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Adolescenti e libri per adulti, e un nuovo Oblò dedicato a Joëlle Jolivet

 

È di nuovo tempo di Bologna Children's Book Fair: dal 31 marzo al 3 aprile ci trovate al padiglione 26 allo stand B30, con due novità: - un nuovo numero della rivista "Hamelin", In territorio selvaggio. Adolescenti e libri per adulti, che racconta come portare la letteratura per adulti a ragazze e ragazzi; - un numero della serie "Oblò" dedicato all'illustratrice Joëlle Jolivet. L'altra grande novità è la nuova edizione di BOOM! Crescere nei libri, il festival dei libri e dell'illustrazione per l'infanzia che curiamo insieme al Settore Biblioteche e Welfare culturale del Comune di Bologna, e che torna a Bologna dal 27 marzo al 28 maggio. Il programma, ricchissimo, è già online, e oggi vi raccontiamo anche uno dei primi appuntamenti.

In anteprima al nostro stand a Bologna Children's Book Fair troverete il nuovo numero della rivista "Hamelin", In territorio selvaggio. Adolescenti e libri per adulti. Una raccolta di saggi, consigli di lettura, strumenti e riflessioni per chi desidera portare a giovani lettrici e lettori storie pensate per un pubblico adulto. Il rapporto tra adolescenti e letteratura per adulti è un terreno su cui lavoriamo da tempo: le abitudini e le competenze di lettura degli adolescenti stanno cambiando e l’editoria young adults mostra la corda. Viene naturale quindi allargare lo sguardo al mare magnum della letteratura “per adulti”. Sì, ma quale? I classici, i contemporanei? Come riconoscere una storia che potrebbe fare breccia nel cuore di un giovane, spesso non lettore? Vi lasciamo un assaggio di questo numero: una riflessione sul fantastico di Federica Rampazzo.

La seconda novità che arriva in anteprima a BCBF è il nuovo volume monografico della serie "Oblò": protagonista Joëlle Jolivet, artista francese dall’immaginario esplosivo. Autrice di albi illustrati tradotti in moltissime lingue, nota per i suoi cataloghi - come Zoologia, Costumi o Il corpo umano -, della serie a fumetti Miss Cat ma anche di libri-gioco, guide urbane, volumi da colorare, Jolivet ha costruito nel tempo un universo visivo vastissimo ed eterogeneo.  La rivista è un viaggio nel suo immaginario e nella sua arte; per scoprirla, potete iniziare da questo ritratto dell'autrice in venti immagini scelte da lei.  Jolivet è anche una delle protagoniste di BOOM!: inaugura il 1 aprile una mostra allestita nella nostra sede in via Zamboni 15 con un titolo che si spiega da sé: Troppo di tutto. Di questa mostra parliamo meglio nella prossima newsletter, insieme a quelle dei tanti artisti e artiste che saranno a Bologna tra poco meno di un mese. La mostra è realizzata in collaborazione con Fatatrac, hélium, Les Grandes Personnes, Institut français Italia, Editrice Il Castoro, L’ippocampo Edizioni, orecchio acerbo

Vi aspettiamo quindi al padiglione 26, stand B30 a BCBF dove, oltre ai due nuovi numeri della rivista, troverete il programma completo degli incontri, delle mostre e degli eventi che abbiamo organizzato in Fiera e in città. Per chi non sarà a Bologna, i numero saranno disponibili sul nostro sito subito dopo la Fiera. Chi ha un abbonamento attivo li riceverà per posta ad aprile. Chi non ce l’ha e desidera abbonarsi, può farlo online dal nostro sito. Vi segnaliamo poi che la serie "Oblò" diventa parte di "Hamelin" e segue quindi la numerazione progressiva della rivista.

L'ottava edizione di BOOM! si apre domenica 30 marzo con la ormai tradizionale giornata di studi in Biblioteca Salaborsa che, grazie alla partecipazione e alla fiducia di tante e tanti di voi, è già sold out! Ringraziamo tutte le persone che si sono iscritte e ci scusiamo con chi avrebbe voluto partecipare. Se sarà possibile aggiungere nuovi posti e riaprire le iscrizioni lo comunicheremo. Il consiglio è di seguirci anche su Instagram per non perdere gli aggiornamenti. Quest’anno parliamo di “inciampo”: il momento, fondamentale nella crescita di ogni bambino e bambina, in cui si incontra per la prima volta la parola o l’immagine. Lo facciamo concentrandoci su due linguaggi: la poesia e l’illustrazione. A discutere del potere dell'inciampo saranno Roberto Piumini, Giusi Quarenghi, Silvia Vecchini e Chiara Carminati, che racconteranno l'incontro con la parola poetica; e ancora Martino Negri e Bruno Tognolini; due grandissimi creatori di albi come Paul Cox e Anne Herbauts dialogheranno sul rapporto tra immagine e parola;  Massimiliano Tappari proporrà un percorso di inciampi urbani tra le sue fotografie. La giornata è a cura di Settore Biblioteche e Welfare culturale del Comune di Bologna e Hamelin, in collaborazione con Wallonie-Bruxelles International, Casterman, Edizioni Junior.

La giornata è solo uno dei tantissimi appuntamenti di BOOM!; nella prossima newsletter vi parleremo delle mostre da non perdere in città. Nel frattempo, potete sbirciare online il programma completo. Alla prossima, Hamelin

BOOM! Crescere nei libri è promosso da Comune di Bologna e BolognaFiere, curato da Bologna Biblioteche e Hamelin, nell'ambito del Patto per la lettura Bologna, in occasione di Bologna Children's Book Fair, con il patrocinio di IBBY Italia.

Yes, Manga, Manhua and Manhwa ARE Popular Posts

 There is a lot -LOT- of interest in Manhwa, Manhua and Manga and that shows up in the stats with the old posts I wrote on the subjects still being checked out 20+ years later.  I have been asked why I do not review newer collected art books on Manga and Manhua.

Firstly, language doesn't come into it. If a book whether European, Japanese, Chines, Korean or British is drawn well then it tells the story in pictures and it should be readable visually. The problem is that buying new books to review is well beyond my finances and I have never had a publisher interested in getting their books reviewed here (they probably have a large enough reader base so new customers from overseas are of no interest).

My collection is somewhat meagre but when I get the time I will be looking at them in more detail.

He flew 5,000 miles to go Manga shopping in Japan

This Kaiju Box Set Plays Music?!

Some New Ultraman Sofubi

 Some new figures

Above Ultraman Royal Mega Monster Fanton vinyl figure. right  Ultra Hero 500 series #32: ULTRAMAN NEXUS (JUNIS)

Below left Ultraman Ultra Hero Series 28 Ultraman Victory Bandaim and Right Bandai Ultraman Ginga Ultra Hero Series 11 Pvc Action Figure Tsuburaya Figure

Above right BANDAI Ultraman Zamsher Zamshar Sofubi Spark doll with Live Sign

My question was.... hang on -a swite beat me to it!!

What the Heck is a Spark Doll?

The Ultraman series is usually known for stories and characters on a very large scale, with giant Kaiju, giant heroes, and colossal battles which erupt between them. However, one of the most notable additions to the franchise, beginning with Ultraman Ginga, proves that big things sometimes arrive in very small packages!

Ginga marked a new era of the franchise, referred to as the “New Generation”, and has many notable differences compared to previous shows. Among other changes, Ginga had a smaller season of episodes, and a smaller scope which focused on a group of young friends doing their best to juggle their own personal struggles along with a responsibility to protect the Earth alongside Ginga himself! It seems appropriate then that Ginga also introduced the “Spark Dolls”, or small, soft vinyl “sofubi” figures of many different Kaiju and Ultra heroes from throughout the franchise. 

These figures had long been a staple of the franchise’s toy line, dating back to the original 1966 Ultraman series! But Ginga went a step further by giving the Spark Dolls a special role in the show itself. They weren’t just vinyl figures, but represented the actual Kaiju themselves – and the Ultras! 

Ginga begins by telling the story of the “Dark Spark War”, a cataclysmic battle fought between the Ultra heroes from the Land of Light, and an army of Kaiju led by the fearsome “Dark Lugiel”. The Ultras actually were defeated in this war, but not for good. Instead, they were trapped as tiny toys, along with the Kaiju they had fought against. With the rest of the formidable powers of the Land of Light locked away, the duty of protecting the Earth against Lugiel’s attempts to totally exterminate all life fell to Ultraman Ginga, his host, Hikaru Raido… and a very tiny and very, very tired Ultraman Taro.  

As a toy line, the Spark Dolls revolutionized merchandise for the Ultraman franchise. Even though “sofubi” figures were already common before Ginga, the show turns them into items used by the main characters to transform into Ultraman, and even to take on the power of other Kaiju from their respective Spark Dolls! Fans at home could do the same, with their own Ginga Spark, and get unique, flashy lights and announcements for each different Spark Doll. 

In addition to vinyl toys, many of the toys released alongside past Ultraman series related to the defense teams of their respective shows. The cool jets, laser guns, cars, spaceships – and yes, even the drill tanks – were hot items for fans of all ages. Ginga had no defense team , but struck gold by incorporating popular, recognizable Kaiju and heroes into the toyline and making those figures an important part of the show’s events. The success of these toys has influenced the franchise even into the most recent series! Ultraman Blazar may not have fought with Spark Dolls, but the collectible “Stones” used in the show reflect the same sort of integration with the merchandise that Ginga pioneered. 

It’s not all just about the merchandising though, I really do enjoy how the Spark Dolls are used in Ginga as an element of the show. They wouldn’t be so popular if they were only treated as toys, and so many of the episodes in the series use the different Kaiju Spark Dolls in ways that emphasize unique personalities and powers of familiar monsters and aliens. Even Ultraman Taro himself became one of the best parts of the show, despite being stuck as a (mostly) inanimate plastic doll! It’s so hard to watch the show, and especially the comedy “Spark Doll Theater” segments without succumbing to the urge to go out, buy a bunch of Spark Doll figures for yourself, and imagine funny stories with them on your shelf. 

We here at Ultraman Connection enjoyed the “Spark Doll Theater” segments so much, we even made them a recurring part of the Ultraman Day streaming specials! 

Speaking of which, the Spark Dolls didn’t disappear after the conclusion of Ultraman Ginga either. Other aliens would use them for nefarious purposes in the Ginga S series which followed. Later, in Ultraman X , the defense team XIO would actually use them for far more altruistic goals. Instead of releasing Kaiju to rampage around the city, they would often use Spark Dolls to conduct research studying the Kaiju, in hopes of better understanding their natural habitats, behaviors, and developing better ways to coexist alongside them.

Despite their small size, the Spark Dolls have had a huge impact on the Ultraman franchise, both in, and out of the universe of the shows. They might just be toys, but their success helped to bolster the “New Generation”, and still influences how the shows are marketed and designed today. Maybe in the future, with new shows with different appeals to new audiences, we’ll see different toys which usher in a different new era for Ultraman. For now though, give some kudos to the Spark Dolls which provided the… well I suppose there’s no better term for it – spark needed to kickstart Ultraman in the modern day. 

The above is from The Ultraman Connection which I recommend visiting if you are interested in the subject

https://www.ultramanconnection.com/.

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The Revenge of Dr Lefun

 Well I found an old CD with art and on it was this strip which features Black Tower's own Dr Lefun. The story is written and pencilled by Hooper and inked and lettered by Ben R. Dilworth.

Originally this was for Bastei Verlag and one of its horror comics and you can tell how old this is as Deutsch Marks are mentioned  rather than Euro!

Anyway...enjoy.

(c)2025 BTCG T. Hooper/BR Dilworth

Series1 Superheroes

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5000 Views Again Today....

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Fond Memories: Arsat Der Magier von Venedig

 

According to one source Arsat was living in ancient Egypt as a judge and a priest, but when his body was disturbed in modern times he wakes up to a second life, in which he fights evil uses a special crystal and a magic serpent wand.

The full title of the series is Arsat Der Dämonenjäger. -Arsat The Demon Hunter. The series started in 2001 and ended in 2002 after 12 issues. Apparently some of the Spuk Geschicten stories were reprinted in this series (never seen the issues so cannot confirm that).

As noted some of the stories were first published in Spuk Geschichten from 1978 to 1995 (492 issues), in which they were titled Arsat Der Magier von Venedig -Arsat the Magician from Venice (Venedig was the old name of Venice).

It was in this series that I first read of Arsat's adventures.

Jesus Pena, a Spanish artist (2nd June, 1941- 2nd May 2005) drew most of the stories I read (no writer was credited) and Pena worked under a number of names -Suso, Pena, Jesús de la Peña,  Santiago Rego and, of course, Jesus Pena Antonio Pérez.

Other artists were Antonio Vila and Vicence Farres Sensarrich.  

Jesus Pena

Sadly, as my home used to be an "open house" a number of my Spuk Geschichten (Spooky Stosries) and Gespenster Geschichten (Ghost Stories) were stolen as was a paperback of Esteban Maroto's Werewolf series.

Arsat was set in what appears to have been the 17th/'18th century not in modern times.  He was accompanied on his adventures by a youthful red haired assistant Gino and the beautiful Carmilla.

In Spuk 263 the story Die Brucke zur Damonenwelt (The Bridge to Demon World) they face a half demon -half machine monster.

I now have only Spuk Geschichten 263 and it is treasured.  The character did inspire, as I have noted before, Black Tower's Gipsy sorcerer Tarot.  I did write three scripts for Arsat but like D-Gruppe, when Egmont bought out Bastei Verlag (the publisher) all of that was lost somewhere (likely shredded).