From Tarkan to Zombistan: Comic Strips in Turkey

From Tarkan to Zombistan: Comic Strips in Turkey
With the support of Brussels Comics 2009, Binfikir (a monthly newspaper in Turkish language, published in Belgium) organized the conference “Comic Strip in Turkey”. The conference will be held on June 5th, 14:00, at Istanbul Center in Brussels. The address is: Istanbul Center, Avenue des Arts 46 – 1000, Brussels. Subject: From Tarkan to Zombistan. Comic Strips in Turkey: A Look at the contemporary trends in the light of an eclectic history.
Artist Gürcan Gürsel, humor writer Erdinc Utku and writer/editor Murat Mihcioglu will present information on what Turks like to read nowadays, through which phases Turkish comics have come to where they are now, what problems creators face and the influence of European comics on Turkish press. Examples from different eras of Turkish comics history will be presented to the audience. From such highlights as the swashbuckling heroes Tarkan and Karaoglan to the contemporary graphic novels of success such as Zombistan and The Bear Rider, a brief history of authentic comic book production will be put under scrutiny.
Gürcan Gürsel, the artist of Turkish origin who is famous for his sports-related BD albums (Les Foots Furieux, Top 15, etc.) will focus on his personal history, which is part of the successful humor magazine of a time, Girgir. Erdinc Utku, the general coordinator of Binfikir newspaper, will moderate the talks, while focusing on cartoons and humor mostly. Murat Mihcioglu, the founder of Rodeo Publications (known best for Rodeo Strip, the authentic comics magazine that was on the newsstands in Turkey until recently) will inform the audience on how Rodeo survived and gave start to the series of brand-new graphic novels such as Zombistan by Cem Ozuduru.
All comic book publishers, readers, collectors and enthusiasts are welcome to the event. After the conference, samples from the contemporary Turkish comics magazines and graphic novels will be given away to the audience as presents (examples to some of the comics mentioned can be found at www.striphaber.com/rad01 and www.striphaber.com/rad02). [Murat Mihcioglu]
(Source: http://www.afnews.info/ mercoledì 3 giugno 2009)