Best European Comic Con?

[999ghosts]

With Ka-Pow Convention finished and it looking like a small con I was wondering what's the best comic con in Europe.

 

I know the one in Belgium in pretty good: FACTs

Big, three big rooms; lot's of celebs and a handfull of comic artists. (got me some great art last year)

 

But what about other places. How about Germany? I know Essen has a great game con (with some comics), but I'm sure their must be other places.

 

I was lucky enough to have seen Sab Diego once (back in 1998), but I don't think I'll ever make it back there. Maybe a good European alternative.

[chromium]

Comic-wise (artists, dealers, size and organization) FACTS is probably the best in France/Belgium/Germany/Holland.

 

Holland and Belgium have about 5 - 10 comic cons a year, but most are small and cater to European (Franco-Belge) strips for the most part. I've been to a comic con where there were about 15 comic dealers and not a single one of them had any US comics..not a single issue

 

 

I hear Spain has a pretty nice comic con, but I've never been.

[Ares]

I think their is one in Italy called Lucca Comics Con

[hesdeadjim]

Germany has Erlangen http://www.comic-salon.de/ alternating with Munich http://www.comicfestival-muenchen.de/

Both are around the size of Ka-Pow but focus on mainland European stuff. There's always a booth or two selling US comics, most of the times with a $$$ - €€€ conversion of 1:1

 

Should you decide to go, make sure you go on a Saturday, which usually has an additional "comic market" nearby, adding a bunch of tables with books for sale (thumbs u

[bestdcfanonearth]

In Spain, the most known are Madrid, Barcelona, Avilés and La Coruña. I only had been in La Coruña several years, but not the others.

 

Madrid and Barcelona are big cons (think of Spain's fandom, these are not San Diego), and the thing is sell comics. There are well known artist.

 

Avilés had great artists for a long time and they're really friendly and you can find them on the streets or at a restaurant. The mood is more fan-based and not industry-based. I don't know if the mood is the same now.

 

La Coruña is the little one of the bunch (the city is 240.000 hab.). It is friendly and the city is beautiful. The last year wasn't so good as other years (last year: Dave McKean, Carlos Pacheco among others). I have good memories of it (on 2006: Bruce Timm, Brent Anderson, Esad Ribic...). The sketches are free, you only need to wait in line. But I think last year's was only signings.

[goldust40]

Comic-wise (artists, dealers, size and organization) FACTS is probably the best in France/Belgium/Germany/Holland.

 

Holland and Belgium have about 5 - 10 comic cons a year, but most are small and cater to European (Franco-Belge) strips for the most part. I've been to a comic con where there were about 15 comic dealers and not a single one of them had any US comics..not a single issue

 

 

I hear Spain has a pretty nice comic con, but I've never been.

 

I imagine the biggest by far, (maybe the best?) is Angouleme.

 

Very little in the way of U.S. or U.K. comics, but plenty of everything European.

[chromium]

Yeah it's a big cultural event, but alas next to no US comics at all...

Mostly European

You get lynched if you even mention super-heroes

[goldust40]

Yeah it's a big cultural event, but alas next to no US comics at all...

Mostly European

You get lynched if you even mention super-heroes

 

Still tempted to go one year, but such elitism wouldn't sit well with me....

[chromium]

Yeah it's a big cultural event, but alas next to no US comics at all...

Mostly European

You get lynched if you even mention super-heroes

 

Still tempted to go one year, but such elitism wouldn't sit well with me....

 

I'm in the same boat..but the elitism is , alas, prevalent...

Most European strip readers, collectors and dealers thumb their noses at US comics, which for them is a synonym for super-hero comics.

 

I was at a show a few years back talking to a dealer and he tried to be forthcoming and told me "I know US comic collectors get a bad rap, but I know it's not only super-hero comics, that there is much better stuff available as well"

 

The look on his face when I told him I was only interested in Super-hero comics and couldn't care less about the other stuff was priceless as was the swift ending to our conversation.

 

The home-grown industry in Belgium and France is just too big and popular for US comics to appeal to more than just a fringe audience.

[999ghosts]

 

The home-grown industry in Belgium and France is just too big and popular for US comics to appeal to more than just a fringe audience.

 

This goes both ways of course. There is a lot of amazing Belgium, French and other European stuff that will never make it out to the US (translated of course).

 

I'm just happy it is easy to get my US comic fix over here. I remember it being a little harder to get the comics I want about 25+ years ago when I started to collect. (or, thank you world wide web)

 

All I am missing is more con's with special books and artists (and CGC)

[LloydJBailey]

I really enjoyed Thought Bubble, here in the UK.

[rob_react]

Comic-wise (artists, dealers, size and organization) FACTS is probably the best in France/Belgium/Germany/Holland.

 

Holland and Belgium have about 5 - 10 comic cons a year, but most are small and cater to European (Franco-Belge) strips for the most part. I've been to a comic con where there were about 15 comic dealers and not a single one of them had any US comics..not a single issue

 

 

I hear Spain has a pretty nice comic con, but I've never been.

 

I imagine the biggest by far, (maybe the best?) is Angouleme.

 

Very little in the way of U.S. or U.K. comics, but plenty of everything European.

 

I've always wanted to make the trip for Angouleme.

[Scrooge]

I'm in the same boat..but the elitism is , alas, prevalent...

Most European strip readers, collectors and dealers thumb their noses at US comics, which for them is a synonym for super-hero comics.

 

Been there ... suffered that.

 

Heck, I even had people snub me b/c I liked mainstream classic comics: Tintin, Asterix, ... you name it but b/c I had never been exposed to Manara, Bilal, Loisel, ... at that point in my life, I was laughed at. I always like how these guys are trying to recruit new afficionados

 

The bizarre part of all this is that all roads lead to Rome. It's not b/c I right now like / am exposed to super-heroes or classics or whatnot that I can't explore other genres. There is just too much material out there and I can't take it all in nor will I like it all. I mean, yes, I liked Rank Xerox the first time I read it ... but it's not my cup o'tea really. I like fantasy but that doesn't mean I will like Lanfeust ... I like mostly non-super-hero books but I can't really get into all the Manga genres. BUT I crave for a U.S. publisher to run a complete set of Blueberry reprint

 

Btw, never myself been to a con in Europe. A friend of mine mentioned though that he had better luck driving to flea markets in Belgium and pick up albums on the cheap rather than buy stuff at cons.

[goldust40]

BUT I crave for a U.S. publisher to run a complete set of Blueberry reprint

 

Ditto on that. One of the finest comic series ever published. Younger American readers and fans will only take such work on board if it's republished by a U.S. company (Dark Horse?).

[goldust40]

Comic-wise (artists, dealers, size and organization) FACTS is probably the best in France/Belgium/Germany/Holland.

 

Holland and Belgium have about 5 - 10 comic cons a year, but most are small and cater to European (Franco-Belge) strips for the most part. I've been to a comic con where there were about 15 comic dealers and not a single one of them had any US comics..not a single issue

 

 

I hear Spain has a pretty nice comic con, but I've never been.

 

I imagine the biggest by far, (maybe the best?) is Angouleme.

 

Very little in the way of U.S. or U.K. comics, but plenty of everything European.

 

I've always wanted to make the trip for Angouleme.

 

Every year I consider going and then put it off.

[goldust40]

 

The look on his face when I told him I was only interested in Super-hero comics and couldn't care less about the other stuff was priceless as was the swift ending to our conversation.

 

You prefer CCEs to superior home - produced "Proper" chocolate and you only collect and read American Super-hero comics? Hand in your Eurocrat card on the way out.

 

The home-grown industry in Belgium and France is just too big and popular for US comics to appeal to more than just a fringe audience.

 

Absurd really. The French and Belgians are missing out on way too much. It's not as if there's no crossover at all.

 

 

[Scrooge]

You know, by and large, I feel that there's this feeling in Europe that it's the birthplace of the comics ... even though, in the end, the "modern" era really got kick-started in the U.S. with the comic strip. Even European grand masters have admitted influences from the other side of the Atlantic. Hergé's work was not sui generis but influenced by the great strips of the early 20th Century: Mutt & Jeff, Katzenjammer Kids, etc ...

 

I lament the fact the no definite "History" of comics exists. There are many volumes regarding this or that but no integrated study. In fact, I am not even aware of a comprehensive look at comics in France & Belgium. Whatever book there might be always turns out to be more general bibliographical lists than analysis of the many genres: kid's illustrated magazines, albums, newsstands periodicals, etc ... but no grand scheme study including a focus of the various styles and schools. To be sure, a daunting task, but one that would be worthwhile.