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Volume 1: Beneath the Surface…Who founded the magazine?
The fdz: hatched in a roostery somewhere in Beirut, the fdz led a mysterious childhood rife with comics, telly and nutella until he emerged from the American University of Beirut a fully-functioning graphic designer/illustrator/animator/procrastinator. He battled the forces of freelance work in Beirut until his victory in 2004, when he announced that "his work here was done" and decided to seek worthier adversaries abroad. Armed with a scholarship from the KRSF, he studied with the yogis of England and attained mastery over the art of filmmaking. He currently resides on the peripheries of adventure, choosing a life of solitude and meditation as he readies himself for the unleashing of his filmic assault upon the public.
Omar Khouri: born in London, England, in 1978, Omar grew up in Lebanon. He studied illustration at Massachusetts College of Art in Boston. After acquiring a Bachelor of Fine Art, he moved to Los Angeles for a year, and worked as a storyboard artist for various projects including The Final Cut, a feature length film by Omar Naim, starring Robin Williams. In 2003, he returned to Beirut where he has worked on a variety of projects that span many mediums and art forms, including print, theater, film, and music. He has also had three exhibitions of his paintings in Beirut, as well as two in New York. Despite the wide variety of application, his work is always grounded in the pursuit of the portrait through the utilization and manipulation of the nuances and subtleties of time in sequential imagery. Recently, Omar has returned to comics, the medium that first sparked his artistic curiosity over fifteen years ago, in order to study the idea of "Story as Comprehensive Portrait". His latest projects include Salamander comics magazine, of which he is co-founder, co-editor and a contributing artist.
Hatem Imam: born in Sidon in 1978, he moved to Beirut in 1996 where he studied Graphic Design at the American University of Beirut, graduating in summer 2000. After working as a web designer and art director for two years, he decided to open his own design studio. His work includes both print and digital media. He won several design excellence award, and has worked in theatre, event organization, and art directed the short film “Both”. In 2005, he decided to pursue an MA degree in Fine Art at the University College for the Creative Arts from which he graduated with distinction in September 2006. He co-founded Salamander comics magazine and has exhibited work (installation, painting, photography) in Lebanon, England, and New York. He currently teaches at the design departments at the American University of Beirut and the Lebanese American University.
Lena Merhej: an illustrator and an animator, she freelances in various fields, doing independent short films, comics, children books and awareness campaigns. She teaches and gives workshops in animation, illustration, comic books and design for children. Her work is grounded in play and in the love for detail in henna and arabesque.
Volume 2: The Muse…What inspired you to start this endeavor?
A need to produce comics. We were all fans and dabbling in our own ways with small strips here and there, but found no cultural space for our work. Instead of trying to wedge ourselves into other peoples' magazines we figured we'd start our own! Better yet, if this thing takes to the air we might find ourselves discovering more people like us, who love comics and have always wanted to make some.
Volume 3: The Mission…What do you hope to achieve (i.e. what are your goals)?
We hope to produce a comic book revolution that will herald a new era of peace and understanding between cultures in the Middle East and the rest of the world but in essence, Samandal Magazine aims to be a showcase of comics we find interesting, a gallery of stories and artists that are currently flying under the radar. We hope that this gallery will coalesce into a distinctive identity with serialized stories and returning artists and thus become a conduit between them and a wider public thirsty for comics that speak their realities.
Volume 4: Cultural Flirtations…Do you believe that there is a particular "Lebanese" feel to your magazine that makes it stand out?
Absolutely. The fact is, all four of the founders are from Lebanon. We all have a half-assed grasp on three languages, we all have a soft spot for Grendizer, we all have a childish nostalgia for the war and we've all been spoilt rotten with good food. Naturally, these characteristics will translate into our work on the magazine and shape it as such. Does Samandal Magazine go out of its way to be "Lebanese"? Not really.
Volume 5: Secret Powers…Is there a distinguishing factor that makes your magazine unique (other than the fact that it is the first in the Middle East)?
We wouldn't go as far as saying that it is the first in the Middle East. There have been prior experiences with varying degrees of success. “Zeroooo” comes to mind, albeit a more satirist approach than ours. “Jad Workshop” was another. Yet what distinguishes Samandal Magazine is our plan to bring edgier comics with wider influences into the spotlight. We hope the magazine will become a forum where people can discuss their ideas through comics, where new talent can have a pedestal to speak from. Samandal Magazine is not a closed collective. It is an open debate.
Volume 6: World Calling...Which countries are you getting submissions from so far?
For issue zero the submissions have come from Lebanon, France and Brazil. But since the launch we have been receiving material from varying places.
Volume 7: Laws of Attraction…Are all contributors Lebanese or of mixed nationalities?
Most of them are Lebanese however two are French.
Volume 8: Fan Passion…Is there a substantial comic fan base in Lebanon? In the Middle East?
That's a tricky one. We really hope so. Our generation (born in the 70's) really had little more than Superman, Loulou, Majed and Mad Magazine to read from. Those were the comics found on the market back then, but with Lebanon being the cultural crossroad it is, access to the comic world was never hard. It seems like things have changed since. People who were living abroad during the civil war have returned bringing with them their varied exposure to the medium and the evolution of telecommunication has brought all kinds of media to our fingertips. In the Middle East, the answer becomes trickier still as every country has its own constituency, but let's hope there is a latent comic gene in us all.
Volume 9: Standing Ovation…Will you have a substantial customer base?
We hope so. Actually, we're sure so. ;)
Volume 10: The Score…Where will people be able to purchase your magazine and what will
the pricing be? Will it only be available in Lebanon or further afield?
That's all up in the air right now. We are working on launching the magazine in proper syndicated format next year (issue zero was more of a litmus paper to test how much interest in comics there is out there), so we cannot really answer those questions definitively. We are going to start distributing with Lebanon (and the internet of course), learn from our experiences and then quickly spread out from there.
Volume 11: Creation…If someone wishes to feature their work in Samandal, what should they do?
They should send their work to Samandal Magazine (aldelirium@gmail.com). Right now all our contributors are doing everything on their own, but we also aim to become a network of various writers and artists working together to produce comics of quality. So if someone has a good script, there might be an artist willing to cooperate and vice versa.
Will Samandal win the day faster than speeding bullet, leaping over tall obstacles in a single bound? Will Beirut get caught up in the wake of this comic revolution? Will the world succumb to its charms?
Find out in the following issues….
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