They come from Japan and the USA, from Belgium, France, Sweden and in particularly large numbers from Germany and this year’s guest country Austria: Numerous comic guests are presenting new works at the Leipzig Book Fair this week and demonstrating their drawing skills live.
There is a particularly extensive comic program from April 27th to 30th at the Manga Comic Con, which takes place parallel to the book fair in the exhibition halls.
Guests of honor there are the Japanese mangaka Keri Kusabi (“Our Insatiable Desire”), the British author Ben Aaronovitch (“The Rivers of London”), the Spaniard Miguel Diaz Vizoso (“The Smurfs and the Lost Children”), Roger Langridge (“Thor the Mighty Avenger”), the longtime Disney animator Arild Midthun (“Eva: Climate Crisis”), “Spider-Man” animator Todd Nauckhorror comic artist Jurek Malottke (“Phantasms”), science fiction cartoonist Michael Vogt (“Little Perry”) and fantasy artist Frauke Berger (“The Ship of the Lost Children”).
Austria is guest of honor
Other comic guests can be found in the book fair halls at events and at the stands of publishers who also want to appeal to audiences outside of the comic scene. The comic minimalist, celebrated by the arts pages for his literary adaptations, is from the guest country Austria Nicholas Mahler as well as Franz Suess (“Thieves and Laymen”), Andre Breinbauer (“Medusa & Perseus”) and Vincent Schwarzbauer (“Meander”) on site.
The Swedish best-selling artist is also expected Liv Stromquist (“Astrology”), the French Gaelle Geniller (“The Flower of Paris”) and the Finn Ville Ranta (“Kajaani – The Exile of the Kalevala”).
Among other things, you can look at German comic authors Gaby von Borstel and Peter Eickmeyer (“Nothing new in the West”, “Heinreich Heine – A journey through life”), Matthew Lehmann (“To the sun”), Jan Bauer “Under Red Dust”) and Max Baitinger (“Sibylla”) meet at the fair.
Hamburg-based publisher altraverse is hosting six artists who produce manga and webtoons in German-speaking countries and sign their works at the fair: Gin Zarbo (“The Scarecrow Mystery”), Ban Zarbo (“Cold – The Creature”), Sozan Coskun (“Green Gardens”), Jenny Liz & Sabrina Steinert (“The King’s Dancer”) and SchornEE (“Let’s Cat Off”).
