The comics are coming txo!?
The Getxoko Kultur Etxea bring us the 1st Getxo Comic Fair from December the 13th to the 15th. It’s about time somebody organised something like this in this neck of the woods. Comics are becoming more and more popular, well, comic shops are springing up all over the Basque Country (even if it’s not the same thing). All of these shops, publishers and others will be making their presence felt at over thirty stalls in a 2500 metre-square marquee. As well as the stands, you’ll also be treated to 4 exhibitions, 6 or 7 debates, screenings, courses and there’ll be the odd special guest.
There won’t be many guests from abroad, most of the people appearing are from the Spanish State, and most of these have been working for the Americans. You won’t come across too many Basque artists at the festival either, although Luis Duran, Rober Garay and Mauro Entrialgo have been asked along. There are other ways apart from comic shops for comics to make themselves felt in the Basque Country; the cartoon strips to be found in newspapers, magazines and fanzines (not to mention that these are then normally released in collections that you often don’t find in comic shops). We should point out that the Luterl group and members of the Kokoe Collective will be there. We are more used to seeing these artists and their work at the Durango Book and Music Fair and you’ll have a hard time trying to find them at other fairs like the one in Getxo. Something’s not right there and we really should try and bring these two worlds closer together.
All the same, the debate titled “El Comic en Euskadi: presente y futuro” promises to be one of the outstanding moments of the fair. Taking part will be Jean Françoise Sauré, one of the very few publishing comics in Basque, the recently founded publishers from Bilbo, Astiberri (they have released some really nice stuff so far), Santi Orue from TMEO and the artist from Oñati, Luis Duran. Rober Garay will be acting as moderator and even though it isn’t specified in the programme, it looks as if everything will be in Spanish.
So! Don’t overdo it at Durango. Keep something in the tank for Getxo the following weekend. We need to go to both events. It will give us a broader view of things.
There won’t be many guests from abroad, most of the people appearing are from the Spanish State, and most of these have been working for the Americans. You won’t come across too many Basque artists at the festival either, although Luis Duran, Rober Garay and Mauro Entrialgo have been asked along. There are other ways apart from comic shops for comics to make themselves felt in the Basque Country; the cartoon strips to be found in newspapers, magazines and fanzines (not to mention that these are then normally released in collections that you often don’t find in comic shops). We should point out that the Luterl group and members of the Kokoe Collective will be there. We are more used to seeing these artists and their work at the Durango Book and Music Fair and you’ll have a hard time trying to find them at other fairs like the one in Getxo. Something’s not right there and we really should try and bring these two worlds closer together.
All the same, the debate titled “El Comic en Euskadi: presente y futuro” promises to be one of the outstanding moments of the fair. Taking part will be Jean Françoise Sauré, one of the very few publishing comics in Basque, the recently founded publishers from Bilbo, Astiberri (they have released some really nice stuff so far), Santi Orue from TMEO and the artist from Oñati, Luis Duran. Rober Garay will be acting as moderator and even though it isn’t specified in the programme, it looks as if everything will be in Spanish.
So! Don’t overdo it at Durango. Keep something in the tank for Getxo the following weekend. We need to go to both events. It will give us a broader view of things.
