Print

[Andrew999]

Osarenkhoe Ogbeide has not wasted his time punting down the river at Cambridge. With what might be considered perfect timing in light of current events, he has launched New Africa Comics, promising to draw upon the rich heritage of African history and mythology with a modern contemporary mise en sc

[Andrew999]

Whilst ignoring the more bizarre click-bait elements of BLM (statue-toppling, virtue-signalling, knee-bending, police-defunding etc), the core argument of how black/brown culture has been marginalised and dominated by 'white' companies is worth analysing.

Indian comics, for example, joined the international surge of interest in comic books in the 1980s - through companies like Raj and Tulsi - but both faded around the turn of the century (though Raj continues in a reduced state).

The reasons were complex as always - reduced interest in comic books, growth of alternative media, poor editorial decisions - but also the marketing power and channels of distribution of DC/Marvel in India, seen as a new market, backed by mega-buck movies - forced out local content. Remember that phrase from college economics 101 - if you control distribution, you control both production and retail. (That's why, incidentally, the Chinese have focussed on the Belt & Road Initiative (BRI) - If they control worldwide distribution.........)

But there is some hope of an Indian comeback:

https://theprint.in/features/tulsi-comics-the-labour-of-love-that-gave-hindi-readers-characters-like-angara-jambu/449165/

https://theprint.in/features/brandma/sorry-shaktimaan-it-is-nagraj-who-was-the-first-superhero-of-india/356578/

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/books/features/reviving-indian-comics-from-print-to-smartphones-and-beyond/articleshow/71594290.cms

Let's hope it works. If the Indian comic book industry can regain its feet, there's a whole wealth of mythology, history and new creations available to entertain us all.

[The Australian Panther]

The reasons were complex as always - reduced interest in comic books, growth of alternative media, poor editorial decisions - but also the marketing power and channels of distribution of DC/Marvel in India, seen as a new market, backed by mega-buck movies - forced out local content.

This is a process which started well before that. A consequence of World War 11 in particular that is not well-enough appreciated is that the physical presence of Americans in most countries round the world, with their social and cultural habits [ ice-cream, cigarettes, hot-dogs, hamburgers, jeans etc ] amplified with the power of radio which brought swing, jazz and RnB, electriciy and technological know-how and then the american press which brought comic books and pulps in huge quantities and movies, overwhelmed and obliterated many cultural elements of other countries with a glimpse of what seemed a more vital culture.
Two examples, pre-war Australia had a growing movie industry and a vital comics industry. Comics industry basically wiped out by the mid-fifties by competition form cheap US imports.Television and HiFi brought music into our homes The invention of electric guitars, cheap amplifiers and then portable transistor radios cemented it.[ I don't think there was a city or Island anywhere in world in the 50s to 60s where three guitarists, a drummer and a keyboard player didn't form a band. Punk was a revival] The Australian Film Industry recoverd in 70s and 80s but currently moribund. Look at Japan, the most American culture outside America?
I don't necessarily see this entirely as a bad thing by any means.
India now has Bollywood, Nigeria has believe it or not, Nollywood!
China tho,isn't making much of a cultural dent on the world. Read any Chinese comics lately? Know any Chinese Rock Groups? Read any good Chinese Novels? Where there is restricted freedom of expression you don't have a vigorous out-going culture. So there have been a lot of positives in the spread of US technology and culture.
End of Rave! 
       
              ,   

[Andrew999]

I think that's pretty spot on - perhaps to some extent, you could generalise the argument and say the dominant 'empire' tends to always swamp local cultures when they 'invade'. I'm pretty sure British culture pushed out indigenous cultures wherever they landed. In those days, it was not so much entertainment (because electromedia didn't exist) but more sports and literature - cricket, rugby, soccer, Shakespeare etc.

The Ionians took bullfighting to Iberia (and the Arabs took flamenco) and so on - The Romans taught everyone military culture (companies, battalions, regiments), the Latin language and the classics - The Church swamped all forms of art for nearly a thousand years - nothing but icons and Bible images as far as the eye can see - how many artists lived and died never being able to express themselves?

It makes you begin to realise what we may have lost with local cultures constantly being repressed. It's lucky there are social anthropologists who try to recover some of that

Chinese rock/pop? I like the Boogie Playboys (because I like retro-pop) and who doesn't like SNH48 and the Rocket Girls? The Chinese underground rock scene is surprisingly strong but not to my taste.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_rock

Mainland Chinese movies are beginning to spread too - though language is obviously a barrier, not everyone likes subtitles:

https://www.imdb.com/list/ls042966561/

And Chinese comics (manhua) again slowly beginning to spread - my favourite being Black Mask (definitely pinched from Green Hornet whatever they say!):

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_manhua

I think that from about 2030 onwards, this will be the Chinese century - and contemporary Chinese culture will be more visible as time passes. We may all be doing Tai Chi in the park every morning soon!

[crashryan]

It's funny how Japan, after being awash in American culture for decades following WWII, more than made up for it with manga and anime, which all but pushed out old-school comic art both here (the US) and in Europe. When I meet young comic art fans and/or wannabe pros, they all draw in one manga style or another. When even the Disney product is anime-influenced, you know the seas have changed.

China already has a major impact on Western movies. The Chinese market is huge, and everyone here in Tinseltown begs major funding from China. In return the Americans have to follow a strict rulebook: no Chinese villains, no sympathy for Hong Kong or Taiwan, tacit recognition of Chinese ownership of the South China Sea, no Burma, no Uighurs, and above all no jokes about Beijing. If China doesn't like what you do, they pull your funding and you lose millions of dollars. It's all about the millions of dollars.

It's likely Andrew is right: this is shaping up to be the Chinese Century, not because of any structural superiority but because they're willing to do what the US did after WWII: spend endless amounts of money around the world to buy influence (and often hegemony) in less prosperous areas. The US could be doing the same thing, but the power elite these days is focused upon filling their own coffers, not retaining, much less expanding, national prestige. It's all about individuals getting as much as possible right now while giving as little as possible. The future ends at the next quarterly earnings report. The Chinese are playing the long game. Someday it will dawn on future American leaders that they've been relegated to the "B" league, and they'll have no one to blame but themselves.

[paw broon]

Glasgow had/has a fair size Chinese/oriental population and there were little shops up nr. the art school where you could find Hong Kong comics, incl. those nowadays hard to find, landscape formats. I would buy some any time I was up there.  All kung fu, hites and non stop fights.   
As Panther notes, the pop group thing was rife in the UK in the late '50's, '60's . The street I lived in had the drummer from a m.o.t.r./ceilidh band; a pop singer who fronted a group and had some local fame; Davy, rhythm guitarist and chanter with The System and me, lead vocals and rhythm guitar in a couple of bands.  Our claim to fame was appearing at The Maryland Blues Club in Glasgow supporting NSU, a Coatbridge heavy band who had success with a couple of albums.
The British comic market certainly suffered after distribution of American comics started in '59/'60 but the British love of weeklies continued for a time.
Crash is bang on, imo.  And the U.K. seems to many people to already be in the "B" league.  We just think we're still that great power. 

[Andrew999]

This may be their moment:

https://ynaija.com/comic-republic-is-leading-africas-triumphant-march-into-the-comic-book-universe/

Nigeria is destined to be a superpower in the 22nd century so it seems only right they should have their own comic book universe. I wish them well - anything that challenges the duopoly of DC/Marvel can't be a bad thing

[The Australian Panther]

When I was in Ghana back in the 90s,my Ghanan friend, [whom I had met in Australia after he had illegally traveled through Nigeria to the the middle east where he got work in a hotel in (I think) Syria. This I point out, to make it clear that he had seen enough of the world to make accurate comparisons] he said that in Nigeria you could see people who were poorer than you could begin to imagine and Rich people who were richer than you could possibly imagine. Its a significant country obviously, but highly unbalanced and unstable.It's future will be one to watch.   
I don't know why citizens of the UK are so consistently negative about the place. Out here in Australia we scratch our heads about that. Also because we can't wait to resume trading and increased economic ties with the UK.
2020 index of economic freedom. UK
https://www.heritage.org/index/country/unitedkingdom
So world rank 7

Steady growth has made Britain

[Andrew999]

No offence taken, I assure you!

Actually, I'm not one of those whining poms who keep criticising the UK. On the whole, I think it's a fairly decent place to live - though I wish we had better governance - the current mob in charge remind me of the Keystone Cops with Coco the Clown at the wheel.

In terms of income inequality, both the UK and Australia are much the same (UK: 34.8 and Oz: 34.4 using the GINI Coefficient). The higher the number, the greater the inequality but anything under 40 is seen by economists as acceptable (that is, economically efficient). Nigeria interestingly has a coefficient of 35.5 - much improved in the last ten years - though of course in all three countries (UK, US and Nigeria) you will find some stinkingly rich people who will be first up against the wall when the revolution comes. All three oddly are better than that 'communist' country China on 38.5 (communist, yeah, right - when I worked there every one I met described themselves as a businessman)

The USA is 41.4 (oh dear).

[Andrew999]

By coincidence - but also a sign of the times - I stumbled across these free comic books today:

https://www.nse-stocktown.com

Produced by the Nigerian Stock Exchange, they are intended to improve financial literacy amongst Nigeria's burgeoning middle class and help fulfil the country's target of reducing poverty to 20%.

So there you are - comic books leading the way to a better future!

[Andrew999]

I was once briefly linked to AK Comics of Egypt. They were really nice people but sadly it didn't take off - not an unfamiliar story in the comic book world of course. It did spark my interest in Egyptian comic books and I've tried to keep on top ever since.

Here's a good introduction to the current scene:

https://egyptianstreets.com/2020/07/17/5-of-the-best-egyptian-comic-books/

https://qaherathesuperhero.com

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qahera

and an interesting article on what might be called Golden Age:

https://medium.com/@ndamluji/the-comic-book-heroes-of-egypt-7030f6a884fd

[The Australian Panther]

Thank you for the Egypt links Andrew. 

[The Ghost Man]

Excellent and inspiring to see global independent comics that put out content of interest. Thanks for sharing the links to these under-the-radar comics, I hope there's more out there. Please share more anyone who discovers these.

[Andrew999]

Want to support Libyan-Egyptian comics?

Rusumat are running a kickstarter campaign for two new comic books:

https://rusumat.co

There are also FREE comics on the site - worth checking out (scroll down the page). Neil Gibson's Twisted Dark series is - well, dark - but excellent quality. Of course, Neil's British - probably has some kind of exchange deal with Rusumat.

Some news on Neil:

https://granitecitycomicculture.wordpress.com/2018/01/28/interview-with-a-comic-book-writer-neil-gibson/

https://www.tpub.co.uk

[Andrew999]

With Africa emerging as a new powerhouse of independent comic production, the new Afropolitan exhibition at Angouleme comes at an apposite moment:

https://www.rfi.fr/en/africa/20200804-africa-s-comic-artists-tell-powerful-stories-in-unique-online-exhibition

[narfstar]

GREAT thread. I just read the Nigerean stock exchange comics very cool