Catalan Communications was a New York Citypublishing company that existed from 1983 to 1991. Operated by Bernd Metz, it mainly focused on English-language translations of Europeangraphic novels presented in a series of high-quality trade paperbacks, or rather comic albums, a European book format American comic book readers were at the time not accustomed to, neither for their physical dimensions nor for their contents aimed at a mature readership, and who at the time had the tendency to use the diminutive term "Euro-comics" to refer to the then-unfamiliar format.
Metz became one of the first American publishers to introduce U.S. readership to European-style comics on a larger scale than the niche-market efforts undertaken by HM Communications[a] – publisher of the groundbreaking Heavy Metal magazine – in the preceding decade.[1]
History
Page five from New York/Miami (Catalan, 1990) by Loustal and Philippe Paringaux, translated by Elizabeth Bell
The company was founded in April 1983 as a collaboration between Bernd Metz (1944–2012), Herb Spiers, and Josep Toutain (1930–1997) of the Spanish art agency Selecciones Ilustradas.[2] It published from 1984 until 1992, operating out of a large loft located at 43 East 19th Street. Metz was the editor-in-chief, and the novelist Tom Leighton and later Elizabeth Bell provided English translations for the French and French-edition titles, including Max Cabanes' Colin-Maillard (Heartthrobs).[3] Despite initial struggles, the company was able to quickly establish financial stability, in large part due to their printing being done in Europe, where it was more economical to produce small press runs.[2]
On August 1, 1985, United States Customs Service officials seized copies of Massimo Mattioli's Squeak the Mouse on the grounds that the book was obscene. Since all of Catalan's publications were adult-only material, and at least as susceptible to seizure as Squeak the Mouse, Metz chose to fight the obscenity charge in court.[2] Metz won the case, and distributors actually increased their orders for Squeak the Mouse following the seizure, despite a coinciding price increase on the book.[2] After that, Catalan started an all-ages imprint[4] and adopted rating systems for their various publications.[5]
In 1990, Cabanes' Colin-Maillard graphic novel was the winner of the Grand Prix at France's Angoulême International Comics Festival. One of Bell's translated books for Catalan revealed errors in an earlier Heavy Metal translation of the same story. James Keller, the Germanic studies scholar, translated the German edition of Sacher-Masoch's Venus in Furs (Guido Crepax) in 1991, the year the company released its last titles. Tom Leighton was the IT arm of the firm, as well as the translator from French until 1989. Jeff Lisle translated from Italian and Spanish.[6]
Other books published by Catalan included Jacques Loustal's Love Shots, Lorenzo Mattotti's Fires, and Barcelona artist Marti Riera's The Cabbie, with an introduction by Art Spiegelman. Published in five languages, Trip to Tulum by Federico Fellini and Milo Manara, with essays translated by Elizabeth Bell, was selected by Publishers Weekly as one of the best trade paperbacks of 1990.[7]
^Metz was not the only American publisher who tried to introduce the European graphic novel to his countrymen; NBM Publishing too, tried their hand at translated European graphic novels in the same time span Catalan was active, and there was some overlap in authors who were published in English by both, most notably Milo Manara. But unlike for Catalan, the English-language publication of European productions has never been a core business for NBM, but rather executed on a more haphazardly experimental scale, and NBM therefore persevered longer than Catalan in their efforts. However, and like Catalan, NBM found out for themselves that American readership did not take to European comics at all – save for a small "intellectual" niche market, making their translation endeavors not commercially worthwhile – and threw in the towel in the early 2000s themselves when they too ceased all their "Euro-comics" translation efforts.
^Smith, Kenneth (May 1992). "Homage to Catalan: Burton & Cyb, Companions of the Dusk, Mark-of-the-Dog, Dark Tales, Heartthrobs, and Billy Budd KGB". The Comics Journal. No. 150. pp. 52–53.
^"Catalan Starts Juvenile Imprint". The Comics Journal. No. 126. Jan 1986. p. 29.
^"Catalan Adopts Ratings for Albums". The Comics Journal. No. 112. Nov 1986. pp. 16–17.
^"Catalan Offers Returns". Newswatch. The Comics Journal. No. 143. Apr 1991. p. 20.
^ abcdAnnounced (on back covers of released preceding series volumes), but cancelled due to Catalan's mid-1991 bankruptcy.
Sources
Decker, Dwight R.; Jordan, Gil; Thompson, Kim (March 1989). "Another World of Comics & From Europe with Love: An Interview with Catalan's Outspoken Bernd Metz" & "Approaching Euro-Comics: A Comprehensive Guide to the Brave New World of European Graphic Albums". Amazing Heroes. No. 160. Westlake Village, California: Fantagraphics Books. pp. 18–52.
