From 1st through 3 September 2017 Brussels will become the capital of Comic Strips. Besides the Parc de Bruxelles and BOZAR where the main activities of the weekend will take place, Comic Strips will color the city. Numerous activities, exhibitions, signing sessions and all sorts of other events will charm young and old throughout this weekend dedicated to the 9th art.
For this, its 8th edition, Brussels’ Comic Book Festival is spreading out across the city. Beyond the Parc de Bruxelles, it will be featured at BOZAR, Brussels’ prestigious Palais des Beaux-Arts.
Not to be missed at BOZAR:
Exhibitions:
• The Brussels Comic Strip Festival presents a selection of panels from this hilarious new album with drone overflights, exploding abandoned suitcases, and inappropriate selfies.
• Thorgal (exhibition of originals) : As part of the 40th anniversary of the famous series created by Jean van Hamme and Grzegorz Rosinski, discover over thirty original black and white panels.
• Gaston:(guest of honor) : In the prestigious setting of Horta Hall at Bozar, Gaston will roll out his best gaffes for a flash (full-size!) exhibition on the occasion of the sixtieth anniversary of his debut in the SPIROU Journal in 1957. An exhibition created especially for the Comic Strip Festival.
Frescoes :
• Kim Jung Gi is leaving his native Korea to give you the chance to watch him complete one of his impressive murals over three days.
• Grzegorz Rosinski offers an inside view of his universe in the time it takes to draw.
Screenings:
Very first public screening of the film « Le Petit Spirou », in the presence of the creators of the Comic Strip : Tome et Janry
Screening of the feature film ” Titeuf ” in the presence of: Zep (tickets on sale at BOZAR)
The original show : TRAGAWDOUKOUTRRR: ode to the gaffophone :
In this original show, Max Vandervorst makes music with instruments that were not musical before crossing paths with this totally crazy conductor.
On the Place des Palais :
The Balloon Day Parade and the Tintin Magazine Rally
Sunday 3 September: Festival visitors will live the rich life of Belgian comic books thanks to the serendipitous combination of the “Balloon Day Parade” and the Tintin Magazine Rally. The parade of giant comics character balloons will invade the capital early in the afternoon. Then the progenitors of Tintin Magazine will rally in the capital before ending their journey on the Place des Palais :
In the city :
But the Festival is not limited to the Parc de Bruxelles nor to BOZAR. A variety of original activities will take place too in different key spots all over the city. Here’s a sneak peek.
Guided tours
Guided tours to view Comic Strip frescoes
Travel across Brussels with a professional guide from Arkadia to admire such likeable characters as Astérix, Tintin and Milou, Néron and even Ric Hochet, immortalised in giant size on the gables of almost 50 houses.
Guided bicycle tour to Laeken
Go on an 8-kilometre cycle ride to Laeken and explore the north of Brussels, where two wheels go hand in hand with the ninth art world. Professional guides from Pro Velo will accompany you throughout this journey of comic strip discovery.
Exhibitions and activities across the city
Galerie Tintin©Hergé
Galerie Tintin©Hergé will present a facility devoted to the Tintin Imagination Museum over the festival’s three-day run! The Tintin Imagination Museum was developed in 1979 and was the subject of a major exhibition at the Brussels Fine Arts Palace that same year. The purpose of that exhibition was to juxtapose the mythical objects collected by Tintin during his adventures with the real objects that inspired them. On the poster for the exhibition, Hergé attempts to organise his main characters’ foray right into the middle of an imaginary facility fit to drive collectors mad with jealousy.
From this poster, a collection of character statuettes and mythical artefacts has been constructed. During the Brussels Comic Strip Festival period it will be possible to see certain pieces already produced for this collection at Galerie Tintin©Hergé as well as certain prototypes of new pieces to come. This facility will also enable visitors to know and understand the documentary context of this Imagination Museum. For more information: galerie.tintin.com
Belgian Comic Strip Centre (CBBD)
Zidrou and his accomplices will put on a live show!
Zidrou and his collaborators concoct a show of living drawings in the context of the exhibition that the CBBD is giving them ! Departing from several key words, Master Zidrou will ask five of his artists to create the scenario of an exquisite corpse. Each artist in turn will illustrate a frame of the scenario that, in the end, will become a comic strip. Your chance to discover the incredible graphic talent of Jordi Lafebre, Francis Porcel, Josep Homs, Oriol Hernandez and Godi, plus the way-out scenarist ideas of Zidrou !
Guided tour of the Zidrou exhibition by… Zidrou and some of his accomplices ! Guided tour of the Zidrou exhibition by the author and 4 of his artists.
Signing Sessions
Zidrou, Jordi Lafebre, Francis Porcel, Josep Homs, Oriol Hernandez and Godi will sign their work in the hall of the CBBD. But that’s not all! Because the CBBD offers three exhibitions in its magnificent Art-Deco rooms. But be aware that this will be your last chance to enjoy two of these exhibitions:
Champaka Gallery
“Ravage & Co.” Exhibition
Writer Jean-David Morvan has a knack for discovering outsize “made in Asia” graphics talent.
After Korean Kim Jung-gi, here is the Philippines Rey Macutay! Trained at the demanding Manilla animation studios storyboard school, he has always dreamed of making comics. The dream came true when J-D Morvan entrusted him with drawing Jaurès (2014) and, especially, Ravage (2016), the second instalment of which comes out in September. The two artists are engaged in a modern reimagining of René Barjavel’s masterpiece. As a veritable graphical adventurer, Macutay combines the dynamism of comics and mangas while incorporating the readability of European comics. With bold composition, panels laid out like paintings, and energetic drawing, Rey Macutay is fearless. Taking part in the Brussels-Capital Region’s Brussels Comic Strip Festival, the exhibition – a world premiere – displays major panels from Jaurès, Outlaw Territory, and Ravage.
Korean Cultural Centre in Brussels
The blue ghost, Youth
The Korean Cultural Centre of Brussels will hold its 4th exhibition of Belgian and Korean comics under the theme of “blue ghost, Youth” in cooperation with Manhawa Contents Agency (KOMACON) which hosts the Bucheon International Comics Festival. This year, KOMACON is celebrating its 20th anniversary and on this occasion, seven Belgian and Korean authors will present their works about “Youth.”
Artists: CHOI Gyusuk, SOO Shinji, RYU Seunghee, HAN Hyeyeon, Frank PE, Dominigue
GOBLET, CONZ
Filigranes Bookstore
Atelier Mille Exhibition
Atelier Mille is more than just a studio! The product of a meeting of five former students from the Saint-Luc Institute in Brussels, the studio has since expanded to welcome new illustrators. To mark the occasion of the Brussels Comic Strip Festival, the studio and its members are exhibiting on the great red wall of the Filigranes bookstore. Come and admire the panels, drawings, research, etc. of the new Belgian comics dream team!
Members: Flore Balthazar, Léonie Bishoff, Thomas Gilbert, Nguyen Hieu, Nicolas Pitz, Emilie Plateau, Jérémie Royer, and Tiffanie Vande Ghinste.
Comics Pass
Experience the Brussels Comic Strip Festival all over town with Comics Pass!
Get all kinds of benefits by clipping discount coupons from the official event program. Just go to the Comic Strip Festival to receive your program and benefit from reduced-price access to museums and discounts in many Brussels shops.
