At the largest comic event in the world, they queue for hours for Junji Ito’s manga art

Toddlers who have just outgrown the pram are walking around with illustrated picture books and textless comic books at the Festival International de la Bande Dessinée Angoulême, with their parents full of graphic novels following behind. Young people, sometimes dressed as their favorite manga character but at least visibly dressed as enthusiasts, visit manga events (the popular Japanese comic and cartoon culture) in groups. Meanwhile, the traditional comics enthusiast, recognizable in Angoulême by his trolley and folding chair, resignedly waits in long queues for signing artists.

The annual Festival International de la Bande Dessinée Angoulême has been held on the last weekend of January since 1974. Over the years it has grown into the largest and most influential in Europe. For years, ‘Angoulême’ served as a blueprint for other European comics events: the way of presentation – as a covered market with stalls – signing sessions and exhibitions, spread over several locations in the city centre.

What it produces nowadays is a cheerful lot: the French city with 41 thousand inhabitants is overrun by comic book enthusiasts of all ages during the four festival days. Although the pre-corona visitor level has not yet been reached, everything is back to normal on the supply side: hundreds of authors from all over the world are present, including many Asian comic artists.

Asian focus

The Asian focus is huge on this anniversary, including large exhibitions around the work of Junji Ito and the manga series Attack on Titan, two exponents of terrifying horror manga. It is the repulsive world of deformed monstrosities, darkfantasy and post-apocalyptic delusions, which do well with young people. Ito’s master class was sold out in no time, the lines were nowhere as long as at his signing sessions. A beautiful image: a string of black-clad young people, in full regalia with all the horror symbolism that goes with it, who find it difficult to hide their enthusiasm. The range of exhibitions is always breathtaking, with more than forty exhibitions there is far too little time to see everything.

There are also many Dutch comic artists present. The Rotterdam comic strip maker Aimée de Jongh is one of those who will be present for the signing. It makes for a packed agenda. “I leave at nine in the morning for a few appointments and then I’m going to sign. I do that five hours a day. That sounds big, but it is doable.”

De Jongh signs in Le Monde des Bulles, an immense tent where the major French-language comic book publishers present themselves. Thousands of comics are sold here and the most popular authors are present for one dedication (the comic version of the signed book, often a quick sketch with signature). That produces curious scenes. Artists sign at regular intervals, seated behind a row of glass counters (a remnant of the corona edition in 2022). Long queues often form well in advance, so the folding chair comes in handy. The advantage is that the enthusiast has often already finished the book when it is his turn: waiting times of two hours are no exception.

Le Monde des Bulles is an eye-catcher, but Le Nouveau Monde a little further on is more exciting and interesting. In that tent, an elongated ribbon that meanders through the city over several squares, are the smaller, adventurous publishers, next to collectives, magazines and margin printers from all over the world: from the Philippines to Italy and from Poland to the United States. It is more diverse, inclusive and colorful. Signing is also done here, but the interaction is more direct and friendly.

Ype Driessen, the Amsterdam photo comic maker whose book The benefit of the doubt recently published in translation, signs his French photo novel there all four days. “The photo strip seems a step too far for many people, no matter how adventurous they are. There are more photo comics artists at my publisher, but we still have to conquer our place,” he says when asked.

Drawing battles

There are many different country stands in Nouveau Monde. Germany and Switzerland work together and do drawing battles, interview sessions and organize drinks. Axel Halling of the Deutscher Comicverein, an interest group of German comics publishers and authors, has been present in Angoulême for years. “It pays to be here,” he says. “It seems like a nice market, but business is being done. Many German authors have found a French publisher here. It is accessible: people are interested in others. And you can easily step up to someone.”

This is confirmed by Dick van Dijk of the Amsterdam comic book publisher Concerto Books. He is there to keep a finger on the pulse. For publishers, this already starts on Wednesday: then the rights and license tent opens, where translations are traded. Van Dijk prefers to be in Nouveau Monde: “The small publishers are not present in the licensing tent. If you look around carefully, you will see what the future has to offer. Here is the tension, the new.”