Fin-de-siecle Arab cartoons set the scene for contemporary Middle Eastern comics

Fin-de-siecle Arab cartoons set the scene for contemporary Middle Eastern comics: Early satirical broadsheets — such as this experimental newspaper series by journalist and Egyptian nationalist Yaqub Sanu in the late 19th century — were the precursor of the political cartoons and comic art that are now a growing medium for self-expression in the Middle East. Alternative comics, graphic narratives for adults that explore social issues through genres ranging from romance to adventure and fantasy, are not mainstream in the region. Even in Beirut, which is becoming a hub for underground comics, they are viewed as a novelty. But the Middle East has a history of cartooning for social and political expression that dates back over a century, Jonathan Guyer writes in Atlas Obscura. Photo credit for this image goes to Heidelberg University.