London International Comics Festival is back for its 7th edition, and even though we still don’t know all the details (we’ll keep you updated) here are the first insights…
This year includes a new element: a three-month exhibition curated by Comica director Paul Gravett entitled ‘That’s Novel : Graphic Novels Now’ which will celebrate current innovations in the comics medium in Britain and internationally, both on and off the page. This evolving show will be held at The London Print Studio Gallery.
But the real Kick off starts Friday 5th November for “Transitions” , a conference promoting multi-disciplinary research of comics and graphic novels, manga, bande dessinée, webcomics and other forms of sequential art. (Organized by Comica with The School of Arts at Birkbeck, University of London, in association with the British journals Studies in Comics, Journal of Graphic Novels and Comics and European Comic Art.
The Comica London Festival traditionally held in October – November has been running since 2003 when it was held at the ICA, other venues include the V&A museum or the Institut Francais. Several national and international artists that go from Alan Moore to Chris Ware or Art Spiegelman have already participated in this annual celebration and even though Comica may not have the fame & renown other European festivals do (like Annecy or Salo del Comic Barcelona) it’s slowly becoming an obligated visit for all fans of the ninth art
What differentiates Comica from other European festivals is its duration: usually spread around 3 weeks (vs 3 days) it surely is an intense experience while offering a wider range of options: exhibitions, events, talks, performances, workshops, films, conferences….
As soon as we get the full line-up of invited artists, exhibitions, competitions & talks we’ll tell you! And again, if you happen to be in London from November 5th… book a day or two in your endless agenda for your favorite artists…. we will.
