Full Description
Exhibition catalogue 'Visionary Comics: The collection of Alain Van Passen', Comic Art Museum - Brussels, 16.09.25 - 07.12.25
Hidden within the millions of panels and magazine pages collected by Alain Van Passen, a devoted Belgian comics collector active from the earliest days of the comics clubs, lies a long-forgotten history of vibrant, surrealist, and even 'visionary' images. His pristine collection, built over decades of searching and exchanging comics, offers unprecedented insight into the diverse trajectories of twentieth-century popular publishing. Focusing on comics magazines published between 1935 and 1965, this catalogue reveals a 'lost world' of French and Belgian comics, as well as the translations and reworkings of American, British and Italian strips. Ten concise and colourful chapters introduce readers to the zany and fascinating pages and panels across genres such as humour, science fiction, history and adventure. Shedding light on often-forgotten or little-known artists, this volume traces a counter-history of French-language comics. Richly illustrated with largely unseen material, it offers the reader an introduction to the visionary art of French-language comics.
Foreword by Dan Nadel and afterword by Tine Anthoni.
This book will be made open access within three years of publication thanks to Path to Open, a program developed in partnership between JSTOR, the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS), University of Michigan Press, and The University of North Carolina Press to bring about equitable access and impact for the entire scholarly community, including authors, researchers, libraries, and university presses around the world. Learn more at https://about.jstor.org/path-to-open/
Contents
Foreword
Dan Nadel
Acknowledgements
Introduction. The Visionary Art of Franco-Belgian Comics, 1930s to 1960s
Hugo Frey
Chapter One. Enter the European Superhero
Maaheen Ahmed
Chapter Two. The War Comics
Hugo Frey
Chapter Three. Wacky Inventions, Extraordinary Science, and Eccentric Professors
Maaheen Ahmed
Chapter Four. Slapstick: Crazy Fights, Memorable Accidents
Eva Van de Wiele
Chapter Five. Topsy-Turvy Worlds: Carnivalesque Children and Talking Animals
Maaheen Ahmed
Chapter Six. The Earth Trembles: Dino Comics and Palaeo-Utopias
Felipe Muhr
Chapter Seven. "Overcrowded" Comics Skies: The Mesmerising Aviation Comics
Hugo Frey
Chapter Eight. Fantastical Landscapes and Disturbing Places: The Surreal Geographies of Adventure
Hugo Frey
Chapter Nine. A Graphic Kaleidoscope: Experiments in Form
Benoît Crucifix
Chapter Ten. Literary Adaptations, or Something Else?
Jan Baetens
Alain Van Passen "In His Own Words"
Interview conducted, edited, and translated by Hugo Frey and Maaheen Ahmed
A Unique Collection: An Interview with Philippe Capart
Interview conducted, edited and translated by Jan Baetens
Afterword
Tine Anthoni
Contributors
Works Cited
Index
