After three intense days of activity in which an increase in the young and family audience has been noted, the latest edition of the Comic Fair closed this Sunday with 110,000 visitors at Fira de Barcelona Montjuïc, according to data from the organization. In the second calm edition, normality having arrived after the complicated years of the pandemic and a severe blow to face-to-face cultural events, comic book lovers have enthusiastically turned to the event.
After recovering in person and without restrictions last year, the event closed with a similar number of visitors. In 2019, the last year before the pandemic, the Comic Fair registered 112,000. But, as reported by El Periódico, the comics industry living one of its sweetest momentsas confirmed by recent studies, especially thanks to the essential push of the manga.
In statements to the EFE Agency Meritxell Puig, director of FICOMICorganizer of Cómic Barcelona, was shown “very satisfied with the positive data achieved”, which have met the visitor forecasts. For the director of the contest, the renewal of “fans”, children and young people “who show this great enthusiasm” has been especially important in this 41st edition. They are essential, she recalls, because “they are the future readers.” And she has added that, although it is still early to assess the sales of the exhibitors, the perception that she had received from the publishers was of “general satisfaction”.
The bulk of the cultural activities have been very crowded thanks to the influx of traffic from the exhibitions dedicated to Daniel Torres, Álex de la Iglesia, Zipi and Zape -the most famous twins in comics-, David Lopez, Genie Espinosa and the Wizards of Humor with its great selection of authors dedicated to graphic humor. Also highlight the shows tribute dedicated to the late Carlos Pacheco, protagonist of a heartfelt tribute that also brought together his colleagues and admirers in one of the crowded conference rooms over the weekend. This initiative has been complemented with an auction of the originals and prints of the collective exhibition itself. The auction has exceeded more than 2,000 euros of collection that will go to ELA (Spanish Association of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis).
desire to listen
Notable, in turn, the notable increase in attendance at the different round tables, master classes, interviews and meetings with artists. It is also worth highlighting the expectation generated by the meeting between zerocalcarevery popular in the Italian cultural sphere that has seen his comics turned into an animated series for Netflix, and the multidisciplinary musician and creator Fermin Muguruza, with a public delivery. Many of them have participated in Cómic Vision, a section dedicated to the cross between cartoons and the world of cinema.
The session given by the filmmaker Alex de la Iglesia next to Joan Tretze to talk about the film director’s relationship with the world of comics and role-playing games, he hung the poster to full capacity. In this edition, Comic Fantasy has been consolidated, with the presence of associations and clubs that have been able to introduce their fun proposals to the public.
Comic Kids success
One of the best news of this edition is that the family audience has become much more visible than in the previous one. Proof of this is the Comic Zone Kids which has been very busy all weekend, with comic workshops for the little ones to overflowas well as the rest of the space’s proposals, highlighting a comic book session that came to have the unexpected presence of the author Álvaro Ortiz. In addition, Cómic Barcelona has continued to bet on the youngest this year, offering a large program of talks and activities for schools and institutes, which were a complete success and filled the room with much-needed youthful energy.
One of the novelties of this year’s edition has been the Comic Stagea different space that has welcomed podcasts, live radio shows as ‘Territory 9’ of RNE and Spring Pro talksbut also cosplay concerts, contests and parades.
Authors and new talents
Related news
Ficomic also wants to highlight the notable presence of female authorship in this year’s edition, both nationally and internationally. The exhibitions by Magas del Humor, Genie Espinosa, as well as the Grand Prix of the Comic Barcelona to Trini Tinturéshow that women are managing to balance the gender balance in the world of comics.
Comic Barcelona wants to continue supporting creation beyond the event itself, announcing that very soon we will be able to offer all the details of a scholarship for new talents in collaboration with Lyon BD Organizationwhich will offer the possibility of doing a three-month residency at the Graphic College in Lyon.