From 10 September to 10 October 2021, the Comic Strip Festival is back with a special month-long edition, punctuated by numerous activities in various locations in the Belgian capital, Brussels. This year, artist Bastien Vivès has designed the magnificent poster for this edition, a design featuring hero Corto Maltese, which takes you on a journey. Exhibitions, treasure hunts, signing sessions, there will be something for everyone. Not to mention the unmissable Atomium Awards.
This year, to offer visitors a fantastic experience, while complying with the health regulations in force, the Comic Strip Festival will be celebrated over one whole month. Four wonderful weeks to travel through the fascinating universes of our favourite characters and their authors. Throughout the month, there will be something for visitors of all ages and fans of all genres, thanks to a rich and varied programme. From classic comic strips and graphic novels to manhuas, all the different trends and forms of the ninth art will be represented.
A festival poster by Bastien Vivès
This year, it’s none other than famous Belgian illustrator Bastien Vivès who has designed the poster for the Brussels Comic Strip Festival, in which he depicts Hugo Pratt’s famous hero Corto Maltese. The author will revisit the legendary character in the album Océan noir, due to be published by Casterman on 1 September.
The Republic of Korea, guest of honour
This year, to mark the 120th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the Republic of Korea and Belgium, the Comic Strip Festival is proud and delighted to welcome Korea as a guest of honour. Exhibitions and activities will be organised to put South Korean artists in the spotlight. It’s a wonderful opportunity to travel and discover the fascinating world of the ninth art in this magnificent country.
The award and the winners
Comic strip creation has become more fragile in recent years. It is often difficult for comics professionals to make a decent living from their work. In order to support creation and authors, Brussels’ authorities organise the Atomium Comic Strip Awards during the Brussels Comic Strip Festival. Most of the prizes are awarded in cash to enable the winners to finance their work. This year, there are 11 awards to be won.
Visit in complete safety
The events, exhibitions and activities of the Comic Strip Festival are all, naturally, candidates for the Brussels Health Safety Label (launched in collaboration with the international certification company Socotec at the beginning of the summer). Everything will be organised in accordance with the rules laid down by the Consultative Committee. Visitors will also be asked to respect the organisation’s hygiene rules, based on governmental sanitary measures at the time of the event. Before coming to the event, they are invited to consult the Comic Strip Festival website to learn more about those rules.