Barcelona, City of Comics: Urbanism, Architecture, and Design in Postdictatorial Spain

Benjamin Fraser

Feb 2022 · State University of New York Press

About this eBook

Barcelona, City of Comics introduces readers of English to a range of Spanish- and Catalan-language comics published after the death of dictator Francisco Franco in 1975. During this time of palpable social change, the Catalonian capital regained its reputation as the hub of comics publishing in Spain. Comics collectives such as El Rrollo and Butifarra, as well as individual artists from Montse Clavé to Mariscal, contributed to a thriving comics subculture that drew from and pushed beyond the countercultural comics tradition in the United States. As the Salón Internacional del Cómic de Barcelona (1981–) drew greater attention to the city, comics magazines teemed with graphic depictions of urban scenes. On the comics page, themes of architecture and city life were employed as social critique, while the city of Barcelona itself increasingly solidified its reputation on the global stage through urban planning. With a foreword by Pere Joan, Barcelona, City of Comics delves into the relationship between comics and urbanism in one of Europe's most notable global cities.

About the author

Benjamin Fraser is Professor of Iberian Studies at the University of Arizona. He is the author of many books, including The Art of Pere Joan: Space, Landscape, and Comics Form and Visible Cities, Global Comics: Urban Images and Spatial Form.