From 8 to 10 September, Gare Maritime will once again host the BD Comic Strip Festival, where comic book aficionados can attend book signings, meet authors and see the traditional giant balloons. The theme of this year’s comics festival is manga, for which a new themed space has been opened. The 77th anniversary of publishing house Le Lombard will also be celebrated.
In honor of the 77th anniversary of publishing house Le Lombard, a real exhibition is being organized about the history, present and future of the well-known publisher, known for the Thorgal series, among others. “You get an overview of 77 years of family comics and get to know the genesis of Le Lombard, the pioneers and heroes of the publishing house”, according to visit.brussels in a press release.
The ODYSSEE exhibition, in turn, places Blake and Mortimer’s comic heritage in its aesthetic, cultural and historical context. In addition, the ‘De Kat’ statues in the Brussels Warandepark will also remain on display. The expo was extended especially for the festival. Visitors can also admire the famous giant balloon cartoon characters.
Furthermore, two exhibitions dedicated to contemporary alternative comic artists, the German Max Baitinger and the French Benoit Carbonnel, are also on the program. In total, some 200 signing sessions will also take place in Gare Maritime. “Publishers and authors put together a program with many encounters around iconic comic book heroes,” says visit.brussels.
The BD Comic Strip Festival is free and open to everyone. The goal of the organization is to bring as many people as possible into contact with the role that the comic strip plays in the capital.
This article is originally published on bruzz.be