DaniZar: Escapist Soul Comic

True to his early bird spirit, the cartoonist and screenwriter Dani Zarzuelo, alias DaniZar, has landed at the Bar first thing in the morning. As a tribute to his beloved Súper López, today he accompanies his coffee with milk with a croissant and enjoys the soft melody of the soundtrack of Interstellar, by Hans Zimmer, which accompanies the morning calm. "All the stories I tell with comic strips have that humorous and fantastic tone that helps to escape from reality," he adds at the bar, with a shy half-smile appearing.

In his student years, this terrassenc abandoned the Architecture degree to study Industrial Engineering. "That opened the doors for me to make my first fanzines, contact people with similar interests and establish the first contacts in the comic world." But he had to keep that passion for comics fallow to concentrate on his professional career, that of a web programmer.

"It's not that I had lost 100% connection with comics, but there was a moment, in 2011, when it came back with force... and to stay!" Dani dusted off an old project and, thanks to a Verkami, his debut Renna en tierra desconocida saw the light. There, his narrative coordinates were already clear. Escapism and tons of fantasy. He also laid the foundations for what has been his professional approach. "I am an independent author who tries to escape the slave-like and impoverished conditions of editorial contracts. That's why, although I don't live off comics –something very few privileged people can do in this country–, I have almost always self-published."

His work has been published in different formats and includes titles such as Litte Renna y el circo de los dragones, Águila Coja, Little Wars, Tamy & Drax, El Mangurriano ("a parody comic of the Star Wars universe") or Little Renna y la fuente mágica. The latter is associated with an experience he remembers with special affection: "giving comic workshops at the Fundació Bofill in Barcelona with ten-year-old kids, and introducing them to the creative process of comics." He sips a mouthful of coffee with milk, narrows his eyes and adds: "I believe that, in this society dominated by algorithms and mobile phones, getting a child excited about something created analogically with little more than a pencil and paper is an achievement that, as a society, we should pursue more."

Accumulation of work

DaniZar has an endless number of projects boiling in his head and hands, "although I have little time left by work and personal situations to cover them all." He collaborates with the comic magazines Amaníaco, from Barcelona, and Adoquín, from Zaragoza, which in five issues has already gained a good base of young readers and where the parishioner publishes the adventures of Lila, a dimensional traveler, which he will soon compile into a volume. He is also working on further installments of Mangurriano and on "a long adventure that will transfer the legend of the Drac de Sant Llorenç to comics, very popular in several towns in Vallés Occidental.

There is also room for activism. Dani collaborates in the organization of Ègarcòmic, an event that aims to bring comics and reading closer to adults and children and which starts tomorrow, June 1, and runs until June 6, in Terrassa. It will feature an exhibition, several talks, a drawing contest and, of course, a comic market. The cause is, moreover, unbeatable: "all proceeds will go to childhood cancer research."

Among the debates that will arise during the event, it is likely that a hot topic will be discussed, which worries readers and, above all, creators. The interference of AI in comics and other creative fields. "We must be more responsible in the use of these technologies. Many creative professions are being harmed by this trend of producing quickly and without cost, violating the intellectual property of thousands of people," he warns. Who will create when a machine does it for free, albeit without any soul?

"Getting a child excited about something created analogically with little more than a pencil and paper is an achievement that, as a society, we should pursue more."

Comic City

The cartoonist is clear about his relationship with Barcelona. Comics, of course. His first time coming down from Terrassa and going into Norma, on Passeig de Sant Joan. The feeling of entering a temple. "On the first floor, European comics. And, going down some stairs, the American comic area. Paradise for me." His voice trembles as he remembers that magical moment.

Years later, he continues to go down to Barcelona, navigating the dirt and bad smells of some of its streets, marveling at historical episodes such as the defense of the city in 1714, and frequenting the triangle of comic and book stores that has developed in the Arc de Triomf area. Of course, the Comic Fair is also there. "First I went as a visitor, years later as an exhibitor in the fanzine area, and more recently, as an author," he reasons, with a halo of satisfaction.

–You've never been to this Bar, and since it's lunchtime, maybe you'd like to eat something. There's a menu, sandwiches, combo plates, tapas… all delicious!

Again, DaniZar brandishes a shy smile. Another soundtrack plays in the background, delighting him, that of Apocalypto by James Horner.
"Let it be a combo plate with fried eggs and bread," he asks, knowing that he won't take long to burn those calories by going for a run or a bike ride. "And I'll order dessert," he adds, confessing that sweets are his downfall.