World Tour: A Coruna, Spain; part 1
Last month I spent a week in the seaside town of A Coruna, Spain where they celebrated the 10th Anniversary of the comics festival known as Vinetas desde O Atantico .
First thing I did upon arrival was show up for my press conference.
After which, Vijaya and I were taken to dinner by the show's founder Miguelanxo Prado (center, next to Vijaya), whose cartoon album Trazo de Tiza was a huge crittically acclaimed hit in the mid-ninties and then again when it was published this year by Norma and NBM; Tim Sale and his wife Christina Zietsman are in front at far left and right.
The city streets were lit up as we walked back to our hotel.
The next day, the festival bussed us to the nearby city of Santiago to visit the medieval Cathedral of Santiago de Compstela. Behind me is Japanese cartoonist Yoshihiro Tatsumi and his wife. Yoshihiro is the guy who started alternative comics in Japan. Directly in front of me with the hat is French (but living in Montreal) cartoonist Jean-Louis Tripp and his wife Danielle. Jean-Louis and Danielle were two of the funniest and most pleasant people I've ever met. Jean-Louis' work dates back to the early issues of the original Metal Hurlant (Heavy Metal).
The festival arranged to take us behind the scenes at the church. Here we are looking down on the main sanctuary from the sequestered walkway that only the monks used.
This is Roberto, one my hosts, who I'm pretty sure was a monk in his past life.
Then we were led through an ancient doorway out on to the roof. This is where pilgrims in the dark ages were whisked on their arrival – - pilgrims who had walked thousands of miles through all kinds of weather and rough villages; and whose clothes were tattered, bloody, smelly, and probably full of parasites. Out here in the open air, they would ritualistically burn their clothing. Kind of makes sense that they'd bring the cartoonists out here.
But what a view.
To get out on the roof we used the same key that they used in medieval times!
This might not be as interesting to anybody else, but I'm into things like cool, old stone blocks covered in moss…
…or a shuttered up old merchant's stall. This is the kind of stuff I was always looking for when I was working on Bone.
With Yoshihiro Tatsumi. He spoke very little English and no Spanish, but the festival found someone to translate just for him. Despite the fact that we couldn't communicate verbally, we had no problem understanding each other's drawings. We had a lot of fun scribbling on napkins during meals.
Meanwhile, Vijaya spent the day on the beach.
That night, my Spanish publisher, Laureano Dominguez of Astiberri Editions cooked dinner for a few of us over at cartoonist David Rubin's flat. Laureano's cooking is notoriously good; Craig Thompson even mentions it in a chapter of Carnet de Voyage, his 2004 travelogue book.
David's new book is called La Teteria del oso Malayo, and he also drew the cover of Astiberri's 2007 catalog below.
Well, we've been in Spain for two days at this point and everything's been great; the weather, the beach, the food, our hosts, the team of interpreters, the company of the other guests…and the only work I've had to do for the festival so far was that press conference when I first got here! The best is yet to come…
Oh My goodness Jeff. Thats amazing. That place is even more beautiful than I imagined. I intend to walk the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage in the next year, ever since I read Paulo Coelho’s writings on it. Like you said, the key, and the stones, everything. I can only imagine. But to meet all these other cartoonists from around the world there too, such a dream.
Good stuff! Thank you so much for sharing.
Comment by Will Terrell — September 17, 2007 @ 10:07 pm
That view is quite breath-taking. I do like that old style, castle-type architecture. If you wanna see something castle-y as can be theres a place in Canada called Casa Loma (I’m not sure the exact location) but it was really nice. Gotta love traveling.
Comment by Marcus — September 17, 2007 @ 11:08 pm
It’s really cool to see and hear about your adventures in Spain! I love the walkway that only the monks used, and then going out onto the roof with that key. And, I’m totally with you on the merchant stall and moss-covered stone photos! I used to do 3D animation so I’d always be taking pictures of odd (cool) things for textures and architecture. Oh, and David Rubin’s take on the Red Dragon is pretty sweet!
Comment by Brandon — September 18, 2007 @ 11:23 pm
When I can obtain a company/signature yours… I spend the month to me in the hospital (and the time that I have left to happen there) and I lose the Hall Corunna) I have bad luck:) your you take comic of David, a escelente person (you have luck, already you commented if you like):). To where I can send a unit to you of Paxaradas? well, I do not bother more, Greetings to you, I hope that you liked Galicia
Comment by An — September 19, 2007 @ 9:40 am
perdona mi mal ingles
Comment by An — September 19, 2007 @ 9:41 am
Man…you are a lucky man, Jeff…got to travel around the world by doing comics..
wish i can be like you…spain is beautiful…have to ge there someday on the spain comic festival…
Comment by Azhar — September 20, 2007 @ 12:39 am
How long are you going to be in Spain? I’m leaving for the XXXI Salon Internacional del Comic del Principado de Asturias in about a week.
Won’t it be a hoot if you were also one of the guests? It will be a mini-Trilogy Tour reunion.
I think we missed each other in Paris by a day last year. You went on to Lucca, and I traveled up to St Malo.
Comment by stan sakai — September 27, 2007 @ 9:04 am
I know! We missed each other in Paris by only a day I think! Actually. I’m back home now, but I haven’t finished my Spain blog because of technical problems.
I’ll be in Bethesda for SPX while you are in Asturias.
Speaking of the Trilogy Tour, do you realize next year will be the 10th anniversary?
Comment by Jeff — September 27, 2007 @ 10:41 am
I hope my email finds you well.
I got to hear about your company from friends.
My name is Baltazar Athanas Director of a KIPEPEO TOURS, located in Arusha-Tanzania.
I would like to ask for a business co-operation with you to be our Travel Agent and will work under commission basis, you bring us clients we pay you commission.
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Also we would like to inform you that we are going to do specific program for trekking.
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Comment by BALTAZAR ATHANAS — October 9, 2009 @ 5:39 am