Swiss cartoonist Nadia Raviscioni’s Vent Frais, vent du matin (‘Fresh Breeze, Morning Breeze’), may be the first book fully to meet the challenge set by the previous generation of comics autobiographers in terms of ambition, complexity and artistic conviction. Released earlier this year, the book has been more than a decade in the making. It reclaims for Raviscioni—whose precocious juvenilia was released across a handful of publications in the late 90s by Genevan publisher Atrabile—a place at the center of the new generation of alternative cartoonists.
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Sowing the Wind — Nadia Raviscioni’s Vent frais, vent du matin
Posted by Matthias Wivel on August 28th, 2010 at 4:14 PMEstablishing Shots — Judith Forest’s 1h25
Posted by Matthias Wivel on July 25th, 2010 at 9:53 AM
1h25 by 27-year old French cartoonist Judith Forest, published last fall, is an ambitious autobiographical essay. Organized like a drawn diary, it details a few months in the recent life of its creator, from her graduation from the Beaux-arts in Paris through her move to Brussels, an hour and twenty-five minutes away on the train—hence the title—in search of her future. Though clearly, and self-avowedly, influenced by the work of seminal autobio cartoonist Fabrice Neaud, Forest eschews his broader, more political perspectives to concentrate on her relationships with others. She is frank about her sexual encounters—casual and romantic—and inquisitive in her attempts to understand and loyally represent her friends and acquaintances.
Bad Weeds – David Prudhomme’s Rébétiko
Posted by Matthias Wivel on July 12th, 2010 at 12:01 AMReleased last year, David Prudhomme’s critically acclaimed, award-winning Rébétiko (la mauvaise herbe) is a celebration of the early 20th-century Greek tradition of urban music later united under that umbrella term. The story takes place over the course of a day in Athens, October 1936, a few months into the military regime of Ioannis Metaxas. It follows the actions of four musicians, all of whom are based on actual legends of Rebetiko.
If it ain’t broke — OCX 2010
Posted by Matthias Wivel on June 1st, 2010 at 8:07 PM
The Oslo Comics Expo saw its fourth annual iteration this past weekend. The formula established at the inaugural festival in 2007 remains pretty much in place — a day-and-a-half of programming, concentrating mostly on Norwegian creators, a small-but-interesting-and-somewhat-eclectic roster of international guests (Jim Woodring and Becky Cloonan headlined this year) — a pleasant, laid-back atmosphere, and a big party to round everything off.
From Wonderland with Love
Posted by Matthias Wivel on May 28th, 2010 at 2:27 PM
This past weekend saw the fourth edition of the international comics biennial, Komiks.dk, in Copenhagen, Denmark. The most ambitious and successful yet, it was held at a large venue at the center of town, whereas previous iterations were on the city’s periphery, and it boasted an impressive international guest list headed by the American triumvirate of Charles Burns, Daniel Clowes and Chris Ware, and the British one of Dave Gibbons, Kevin O’Neill and Frank Quitely.
Art First at Fumetto
Posted by Matthias Wivel on May 3rd, 2010 at 1:52 PM
This year’s Fumetto festival in the Swiss town of Lucerne is well under way, after a weekend of healthy programming. Precipitation might have kept some of the crowds away, but especially Sunday saw busy exhibition venues.
Take Two — An Interview with Ruppert/Mulot
Posted by Matthias Wivel on February 1st, 2010 at 12:01 AMThe cartooning duo Florent Ruppert and Jérôme Mulot are amongst the most remarkable emerging talents on the Francophone comics scene. A two-headed cartoon beast, theirs is an organic collaboration, melding writing and drawing. Their comics are possessed of a strong …
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