The cartoonists have spoken, or rather, they have drawn. Eneko traces the bat on the shield of Valencia, and the kinetic lines of its flight, which create in the air the gesture of pain for the loss of the mother with her dead son that Pablo Picasso draws in Guernica. Flavita Banana reproduces the composition of the famous photograph of Joe Rosenthal of six marines raising the American flag on Iwo Jima, only that, in their version, the titanic effort is not carried out by the military who were conspicuous by their absence in the crucial moments of the Dana disasterbut by citizens who raise a gigantic mop. They are the anonymous heroes, who get to work out of pure solidarity with their fellow citizens.
Iñaki and Frenchyvery critical of the management of the catastrophe by all the administrations involved, state in a sharp and painful graphic reflection: “In the face of a catastrophe, the height at which we should not be, is that of mud.” Finally, even Plantu, the famous French cartoonist, dedicates a vignette to the tragedy, criticizing the urban expansion of the city in the 80s, by building on the river’s floodbed.
Without a doubt, the x-ray of what happened, in the eyes of our comic authors, is more than clear. Compared to the human losses, which are at the heart of this tragedy, evaluating the cultural losses It seems like something “laughable.” But culture is healing (we knew it well in the last pandemic), and this work will have to be undertaken as part of the return to normality, since the comic suffered significant losses because of Dana.
It is difficult to quantify, and they may be much higher, as the days progress and the scope of the tragedy becomes better known. The most obvious is that of the Camacuc publishing housewhich publishes the magazine of the same name, which was going to turn 40 years old in September, and which has been completely destroyed. The bookstores in the south of Valencia have been very damaged, some as active in promoting and disseminating comics and illustration as La Moixeranga or Somnis de Paper (Sueños de Papel. Their owners, Laia García and Jorge Cabezas, are experiencing a true nightmare).
Aldana Editorial has its warehouse in Ribarroja del Turia, so it has presumably lost it; and several distributors have them south of Valencia. Possibly, they have not had better luck, paper and water do not get along. Finally, the IVAM of Valencia has a warehouse in the area and, given that its heritage includes comics and illustrations, it is possible that heritage losses have occurred that affect the field of the ninth art.
Authors affected
And then, of course, there are the authors… Cristina Durán and Miguel Ángel Giner have lost the Grúa studio, from which they developed their work, including all their originals. Other cartoonists such as Víctor Pukhalsky, Elías Taño, Vicente Perpiñá, Fran Salcedo, Diego Mir, and Adrián Bonilla have also been affected. Most of them, with property losses; some, unfortunately, suffering personal tragedies in close relatives.
But the world of comics is very active and supportive, and has moved firmly to support and help from inside and outside Valencia. The first initiative that I was aware of was that of Román López-Cabrera who, without hesitation, has uploaded 45 portraits of great comic authors to his social networks and put them up for sale. The collected amount is entered daily into Red Crossso that they can distribute it conveniently among the victims.
Online solidarity sales
The comics sector has set out to reproduce this same model, and is organizing an online sale of originals, the proceeds of which will immediately go to the same organization. It is supported by other organizations such as ARGHthe professional association of comic book writers, or The Collective of Authorspushing together to bring together the largest possible group of cartoonists who wish to participate in this initiative.
Without being a closed list, since names such as Miguelanxo Prado, Sagar, David Rubín, Lorenzo Montatore, Raúl, Teresa Valero, Jesús Merino, Anekke continue to be added. Bartolomé Segui, Miguel Ángel Martín, Ana Juan, Pascual Ferry and a long list of more than 50 artists. The sector itself will offer complete information on where to acquire them in the coming days.
The magazine ‘El Jueves’ does the same with the complicity of its cartoonists, among others: Don Julio, Raúl Salazar, Juanjo Cuerda, Bernal, Irene Márquez, Mamen Moreu, etc., and will soon set up an online store where you can purchase the originals. The Green Room gallery, specialized in national artists who succeed in American comics, is preparing a similar initiative…
This brief article serves as a speaker for these initiatives, and let the reader who has always wanted to acquire an original by their favorite cartoonist, not miss the opportunity. You will take a small treasure home and it will be the best spent money in the world.
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