Monday, January 16, 2006
A Comics Journalist Association?
:: Posted by max @ 1/16/2006 09:44:00 AM Comment
Reading this year end article about the "mangalisation" of comics in France written by Gilles Ratier, secretary general of the ACBD, I began to wonder about the author's organization. I've seen it mentioned a few times in reference to prizes at Angouleme but never read anything concrete about it. I wondered, Is it like the Foreign Press Association that gives out the Golden Globes?
It turns out the ACBD, or Association des Critiques et journalistes de Bande Dessinée, has been around for a long time. In 2004 it celebrated its 20th anniversary and it has an on-again, off-again relationship with the organizations behind Angouleme, most recently (2005) separating itself from the festival by choosing to give out its award outside of the festival's aegis, on a separate date.
Founded as a legal entity in 1984 and based in Paris, the Association is made up of over 60 members of the press in France who dedicate at least part of their time to reporting on comics for various radio, television, print and web sources. In one sense it seems like the ACBD is a trade organization, making it possible for editors and publishers to avail themselves of specific journalists. As well, the ACBD issues regular papers, including the annual report on comics in France (Michel Viau has written a similar report on comics in Quebec) that got me interested in the first place. But the main task of the organization is the annual award of the Critics Prize, or Grand Prix de la Critique Bandes Dessinées, which this past year went to Etiennne Davodeau. Based on a year-long proccess involving several comics festivals, the prize is a good predictor of other major French prizes for best album.
The big news a few years ago was the exclusion of the ACBD from the prize-giving at Angouleme, as explained by Bill Kartoupolis and Bart Beaty, an action that it some ways seems to have put the organization on a stronger, more independant footing.
Is such an organisation possible in Canada or the U.S.? On the outside, things don't look promising. By my estimate, there seem to be only about a dozen or two full-time staff writers and editors covering comics exclusively for any sort of media in North America (including the trade or fan press). Add to this journalists, critics, and cartoonists who write the occasional or semi-regular article or revue for a newspaper or paying magazine gig, and the growing number of academics writing on the subject, and you might have about 100 professionals writing on comics. More than the 68 listed by the ACBD in France, but not exactly a cohesive, fraternal group.
Granted, when you factor in the hordes of serious amateurs, part-time bloggers, and other fan pundits, the numbers grow considerably. But the depth and quality of most comics journalism, especially the online variety, is easily called into question, most recently by the Comics Journal's Michael Dean in an informative survey. As well, and until comparatively recently (as these articles by Denis Lord and Jimmy Beaulieu attest), most mainstream comics journalism and criticism has been slapdash and run haphazardly, without a regular forum or editorial mandate (or even editorial understanding).
The idea of a critic's prize is contrary to most North American awards as well, which tend to be either based on large popular votes that for the most part focus on the various production-line divisions and categories associated with the traditional comic book market, or small, specific-focus and elitist juried prizes. The ACBD prize and annual reports demand more of a commitment (in terms of time, quality and finances) and a desire for professionalism from a large body of writers than anything currently possible on this continent.
ToutenBD.com - 2005?: l’annee de la "mangalisation"
2005, l’annee de la "Mangalisation" - Actua BD: l'actualite de la bande dessinee
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