As the València Comic Fair consolidates its prestige and expands its dissemination, the quality of artists and professionals who agree to come to Feria Valencia to disseminate their work and expose themselves to the curiosity and admiration of a diverse and dedicated public that is year, depending on the progress of advance sales, it will exceed the figure of 28,000 visitors that was registered last year.
So this year the event takes on a greater international dimension than ever, with the presence of authors from all over the world, including the brilliant Joelle Eppee, Cameroonian, who runs a comic salon in Brazzaville (Congo) and has just curated an exhibition at the Angoulême festival (France), one of the most prestigious in Europe.
Known as Elyon's, the Cameroonian comes with the exhibition Kubuni, the comics of Africa(s), seen at the aforementioned comics festival in Angoulême, France. The festival also has the presence of Equatorial Guinean authors Ramón Esono and Daniel Nsué.
Daniel Tomás, content director of the show that opens today at Feria Valencia, explains that accessing international guests "is easier when abroad they know that you do it well, that you attract the public and communicate everything well."
Animated cinema is present this year thanks to Fernando Trueba y Mariscal, who will present his comic Dispararon al pianista and its film adaptation as an animated film. The presentation will take place tomorrow, from 12 to 2 p.m.
The event will feature a discussion moderated by Eduardo Guillot, artistic director of the Mostra de València – Cinema del Mediterrani, where attendees will have the opportunity to learn first-hand about the creative process behind this work and the complexity of conceiving it thinking in two mediums. such as cinema and comics.
The Comic Fair will also have the presence of José Luis Ágreda, art director of Robot Dreams, winner of the Goya for best animated film and nominated for the Oscar. Both screenings are not only a tribute to the intersection of cinema and comics, but also a celebration of the creativity and talent that defines the Valencia Comic Fair.
"Strategically, the show is also betting a lot on what we have called the Asia Zone, what we could call Otaku culture (Manga, Anime...) and that is where a great growth in audiences will come," adds Daniel Tomás.
Regarding the expected audience profile, the content director highlights that the offer is very varied and, therefore, attracts very diverse audiences: there is a family audience looking for a leisure and cultural event, a large part of the public youth interested in comics and manga - which is what we think will grow this year - and then that of older comic fans, more adults; but everyone finds what they are looking for: the children's areas are always packed, the activities are usually full and there are always queues for the artists to sign.
The list of international authors includes renowned English authors Mary and Brian Talbot, key figures in the evolution of European comics. The couple, authors and illustrators, have jointly released works such as The Red Virgin, The Apple of Her Eyes, Sally Heathcote, Suffragette and Rain.
Aude Picault is another of the international authors who will visit the Salon. The screenwriter and illustrator explores and captures the complexity of the female experience in the comics Diosa, Ideal Standardizado or Amalia. The Belgian Oliver Schrauwen also attends, coming to present his new work, Domingo, a monumental comic of almost 500 pages about boredom and contemporary idiocy.
Among the Asian presence, the multi-award-winning Korean manhwa and webtoon author, Gosaribaksa, stands out, author of Rebirth in Paradise on an independent webtoon platform in Korea and who was awarded the Prize from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of her country at the manhwa category within the Korea Contents Awards.
