The First Greek Comics

Views of the Greek identity in contrast to the American model of the time. During my studies in France, I came into contact with the history of European comics. Among them, the Franco-Belgian school naturally held a dominant position. References to Greek comics were few and far between. Therefore, a reasonable question arose: "When did comics begin to be created in Greece?" Through suitable literature, research in the field and meetings with people there, I got a more specific picture. So I decided to focus on the example of the "Classically Illustrated" series of comics by Pehlivanidis (later "Atlantis") publications. This particular series was the first to distance itself from the American model and propose new perspectives in both the image and the texts. In this presentation we will explore together, analyzing examples, how Greek publishers and artists worked in the 1950s. Their goal was to transform an up to then American comic book series (Classics Illustrated) into something that would appeal to the Greek public. Their venture was a huge commercial success.

Speaker: Nikos Kampasele