BARCELONA’S 24th INTERNATIONAL COMIC CONVENTION

Barcelona’s 24th  International Comic Convention (from the 8th to the 11th of June at Palacio number 2 of the Fira de Barcelona in Montjuïc) is going to differ from previous years in a number of exciting new ways.

This year the Convention is going to have twice the number of exhibitions.
As well as the ones dedicated to last year’s winners, there will also be:

— Two exhibitions on the relationship between comics and the Spanish Civil War, entitled La Guerra de Papel (The Paper War) and La Jaula de la Memoria. (The Memory Cage)
— An exhibition on classic Spanish hero El Capitán Trueno.
— An exhibition dedicated to the illustrator Luis Royo.

These exhibitions show how varied comics are, how they can reflect what is happening in the world around them, and the endurance of one of comicdom’s most legendary heroes. Plus there is a one-man show of an internationally renowned illustrator.

The idea of the convention is also to show the wealth and variety of comics produced across all of Spain’s autonomous regions. That’s why, every year, we are having one region as a special guest. The first will be the Community of Madrid, in a special pavilion inside the Convention’s venue.

And the Prizes Section is expanded this year to include the category of Best Drawing, in order to give specific recognition to the work of the comic artist. The prize is worth € 3,000.

            As for  Guest Authors, David Lloyd, Kyle Baker, Jacques Loustal, Brian Azzarello, Dave Gibbons, Jean Claude Mézières, René Petillon, Mike McKone, Jill Thompson, Bill Sienkiewicz and Patrick Cothias have all already confirmed that they will be attending.

The Entrance Price for the public has been reduced from 6 to 5 euros.

EXHIBITIONS

Raquel Alzate
The Illustrated Forest
Raquel Alzate won the Best New Author prize at last year’s Barcelona Comic Convention. This exhibition takes us into the fantasy worlds that Alzate has brought to life in books like Mitologika (a compilation of traditional Basque Country tales by Aritza Vergara) or Cruz del Sur (with a script by prize-winner Luis Durán). We will also be able to take a look at the Author’s most recent work as scriptwriter for her own dark illustrated dreamscapes.

Miguelanxo Prado
Speculative Irony
Miguelanxo Prado's La mansión de los Pampín won him two prizes at last year’s convention: Best Script and Best Work. It is a story of urban property speculation with a humorous twist so characteristic of this author – one of the mainstays of Spanish comics today. Think back to 1994 when he won the prize for Best Comic Album with the shocking Trazo de Tiza. The exhibition includes originals from the prize-winning album as well as work done over the last ten years. The setting will be a reproduction of some scenes from the album La mansión de los Pampín.

Luis Royo
On the Path of Dreams
Luis Royo invites us to lose ourselves in the realms of his imagination – classic and innovative at the same time. This internationally-renowned author, who began his life in comics doing science fiction, gave up sequential art to dedicate himself to book covers, and then to illustration. His works encompass an awesome capacity for creativity as well as a constantly developing technique. The exhibition will show a variety of the author’s original art, in a setting inspired by his graphic universe.
This exhibition was made possible by the collaboration of Norma Editorial.

El Capitán Trueno
A Voyage Through Adventure
Created by scriptwriter Víctor Mora and artist Ambrós some 50 years ago, El Capitán Trueno lives on in the collective memory. The exhibition offers a selection of original artworks from  different periods of the character’s history as well as collector’s memorabilia. The setting will reflect the hero’s spirit of adventure and his great voyages. Curated by Joan Navarro.
This exhibition was made possible by the collaboration of Ediciones B.

Guerra de Papel
1936-1939: Comics During the Spanish Civil War
Coinciding with the 70th anniversary of the Spanish Civil War, Barcelona’s International Comic Convention is holding an exhibition of comics, cards, posters and centre-spreads published in the crossfire of a conflict where cartoonists from both sides leant their graphic skills and their ideologies to the service of opposing ideals, on paper and on the battlefield. The exhibition, curated by Antonio Martín, makes full use of his inestimable theoretical knowledge and extensive documentary archives.

La Jaula de la Memoria
1936-1939: Thoughts on the Spanish Civil War
By way of a continuation of the previous exhibition, here we present a selection of original comics which deal with the Civil War, drawn between the end of the war and today. The list of authors covers a wide variety of work, and features names such as Felipe Hernández Cava, Federico del Barrio, Raúl, Miguel Gallardo, El Roto, Roger Subirachs, Vittorio Giardino and Antonio Hernández Palacios, among others. Curator of the exhibition is Antonio Martín.

Carlos Giménez
Chronicle of the Years After the War
Carlos Giménez won the Grand Prize at last year’s International Comic Convention. His career is dedicated to the re-telling of experiences, relating our most recent history, seeing, observing, never forgetting. The exhibition is based around the works that focus most clearly on social conditions and remembrance, taking us from the Spain of the 1940’s in Paracuellos to that of the 50’s in Barrio, on through the 60’s and 70’s in his masterly Los Profesionales finally ending in España: Una, Grande y Libre, in the middle of Spain’s transition to democracy.

ROUND TABLES AND TALKS

The cultural programme for Barcelona’s 24th International Comic Convention includes round tables and talks. This year, subjects will include Comics and the Spanish Civil War, Graphic Humour and Censorship, and the relationship between Football and the Comic Strip and Caricatures, among many others. Well-known comic book artists and scriptwriters will be taking part, as well as historians, journalists and specialists.

GUESTS

The list of authors already confirmed as of this date includes:

DAVID LLOYD (UK, 1950). The artist on V for Vendetta (recently adapted for the big screen by the Wachowski Brothers, starring Natalie Portman) began his career at the end of the 70’s in his native England. In 1982, along with scriptwriter Alan Moore, he created his most famous work: V for Vendetta, an apocalyptic vision of the near future. David Lloyd also worked on Hellblazer with Jamie Delano, War Story with Garth Ennis and Global Frequency with Warren Ellis.

V de Vendetta (Planeta DeAgostini)
Philip Marlowe: Los problemas son mi negocio (Norma Editorial)
Kickback (Planeta DeAgostini)
War Story: Nightingale (Norma Editorial)

KYLE BAKER (New York, USA, 1965). Baker is one of today’s best humorous authors. In the early 80’s he worked as an inker at Marvel and at the end of the decade was drawing for DC titles like The Shadow and Justice Inc. In 1990 he achieved real public and critical acclaim with Why I Hate Saturn. He didn’t produce much work during the 90’s, dedicating himself instead to writing film scripts for Hollywood. Years later, he decided to return to the comics industry. He currently combines his comic work with his other career as a commercial illustrator for publications like Rolling Stone, The New York Times and The New Yorker.

Por qué odio Saturno (Norma Editorial)
Moriré a medianoche (Norma Editorial)
Kyle Baker Cartoonist (Planeta DeAgostini)
You Are Here (Planeta DeAgostini)

JACQUES LOUSTAL (Neuilly sur Seine, France, 1956). He is considered one of the most outstanding European authors. Highlights of his early years include work in the comic magazines Métal Hurlant, À suivre and Pilote. After he joined up with scriptwriters Philippe Paringaux and Jerome Charyn he started to make a name for himself in the world of comics. Since then, Loustal’s artistic talents have shone in his brilliance as an illustrator, water colourist and comic artist.

Hermoso mar de la China (Ediciones Sins Entido)

BRIAN AZZARELLO (USA). He is one of the scriptwriters who has best captured the world of noir in comics in the last few years. His most famous title is the multiple award-winning 100 Bullets, although he already had an outstanding reputation for his work on Hellblazer. He has also worked with the legendary comic artist Joe Kubert on Sgt Rock: Between Hell and a Hard Place. He also wrote a plotline for the Superman series with Jim Lee, one of the general public’s favourite artists, which took the Man of Steel right to the top of the best sellers lists.

100 Balas (Planeta DeAgostini)
Hellblazer (Norma Editorial)
Banner (Planeta DeAgostini)
Batman: Ciudad rota (Norma Editorial)
Sargento Rock: Entre el infierno y algo peor (Norma Editorial)

DAVE GIBBONS (UK, 1949). Gibbons is the artist on Watchmen, a superhero comic masterpiece currently being adapted for the big screen. He began his career at the British comic 2000 AD. In 1982 he made the move to American comics with Green Lantern. In 1986 he drew Watchmen, scripted by Alan Moore, and became one of the most sought-after and influential authors of his time. He has also worked with Frank Miller on the Martha Washington miniseries. His most recent works include the black and white graphic novel The Originals, which he both scripted and drew.

Give Me Liberty (Norma Editorial)
Martha Washington Goes to War (Norma Editorial)
The Originals (Planeta DeAgostini)
Watchmen (Norma Editorial)

JEAN CLAUDE MÉZIÈRES (Paris, France, 1938). His best-known work, with scriptwriter Pierre Christin, is the Valérian series, one of Europe’s most accomplished science fiction titles. The saga is an adept mixture of realism and caricature. In 1991 the film director Luc Besson, an admirer of Mézière’s work on Valerian, invited the author to collaborate with him on the production design on the film The Fifth Element, for which he did hundreds of sketches, as well as supervising the art team.

Valerian, agente espaciotemporal (Norma Editorial)

RENÉ PÉTILLON (Finistère, France, 1945). One of the top Franco-Belgian comic humorists. He was first published in Planète in 1968. In 1972 he started working on magazines like Plexus, L’Enragé, Week-end and Penthouse. In 1974 he created his crazy detective Jack Palmer, a character who was soon to be on the pages of the most important magazines in France, like  Pilote, L’Écho des Savannes and Télérama. In his last work, L'affaire du Voile, Jack Palmer has to find a teenage girl who has gone missing. All clues seem to point to her having become a Muslim fundamentalist.

El caso del velo (Norma Editorial)

MIKE McKONE (USA). One of the most promising of the recent crop of American authors. His works for DC include the titles Man of Steel, Aquaman and Teen Titans. At Marvel, he did the mutant title Exiles,and drew the Fantastic Four, scripted by J. Michael Straczynski, creator of the TV series Babylon 5. McKone’s latest work for Marvel’s super-saga Civil War sold out in the USA before it even went on sale. He is currently living in the Pyrenees of Aragon, searching for inspiration.

Exiliados (Panini Comics)
Jóvenes Titanes (Planeta DeAgostini)

JILL THOMPSON (USA). One of America’s best known comic artists. She graduated from Chicago’s American Academy of Art in 1987, and has never stopped working, in an industry which is normally dominated by men. She has gained public acclaim with titles like Wonder Woman, Swamp Thing and Black Orchid. She has also won several awards for her work on the Simpsons comic and Neil Gaiman’s Sandman saga "Brief Lives". Still connected to the universe created by the English writer, Thompson scripted and drew the comic Death: At Death’s Door.

Finals (Recerca)
The Sandman: Vidas breves (Norma Editorial)
Muerte: A las puertas de la muerte (Norma Editorial)
La bruja madrina (La Factoría de Ideas)

BILL SIENKIEWICZ (Blakely, USA, 1958). An all-round, eclectic artist, Sienkiewicz is considered one of the most spectacular illustrators in American comicdom. His style, which is in a process of constant evolution, means he can delve into superhero comic art as easily as more personal projects. His best known works include his collaboration with Frank Miller on Elektra: Assassin and Daredevil: Love and War. As both scriptwriter and artist, he created the graphic novel Stray Toasters as well as an album inspired by guitarist Jimi Hendrix, entitled Voodoo Child.

Elektra: Asesina (Planeta DeAgostini)
Daredevil: Amor y guerra (Planeta DeAgostini)
Stray Toasters (Planeta DeAgostini)
Voodoo Child (Ediciones Glénat)

PATRICK COTHIAS (Paris, France, 1948). The acclaimed scriptwriter of Le Vent des Dieux and Les Sept Vies de l'Epervier actually began in comics as an artist. His first series for Pif comic, entitled Sandberg (1975), was drawn by the Spaniard Alfonso Font. His biggest success to date came in 1980 with the series Les Sept Vies de l'Epervier, drawn by André Juillard. From then on he became a successful scriptwriter with titles like Le Vent des Dieux, Les Eaux de Mortelune and Josué de Nazareth, illustrated by Víctor de la Fuente.

Las 7 vidas del gavilán (Norma Editorial)
Pluma al viento (Norma Editorial)
El viento de los dioses (Ediciones Glénat)

PRIZES

Barcelona’s Comic Convention annually awards prizes in recognition of Spanish comic authors’ work. This year, there is a new category: Best Drawing. A cash award is given with each prize:

INSTITUTIONS AND SPONSORS

Barcelona’s International Comic Convention is supported by Institut Català d'Indústries de la Generalitat de Catalunya (the Catalonian Autonomous Government’s Institute of Industry), Barcelona City Council and the Ministry of Culture.

Participating businesses include Coca-Cola, which also collaborates with the Manga Convention in October.

Mass media who are collaborating this year include the free newspaper ADN, the Catalonian newspaper El Punt across all its regional editions, the weekly English language newspaper Catalonia Today, COM Radio station and its programme Més enllà de la vinyeta (Beyond the Comic Strip), and Catalonian Television’s programme 3xl.net. The Young Person’s banking card Carnet Jove is also giving its support.