My introduction to C’est Bon Anthology vol. 7, coming out in time for the MoCCA festival in New York in about two weeks.
Having worked with C’est Bon Kultur since 2001, this is my final issue as a member of the editorial crew of c’est bon anthology. In all, since the start, this is the 23rd issue of the publication, and as usual I would have to say that this might be the best one (the latest one always is), even if I’ve had some favorites that are still going strong. Like the first issue as an international anthology, back in 2004, with contributions by both Danijel Zezelj and Anke Feuchtenberger in the same book. Or the first volume to be included in the Previews catalogue (which meant real international distribution as well as content), with comics by such great artists as Ho Che Anderson and Martin Tom Dieck, along with lots of others.
Some of the artists we’ve worked with have been already known to us, some have been new and we are happy to have come in contact with all of them and had the opportunity to spread their work through the anthology.
It’s been a long time and now it’s over. I may be the last one standing of the original founders of C’est Bon Kultur, but this association has always been dynamic, moving in different directions. That will continue and I feel fine moving on to other things (mainly my cyberpunk epic Piracy is Liberation and the art project Wormgod that I’m doing with Susanne Johansson), confident that the book is in good hands. I’ll probably contribute to the anthology now and then. It’s nice to get the chance to do something short and experimental in between other things. Having said that,
I look forward to being a reader first and foremost.Sweden is a small country and not our main audience, but it’s where we live and it’s nice to see that we’ve affected the local comics scene by showing that there is a world outside the borders. This influence is something that was needed and that is visible when you look at what is now published in this country. We have always wished and worked for a greater diversity and in many ways that has come true. I’m proud of what we’ve achieved.
In conclusion, I would like to thank all the editors I’ve worked with over the years, all the artists who have contributed their work and all the readers who have made it all possible. Thank you for a great eight years and I hope I’ll see you around somewhere in the future.
I’ll be working with C’est Bon Kultur until the end of June, and I’ll also return in October/November to participate in the C’est Bon Panorama II exhibition.