An other side of Afghanistan in comic form

(This blogpost was published in Dutch on my blog about the graphic novel project http://afghanistanstrip.blogspot.nl/)

It has been quiet for a long time around the graphic novel project about the Dutch soldiers in Afghanistan. It was actually halted as I was busy with another project. In May this year I went to Afghanistan. Kabul to be precise. Partly because I heard and recorded so many stories, and just because I'm totally fascinated by the country.
Earlier I tried to go embedded with Dutch troops, but my drawings were not very appreciated by defense-information. They found them too shocking and realistic. Exactly! I find it very important to show reality. Nevertheless, I kept looking for a way to go to Afghanistan and I came upon a remarkable event in Kabul via the facebook page of ISAF. Sound Central Festival.

A festival for alternative music and art forms. A safe place where young people can express themselves freely and safely. I found this so special, I had to see this. I emailed the organization to visit the festival and make a journalistic comic for a newspaper, do live sketching and help anywhere needed. They were interested and took me on as one of the artists of the festival. After five months of preparation I left for 10 days to Kabul. Obviously a great experience. Also a chance to see a totally different side of Afghanistan. I met many young, courageous and inspiring people who want to build and develop the country. And of course as a Dutch, it was great to see Afghans enjoy punkrock, hardrock, metal and more. The country deserves a chance!
The graphic report was published Saturday, June 8th in the background and opinion booklet 'Vonk' of the Volkskrant. Thus one of the first journalistic comics in Dutch newspaper.

I chose this form because I found it such a special event, the report also had to impress the reader. A newspaper article about the festival is very good and the festival deserves the attention. But I hope it has a dual efficiency through comic: "Hey a comic in the newspaper! Hey it brings totally different news from Afghanistan!"
This principle is also applicable on the graphic novel project about the soldiers and veterans. I'll soon return working on this project again to try and publish the book this year. There are still some comics waiting to be inked, a number of shorter stories that need to be worked out and six additional items that are included in the book.

Thanks for your ongoing interest. Stay tuned because the project about SCF is far from over. Next week the English version of the graphic report will be published on internet.

More information and pictures about the graphic report on:

https://www.facebook.com/SoundCentralFestival2013AGraphicReport

Rockin, drawin and interviewin in Kabul

So.. Yeah it's been quite a while since an update about any comic related items. A shame really because I'm working on a really cool project. Those of you who know about my work, are familliar with the graphic novel I'm working on about Dutch soldiers in Uruzgan, Afghanistan, and my interest in comics-journalism. And right now I'm in Kabul, Afghanistan in a guest house in the diplomatic area, writing a blog again.

Ok so, what I'm doing here is visiting and participating at the Sound Central Festival (YES! Check-out the link!) 2013 in Kabul. An alternative music festival where young people can freely express themselves. Everybody can do what they want. Rap, dance, rock, bang your head on psychedelic metal, puppetry, paint, graffiti, and so on, for boys and girls. And whatever they do, they're pretty good at it! (You should have seen the mosh-pit on the third day!!!) The first day was for the women only and at least 500 to 550 women and girls attended. That's about 350 more than last year. The other two days are for everybody to attent. The second day was more kinda like an arts day for the hippies and the third and last day was ROCK-day! And I'm here to make a reportage of it and do live sketching.
Since I find this a really special festival, I wanted the story also presented in a special form for a Dutch newspaper. And since I'm not such a great writer like a normal journalist, but I do draw quite well, I'll be presenting this story as a graphic report for the Dutch newspaper. And after that also offcourse in English.

I assume that there are not a lot of people who know about this festival. It's kinda hard to imagine perhaps that you held a festival in a 'war-zone'. But hey! Rockin all over the world. So for me, the first two days I did live sketching with indian-ink and watercolors,  wanted to do that on the last day as well, but it was just too crowded, so much to see, I did lot's of interviews, took pictures, so the third day was more my journalistic day. And NOW, I really must start working on the comic, filter all the ideas and impressions, listen back to the interviews (and one is really going to take long because another guy had to translate during that interview), sketch some ideas for the comic, make a rough scenario and map for the comic.. Ah no I better stop because I gotta get to work!

I'll get back to you soon, and I'll also give some impression about Kabul itself. Geeeezz the traffic here is suicide!! But more on that, party's, chillin with Afghani's at the guest house, security, guns, barbed wire and walls and police with AK-47, around next week.


Cheers and read your comics and graphic novels!

New research planned

The Animated Graphic Novel

Thesis:

The Graphic Novel is a medium that's rising in popularity and is more and more accepted as literature. In The Netherlands the medium is quite new and also rising in popularity as more and more graphic novels are being translated, and to be found in more and more bookstores. 

But just as soon, this medium is gaining popularity, a sub-genre is developping. The Animated Graphic Novel. 

Like in normal literature, graphic novel-readers can be dragged into the story, identify themselves with the characters etc. etc.. Propably due to the story's quality and the quality of the drawings.

The Animated Graphic Novel might be achieving the same effect with readers and I'm sure some allready are. I'm referring to Metal Gear Solid (video above). The reader determines it's own pace. But not all of these animated graphic novels allow the reader to determine it's own pace. 

This immediately approaches my thesis: These animated graphic novels are well developed. But in my opinion they can put too much pressure on the reader and it becomes difficult to be dragged into the story and have the reader, or in this case viewer, identify itself with the main-character in such a short time (3 min. / 10 min.). Besides, I find these formats more animation instead of animated graphic novel, and in that case almost an infringement on the medium. Once again, the ideal form for the reader would be to determine it's own pace.

Why this research?

New forms of media allow ideal opportunities for the animated graphic novel. Imagine the format like an e-book. Minimal animation and pace of reading determined by the reader. I hope to find out how the animated graphic novel could be applied at it's best! It's an upcoming market and I believe it can grow much more popular.

I'll do theoretical research and explore articles (An Online Graphic Novel: Students’ Experiences and Research Literacy Gains, Cartoon adults: What graphic novels tell us about consumer identity, Storytelling through computer animation)  and literature (Understanding Comics, The invisible art by Scott McCloud). I might set up polls and spread them under genre- and literature fans. Above placed videos, and others as well, will be analysed on positive and negative aspects. Next to that, I want to gather the possibilities with gadgets like the I-pad and other related gadgets.
I'll try and publish for the minor sound and image, an animated graphic novel myself based on this research, for I love to write and draw.

The research includes the comic-, graphic novel, literature and the gadget universe. In this case it would be very interesting for, publishers, writers, screenwriters, graphic novelists, animators, audio-engineers, students, teachers, genre-interested public, perhaps even autodidacts. Graphic Novels and comics are already being applied as teaching methods!
As for myself, as I already explained, I love to draw and write, and hope to publish a graphic novel someday as well. Be it animated or in book-form.

Via this blog I'll keep you updated about the research. Don't be confused if you might find sketches, drawings, short graphic novels or reviews I posted. As a matter of fact, I recommend you read "GodDAMN mother fucking BULLshitfuck shitFUCK! GodDAMN mother fucking BULLshitfuck shitFUCK!" A review I wrote about DMZ #4 Friendly Fire. It's about how the book managed to get me dragged into the story. How about you click the link above and start reading?