Comics in Turkey

The artistic existence of comics has a history that has exceeded a hundred years. In most Western countries, the uniqueness of comics as an art form is not even discussed, but in our country, this branch of art is considered a source of cheap, throwaway, "degenerate" products, and one of the indicators of little reading. Almost all of us have experienced a childhood, to a greater or lesser extent, where those who read comics at school and at home were discouraged, comics were considered forbidden and openly condemned. However, comics, with all their cuteness and unique humor, contain countless features and examples that are not at all aggressive. Levent Cantek, one of the children who has "always" been subject to this unfair criticism, tells the story of one of the most important means of expression in popular culture in this book. He narrates the comics adventure that began in Turkey in the 1930s with Baytekin (Flash Gordon) through many local and foreign cartoonists and heroes, and brings it to today's humor magazines. In this book, you will find the reasons for the popularity of comics, the advantages of reaching the masses, how social changes affect it, the concept of the hero, the formation of that artificial universe where good and evil struggle, and its intertwinement with daily life. But in the meantime... smack!