Content and context

Context

As a citizen of the World who is always trying to balance information from all the different places I’m in contact with, working (with or for) or experiencing different cultures is one of the challenges I enjoy in my line of work. I’m still recovering from the last convention of the year, which happened here in my hometown of São Paulo and is one of the biggest conventions of the World, bringing people from all over the globe in all areas of the entertainment business, and in situations like this I often find myself interacting with creators from both the mainstream and the indie/alternative spectrum, and it’s sometimes weird to realize how I have so much in common with both. I was talking with Aimée de Jongh at one point, for example, and she’s an author from the Netherlands who had no contact with the super hero mainstream market of American comics, and who I’ve met in Toronto the last time I was invited to TCAF because we both had a friend in common who was also there that year, Craig Thompson. Both at TCAF or here in the CCXP convention, she was curious and a little surprised how I had so much in common with the side of comics she and Craig were often, in book fairs and literature festivals, and at the same time had so many friends and connections in the mainstream American market, in the world of monthly comics and artists’ alleys and commissions.

Without context, I’m sure it does seem a little odd.

I grew up reading super-hero comics, and most of what I discovered initially about creator/owned comics came from following authors who had worked on super-hero comics and then went to do something different, like Frank Miller or Mike Mignola, or all of the Image founders. It was only by the time I went for the first time to Comic Con in San Diego that I was slowly discovering how much bigger the market was, and how many different and vibrant the independent scene was. From that moment on, working for Marvel or DC ceased to be a priority, or at least the only (or main) option. Still, I think in my case it was vital in my formation as an author that my main entry point in the American market came from going to San Diego every year since then, and by the fact that, for a long time, San Diego was the only convention where you would find almost all the publishers, and most independent creators on the small press area, and a lot of artists across artists’ alley, and by going every year I was in contact with all of those people, along with all of the other foreigners who were going to American conventions (in a time where San Diego was also the only convention foreigners went to), and we were all there every year celebrating our passion for comics. This passion was everywhere, and it was shared, and I think this helped create a bond. Making comics isn’t easy, no matter what kind of comics you make, and passion is important. If you love comics and are passionate about making comics, you belong to the same tribe, and you’ll recognize your peers wherever you go.

Trevor Noah presented his last episode of the Daily Show. This farewell video is nice, and an example of his humor and intelligence, which I always admired, and it talks a little bit about the importance of context as well, and how without it sometimes important information doesn't makes sense to people.

“Without context, nothing makes sense”.

Content

After many years interacting with that mainstream/monthly comics oriented side of the comics World, it’s very hard not to feel frustrated when we shift from working as long as we can as fast as we can in as much as we can to choosing more carefully our projects and taking as long as each individual projects needs. On top of that, the pandemic really brought me a new meaning to time, one which I haven’t really understood, but know it’s different. I experience time differently than I did up until 2019. I used to take the NOW for granted and spend too much time planning the future. Nowadays, the NOW is much more vivid, and I’m much more aware of it all the time, because I’ve spent the last two and a half years worrying that the NOW could be the END.

I listened to the Mangasplaining podcast last week. It was the last episode of the season, and they talked about Akira volume 4. It was a very interesting conversation, and it made me want to revisit the Cartoonist Kayfabe episode where they also discuss Akira volume 4. And now I want to reread Akira all over again.

Mangasplaining is a very nice podcast about Manga, specially because it contains people who really know Manga, but also because they have Chip Zdarsky, who is a virgin in all things Manga, and his opinions about it are so pure, fresh and inspiring.

Tell me you have already read Akira.

Tell me you have already seen Andor.

Tell me you have seen the Bear, or Station Eleven, or Slow Horses.

I’m curious.

Be safe. Be kind. Be curious.
Pa-ZOW!

Fábio Moon
Moon Base, São Paulo
December 12th, 2022