Bea Lema Wins National Comic Award for 'The Body of Christ'

Bea Lema (A Coruña, 1985) has won the National Comic Award for her work 'The Body of Christ' (Astiberri). The work is an approach to the thorny issue of mental health from the perspective of a child and in an autobiographical key. It is a "formally innovative and daring" piece created "with textures and compositions that transcend commonly used techniques without forgoing humor and a poetic gaze," according to the awarding jury. The Ministry of Culture annually grants this award, which comes with a prize of 30,000 euros.

The jury also highlighted the "great depth and sensitivity in addressing such a complex issue as mental health from the author's own experience" and "the advocacy for the importance of care." 'The Body of Christ' is Lema's first graphic novel, which had already been awarded in its original Galician language and its French edition.

"It is a work of great visual beauty and profound emotion that offers a surprising look at the mother-daughter relationship, being a true exploration of language that uses alternative aesthetic resources and shows a new way of weaving history by claiming migrant memory," concluded the jury's statement.

Bea Lema, who has created illustrations for magazines, posters, and children's books, is working on adapting her award-winning book into an animated short film. Her work, generally autobiographical, addresses themes such as madness, family relationships, religion, trauma, and popular rituals. In 2017, she received the XII Castelao Comic Award from the Provincial Council of A Coruña for 'O Corpo de Cristo'.

In 2022, she was awarded a grant to undertake a graphic novel residency at the Maison des auteurs in Angoulême (France). The book she worked on there, based on her first comic in Galician, was published in France under the title 'Des maux à dire' (Sarbacane Publishing). It was awarded the Jury Prize at the BD Festival 2023 in Périgord, the Public Prize at the Angoulême Festival, the Bédélys Prize at the Montreal Comic Festival for best foreign work, and the Grand Prize of Heroine Madame Figaro in 2024.

Lema takes over from Borja González Hoyos, winner of last year's award, joining a long list of laureates that includes Diego Corbalán, Javier de Isusi, Ana Penyas, Rayco Pulido, and Pablo Auladell, among others.

María José Gálvez Salvador, Director General of Books, chaired the jury which included Jesús González González, Deputy Director General for Book Promotion, Reading and Spanish Letters; Ana Prada Jiménez, proposed by the Association of Comic Authors of Spain (AACE); Luis Miguel Pérez González, representing the Federation of Professional Illustrators Associations (FADIP); María Bravo Cortés, representing the Spanish Confederation of Booksellers Guilds and Associations (CEGAL); Mònica Rex García, representing the Association of Critics and Disseminators of Comics of Spain; Josep Domingo del Calvari, representing the Association of Professional Comic Authors of Spain (APCómic); Emilio Gonzalo Mallo, representing the Sectoral Comic Association; Fernando Lara Pérez from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando; María Teresa Antona López from the Federation of Associations of Journalists of Spain (FAPE); Itziar Adelaida Pascual Ortiz from the Institute for Feminist Research at Complutense University of Madrid; Ana Murillo Yagüe from the Ministry of Culture; and Borja González Hoyos, last year's award-winning author.