Ukrainian Comic Con

Ok, maybe not. More like an exhibition of Soviet comic artists and authors. But still, I've been looking for this sort of thing throughout my 19 months in Ukraine; the art scene, the counter-culture, Spiderman in Russian, locals who look more like Tank Girl than receptionist Barbie.

The event was held at the ArtPRICHAL gallery in Kiev, a nifty little art space wedged in under a bridge along the Dnepr river. The front of the room consisted of a few tables where vendors were selling comics and graphic novels, mostly by American authors, both in English and Russian. The back of the space was set up for lectures about a variety of topics, including art techniques, new technologies, and breaking into the industry. One of those new technologies was being featured at a small station in the centre of the room: a digital pad that registers a stylus and renders its strokes onto a computer screen.

Lining the walls of the whole gallery, poster-sized reproductions of comic book pages were hung. For me, this was the main attraction. All of these comics were written and drawn by ex-Soviet authors and artists. It was enthralling to see what kind of graphic art is coming out of this region, all of it burgeoning and creative. Not surprisingly, very little of it was influenced by the DC/Marvel giants in the American industry. There was rather a strong connection between Asian manga and this art style, though not exclusively. Some pages were reminiscent of Shel Silverstein, some of Tim Burton, while still others were akin to webcomics such as Penny Arcade.

Without any further blathering, some of the pieces that I found interesting:

History of a samurai
"Harikiri!"
The End.

"I am not a cat!"

Several panels from the textless comic "The Red Thread," which reminded me of Harold and the Purple Crayon.

"The Forgotten," another textless story about a monkey and his dog, abandoned in space, and how the come home.

One of the really fun things about reading comics in Russian is seeing how they put sound into text. "SKREEEEEEE TOOD!" (a squeeky hinge and then a door slam)

4 from a whole Farside-esque series of mini-comics in a book named simply "Ostrich." Basically, what happens in different situations when a timorous ostrich sticks its head underground.

For anyone living in the region (or anyone simply interested in some Russian comics) there is a big online vendor called On The Bus. This time next year, they should have a location open in Kiev as well. For anyone who has ever looked, you know that it's impossible to find comics in book stores here. If you're language learning, it is helpful to read something with pictures that also doesn't treat you like a 5 year old. Not only that, but there's lots of fun slang and colloquialisms. I'll be working through some X-Men this winter, and hopefully I will be able to give villainous monologues and witty one-liners in time for my close of service language test!