“The uniqueness of comics: only in comics are image and text directly interwoven.”

Comic artist Mikael Ross was present at the German-language Guest of Honour presentation at the Brussels Book Fair. In our interview, he talks about changing perspectives in writing, his definition of home and the novel as a literary place of escape. 

Your art and literature are inspired by different nations and regions of the world. What does wanderlust mean to you personally and to your works? 
In all my books, there has been an element of leaving home and arriving in a new, yet unknown environment. In ‘Der Umfall’, the main character moves to an institution for people with mental health problems, in ‘Goldjunge’ Beethoven ventures into the unknown by moving from Bonn to Vienna. My latest book is about a young female protagonist Hoa Binh who is smuggled from Vietnam to the West.

I think that characters really show who they are when they find themselves in extreme situations. As I am a very place-bound person, for me the motif of a change of location is also associated with negative things. For example, before almost every trip I realise that, alongside curiosity and anticipation, there is also fear in the back of my mind.

This is not your first time in the city, what special significance does Brussels have for you? 
I studied Comics in Brussels for a year as part of the Erasmus programme at the Ecole Supérieure Des Beaux Arts Saint-Luc. It was a kind of awakening experience for me! For the first time, I was among like-minded people who were also interested in comics. It was there that I met the scriptwriter and illustrator Nicolas Wouters, and together we began to sketch a plan for our first comic. This became our joint book ‘Les pieds dans le béton’. I think it was one of the most important years of my life. During this time, I realised that I could and had to take comic drawing seriously. 
 

What fascinates you most about graphic novels compared to classic literature? 
I am actually very fascinated by classic literature! I read far more novels than I read comics or watch films. The medium of the novel is a real sanctuary for me, where you can immerse yourself in another person's perception in a way that no other medium can offer. But I still couldn't write a novel. I always think in pictures and the most direct way for me is to tell stories in pictures. Then there is the uniqueness of the comic: only in comics are image and text directly interwoven. 

More Information about Mikael Ross: https://www.avant-verlag.de/artist/mikael-ross/(opens in a new window)

The Interview was conducted by Simone Hellwig, Junior Social Media Manager at Frankfurter Buchmesse.