A Nona Arte na Amazônia

um panorama do cenário de histórias em quadrinhos em Belém

Abstract

Although the Brazilian comics market is largely characterized by imports from other countries, a significant production of national and regional comics is undeniable. In the state of Pará (Brazil), for example, the 1970s represented the beginning of the publication of comics created by local authors for newspapers of the state, as well as the launching of contests and calls to encourage those artists interested in publishing their own comics. The city of Belém was the place for the emergence of groups that, for years, fostered the interaction and production of several comics artists. Fanzines and comic books resulted from the performance of these groups, among them the fanzine Ponto de Fuga (in several issues, elaborated by the group Ponto de Fuga) and the title Catarse Comics (in a single edition, made possible by the obtaining of the IAP Prize of Cultural Editions of the year 2008 by Catarse). In addition, independent magazines, the result of combined work of several comics artists (not necessarily gathered under the name of a group) or of a single person, also compose the framework of comics from Belém. Belém Imaginária, Encantarias - a lenda da noite and Pretérito mais que perfeito are examples of comics produced in the capital of Pará that have had repercussions even in other states; Volney Nazareno, Otoniel Oliveira and Carlos Paul are some of the names behind the publications. The objective of this work is to present an overview of the comics scenario in Belém, focusing on titles and artists; the establishment of groups and their activities;  competitions, public support, private sponsorships and other forms of financial viability; local events and spaces of circulation of comics, among other relevant points to the proposal.