Angouleme

Spent last weekend in Angoulême, France at the the bandes dessinees or comics festival. 250,000 people descend on a town of just over 40,000. It’s quite a sight. There was an incredible variety of comics on display, virtually all European and excluding the small American stand, thankfully not a superhero in sight. Some of the artwork and creativity at the event is just mindblowing and in french comics there’s always a good representation of thoughtful storytelling alongside the fantastic and the humerous.

The main exhibition was of Art Spiegelman and his work – Maus of course, but also some of his less well known comics. There was also a major exhibition in the permanant museum of bandes dessinees – of work that inspired and influenced him.

I spent most of the weekend checking out stalls and catching up with friends so had few opportunities to sit down and do lengthy sketches. Below are a few that I managed to fit into the pauses between browsing and carousing.

View across the ramparts at Angoulême

At Rosaline’s house with Ale, Dag and Artur at breakfast

Downtown Angoulême with the tower of the Hotel de Ville in the background.