Underground comic author Berta Pascual, professionally known as Bamidala, explores affectivity, identity, and social pressure through organic, bold illustrations rooted in personal therapy and self-expression, according to interviews detailing her creative evolution and her award-winning work.
Born in Seville in 1986, Pascual developed a visual style characterized by heavy, rounded, and visceral lines rather than clean, rigid digital animation, drawing inspiration from alternative storytelling and queer visibility. Her notable works include Raíz, Monroe, Chupasangre, and Tocotó, the latter of which earned the Best Fanzine award at Comic Barcelona.
The Origins of Bamidala and Visual Style
Pascual adopted her artistic pseudonym from the Star Wars character Padmé Amidala, combining the initial of her own name with the cinematic figure played by Natalie Portman. According to the author, the character’s heavy political weight, narrative importance, and striking costume design—which sparked Pascual’s secondary interest in fashion—left a lasting impression during her creative development. Visually, her work rejects clean, minimalist drafting in favor of organic, round, and impactful figures. As an autodidact inspired initially by animation, Pascual transitioned away from rigid lines toward expressive, fluid shapes that represent authentic character presence, particularly focusing on strong female and queer bodies.
Autobiographical Fanzines as Therapy
Pascual uses her fanzines to process personal hardships, including identity confusion, relationship breakups, grief, and family dynamics. According to the creator, her comics serve a healing, restorative function:
- Raíz: Explores the open-ended search for self without demanding a fixed definition of identity.
- Monroe: Acts as a processing tool for the heartbreak of an unrequited romance with another woman.
- Chupasangre: Examines online connections, common interests, and the painful reality of digital ghosting.
- Aparejo: Functions as a fishing-themed fanzine addressing the emotional closure of a complex relationship with her father.
Comic Barcelona Recognition and Tocotó
Pascual won the Best Fanzine award at Comic Barcelona for Tocotó, a project inspired by a song by Amaia, which references a tune by Marisol. The fanzine tackles societal pressure and the anxiety of trying to accomplish everything. Built without staples or glue, the publication features a fold-out binding that opens into a poster of anatomically imperfect horses. These flawed illustrations symbolize the core message of embracing imperfection and accepting that failing to do everything is entirely acceptable. The victory coincided with a historic year for the convention, where Teresa Valero became the first woman to win the Grand Prize at Comic Barcelona, a milestone Pascual noted as an extra source of inspiration.
The State of Self-Publishing and Industry Challenges
Operating primarily within the self-publishing and fanzine circuit, Pascual points out the sharp contrast between a vibrant, inclusive reader market and a struggling national industry in Spain. While underground distribution and self-managed events have grown significantly—fueled by manga demand, millennial readership, and social media visibility—most comic creators cannot live off their art alone. According to Pascual, making a comic requires extensive time and effort that direct sales rarely compensate, forcing creators to maintain secondary jobs. While government grants for authors aim to bridge financial gaps during production cycles, she notes that creators relying solely on full-time comic careers typically work for established foreign industries in France or the United States.
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