Social issues, historical events or religion are complex topics that can be explained through accessible language thanks to comics. Illustrator and graphic designer Octavian Curoșu told how comics can be read. The event is part of a series of activities marking World Read Aloud Day on February 7, IPN reports.
Mariana Harjevschi, director general of the Municipal Library “B.P. Hasdeu:, which hosted the event, said that on World Read Aloud Day, librarians and also editors, teachers aim to promote reading. This year’s edition is dedicated to comics. So, it was decided to hold a meeting with illustrator and graphic designer Octavian Curoșu.
Octavian Curoșu said that comics, like classical literature, can convey any message, from the philosophical to the most rudimentary one. For every taste there is a special story. The job of an illustrator is to turn an idea into an image. The comic strip achieves this to the fullest. In the Republic of Moldova, comics come mainly from Romania and Russia. Moldovan readers are trying to discover this art. The comics industry will develop in Moldova when more people have an interest in them.
The graphic designer noted that there are three major schools that have left their mark in the field of comics – the European, American and Japanese schools. European comic strips focus on style, on the artist, on his/her voice, on varied social topics. In America, the comic was put on conveyor belt. It is used as a social tool, as propaganda is. The ideas that American strips convey are based on heroism, how to be strong. American comics are action-based and there must be a fight between two antagonistic parties. In Japan, comics go beyond the battle between good and evil and can come up with some very innovative messages. The Japanese people’s narration concept is different from that of the Europeans and Americans. The European comics come with a story, a philosophical message, a new concept, the Americans seek to present their struggle between good and evil, while the Japanese people aim to teach something - a skill, how to be a true friend, how to understand beauty, the own identity.
