The biggest national event dedicated to vignettes consolidates its status as an essential meeting point for the art of comics, confirming its first guest figures and exhibitions, with the talent of Pepe Larraz as poster author.
Comic Barcelona, the largest national event dedicated to comics, celebrates its 43rd edition from April 4 to 6, 2025 at Fira Barcelona Montjuïc, expanding its cultural offer for another year with new interesting exhibitions and a wide range of activities designed for a diverse audience. In recent years, the event has established itself as an essential cultural event for comic book lovers and anyone with an inquisitive mind interested in discovering new worlds, not forgetting the occasional visitor looking for a weekend full of excitement and entertainment, including children, as the popularity of children's comics never has been higher than it is now. The main objective remains the same: to promote a rich form of artistic expression in constant movement, reflecting the numerous trends that make it up, with a program where diversity reigns. Comic Barcelona is an essential meeting point for the sector in all its variations.
Comic books are one of the most popular artistic languages of the 21st century. Its iconography is very present in society, in our daily lives. It is important to celebrate all the possibilities of this vibrant discipline. In 2025, it is worth highlighting Comic Barcelona's collaborations with various prestigious cultural institutions with the aim of creating synergies, generating opportunities, discovering new talents, supporting the history of the medium and giving even greater value to comics as a cultural interest.
In this context, the Angoûleme Grant has been added to the event this year along with the Comic Barcelona Grant. This new initiative is aimed at young authors and promotes cultural exchange between the creative scenes of France and Spain. This project is the result of a joint effort between the Institut Français in Barcelona, the Cité de la Bande Dessinée et de la Image and FICOMIC. The project creates valuable opportunities for meetings and collaboration between comic professionals from both countries.
This year's guest list is particularly strong, with a main list -please be reminded that the presence of big names will be complemented by other names with the participation of publishers and exhibitors- that reflects the different formats, styles and trends that currently inhabit the comic book world, from the superhero genre to the graphic novel, fanzines, historical comics, the author's point of view... Look out for the big names that will be part of this edition, starting with Chris Ware, a reference for many generations and known for works such as Jimmy Corrigan, the Smartest Kid on Earth and Rusty Brown. Other great authors such as Jaime Hernández, Kate Beaton and illustrator John Howe will also be present. Pepe Larraz, one of the top names in superhero comic books, has created the personalized image of the event, an emotional, epic and luminous poster. In this edition, we are witnessing a work that represents the excessive passion we share for this world steeped in fantasy.
In addition to Larraz, Comic Barcelona will feature other important figures from the world of comics from major American publishers such as Marvel and DC: Javier Rodríguez, Natacha Bustos and Carmen Carnero, among others. Award-winning phenomena such as Raquel Córcoles, a.k.a. Moderna de Pueblo (Modern Town Girl) will also be present at the event.
Exhibitions are once again an important part of Comic Barcelona. A series of creative proposals that fit perfectly into this year's program. Among the most outstanding is: Chris Ware. To Draw is to Think, an exhibition co-produced with the Barcelona Center for Contemporary Culture (CCCB) that explores the career of the comic book genius. As a tribute, an exhibition will be dedicated to the winner of the Comic Barcelona 2024 Grand Prize, Marika Vila, and we will have an impressive exhibition of spectacular originals by Pepe Larraz himself, the author of this year’s poster. We will also find El laberinto del cuco (Cuckoo's Labyrinth), an installation that is both participatory and a comic book. It is an experiential, fresh and unusual proposal that reflects on the unpredictable passage of time.
The event will once again feature the Comic Barcelona Awards, a ceremony that recognizes and rewards the talent of the sector's creators. This year, the ceremony will include a new award for children's and young people's comics. Starting with the award for “Best Children's and Youth Comic Book”, two individual awards have been created in order to give double recognition to comic books aimed at the youngest readers.
For the youngest visitors, we have the Comic Kids area, dedicated to children so that they can appreciate everything related to comic books, with workshops, activities and a surprise to be announced soon. Also returning are Comic Fantasy, dedicated to role-playing and games; Comic Vision, on the link between comics and other media such as cinema and video games; and our newest addition, Utopia Zone, which will bring us its most fantastic literary perspective for another year.
The dedicated public that will be able to make it to 43 COMIC BARCELONA will be able to enjoy an edition full of meetings, activities and surprises to get the most out of the ninth art. This year, the event will be held at Fira Barcelona Montjuïc from April 4 to 6, 2025. Tickets go on sale at the end of February.
