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Komikaze '97 is an alternative comics refuge by JULIET WATERS
In the meantime, vive la Résistance, at least for the weekend, as Komikaze brings on its second annual alternative comics conference. While we may mourn our fellow North Americans, we can rest assured that the European alternative comics scene is now a solid institution and its influence on Quebec means that there's little chance of exterminating any alternative comics here.
Komikaze, which Bottenberg and fellow organizers at Productions Criz Antenne hope to make something like Angoulême (the biggest European conference), opens Friday night at Salle Salaberry with a buffet dinner and panel discussion. There will be a collective launch of 20 new self-published comics, which will include Mr. Swiz #4, an anthology of 15 local comics artists in English and French. Throughout the weekend there'll be expositions, B.D. en direct, T-shirts en direct, a comic jam and films about comics and animation. Sunday night en direct work will be auctioned off and the closing party will feature Tricky Woo, the Treblemakers and WD-40. Also connected to Komikaze will be two exhibits by underground icons Henriette Valium (at Le Cheval Blanc) and Guy Boutin (at Café Chaos). And expect a caravan of Toronto artists to be coming down to trade their wares. It's comics to the max, and in a city where close to 85 per cent of all comics are printed, it's surprisingly still the best refuge from the suit and tights guys. Komikaze opens at Salle Salaberry (1710 Beaudry) Friday, June 6, 7 pm. Exhibitions on Saturday and Sunday start at 1 pm. $2. Closing party Sunday night, 8 pm. $5. 523-0622 |
"It's a superhero ghetto now," says Rupert Bottenberg, describing the effects of last year's virtual genrecide of North American alternative comic books. "About half the independent scene was wiped out," he claims, as a result of both Marvel and D.C. Comics buying out their distributors. "Basically, Marvel and D.C. had a choice, which was to either mature along with their market and do more interesting stuff, or to kill off the competition, and unfortunately they chose the latter. It'll take time, probably about five years, but the independent scene will claw its way back eventually."
At least not in the French scene. Last year Komikaze tried to bridge the anglo and franco alternative scenes with parallel events east and west of St-Laurent. But that's pretty unfeasible this time around. "The anglo scene really died last year," claims Bottenberg, who'd done much to build it with his periodic comic jams. And while the comic jam idea has now taken off like wildfire in Toronto, in the Montreal English scene the only thing taking off has been the artists, with such luminaries as Chantal Doyle, Holly Staymer and Marc Bell leaving for other cities.