Lines Telling ‘Real’ Stories. A Conversation with Elettra Stamboulis on the Rise and Development of Graphic Journalism in Italy

ABSTRACT This conversation with Elettra Stamboulis retraces the transnational context of the rise and development of comics journalism in Italy, illuminating its distinctive political and intellectual background. Stamboulis speaks about the concept of Reality based comics from its impact on the thriving Italian underground cultures of the 1980s and 1990s to the development into the Italian Fumetto di realtà at the turn of the 21st century. From her unique perspective as a comics author, curator, translator and activist, Stamboulis speaks about the encounter with Joe Sacco, which had a profound impact on a generation of Italian authors, and the curatorial and creative practices developed with Gianluca Costantini for the Komikazen International Festival of Reality Comics (2005–2015). Komikazen activated a vibrant and diverse scene of authors, activists and independent publishers from the Mediterranean and the Middle East, and its political and translational ethos would further expand into the magazines Inguine(Mah!)Gazine and G.I.U.D.A. Stamboulis’ intellectual and creative trajectory testifies to a collective research process that has been pushing the boundaries of the comics medium and exploring the intersection of reality, subjectivity and memory while tracing new transnational geographies. In this interview she reflects on the ambitions, practices, and continuing developments of these experiences.