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Dear Alberto Breccia,
far be it from me to claim you were a friend of mine - after all I had the good fortune to meet you only twice. Our conversations have however remained in my memory, and so I am taking the liberty of writing to you about the publication of "Letter To A Dead Friend" - especially as I know how interested you were in the works of young artists outside the comic-mainstream. This comic would very probably have aroused your curiosity for precisely this reason.
The idea for this small anthology arose in April 2000 during the 9th Lucerne Comix Festival Fumetto - the European event that focuses on the independent comic scene. Fumetto concerns itself with future trends and yet it still manages to attract a broad public. It is therefore not unusual, under these circumstances, that talented artists and interested members of the public come together, and that in the long night hours the wildest of ideas and plans are hatched.
You know as well as I do, dear Alberto, that the majority of such ideas and plans are never realised. But not this one, thanks to a man called Marcello Pirrone. Marcello is neither a publisher, illustrator nor is he an authority on comics. He's the man with the incredible workman's hands, the unmistakable profile and the blue Volkswagen bus in which, on fine days, he likes to set off for the beautiful Lucerne countryside with a handful of illustrator acquaintances. In exactly this way Marcello (who incidentally is no stranger to the comic scene - after all it was he who gave the name Marcello La Lupara to the main character in Thomas Ott's "La Grande Famiglia") came together with Katja Tukiainen, Markus Huber and Lily Lau Lee Lee.
I must admit, Alberto, that I really can't say where Marcello came upon the idea of a group project, nor indeed where the idea was unfurled by the illustrators - perhaps in the Fumetto bar to the rhythms of DJs Christian Huth or Max 2000, perhaps on an idyllic mountain alp over the Vierwaldstättersee, to the tune of distant cow bells - who knows. In any case the illustrators were inspired by the idea and agreed to cooperate on the project.
The project was conceived to extend the spirit of the festival beyond the ten days of Fumetto, to prolong this exchange between comic artists across national boundaries. Marcello's idea was to bring together four artists, to work around a theme, and to observe the process, the resulting common threads and differences. He would maintain contact with the artists and hoped they too would exchange ideas with one another. He also wanted to give a Lucerne illustrator - Tobi Gaberthuel - the opportunity to publish his work in an international forum. In short Marcello wanted to do something instead of just sitting around talking about what should be done.
Like I said, this kind of project mostly never sees the light of day; the ideas that spark in the heat of discussion are equally soon forgotten. But here Marcello is different. He may not have any publishing experience, nor does he know much about editing a comic, but Marcello knows what he wants. With his very own blend of obstinacy, enthusiasm and charm he managed to convince the right people of the importance of his project, in particular Fumetto director Sabine Witkowski. Sabine has extensive experience with the practical side of comic publishing and is ever active for the cause, even if she does tend, too often, to keep to the shadows. In any case it was she who taught Marcello the painstaking art of comic-making.
And now the comic is here and I'm really pleased to be able to tell you about it. It is a collection of letters to dead friends, the work of four artists from Finland, Hong Kong, Germany and Switzerland, each of whom brings their very personal slant and style to this difficult theme. It is however not my wish to extol the virtues of the individual works - you were, after all, one of the most sensitive and knowledgeable of comic-lovers and teachers, and certainly have no need of my guidance.
I hope you enjoy this comic as much as I do. I hope that you have continued, from where you are now, to pursue the developments in the world of comics with critical goodwill. I hope it is clear to you, despite your great humility, that your comics and your uncompromising attitude have born fruit all over the world, and nowhere more than in today's comic-underground. I also want to say a belated thank you for all that you have done, in your work and your example, for comic-making beyond the mainstream.
with warmest regards and deepest respect
Christian Gasser
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