The Hangar Exhibition
Amman Design Week 2019’s Hangar Exhibition presents a brief and non-comprehensive survey of the history of comics in the Arab World as well as an insight into comic collectives that have emerged in recent years from Jordan, Egypt, Lebanon, and Morocco. The comic collectives take their inspiration from as far as Tintin in Belgium and Grendizer in Japan, yet the issues that are addressed remain relevant and rooted in local narratives.
TokTok Issue 7 Cover by Tawfik
Comic magazines and collectives have been on the rise in recent years, beginning with the launch of Samandal in Beirut in 2007, with its bold and daring narratives inspiring a lot of illustrators and writers to create their own comics. Samandal is a volunteer-based non-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of the art of comics in Lebanon and the rest of the world, publishing and organizing comics-related events since 2007. The Samandal Collective today includes Tracy Chahwan, Nour Hifaoui Fakhoury, Joseph Kai, Karen Keyrouz, Raphaelle Macaron, Lena Merhej, and Barrack Rima.
Geography Cover (2015), by Joseph Kai
Other participating independent comics collectives include Toktok and Garage Magazine from Egypt, as well as Skefkef, the Casablanca-based comics collective that explores the social and cultural dimensions of Morocco.
Cairo Comics Festival ad by Fanzeen
The exhibition was organized in collaboration with Mike V. Derderian, the founder of the Jordanian comics collective Fanzeen, launched in 2018 and producing comics that tackle everything from science fiction to fantasy and featuring work from comic artists from Jordan and abroad.
Header Photo: Garage Magazine Issue 2 Cover by Twins Cartoon