From the plucky, happy-go-lucky adventures in Samir, Sindbad, and the Arabic adaptations of Mickey Mouse, to the poignant political strips in newspapers, comic artists have been omnipresent in Arab culture as early as the 1920s. And while we can fall down a rabbit hole of ‘Um, actually’ trying to figure out the first and/or origin of Arabic comic books, instead we take a look at the contemporary artists that are subverting narratives, engaging with trauma, exploring personal woes, and creating the superheroes they’ll likely not find in Western comics. Here are 13 contemporary Arab comic book artists from across the region, in no particular order, perfecting the format, one speech bubble and brush stroke at a time.
Am I a Trans Girl?
Of all my emotional battles, from quietly dealing with schizophrenia to being drowned in my empathy, none has been as brutal as my conflict…