site.btaBulgarian Comic Book Authors on Need to Promote, Finance This Art Form

The lack of Bulgarian comic books is an obstacle for a better perception of this art form in Bulgaria, said comic book creators Petar Stanimirov, Veselin Chakarov, Ivan Berov and Marin Troshanov on Friday at the Literary Spotlight Festival in Varna.

Stanimirov noted that comic book magazines for children no longer exist in Bulgaria, adding that it is the mission of artists in this genre to succeed in convincing people about the need to finance this art form. He gave the example of Belgium, France and the Czech Republic, where subsidizing comic book magazines is a state policy and the work of artists and screenwriters is supported even in private publishing houses. Storytelling through pictures dates back to the dawn of humanity and the cave paintings, Stanimirov recalled. "Our desire is to educate the young generation in this kind of culture. It's difficult, but in general, today's children are interested in comics," he said, adding that they are already being included in textbooks and teaching aids. According to him, the most preferred comics at the world level are historical, followed by comedy, fantasy and crime.

According to Berov, a way should be found to republish periodical comic book magazines, but they should be aimed at a specific group of readers. The last Bulgarian periodical in the comic book genre was the second generation of the cult series Rainbow, said Berov. Two years ago, a third attempt was made to revive Rainbow, but it succeeded only with printing one issue. Nowadays, comic books are available in all bookstores across Bulgaria, but most of them are imported, the artists said. The spread of manga is increasing, while the demand for European and American comic books is decreasing, noted Berov. The Bulgarian consumer's interest in Japanese manga is explained by the popularity of some of the television series based on them, such as Naruto, he said. He himself emphasised that he prefers to promote European comics. Chakarov and Stanimirov even find the Bulgarian comic books to be of better quality than Marvel's, but according to them, the American ones reach children more easily. The two also believe that Japanese manga is already threatening the global comic book market.

In Bulgaria, comic books are read by older people rather than young people and children, according to writer Marin Troshanov. Younger generations are more into manga and anime. "Those who grew up with Rainbow are now over 35 years old. They have no interest in new comics, but feel nostalgia for the old days and imagine possibilities of how to revive them, which is impossible", he said. According to Troshanov, comic book culture is expensive and demanding, and it is very difficult to make publications at the level the comic book creators deserve in Bulgaria, because the market is too small. "However, we are trying", he added, and gave as an example their joint projects with Petar Stanimirov - Damga, which won an international competition in Belgrade, and Robot Capek, awarded with two national awards.

The Literary Spotlight Festival at the Regional Library in Varna will last until the end of April and is divided into three modules, the first of which is dedicated to comic books. An exhibition of selected panels from the Third National Exhibition of Bulgarian Comics was presented on the first day of the festival, with two more expositions with panels to be opened on March 23 in the space of the Amorpha Youth Foundation, and on March 26 in the Varna City Art Gallery.