ComicArtAfrica / SEMBLANCE / GEARED / SU OPPERMAN 1/5 ARTAFRICA
SEMBLANCE /
GEARED
by Su Opperman
Comic art is one of the most versatile forms of storytelling in popular media culture
today. As an art form, its unique stylistic conventions are constantly utilised by a wide
range of creative disciplines, ranging from animation to fine arts. The conventions
of comic art allow imagination to be guided in a structured way through offering an
alternative framework, in which to experience narrative, than that of the purely textual.
In essence, it is a visual language specifically fashioned for the telling of stories, a core
human experience. In South Africa, due to the country’s small readership and minimal
market, most independent comic artists don’t actually make comics for a living.Self-publication is expensive and the amount of time and effort required to create a single
page far exceeds the financial benefits that are usually gained. To make a living, most
comic artists are employed elsewhere, whether as art directors, designers or illustrators.
But stories, just like paintings, need to be exorcised from the soul.Consequently, South Africa has a small but robust community of comic art practitioners,
ranging from the dabbler to the die-hard. For the most part, comic artists are diverse,
versatile, undercover and unacknowledged. Creative output is experienced as an
amorphous visual mix of illustration, design and art, since there is not a market strong
enough for the art form locally to consolidate these artists under a singular creative aegis.
Consequently, the bastard children of South Africa’s art world are keen navigators, often
employing comic art as a bridging point between creative industries and the societal
hierarchies of the fine art sphere. My involvement with comic art has immersed me in theARTAFRICA