (Portuguese, RR)

The publishing company Chilli com Carne is hosting the contest, “Toma lá 500 paus…e faz uma Bd” (Take 500 bucks … and make a comic book). It is open to members and they will accept works until the 5th February 2016. Link (23/10/2015, Portuguese, RR)

On the 29th October the book Lisboa é very, very typical (Lisbon is very, very typical) was published. The book is composed by comics created by artists with multiple nationalities that had lived in Lisbon. Link (29/10/2015, Portuguese, RR)

Obituaries

On the 3rd October the Portuguese comic and cartoon author José Vilhena passed away. Link (03/10/2015, Portuguese, RR)

Spain

Business

Spaceman Project, a new crowdfunding project exclusive to comics, has been created. Link (02/10/2015, Spanish, EdRC)

Culture

Cómics sensacionales, a personal selection by Santiago García of some of the greatest comics in history, has been published by Larousse. Link (20/10/2015, Spanish, EdRC)

Las Meninas, by Santiago García and Javier Olivares, has been awarded the National Comics Prize (The first chapter can also be read through the link). The comic has been already published in French and Santiago García has announced that it will be published in English too. Link (22/10/2015, Spanish, EdRC)

An exhibition with some originals and sketches of the last album of Asterix can be visited at Biblioteca Eugenio Trías in Madrid until the 30th November. Link (24/10/2015, Spanish, EdRC)

UK

Culture

The Dundee Literary Festival took place at the University of Dundee between the 21st and 25th October. It included the opening of the Dundee Creative Comics Space by comics artist, Dave Gibbons. Link (14/10/2015, English, WG)

The ninth annual Cine Excess international Festival will feature a special panel discussion on violence in comics featuring Professor Martin Barker, comic book writer and editor Pat Mills, and 2000AD artist Jim McCarthy.  The event takes place on the 14th November at the University of Brighton. Link (21/10/2015, English, WG)

Downthetubes reviews The Lakes International Comic Art Festival, which took place in Kendal. Link (20/10/2015, English, WG)

Research

The new issue of the European Journal of American Studies 10.2 includes the special issue: “(Re)visioning America in the Graphic Novel”. Link (English, WG)

Brenna Clarke Gray and Peter Wilkins (Graphixia; The Comics Grid) will be in City University London on the 10th November to give a seminar on how to build scholarly communities online. Link (28/10/2015, English, WG)

*                    *                    *

 

News Editor: Will Grady (comicsforumnews@hotmail.co.uk)

Correspondents: Enrique del Rey Cabero (EdRC, Spain), Benoît Crucifix (BC, Belgium, France, and The Netherlands), William Grady (WG, UK), Martin de la Iglesia (MdlI, Germany), Renatta Rafaella (RR, Portugal), Lise Tannahill (LTa, France).

Click here for News Review correspondent biographies.

Click here to see the News Review archive.

Suggestions for articles to be included in the News Review can be sent to Will Grady at the email address above.