Wednesday, October 30, 2024, 06:58
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Publishing abroad, accessing the international market, is one of the most desired outlets for many comic authors. Collaborating with large American publishers, such as Marvel or DC Comics, is an option, as is the Franco-Belgian market or the rise of manga. Numerous native artists work for other countries, proof of this are the nominations for the Eisner Awards, known in the mainstream media as “the Oscars of comics.” The reading of the winners takes place during the celebration of the San Diego Comic-Con, a great event dedicated to the medium in the United States, cradle of the superhero genre. An exceptional party where long-awaited trailers for current series and movies are also announced for the first time.
Several national authors appear, year after year, on the list of nominees for the awards, certifying the excellent health of our comic strip in creative terms (the economic section is another story, as this report makes clear, which comes with this its fifth installment).
Creators participating in events
at international events
Creators participating in events
at international events
Creators participating in events
at international events
Creators participating in events
at international events
“From my personal experience it was the only possible way out,” says Natacha Bustos (‘Moon Girl and Diabolical Dinosaur’, ‘Spiderwoman’). “Looking for foreign markets was the only viable way I saw to be able to make a living from this profession, which was what I aspired to.” He began publishing in the American market due to “a mixture of perseverance, stubbornness and luck,” he says. «Being there at the right time and having the support of professional colleagues who helped me guide the way, contact editors, show my work…».
Javier Rodríguez (‘Superman’, ‘Daredevil’) was one of them.
Cartoons from ‘Daredevil’, by Javier Rodríguez
Cartoons from ‘Superman: the Order of the Black Lamp’, by Javier Rodríguez
Cartoons from ‘Superman: the Order of the Black Lamp’, by Javier Rodríguez
Cartoons from ‘Daredevil’, by Javier Rodríguez
Cartoons from ‘Superman: the Order of the Black Lamp’, by Javier Rodríguez
Cartoons from ‘Daredevil’, by Javier Rodríguez
Cartoons from ‘Daredevil’, by Javier Rodríguez
Cartoons from ‘Superman: the Order of the Black Lamp’, by Javier Rodríguez
He explains his experience in jumping into the foreign market: “I started collaborating in foreign publishing houses in a very timid way,” he says. «First I had something published in Italy about what I was doing for the magazine ‘El Víbora’. Then I tried to find a life in France. There I ended up releasing a series called Lolita HR with Delphine Rieu, a screenwriter there. I had the great accolade in the United States thanks to working as a colorist for my friend Marcos Martín. Once there, with a long career as a colorist, I was lucky that they were also interested in my work as a cartoonist. And I entered in a somewhat ‘sui generis’ way because I hardly did any tests or anything, as usual. One day they offered me the opportunity to try and I started drawing Spider-Man and continue to this day. This is how the cartoonist and colorist tells it, explaining that to date he has collaborated “especially with Marvel, now with DC Comics and with a few other publishers occasionally such as Dark Horse.” “Once you enter, it is your work that supports you,” he certifies.
Cartoons from ‘The Defenders’, by Javier Rodríguez
Cartoons from ‘The Defenders’, by Javier Rodríguez
Cartoons from ‘The Defenders’, by Javier Rodríguez
Cartoons from ‘The Defenders’, by Javier Rodríguez
Teresa Valero (‘Brujeando’) is a good example of an author with one foot in the Franco-Belgian market. “The closest people publish directly for France or publish halfway between France and Spain,” he says about his experience.
Vignettes from ‘Contrapaso’, by Teresa Valero
Vignettes from ‘Brujeando’, by Teresa Valero
Vignettes from ‘Contrapaso’, by Teresa Valero
Vignettes from ‘Brujeando’, by Teresa Valero
Vignettes from ‘Brujeando’, by Teresa Valero
Vignettes from ‘Contrapaso’, by Teresa Valero
Vignettes from ‘Brujeando’, by Teresa Valero
Vignettes from ‘Contrapaso’, by Teresa Valero
«They keep the Spanish rights while publishing in France. That’s my way of doing it. The type of comic that I make right now – I’m working on the new installment of ‘Contrapaso’ – is a type of comic that has been going on for a long time. Therefore, the advance I have does not cover at all the work I put into it, but it is much higher than what they could give me directly with Spain alone,” he says. «It seemed to me that it was the most sensible thing to try to obtain a large advance and have a direct relationship with France, an interesting market. I speak French, I know French culture well and I like to work directly as an author for the French market, going there to promote,” she continues.
And he warns that «the French, in addition, immediately adopt you, they have a very inclusive sense of culture. For them, the moment you publish there they practically consider you French and treat you like one of their own and there is usually practically no difference, even if you are from outside.
Languages into which the works of the creators have been translated
Languages into which the works of the creators have been translated
Languages into which the works of the creators have been translated
Languages into which the works of the creators have been translated
On the one hand, Valero asks, “we have to get people interested in reading comics, that comics are ‘cool’, that those who read comics are socially considered better,” aware that “we have a way forward there.” On the other hand, “it is true that we authors have a certain feeling that we are the fools in the movie, that everyone can make a living from comics except us. This has some truth and some false. Whoever has found a way to make a living from it is because they diversify. The percentage of a bookseller, a publisher, or a distributor comes from the fact that their percentage is from many comics. We do not have that possibility. We can only live off one album we make a year. Producing them is very slow.
Percentage of production based on licenses or international intellectual property
Percentage of production based on licenses or international intellectual property
Percentage of production based on licenses or international intellectual property
Percentage of production based on licenses or international intellectual property
Regarding this idea, Valero warns that “it is a problem that is difficult to solve in which the author, due to a question of what his work is like, has the upper hand.” And the solution? «All row in unison to increase the throws«.
Creators who have had the services of an agent in the last 5 years
Creators who have had the services of an agent in the last 5 years
Creators who have had the services of an agent in the last 5 years
Creators who have had the services of an agent in the last 5 years
For this reason, he believes, “it would be good for the rest of the chain not to saturate the market too much.” He warns that “the consumer cannot buy everything and authors cannot hope to have a minimally decent print run published.” He returns to that solution: “If we could get an agreement between everyone so that no one was hurt too much and the authors could see a little more percentage on a larger print run, I think that would be part of the solution.”
International copyright sale
International copyright sale
Main markets in which Spanish publishers sell copyrights
“I see a very healthy future,” defends Rodríguez. «I think that comics are a very recent language, like cinema or photography. They are barely 100 years old and are condemned to evolve. Furthermore, because comics have a universal language, in the instruction manuals that have to be addressed in all languages, they normally opt for comic language, to give an example.
Cartoons from ‘History of the Marvel Universe’, by Javier Rodríguez
Cartoons from ‘History of the Marvel Universe’, by Javier Rodríguez
Cartoons from ‘History of the Marvel Universe’, by Javier Rodríguez
Cartoons from ‘History of the Marvel Universe’, by Javier Rodríguez
The artist of ‘History of the Marvel Universe’ is clear: «As a fictional narrative, the death of comics has been predicted for many years and it has more and more readers. It is a format that, due to the way it is published, even now that it can be read digitally, is very portable. Let it entertain you for a while is still very current and still very current. “I’m not a futurist, but I see a lot of future for the medium.”
What is ‘The Comic Inside?
This is a great report that is published in installments every Wednesday, linked to a newsletter that you can sign up for here. Comics, graphic novels, comics, or whatever we want to call printed sequential art, sales skyrocketed during the tremendous pandemic. The current figures exceed the numbers managed before the coronavirus, where reading was a magnificent option to kill boredom during confinement, but 2024 brings an uncertain recession that affects bookstores and publishers. In general, the medium continues to be largely unknown, both for the general public and for the media and institutions, but some firm steps are being taken towards its “normalization”, such as the already consolidated National Award or the White Book of Comics , incomplete but necessary, published earlier this year. It is urgent to shed light on an expanding artistic discipline, in continuous inventive effervescence, which does not always allow the artist to live comfortably. When speaking with several professionals in the sector about its current state, the latest market trends, job insecurity, its internationality and how difficult it is to use the word industry over altruism, among other basic topics that affect a constantly changing graphic art. motion. Creatively, the comic is better than ever, it is edited more than ever, but it seems impossible to get rid of the happy word crisis.
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Writing
Borja Crespo -
Narrative, coordination and development
Sara I. Belled -
Design and infographic
Leticia Aróstegui
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