I am honored to be a mentor and advisor in WOMCOM, a groundbreaking 6-country comics initiative that aims at creating a network for women and non-binary creators in the very patriarchal comics cultures and societies of Croatia, Greece, Hungary, Montenegro, Serbia, and Slovenia.
WOMCOM – Women Power in Comics is a 2-year Creative Europe Project that organizes international residencies, online and offline publication opportunities, conferences, and most importantly, a network of likeminded people to women and non-binary comics artists in South-East Europe.
Image: alternative WOMCOM logo and t-shirt design by Anna Júlia Benczédi. Wanna support solidarity and community among women in South East Europe? Buy here design here.
My involvement so far has been:
1. Advisor at the start of the program in March 2023
As some of the partners come from performance culture and music, and not directly from comics or visual culture, my role as an advisor was to emphasize the specificities of comics cultures in our region and to forever keep the focus on what emerging and established artists in the Balkans need. To begin with, being an established comics artist means something completely different here than in Belgium. (This is why I most passionately revolt when someone says “European Comics” and in fact what they mean is the Franco-Belgian market and cultural environment.)
The first photo show the Hungarian delegates to the WOMCOM kickoff meeting: Márton Hegedűs, author of the first graphic novel in Hungary; Márta Ladjánsziki, our project manager; and myself, who cannot shut up.
The second photo shows Marko Djeska from Croatia, organizer of comics life in Croatia and Tanja Skale, editor of Slovenian Stripburger and organizer of Tinta Festival in Ljubjana, and myself, director of the International Comics Festival Budapest (I have resigned since then). Here we are writing the call for artists for our WOMCOM residencies.
2. Mentor at the Hungarian residency, Sept 2023
This has been a true lifechanging experience! 12 absolutely talented residents from various cultural backgrounds and experience — some from the punk or music scenes, some from illustration or animation, some still students, some already grandmothers — made comics together for 2 weeks in a house far from civilization. We had great discussions about comics and life, and a lot of fun.
We built a forward-looking, supporting community that is based on the collaboration of several generations and approaches. As a mentor, I consulted with the residents on their progress and their questions on a daily basis.
It’s exciting and an honor to see how a comic is made. It is a challenge to tune in to each project and give the advice that the creator needs. It’s incredible to see that when I say something, they think about it, reshape it, and move on with it. And it’s even more incredible to see creativity, creative energy, and stories flow out of a dozen people.
The residents in Hungary – FOLLOW THESE ARTISTS!
Anamarija Kvas, CRO https://www.instagram.com/kvasanamarija/
Helena Klakočar-Vukšić, CRO https://www.instagram.com/helenaklakocar/
Ivana Geček, CRO https://www.instagram.com/ivana_gecek/
Jovana Vukovic, SRB https://www.instagram.com/y.o.vana/
Larisa Ackov Palić, SRB https://www.instagram.com/larisaackov/
Sara Dervanović, MNT https://www.instagram.com/sara_silva_art_dump/
Silva Dervanovic, MNT https://www.instagram.com/sara_silva_art_dump/
Dora Kaštrun, SLO https://www.instagram.com/risodora_/
Petja Kolenko, SLO https://www.instagram.com/pitja.x/
Georgia Kalogeropoulou, GR https://www.instagram.com/drcomet/
Benczédi Anna Júlia, RO-HU https://www.instagram.com/anna_julia_benczedi/
Tóbiás Tamara, HU https://www.instagram.com/thegarbage.gif/
I received this feedback today from residents of the Women Power in Comics program —
“I can humbly say that Eszter Szép is one of the best mentors I have ever met. As a mentor, she always has energy to spare, she is one hundred and one percent focused on our work and will review the comics, the script, and correct everything that can be done, down to the last detail. Eszter will take the time to brainstorm with you, to go through up to five times just to find a solution that suits everyone. I am convinced that the comic that I made for the residency is my best comic precisely because of such an excellent mentor and I am very happy that I had the opportunity to meet her. She is always smiling, full of ideas, encourages a person to create and shows him a hundred other examples. She supports her students with all her heart and I want to see such a positive and wonderful person in any case at similar events. The right person for this residency as a mentor is Eszter. Best choice ever.”
Also —
“She was fast in finding solutions for my narrative problems, she helped me with practical thinking.”
We also organized an exhibition at Bakelit Multi Art Center in Budapest, and the opening was really great (exhibition photos by KNI). (I have more photos on my instagram.)
3. Conference in Novi Sad, Serbia
The first conference of WOMCOM was organized in Novi Sad, Serbia in September 2023, and I was part of the Hungarian delegation. I talked about Hungarian comics and zine festivals and gender, I moderated a panel with women artists from the region. I also co-conducted a feminist comics workshop with Petra Lilla Marjai (check out her new graphic novel project!). Look at the beautiful artistic reflection by Anna Júlia Benczédi (instagram)! I edited an article on our experiences at the conference which you can read in Hungarian here.
Next year, WOMCOM will offer two further residencies and opportunities to meet.
Some of the residents that I met will come to Budapest to take part in our Hungarocomix comics fair. I hope that our friendship will take us on exciting new endeavors.
Eszter Szép 
