Guests at the “Literary Spotlight” festival in Varna wished for more support for Bulgarian authors of comics, animation and cinema

Hopefully, as a result of our efforts, today’s young artists will receive more support in the future for their work on comics, animation and feature films. This is what Konstantin Vitkov-Titis wanted, who is visiting Varna at the “Literary Spotlight” festival together with his colleagues Sonia Anastasova and Svetlin Velinov. The three are known from the Jack Eridon series, and Velinov is known internationally for his comics, games and fantasy art.
According to Vitkov, what distinguishes the Bulgarian comics school from the rest of the world is mainly the difficulties that the authors go through in order to reach the audience. Because of this practice, however, they reach levels of endurance that are overwhelming for their colleagues, he jokingly added, adding that this applies to all arts that are not in the Bulgarian mainstream. The artist finds it sad the lack of cultural environment in the genre, which is very popular all over the world, especially through the connection with cinema and animation. However, he shared that when participating in comics forums, he meets people who have a vast knowledge of the works, including his own, which gives him the incentive to continue creating.
There are no government support policies in the sector, and the comic book is not a priority at all, the creators said, adding that abroad, important support for all artists in the field is given by the huge audience and loyal fans. However, according to Velinov, the creation of the “Comics” section in the Union of Bulgarian Artists has brought a significant change. He believes that there is a new wave in Bulgarian comics and now it has become popular again, recognizable, desired and sought after in publications and bookstores. According to him, this is also the result of the efforts of their generation, which “ignited” the next wave of authors. Velinov recalled that the Fourth National Exhibition of Bulgarian comics is about to open, where he himself will participate with previously unseen things, and expressed hope that it will also travel, like the third one, which is visiting Varna as part of the “Literary Spotlight” festival.
According to Sonia Anastasova, there are not many people who read comics in Bulgaria, they are mostly young and excited by pop culture, looking for exciting stories about Vikings, zombies, fantasy worlds. A lot of manga is read, mostly about supernatural worlds, very different from Western superhero stories. Because of the loose audience, there are also few artists in Bulgaria who work in the genre, as it is labor-intensive and requires time and dedication, she said, adding that she and Vitkov do comics in their free time, and work in a studio for foreign productions .
Anastasova participates in the projects of her husband Konstantin Vitkov-Titis. He said that storyboards, animation and comics were his obsession and he always wanted to create his own character and world, which came true with the Jack Eridon and Kamikaze series. One of his dreams is to make a movie. When asked if comics discourage reading books, she opined that people who relate to the genre are also readers of fiction and other literature. The artist also believes that comics can also be used in school, because when children’s education goes through play, it is more effective.
Sonia Anastasova is an artist and graphic designer. She graduated with a degree in Industrial Design from the Technical University in Sofia. He works in comic book and book illustration, animation and visualization.
Konstantin Vitkov-Titis graduated in Animation Cinema and Directing at the New Bulgarian University. He works as a storyboarder, concept artist, animator, director. He is the author of the Jack Eridon and Kamikaze series of graphic novels. He worked as a storyboarder on the films RIPD 2: Rise of the Damned, Tremors: Shrieker Island, Automata, The Expendables, Conan the Barbarian, Ninja, etc.
Svetlin Velinov also graduated from New Bulgarian University. He is the first Bulgarian to draw as part of the Wizards of the Coast team behind the online card game Magic: The Gathering. The series features Jack Eridon as a guest illustrator.