Close to the creators of ‘Mibdul’, Malta’s first adult serialized comic
Merlin Books has published the first series of serialized comics in Malta for adults.
Mibdul is an advanced six-monthly installment that uses science fiction and horror to “relentlessly satirize environmental disruptions, the orgy of construction and corruption going on in a certain island.”
Mibdul is written by Teodor Reljić and illustrated by Inez Kristina and published, with funding from the Malta Book Fund, in monthly installments by Merlin Publishers.
The first issue has already been released and can be purchased from the Merlin publisher’s website, while the second issue will be released on May 12.
MaltaToday spoke to Reljić and Inez Kristina about the creation of Mibdul and what readers can expect from the comic with six issues.
What was the inspiration behind the creation of Altered?
TR: At the very least, it was created for me by the announcement that virgin land at Żonqor Point in Marsascala was to be taken over by the American University in Malta – announced by the then Prime Minister Joseph Muscat on Labor Day. all days) back in 2015. I lived a literal stone throw away from the proposed site at the time, and the news was the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back in terms of the continued destruction of the natural landscape. of Malta (as was the case with many others, and as evidenced by the unprecedented wave of protests that the proposed development unwittingly actually reaped). I wanted to turn my frustration into something tangible that also spoke to my primary creative instincts and impulses – reaching all the way back to my childhood and adolescence. And a ‘space fantasy’ comic was the most aesthetically and emotionally accessible allegory for me at the time.
IZ: Teodor approached me sometime in 2016 and said that he had been working on this idea for a comic series, and after talking for a while we found out that we were quite aligned about how angry we were not only about disrespect. of Malta for our natural environment. but also about the proposed American University that would have been built in Zonqor, Marsascala. Since Marsaskala is my hometown and I feel full about it (and both Teo and I lived there back then), I was heartbroken.
Can you tell us about the process of creating Altered? How did it go from idea to something tangible?
TR: After Inez got involved, the project started to grow more or less organically on my part, because I knew I could continue to write the story, safe that my ideas would be understood, incorporated and given visual life by a person. smart and capable. artist! (We both happen to live in Marsascala for a large part of the creation of Altered, so this was also quite helpful.) Writing went through a fairly standard process of breaking down ideas, concepts, and characters. and divide it all into six serialized. the trip part. Ultimately, it all came down to two main challenges: making sure I could put the story in six 22/24 page format, and making sure that each individual issue, while part of a whole, both advance the story. forward and is a dynamic reading in itself. Overall, I’m very proud of the way the story is structured – readers will notice its peaks and troughs as they read along in the coming months – and I’m nervous and excited to see that finally be released in monthly installments in the ‘real’ world!
IZ: It was definitely a big challenge! I had never worked on such an ambitious project before, so it took me a while to get used to it. Luckily Teo was super to collaborate with me[uperesslikienji;ie//itat[afnakullmetakontnurihabbozzijewng[idlul-ideattieg[iallurakellnapja/irkbir’ilquddiemuluraniddiskutustorjakarattridisinjilayoutse//….mill-iskriptsapaġnafinali.Fil-bidukellnaxiskeċċijietta’kunċettbikrinminnMarkSciclunabiexniffru(likienfuqil-proġettqabli)iżdaspiċċajnaħadnad-disinjiul-vibef’direzzjonitotalmentdifferentihekkkifil-proġettkiber.L-artitmurukollprogressivamentaħjarmatulis-serjehekkkifil-ħiliettiegħiżviluppaw.KontkuntentħafnaliChrisGruppettaminnMerlinkienabbordsamill-bidunettuappoġġjanamatulil-proċesskollulidamħafnaaktarmillikonnastennejt.Tgħallimtħafnadwaril-ġestjonital-ħinil-bilanċbejnix-xogħolul-ħajjaprivataul-aspettattivipermezztat-tpinġijata’dawnil-paġnikollha(il-proġettħa5sninbiexjitlestaminflokl-1oriġinarjamentippjanatminħabbaċirkustanzital-ħajjaufinanzjarjikifukollnuqqastotalita’esperjenza)iżdakienil-proġetttal-passjonitagħnauftitftitġibna.
X’kienet ir-raġuni wara li għażilt li tuża format ta’ komiks biex tirrakkonta l-istorja?
TR: Ħdimt kemm bħala kritiku tal-films kif ukoll bħala kittieb tal-iskript, u l-isfond akkademiku tiegħi huwa fil-Letteratura Ingliża, iżda meta nilħqu sewwa – il-komiks huma l-ewwel imħabba tiegħi. Jien kont inħobbhom sa minn meta kont żgħir u impenjtejt li niġborhom fuq bażi regolari matul l-adoloxxenza tiegħi… li kien jeħtieġ xi sforz f’Malta minn nofs sa tmiem is-snin 90. Insomma, dejjem xtaqt nikteb komiks. U b’Mibdul, l-opportunità fl-aħħar ħarġet lilha nnifisha, grazzi kemm għal Inez kif ukoll għall-pubblikatur tagħna kuraġġuż u li jieħu r-riskju (Chris Gruppetta fil-Merlin) ħadu l-pass.
IZ: Dejjem xtaqt niġbed komiks minn meta kont tifla żgħira, u din kienet l-opportunità perfetta għalija.
X’joffri Mibdul li komiks oħra hemmhekk ma jagħmlux?
TR: Il-fatt li huwa l-ewwel ktieb tal-komiks serialized f’Malta minn pubblikatur mainstream huwa tragward ‘storiku’. Madankollu, ngħid li toffri wkoll ħarsa unikament Maltija fuq ċerti stejjer arketipiċi: dilettanti Maltin ta’ proprjetajiet bħal Star Wars, Arcane, Duna jew Mad Max se ssib fergħa Maltija miżjuda ma’ dak is-sett partikolari ta’ influwenzi. Il-komiks se jkun ukoll ħarsa esaġerata u estiża ta’ ċerti kwistjonijiet ta’ topika ħafna Maltin… flimkien ma’ xi ‘Easter Eggs’ ta’ togħma lokali li l-qarrejja b’għajnejhom ajkla jieħdu pjaċir isibhom.
IZ: Naħseb li l-qarrejja ser igawdu l-ħruxija tiegħu. Huwa uman ħafna u emozzjonali xi drabi, iżda wkoll tassew iblah. Huwa wkoll Malti ħafna f’ħafna modi, iżda mhux b’mod ċar – naħseb li n-nies se jieħdu pjaċir jagħmlu paralleli bejn id-dinja tal-Mibdul u Malta, iżda hija wkoll storja universali li tista’ tinftiehem u titgawda minn kulħadd. Ma naħsibx li huwa daqshekk importanti għalina li nkunu ‘l-għarrieda’ ma’ Mibdul – ridna biss nagħmlu xi ħaġa li tesprimi kif ħassejna, b’mod li hu tagħna. Naħseb li jista ‘jkun mhux maħdum madwar it-truf f’partijiet, li naħseb jista’ jkun charming.
Inti stess, taqra ħafna komiks? X’inhuma l-influwenzi tiegħek?
TR: Ovvjament naqra komiks! Wara waqfien fl-aħħar taż-żagħżagħ tiegħi, erġajt qbadthom bi ħġarhom waqt li l-eżamijiet tal-aħħar sena fl-Università kienu qed jaqbduni fi stupor (int tilħaq l-ewwel imħabba tiegħek fi żminijiet ta’ bżonn u disprament). F’termini ta’ influwenzi diretti fuq Mibdul… biex ma tinstema’ għoli – u bl-ebda mod ma nqabbilna ma’ dawk il-juggernauts – iżda l-kollaborazzjonijiet ta’ Moebius ma’ Alejandro Jodorowsky (partikolarment L-Inkal). Inqas għall-brilliance enormi tagħha, u aktar għal kif jieħdu dawran umoristiku zanily, satirikament inventiv – u okkażjonalment psikodeliku – dawran fuq il-ġeneru tal-fantasija spazjali/sci-fi.
IZ: Sorprendentement, ma naqrax daqshekk komiks aktar. Kont nagħmel aktar meta kont iżgħar, imma nqabad wisq fit-tfassil tal-ħaġa u nlesti l-istudji tiegħi tal-animazzjoni biex fil-fatt nieħu gost naqra komiks jew nara xorts u films animati. Huwa biss issa li għandi ftit ħin liberu, li nasal biex niskopri mill-ġdid l-affarijiet li wasluni biex nagħmel dan fl-ewwel lok. Madankollu, m’għandi l-ebda influwenzi speċifiċi, peress li litteralment xi ħaġa tista’ tickleli l-fancy fi kwalunkwe mument. I jissoponi I biss pick up għalf li I simili subkonxjament u toħroġ fuq il-paġna permezz osmosis.
Midbul hija serje ta’ komiks b’6 ħarġiet, qed tippjana li tkompli toħloq komiks oħra flimkien ladarba tispiċċa?
TR: Kieku jien, il-Mibdul ikun diġà fit-tieni jew it-tielet volum tiegħu! Iżda s-sitt kwistjonijiet kienu impriża kbira, partikolarment għal Inez. Iżda żgur li aħna impenjati li nikkollaboraw fuq aktar affarijiet fil-futur, anke fuq skala iżgħar. Nibdew kbar – kif għamilna bihom Ta’ Mibdul run ta’ sitt ħarġiet – setgħet ma kinitx l-iktar azzjoni għaqlija, iżda huwa ppruvat li l-kollaborazzjoni tagħna hija b’saħħitha biżżejjed biex tittratta l-isfidi kollha li tali impriża timplika. Ċertament nistenna bil-ħerqa għal aktar!
IZ: Nixtieq! Għalissa, inħossni xi ftit kreattiv maħruqa mill-produzzjoni ta’ Mibdul (għal kwalunkwe artist żagħżugħ hemmhekk, kif kont meta bdejt dan il-proġett fl-età ta’ 19-il sena – li tikkommetti ruħek għal 6 kwistjonijiet mhix ċajta) kif ukoll il-għadd kbir ta’ proġetti oħra li għamilt, għalhekk qed nieħu pawża biex niġbor il-bearings tiegħi u recharge. Naqbel ma’ Teo li l-kollaborazzjoni tagħna hija b’saħħitha u ilha għal xi snin mhux ħażin issa, u diġà bdejna nitkellmu dwar x’nistgħu possibbilment nagħmlu wara. Nistenna bil-ħerqa l-futur!