| Autostrade marks the debut of Division Publishing, a publishing house dedicated to original comic books. | ||
| By Rana Kamaly | ||
| Just like the Autostrade road leads drivers into the twisted, chaotic and random streets of Cairo, Autostrade the comic book is a highway of sequential madness, taking its readers on a unique and magical ride through the creative and talented minds of the artists and writers, brilliantly exhibited by their mind-blowing brushes and pens.A genre long ignored in the Egyptian market, the newly launched Autostrade is among the very few adult comic books in Egypt/“We are here to challenge the idea that comics are only for kids and also to say that comics is a genre,” Marwan Imam, co-founder and artist, says. “It’s like a huge jar with lots of different components.”
It is not just a comic book but a launch pad for graphic artists. This anthology includes several serialized stories that will continue in future issues of Autostrade for a while. “Then readers should vote for their best series on divisionpublishing.com,” Imam says, “and the most popular stories will have a series of their own, separate from the anthology, and new artists will be given the chance to join Autostrade.”
The idea is inspired by international comic books like Shonen Jump and Heavy Metal, Imam says.
The 120-page book consists of 12 different stories, six in English and six in Arabic, with more than 15 contributing artists and writers. Each story has a different message and theme depending on the artists’ and writers’ vision. Many stories tackle social issues and conflicts within Egyptian society.
The drawings and scripts are original and creative, reflecting the artists’ individual passions and talents, with the end result a combination of different literary genres, tastes and artistic styles. Some panels are hand-drawn with ink and watercolors while others are created electronically. In the Arabic section, a couple of the stories use handwritten text, while others use computer fonts.
The founders say that Autostrade is willing to include many genres and styles, on one condition: that the artist or writer has a passion for comic books.“I am a comic freak, no, we all are,” says Sara Abdelazim, an Autostrade artist. “We put our hearts and soul in Autostrade,”
Their passion and love for comic books in general and Autostrade in particular clearly shows. During the book-launch at Bikya book café on July 11, the artists came with excitement and joy that could be felt two streets away. With a smile and obvious gratitude, they chatted, laughed, signed copies of Autostrade and shared their experiences with the attendees.
An official launch party was held on July 19 at the Ahmed Shawky Museum in Giza to celebrate the book’s release in other outlets.
Comic Geeks Join Forces
Imam was always interested in comics, and after studying the idea for years, his passion got the better of him. So during his final semester at the American University in Cairo (AUC), during just another normal lecture, Imam turned to his friend Mohamed Reda and said with
enthusiasm, “We are going to start our own comic book. Are you in?”
After class they met in one of the library’s study rooms, stayed there for more than five hours and by the end of the marathon session had Autostrade’s idea ready to put the project on the road. They went to more than one publishing house, but none seemed to be interested in launching an original comic book. So in early 2011, they founded Division Publishing in early 2011 as one of the very few independent and privately owned publishing houses specializing in comic books. Division is part of AR Group, an advertising, printing and multimedia solutions group.According to its founders, Division Publishing is devoted to publishing original Egyptian comic books and to giving artists and writers opportunities to get their voices out.“We built this company on resources and art. Reda’s dad owns the AR publishing house and we had huge talents,” Imam explains, adding that while the family backing helps, “I don’t think we will be making any profits at least for a year.”
Many of Imam and Reda’s friends volunteered to help because of their faith in the idea, such as Omar Rohaim, who volunteers his time as Division Publishing’s marketing and sales manger.
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