Americas
Mexico
Culture
“La Mole Comic Con” celebrated its 20th anniversary at Mexico City’s World Trade Center. Guests included José Luis García-López (Batman vs The Incredible Hulk, Superman vs Wonder Woman) and illustrators Chip Zdarsky (Sex Criminals), Wes Craig (Deadly Academy), and Whilce Portacio (Image Comics co-founder). Link (FGG, Spanish)
The book, Corrupcionario Mexicano, which includes work by comics artists Ricardo Cucamonga, Gonzalo Rocha, Patricio Monero, Cintia Bolio, and Helio Flores, among others, has been published by Grijalbo. Link (FGG, Spanish)
The book, Cácaro, la época de Oro del Cine Mexicano en Monos, by Juan Manuel Aurrecochea, with ilustrations by cartoonists Magú, Luis Fernando, Hernández, and Rocha, has been published through Resistencia. Link (FGG, Spanish)
The magazine Conque began publication in connection with the homonymous comics convention taking place in Querétaro between the 5th and 7th May 2017. Renowned Edgar Clément (Operación Bolívar) is editor, and his contribution stands along those by Bachan, Luis Gantús, Jis, Adalisa Zárate, Patricio Betteo, among others. Link (FGG, Spanish)
After the 2nd anniversary of the disappearance of 43 students from a teachers’ college in Ayotzinapa, Mexico on the 26th September 2014, the Museo Casa De La Memoria Indómita held an event with the authors of the forthcoming bilingual graphic novel Alive You Took Them-Vivos Se Los Llevaron and parents of Ayotzinapa. Also, the “Tribute to the Disappeared” exhibit, featuring images from over 300 international artists and collectives, including comics artists, opened at Marshall University’s Birke Art Gallery to memorialize the disappearance of the 43 students, as well as the more than 26,000 women and men who have disappeared in Mexico since 2006. Link (FGG, English)
The exhibition “Trazos de libertad”, organized by Cartooning for Peace and Cartón Club to highlight the role of the press and freedom of expression, featured European and Latin American cartoon artists. The traveling exhibit and related events were held throughout October at Biblioteca Vasconcelos, Casa de Francia, and Le cinéma IFAL in Mexico City. Link (FGG, Spanish)
The documentary, Novaro, el coloso mexicano, on the largest 20th century comics publishing house in Latin America, has been pre-released. It was produced by K3 Films and directed by Andrés Pardo Piccone and Santiago Cassarino. Link (FGG, Spanish)
Research
The course, Viñetas y prevención de la violencia, dealing with the role of comics in the prevention of violence against women and femicide, was taught by cartoonist Cintia Bolio at the Museo Memoria y Tolerancia in Mexico City. Link (FGG, Spanish)
United States
Education
A comics studies minor is being introduced next year at San Francisco State University. Link (English, WG)
Research
There is a call for papers for the panel, Comics, Graphic Novels, and the Environment, which will be held at the Association for the Study of Literature and Environment’s 2017 conference in Detroit (20th-24th June 2017). Abstracts are due by the 25th November. Link (02/10/2016, English WG)
There is a call for papers for the 14th UF Conference on Comics and Graphic Novels, “Comics Remixed: Adaptation and Graphic Narrative”, which will be held from the 7th to the 9th April 2017. Submissions are due by the 1st December. Link (English, WG)
Asia
Japan
Education
Keio Universität has started a free online course, “An Introduction to Japanese Subcultures”, including manga, on the website Future Learn. Link (JBS, English)
Culture
Kyoto International Manga Museum is celebrating its tenth anniversary with a series of exhibitions and events, “The 10th Anniversary Project”. On the 13th November, the museum´s executive director, Yoro Takeshi, will hold a talk with his long time friend, animation director Miyazaki Hayao (this event is held in Japanese). Link (JBS, English)
Kyoto International Manga Museum is holding the “Superb! Scary! Tani Yukiko” Exhibition. The exhibition opened on the 27th October and runs until the 31st January 2017. Link (JBS, English)
Europe
Belgium
Culture
Belgian comic strip series Thorgal (Van Hamme and Rosinski) is being adapted as a live action TV series that will be similar to Game of Thrones. Link (JBS, 26/10/2016, Dutch)
Research
Various Belgian universities are contributing to an inter-university seminar in comics studies which will take place throughout 2016-7. Link (14/10/2016, BC, French)
France
Culture
Independent comics publisher Ego comme X officially announced that it has closed. Link 1 (25/10/2016, BC, French) Link 2 (27/10/2016, LT, French)
Bécassine, the first bande dessinée heroine, is being resurrected in a new BD album and a forthcoming film. Link (10/10/2016, LT, French)
Germany
Culture
German Comic Con Berlin took place on the 15th and 16th October; guests included Don Rosa and Nana Yaa Kyere. Link (29/09/2016, MdlI, German)
Frankfurt Book Fair ran from the 19th – 23rd October; guests from the comic industry included Joost Swarte. Link (06/10/2016, MdlI, German)
A Fix und Foxi exhibition is going to be shown in Hannover from the 12th November 2016 until the 26th March 2017. Link (MdlI, German)
This year’s German Children’s Literature Award in the non-fiction category goes to Im Eisland by Kristina Gehrmann. Link (MdlI, German)
Research
The winter semester of the lecture series, Berliner Comic-Kolloquium, began on the 12th October 2016 and runs until the 15th February 2017. Link (29/09/2016, MdlI, German)
The German Society for Comics Studies has published an overview of German university classes on comics in this winter semester. Link (10/10/2016, MdlI, German)
A lecture series on comics and film is given in Kiel from the 25th October 2016 until the 7th February 2017. Link (12/10/2016, MdlI, German)
The Roland Faelske award for comics and animation 2016 goes to Johannes C. P. Schmid for his master’s thesis, “Shooting Pictures, Drawing Blood. The Photographic Image in the Graphic War Memoir”, and to Christian A. Bachmann for his dissertation, “Metamedialität und Materialität im Comic. Zeitungscomic – Comichefte – Comicbuch”. Link (MdlI, German)
A workshop on self-reflexivity in comics is going to take place in Cologne on the 2nd and 3rd March 2017; deadline for abstracts is the 8th January. Link (20/10/2016, MdlI, German)
A lecture series on comics takes place in Hamburg from the 27th October. Link (24/10/2016, MdlI, German)
The preliminary program for the conference, “The Empirical Study of Comics”, in Bremen from the 7th – 9th February 2017 has been published. Link (27/10/2016, MdlI, English)
Portugal
Culture
The AmadoraBD Festival is taking place in the Forum Luís de Camões in Amadora until the 6th November. The festival includes book launches, exhibitions, and other activities related to comics. Link (23/09/2016, RR, Portuguese)
The exhibition, Ferozes Transparências (Ferocious Transparencies)” is taking place in the Bedeteca of Amadora until the 10th December featuring a collection of underground commix collected by Glenn Bray and is under the curatorship of Pedro Moura. Entrance is free. Link (10/10/2016, RR, Portuguese)
Spain
Business
The publishing house, Malpaso, has bought 70% of the publishing house Dibbuks. Link (11/09/2016, Spanish, EdRC)
There will be a new Torpedo album published in 2017 which will be illustrated by Eduardo Risso. Link (27/09/2016, Spanish, EdRC)
Culture
Pablo Auladell’s El Paraíso perdido, a graphic adaptation of Milton’s Paradise Lost, has been awarded 2016 National Comics Prize. Auladell’s work was also published in English earlier this year. Link (28/10/2016, EdRC, Spanish/English)
The exhibition “Animal Collective”, a panoramic vision of contemporary and avant-garde European comics, can be visited at Centro Centro in Madrid until the 29th January 2017. Link (01/10/2016)
UK
Culture
The Dundee Comics Prize is accepting comics submissions for the award inspired by the science fiction stories of H.G. Wells. The deadline is the 13th November. Link (English, WG)
The new exhibition at Woking’s The Lightbox gallery, The Story of British Comics So Far: Cor! By Gum! Zarjaz!, runs until the 31st December. Link (English, WG)
Research
The University of Brighton’s third annual Graphic Brighton symposium will take place on the 9th and 10th December. This year’s theme is Conflict and Resolution. Link (English, WG)
The Joint International Conference of Graphic Novels, Bandes Dessinées and Comics 2017 will take place across the University of Dundee and the University of Glasgow between the 26th and 30th June 2017. The theme is Borders: Identity, Difference and Representation, and proposals are due by the 1st January 2017. Link (English, WG)
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Correspondents: Enrique del Rey Cabero (EdRC, Spain), Benoît Crucifix (BC, Belgium and France), Felipe Gómez Gutiérrez (FGG, Mexico), William Grady (WG, United States and UK), Martin de la Iglesia (MdlI, Germany), Renatta Rafaela (RR, Portugal), Jessica Bauwens Sugimoto (JBS, Belgium and Japan), and Lise Tannahill (LT, France).
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