The works of Taiwanese artists are being featured at the 52nd Angouleme International Comics Festival, France’s largest comics event, which began on Thursday.
The festival, which was to end yesterday in the French city of Angouleme, “welcomes nearly 6,000 comics professionals from all over the world,” the Angouleme Tourist Office said.
Taiwanese comics have been “steadily gaining popularity,” Representative to France Hao Pei-chih (郝培芝) said at the festival’s Taiwan Pavilion, adding that “Taiwan being a central theme has been increasingly recognized in France and Europe.”
Photo: CNA
At the Taiwan Pavilion, organized by the Taiwan Creative Content Agency, about 130 original Taiwanese comics have been exhibited, including licensed French-language editions and those with potential in international markets.
More than 10 Taiwanese comic artists, including Hsieh Tung-lin (謝東霖) and Rishiazao (日下棗), took part in events at the pavilion, such as drawing demonstrations held on the first day of the festival.
Among those who visited the Taiwan Pavilion, Pierre Sery, founder of the French publisher Asian District, said that he first encountered Taiwanese comics at the festival years ago and has translated and published works by Taiwanese artists such as Chang Sheng (常勝) and Ruan Guang-min (阮光民) since 2016.
“They are talented and have different stories to tell,” Sery said, citing how Taiwanese creators “see the world from a different perspective.”
Sery added that there is a growing recognition of Taiwanese comics in France, with nearly 20 French editions published in 2023, compared with just three or four a few years ago.
Didier Pasamonik, comic book expert and publisher, said French audiences feel that Taiwanese comics have a “more nuanced and sophisticated” storytelling style than Japanese comics.
A new era of comics has arrived, where Japanese comics no longer dominate the industry, he said.
This shift presents an opportunity for Taiwanese comics to strengthen their position in the global market, he added.
SHIPS, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES: The ministry has announced changes to varied transportation industries taking effect soon, with a number of effects for passengers Beginning next month, the post office is canceling signature upon delivery and written inquiry services for international registered small packets in accordance with the new policy of the Universal Postal Union, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday. The new policy does not apply to packets that are to be delivered to China, the ministry said. Senders of international registered small packets would receive a NT$10 rebate on postage if the packets are sent from Jan. 1 to March 31, it added. The ministry said that three other policies are also scheduled to take effect next month. International cruise ship operators
HORROR STORIES: One victim recounted not realizing they had been stabbed and seeing people bleeding, while another recalled breaking down in tears after fleeing A man on Friday died after he tried to fight the knife-wielding suspect who went on a stabbing spree near two of Taipei’s busiest metro stations, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said. The 57-year-old man, identified by his family name, Yu (余), encountered the suspect at Exit M7 of Taipei Main Station and immediately tried to stop him, but was fatally wounded and later died, Chiang said, calling the incident “heartbreaking.” Yu’s family would receive at least NT$5 million (US$158,584) in compensation through the Taipei Rapid Transit Corp’s (TRTC) insurance coverage, he said after convening an emergency security response meeting yesterday morning. National
PLANNED: The suspect visited the crime scene before the killings, seeking information on how to access the roof, and had extensively researched a 2014 stabbing incident The suspect in a stabbing attack that killed three people and injured 11 in Taipei on Friday had planned the assault and set fires at other locations earlier in the day, law enforcement officials said yesterday. National Police Agency (NPA) Director-General Chang Jung-hsin (張榮興) said the suspect, a 27-year-old man named Chang Wen (張文), began the attacks at 3:40pm, first setting off smoke bombs on a road, damaging cars and motorbikes. Earlier, Chang Wen set fire to a rental room where he was staying on Gongyuan Road in Zhongzheng District (中正), Chang Jung-hsin said. The suspect later threw smoke grenades near two exits
The Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency yesterday launched a gift box to market honey “certified by a Formosan black bear” in appreciation of a beekeeper’s amicable interaction with a honey-thieving bear. Beekeeper Chih Ming-chen (池明鎮) in January inspected his bee farm in Hualien County’s Jhuosi Township (卓溪) and found that more than 20 beehives had been destroyed and many hives were eaten, with bear droppings and paw prints near the destroyed hives, the agency said. Chih returned to the farm to move the remaining beehives away that evening when he encountered a Formosan black bear only 20m away, the agency said. The bear
RSS