‘Autostrade' is perhaps the first publication of its kind in Egypt: an anthology of traditional and experimental comics in both English and Arabic. Division Publishing released the first issue of 12 comics –six each in English and Arabic – in July 2011. Eighteen artists and authors contributed to the anthology. “We live in a country where comics are viewed as children's books,” writes Marwan Imam in a forward to the book. Imam is one of the book's contributors and also the brains behind the idea. “This may be true in some cases, but it's not the norm. Comics are a medium NOT a genre.” “In this time of revolutions, we think that now is the best time for a revolution in comics,” he adds. The anthology epitomizes Imam's vision of pushing the boundaries of the traditional concept of comics. Storylines range from an imaginative college freshman's daydream of himself as a vampire-hunter, and his classmates as zombies turned by their vampire professor, to a short, quirky comic about the nature of cats, to a man's quest for forgiveness, to the use of Pharaonic and Egyptian themes. Writing styles use everything from rhyming prose to plain colloquial dialogue, internal monologues and references to philosophy and religion. The art is extremely diverse, both in terms of portraying the storyline and in and of itself. While the black-and-white English ‘Deity' comic is reminiscent of old pen-and-ink comics, ‘A Tint Closer to Nothing' has the most abstract feel in the anthology. Each comic is distinct both in its art and its writing style, and the conventional and unconventional combine into a truly unique and diverse anthology. As Mohamed Reda, another of the book's publishers, writes in the forward, “In this first issue of Autostrade, you will find yourself traveling through the minds of our amazing writers, carried by the magical flying carpet that is the artists' brushes, pens and pencils.” And whether intentional or not, ‘Deity' discusses power in a way that is reminiscent of current political dialogue in Egypt. “You are immature to think that those of us who have power should rule all who do not,” says one character, “when in fact all we actually have now is a responsibility towards them.” The artists and authors who contributed to the anthology are: Aamina Tolba, Adham El Khorazaty, Ahmed Shaltout, Gehad El Sheikh, Hatem Mamdouh, Magdy El Shafie, Marwan Imam, Mohamed Hamed, Mohamed Khaled, Mohamed Mazloum, Mohamed Reda, Mostafa El Horr, Nermeen Shaltout, Salma Soliman, Sara Abdel Azim, Tarek Abdel Kawy, Tarek Abou Omar, and Yara Soliman. The anthology is on sale for 30LE at Bikya Books and Café in Heliopolis, Kryptonite Toys in Heliopolis, Khotob Khan in Maadi, and Alif bookstores, and will be available in Shrorouq bookstores on Monday.
