More than 70 years have passed since “Classics in illustrations” they first came to Greece, not only to put reference texts from world literature into frame comics, but also to deal with issues of interest to Greece.

To him October from 1953 in the stands of that time there was a “Classic” that was different from the others: this was its history “Perseus and Andromeda” created Kostas Grammatopoulos and written Vasilis Rota. It was the first comic in the new “Classic Illustrated” category with cartoon stories. “From the mythology and history of Greece”. This was followed by dozens of issues with stories from Byzantium, the Greek Revolution and ancient mythology.

Now a new category of comics has established itself in our area, in which it continues to be successfully created to this day: historical comic. For many years, comics have increasingly given the baton to more complete and thorough works, the so-called graphic novels, which are not only more extensive, but also touch on topics that were once only suitable for “serious” writings.

Comic is now becoming a form “popular science” which manages to entertain and educate at the same time, without convoluted narratives and details that may bore some readers. And the call is great. Recall that a few days ago we learned that the graphic novel “Aristotle” what skillful comedians did Thassos Apostolidis And Alekos Papadatos, it is currently translated into seven languages, from German to Chinese.

From historical battles to “battles” with a pen

But how easy is it to turn the complexity of historical events into a simpler and more direct narrative, such as in comics? And in fact, not being modern and historical. WITH “studied literature a lot, read a lot and took a lot of notes. will answer Thanasis Petru. This is what he did himself to prepare for his graphic novels like “1922 – The End of a Dream” which goes back to the dark days of the Asia Minor disaster, but also “Homers from Girlich”, which tries to tell the true story of the period of national division.

Historical research for such an enterprise is necessary and lengthy. Do it “Ayvali” And “21 Years – Battle in the Square” (for the catastrophe in Asia Minor and the revolution of 1821, respectively), o Solop necessary for everyone three to four years of intensive study: “Ten to twenty books on “bibliography” and a bit of surfing, unfortunately, is not enough for serious research,” he explains.. And this time is necessaryfor another important reason: to grow up, to establish contact with historical events and not to succumb to simplifications, clichés and highly subjective approaches.“, – notes the comedian. However, this is the stage that Thanasis Petru finds especially fascinating, because on it he opened “facts and details so that I can make a comparison, which, in turn, helped me form a more complete picture of the events of the period of interest to me.

Historical narrative, whether in comics or in any other form, must reflect the era not only visually and through the transfer of the context of events, but also be able to speak the language of every place and time. But not to alienate the modern reader. The creator of Heirlich’s Hostages puts on the table two important factors to consider when shaping historical characters: “On the one hand, we can have voice-over descriptions, and on the other hand, we have dialogue. Descriptions follow the rules of written narration, while dialogue follows the rules of spoken language. If we still raise the question of historicity, and given that the Greek language had two forms, pure and colloquial colloquial, then the matter becomes even more complicated. In his work, he tries to maintain a different manner of speech, suitable for each case: “In my comics “do the Asia Minor refugees speak differently and the guys from Piraeus speak differently, or do I use authentic texts in understandable language when necessary.”

Solop uses a similar technique, with the difference that in those cases when in the works mentioned he had to quote sources or include texts of other authors and historians in the narrative, he tried to remain faithful to the original text and original style. that sometimes may lean towards more essayistic language.

Of course, even a historical comic does not cease to be a new narrative with the perspectives and directions that its creator sets for it. An attempt to balance between too much “improvisation” and the risk of the story ending in continuous encyclopedic “fact checking”. historical reality. Thanasis Petru doesn’t want his graphic novels to turn into “dry historical documentaries”. He is, of course, still careful about what he puts where:The characters, since they are part of the historical context, I believe that they must fit the cultural and social conditions, as well as the dominant ideology of the time, whether I agree with it or not. I don’t think it would have been particularly helpful to my account of the campaign in Asia Minor if an atheist, anarchist, unpatriotic soldier had served in the Greek army in 1922. The existence of such a character would not particularly convince my reader,” he admits.

Then of course too much attachment to reality can eventually lead to the opposite desired results: “Excessive detail in both the image (such as obsessing over the details of a costume or building) and the creator’s demonstration of knowledge of the story within the narrative,” judges So.What are the elements that can finally “undermine historical credibility. Unless it’s an aesthetic or narrative issue, as is the case with Frank Miller’s 300.

What is ultimately key to the successful creation of a historical comic is that its creator gives himself and the process required maturation time. “The maturation of our understanding of historical events and the sources we have studied on the one hand, and the imaginary abstraction on the other, is a path that eventually brings us closer to what actually happened,” So concludes.magnifying glass.

First Hour: History in the comics

History is also something that, of course, is connected with many of us. educational and especially school context, Simply put, we did it as kids when we didn’t read comics. While comics are certainly not just for kids, where do these two worlds finally meet? Can the ninth art become the instrument of a more pleasant and digestible education?

Thanasis Petros never intended for his comics to be educational, however one day the teachers contacted him which they told him they were using his comics as additional teaching material in the classrooms. Soloϵ, on the other hand, saw in practice the comic work as an educational tool, through laboratories, what he has systematically done over the past decade and his performances in schools and universities.

However, any reader who picks up a historical graphic novel is bound to learn something. However, Thanasis Petros worries every time he takes on a new job. “to do something that has historical accuracy, and at the same time, through one’s choice, to be able to express one’s point of view.”

And as So concludeswe should always keep this in mind: comics, after all, “autonomous art of word and image with exceptional narrative and visual potential. Easily accessible art that suits all ages, aesthetics and tastes. This should not be forgotten by publishers and, above all, by the creators themselves.”