“Experience the Ultimate Comic Strip Festival in Nîmes: Workshops, Exhibitions, Autograph Meetings, and More!”

Culture, conference, meeting, festival or even reading… From Friday May 12 to Sunday May 14, on the Esplanade Charles-de-Gaulle, place at the biennial of the comic strip in Nîmes.

The Comic Strip Festival returns to the Esplanade Charles-de-Gaulle. A veritable flood of images, drawings and bubbles, the event sponsored by the City presents more than 40 authors and designers, for all tastes and all ages. Debates, exhibitions, workshops, battles, performances and concerts will punctuate the signing sessions in the heart of a large village of tents entirely dedicated to the 9th Art.

« The Comic Strip Festival is firmly anchored in the cultural calendar of Nîmes. It is a very popular biennial, which reaches young and old alike, and allows the City to open up culture in all its forms to as many people as possible. This year again, the most famous authors will be present to sign their works and share their passion. “, explains Sophie Roulle, Deputy Delegate for Culture.

Fenech signs the poster for the 2023 edition

Philippe Fenech, was born in 1976 in Montpellier. He discovered comics thanks to Asterix, and never let go of the idea of ​​making it his profession. From 2001, he produced illustrations for Disney Presse. It can be found in the magazines “Le journal de Mickey”, “Mickey Parade” or even “Super Scrooge Giant”. From 2004, he devotes a good part of his time to comics. Tuff and Koala, Anatole and company, The Empire of Mecchas, Leo Passion rugby, An almost perfect hero and Ulysses! In 2012, he became the designer of the Mes Cop’s series (14 volumes to date), which will quickly meet its audience. By his surname, Philippe Fenech seems to have been predestined to draw animals. It is therefore not surprising to find him since 2021, drawing the series Idéfix et les Inréductibles (Editions Albert René), volume 4 of which is to be published soon.

Exhibitions

The worlds of Fenech: an exhibition combining large-format reproductions of the Dogmatix and the irreducible series (Editions Albert René), My Cop’s (Bamboo) as well as unpublished drawings will be offered to the public.

Blues, Rock and BD by Mezzo and JM Dupont: The public will have the pleasure of seeing a superb large format exhibition of reproductions of boards from the two albums by Mezzo and Jean-Michel Dupont: Kiss the sky (Glénat), a musical odyssey centered on Jimi Hendrix (Elvis d’or at the Angoulême Festival 2023 for the best rock comic strip) and Love in Vain (Glénat), a tribute worthy of the phenomenal cult of which Robert Johnson is the object among blues and rock lovers.

Children and family entertainment

The three days of the festival will be punctuated by coloring sessions on a large dedicated “wall”. Every day, comic book workshops will be offered by authors present for children from 8 years old. The Esplanade will be the scene of a treasure hunt entitled “The heroes of the Spirou newspaper”. Through many panels scattered throughout the Festival, a great treasure hunt will be offered to the public. At each panel, a clue to find, an enigma to solve or a mini-game to discover.

Performances

Drawn fresco: four authors will participate in the production of a large drawn fresco on the theme of Fantasy and fantastic worlds.

Improv-drawn battle: face to face in a ring, two teams formed by a cartoonist present and an actor, compete in a series of games played and improvised for glory, humor and the public!

Mediabus-Bédébus

And why not also stop off at the reading area around the Médiabus-Bédébus which will also offer the loan of books.

The stage located in the heart of the BD village will allow meetings with the authors who will present their albums and their works during interviews on the BD Forum.

Autograph meetings at bookstore stands

The Pop Up et Cie, la Bulle, le BéDéphile and Peter Pan bookstores will host the forty authors present on their stands during the Festival, of which they are essential partners. Of course, the inevitable signing sessions will be an opportunity to discuss with the authors and discover all of their works. The public will also be able to find all the works for sale in their shops in the center of Nîmes.

Pop Up et Cie: 16 Rue de la République and Manga Pop’: 60 Rue de la République 30000 Nîmes

La Bulle: 2 Rue Regale, 30000 Nîmes

The BéDéphile: 1 Rue des Chapeliers, 30000 Nîmes

Peter Pan: 22 Rue de l’Horloge, 30000 Nîmes

Concerts and more…

Music, jazz and comics go hand in hand. Some of the most famous musical themes certainly evoke comic book characters, comics and other cartoons… and vice versa. A concert with pianist Raphaël Lemonnier and multi-instrumentalist Marc Simon. On Friday, authors will go to schools in Nîmes, to media libraries, to the prison, to the CHU, for privileged meetings. From children’s comics to alternative comics, from Heroic-Fantasy to realistic comics, from Manga to comics whose heroes are known to all, it is a board of authors that will allow everyone to find their happiness and get the dedication of his dreams.

Among the expected authors:
Mario ALBERTI, Monte-Cristo (Comix Buro) – ARÉ, Cizo (Kennes) – ASEYN, Bolchoï Arena (Delcourt) – Bruno BESSADI, The Ogre Lion (Drakoo) – Matthieu BLANCHIN, How I didn’t become a bastard (Futuropolis) – Serena BLASCO, Arcana (Drakoo) – Jean-Paul BORDIER, Dwarfs (Soleil) – Gaëtan BRIZZI, Dante’s Inferno (Daniel Maghen) – Camille K., Indelible Erasure (Jungle) – Frédéric CARTIER-LANGE, Modestine tells Stevenson in the Cévennes (Alcide jeunesse) – Christophe CAZENOVE, Les petits Mythos (Bamboo) – Jean-Luc CORNETTE, Kristina. The queen-boy (Futuropolis) – Brisse COSSU, Frnck (Dupuis) ​​– Edouard COUR, Rev (Glénat) – Vincenzo CUCCA, Colonization (Glénat) – Emmanuel DESPUJOL, Side Show (Soleil) – Denis FALQUE, Rectificando (Glénat) – Philippe FENECH, Idéfix and the irreducible (Editions Albert René) – Charline FORNS, The Sentinel of the Little People (Dupuis) ​​– GOROGLIN, Molang (Dupuis) ​​– Pierre-Denis GOUX, Elves (Soleil) – Daphné & Julie GUILLOT, If it was enough that we love each other (Steinkis) – Patrick HITTE, The Betty Bar (Paquet) – André HOUOT & Jocelyne CHARRANCE, Asylum! (Glénat) – JENNY, The Legendary Resistance (Delcourt) – Sandrine KAO, The Thread (Nathan BD) – Richard MARAZANO, The Three Ghosts of Tesla (Le Lombard) – Paul MARCEL, Tutankhamun. The odyssey of Howard Carter (Les Arènes BD – 2023 Annie Peysson Prize for Antiquizing BD) – Alessandra MARSILI, Louise and Ballerina (Jungle) – MATTEO, Venus at her mirror (Futuropolis) – Christian MAUCLER, Simenon. The novel of a life (Philéas) – Jordan MECHNER, Replay. Memory of a family (Delcourt) – MEZZO & JM DUPONT, Kiss the Sky. Jimi Hendrix 1942-1970 (Glénat) – Emmanuel NHIEU, Furious Jumper (Sun) – Robert PAQUET, André Maginot. A man above the rest (Editions du Signe) – Fabrizio PETROSSI, Scrooge. The Glasgow Dragon (Glénat) – Alice PICARD, The Mythics (Delcourt) – Pierre PLACE, Jim Bradger (Glénat/Fayard) – Didier POLI, The Lost Ages (Dargaud) – Jean-Charles POUPARD, Orcs & Gobelins (Soleil) – Théa ROJZMAN, Billie Bang Bang (Le Lombard) – Nicolas SIGNARBIEUX, Plastok (Glénat) – Emmanuel SUAREZ, Corentin Tréguier’s incredible expedition to the Congo (Nathan BD).

Practical information :
Free admission, on the Esplanade Charles de Gaulle on Friday 12 from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m., on Saturday 13 and Sunday 14 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Parking: Parking des Arènes, Indigo Arènes. You will soon find the complete program of the Comic Strip Festival on: www.festivalbdnimes.com

Anthony Maurin