12 June 2011 - Now in its fourth year, Strasbulles, Strasbourg’s Comic Festival –or Le Festival Européen de la Bande Dessinée as it is known locally, has earned itself a place among the top five comic events in France. Indeed, this year’s festival, which took place last weekend, offered strong evidence that publishers of this popular genre are starting to take the once fledgling festival quite seriously.
Lanfeust in the House
Most notable was the participation of some internationally renowned authors: Régis Loisel, as guest of honour, making the journey from his home in Montreal, Quebec, to support the release of his latest Magasin Générale title; Jean-David Morvan, on a rare excursion from his home in Japan to sign copies of Helldorado; American comics author, Terry Dodson, flying in from Oregon, USA, to promote his French venture Songes; and Christophe Arleston, writer of some one hundred and twenty titles including the enormously successful Lanfeust series.
Arleston and Morvan, as well as attending signings with fans and the public, also took part in a writers’ panel at the nearby André Malraux Mediatech; where they answered questions from fans and hopefuls on the subject of writing scenarios. Arleston’s Lanfeust collaborators Audrey Alwett, Didier Tarquin and Claude Guth were also in attendance, with Guth leading his own seminar on colourisation and Tarquin signing copies of this year’s Festival poster (which he illustrated).
Dedications
Author signings formed the central focus for the weekend at round-table sessions in the Salle de la Bourse, enabling fans to sit and chat with their favourite illustrators. Curiously, this particular element makes Strasbulles somewhat unique on the festival circuit, running contrary to the usual first-come-first-served queuing system for author dedications. If you’ve never been to a comic ‘signing’ before it may come as a surprise to learn that authors don’t actually ‘sign’ copies of their books, instead they draw personalised illustrations. This of course makes the moment quite memorable as it offers fans the chance to see their preferred author in action and creating original artwork just for them.
It goes without saying that the ownership of a dedicated comic album is very much a prized possession; but it is worth noting that each dedication can take up to ten minutes to complete, depending upon the author, so there is often a strong chance you will have to wait a long time to get your book personalised, if at all. Thankfully waiting is not something you have to do at Strasbulles, as a prize-draw system ensures the most popular authors are not swamped by fans, and fans are not forced to wait for hours to get a dedication; and with seventy or so other authors on hand, there is always the option to discover someone new instead –should your name not get drawn from the hat.
A European and Local Festival
Elsewhere on the festival site visitors could discover lesser known authors from around Europe: such as Ralf Schulter, Ivo Kircheis and Mamie from Germany; Tirso from Spain; Smudja from Serbia and an entire tent-load of authors from Poland –this year’s featured country.
Local Alsatian comic talent also had the opportunity to raise its profile with talented youngsters Maxime Garcia, Etienne Gendrin and Seeeb sharing the limelight with established names such as Joseph Béhé, Gerald Parel and Stéphanie Hans. Baru, winner of the Grand Prix at Angouleme 2010 and former local, was also around to dedicate his latest album Fais péter les basses, Bruno!
Other attractions included on-site exhibitions, activities for kids, music, quizzes ... and donkey rides. A dozen or so local publishers and independent bookshops also offered up a wide spectrum of comic and illustration goodies for sale, from fanzines and figurines to curios and collectibles. The setting, weather and ambience were near perfect, with the festival tents arranged around a central stage and restaurant area in the middle of Place de la Bourse, much like a certain Gaulish Village.
Rubbing Shoulders with the Stars
Organizing a festival of this size is no mean feat so it is understandable then that Alsace Bande Dessinée (ABD), organisers of the festival, are considering going professional next year; although this would mean an end to the bargain entry price of 3€ and some argue would run contrary to the association’s raison d’être. Payment-in-kind already exists for festival volunteers though, who spend the best part of six months in preparation before hitting an intense two week period to build, run and dismantle the festival site. Members of Alsace Bande Dessinée were able to dine and socialize in private with most of the invited authors throughout the weekend; a special city boat tour and Gaulish Banquet on the Saturday night being the highlight for most participants.
The association ABD say that 8000 visitors over the weekend, and many more to fringe events in and around the city through the month of May, underline the success of this year’s festival. Although next year’s event is already expected to be bigger and better, when Strasbulles will celebrate its 5th birthday, nothing is guaranteed –particularly considering that the festival must find a new home for 2012. However, the future certainly looks bright for now.
Howard Hulley - Howard Hulley is a freelance British writer living and working in Strasbourg, France.
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