Story Time (Kutlul #0, Spring 2016)
Joost Halbertsma is an Rotterdam-based designer. He was born in 1984 in Wageningen and has a BA in Fine Arts from the St. Joost academy in Breda. He works as a freelance exhibition builder and art-installer for various museums, artists and galleries. He has designed and produced exhibitions about the work of comic artists like Peter Pontiac (Graphic Design Museum in Breda, 2011), Wasco (Graphic Design Museum in Breda, 2011), Kito (CBK Rotterdam, 2011), Dick Matena (Barcelona, Spain, 2011) and Barbara Stok (Van Gogh Museum, 2012).
Halbertsma also works on his own art projects in different types of media, from objects over posters to animated movies and photographs. Drawing is the backbone of his work, though. His art and sketches have appeared in his self-published "crapbooks" 'The Lost Pages' (2005), 'The Bitter, The Better' (2008) and 'Focus on the future... try not to panic' (2009). In 2016 he released the first issue of the German-Dutch "mega-zine" Kutlul, together with Dirk Verschure, Annika Hauke and Niels Kalk. The follow-up issues featured additional contributions by Naomi Taverdin, Felix Hauke, Ralph Schulz, Fufu Frauenwalh, Andy Leuenberg, Pedro Amaro, Lilith Peters, Mustafa Kandaz, Jan Huijben, Hendrik Nieuwenhuis, Marc Kolle, Vincent Zurwesten, Stanley van der Meer, Argibald, Marcel Ruijters, Maia Matches, Sidhi Achmat, Howlin' Quin de Vreede, Rogier Smal, Lisa Mckendrick & Tim Drage, Arno Pelzer, Pieter Zandvliet, Paralodia, Nicole van den Berg and Andy Leuenberger. The 15th and final issue appeared in June 2023.
Front and back of the Lambiek flyer.
Halbertsma has furthermore organized a series of evenings about comic books in Rotterdam in 2011 and 2012, and has done commission work. Among these commissions was the new flyer for comic book shop Lambiek in Amsterdam in 2012. It is a good showcase of Halbertsma's underground style, and a wonderful overview of the store and gallery at the old location at Kerkstraat 132, with several extreme cameos of comic book characters.
Interior of the Lambiek flyer. From left to right: Heinz the cat (Windig & De Jong), Gaston Lagaffe (André Franquin), Tuitel (Wasco), Tom Poes and Olivier B. Bommel (Marten Toonder), Suske (Willy Vandersteen), Kapitein Rob (Pieter J. Kuhn) and Eric de Noorman (H.G. Kresse). From top to below: Asterix (René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo), Sjors & Sjimmie (Frans Piët), Gaga (Peter Pontiac), a Smurf (Peyo), Schanulleke (Willy Vandersteen), Cowboy Henk (Kamagurka & Herr Seele), Jopo de Pojo (Joost Swarte) and Wiske (Willy Vandersteen). The fighting cloud with the word "Zip" on it is Lambiek's logo, lifted from Vandersteen's 'Suske en Wiske' story 'Prinses Zagemeel'.