Spain’s largest comic festival, Comic Barcelona, started on Friday at the Fira de Barcelona and will last until Sunday, May 5. There is a record number of artists present who sign albums for fans. The emphasis in this edition is on cinema.
The event includes film marathons organised by the Sitges Terror and Fantastic Film Festival. In addition, Comic Barcelona has introduced a new space, Zona Utopia, dedicated to fantasy, science fiction and horror comic books. This new zone also offers an ‘Artists Alley’, where fans can have their favourite comic books signed or request a personalised drawing from various artists.
Tribute
There are exhibitions paying tribute to George Miller’s ‘Mad Max’ comics and ‘Blacksad’, with insights into how these comics were created. For young comic lovers there is the ‘Comic Kids’ zone, with activities such as a children’s cosplay catwalk, an Educapop concert and an escape room.
The festival also honours the late comic book artist Francisco Ibáñez, creator of Barcelona-born Mort & Phil. The Catalan capital has previously honored Ibáñez, including with some traffic lights based on Mort & Phil.
Behind the scenes of the comic world
For those interested in the behind-the-scenes part of the comics world, there will be talks by professionals on topics such as subsidies, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and comics translations, as well as panels with artists.
Posy Simmonds, an English writer and illustrator for newspapers such as The Guardian and The Times, is one of the artists present for signings. “It’s great, I’m really looking forward to meeting the audience,” Simmonds told Catalan News.
Comic Barcelona, formerly known as “Salón Internacional del Cómic de Barcelona”, is one of the largest and most important comic festivals in Spain. This annual event is held at the Fira Barcelona Montjuïc and attracts fans of comic books, illustrations, Manga, and related pop culture from across Europe and beyond. Last year the comic book fair attracted 110,000 visitors who could visit 208 stands.
Also read: Dive into the allure and madness of the American dream in Barcelona