Much, much more than a simple comic book

Year after year we see that the comic is no longer the poor cousin of creativity and that is can now rub shoulders as an equal with most formats in the world of artistic expression. The comic-strip has changed and has also brought about changes in television, film, publications and even education. All of this has been clearly made evident these days at the Saló Internacional del Còmic which closes today at the Fira de Barcelona in Montjuïc. Firstly, the presence of schools has been a success. But the first two days of the event were not only simply younger people wandering through the exhibition. The Colombian illustrator , cartoonist and puppeteer Lorena Alvarezfor example, explained her road to professionalism and gave good advice: “Being creative is not restricted to the arts, it can even be in the field of science, I did not understand that when I was your age,” she told her young audience.

The fair this year emphasises the multi-faceted side of the comic in education at all levels and across all ages. As well, in the use of the medium as a means of promoting awareness campaigns in safety, health, nutrition, historical awareness, or gender issues, publicists and activists are becoming more comfortable with this means of connecting with both the general public and specific target groups.