Comics as a Medium
A POPULAR MEDIUM
A popular medium par excellence, comics are all around us in everyday life: in bookshops, exhibitions, cinema, urban art, museums and the press, both general and specialised.
Comics come in a thousand and one forms today. Mangas, American-style adventure stories and graphic novels win over new readers day after day. In France, Agence France Presse reports that more than 250 comics publishers share a market estimated at 6.5% of total publishing sales.
The number of comic books published in French-speaking parts of Europe has multiplied threefold in less than 10 years, with nearly 4,200 titles published in 2009.
COMMUNICATING THROUGH COMICS
Comics inspire the world of communication. Connections between the two are natural for many artists. Starting in the late 1950s, some of the biggest names from the golden age of comics, like Will, created original stories for famous trademarks.
Certain comic books commissioned by associations, institutions or advertisers are held up as benchmarks today. Titles like "Zélie Nord Sud", "Cosey" and "Jo", by Derib, are republished on a regular basis. Comics can be a fantastic communication tool if used wisely, but it takes more than a good idea to produce a successful comic book.
Certain stumbling blocks, like an overly didactic approach, too much information or a casting error in the choice of authors, can be avoided with the collaboration of a specialised agency. Every detail counts: a well written script, quality graphics, layout, finishing, in short, respect for traditional rules for both the style and substance of comics.
ORIGINAL WORKS
Many comic strip authors, and important ones at that, have contributed to the creation of original works for institutional and private clients. In 1986, the International Comics Festival in Angoulême, France, created a specific award in recognition of these crossovers between the worlds of comics and communication. Frank Margerin, author of "Lucien", was the first to be presented this Alph-Art Communication award.
In 2003, the award went to the European Parliament for "Troubled Waters", by Dominique David (drawings), Cristina Cuadra and Rudi Miel (script). The next year, Handicap International and Zep received the award for a booklet entitled "Faut pô avoir peur" portraying Titeuf in different circumstances where he is confronted with a disability.
