Almost a hundred thousand visitors and more than 250 comic artists attend the ninth annual event
ADVERTISEMENTNow in its ninth year, the Comic Strip Festival in Brussels, has drawn almost a hundred thousand visitors and more than 250 comic artists.
It's been an annual event since 2010 and this year coincides with the 70th anniversary of the comic strip character, Alex. The Franco-Belgian series by Jacques Martin is based in Roman times.
Young and old got something out of the weekend. This young lady loves comics, “It's about the stories ... I don't like some books because there are no pictures. But the comics are more creative. They rely less on your imagination but you create the voices in your mind".
But it's not just about entertainment. Some artists have serious political and ethical messages.
French artist David Ratte says, "I'm often working with news items. I have a comic called "Toxic Planet" in which we speak about ecology. The comics I'm working on now speak about a woman from Namibia and arriving in France. The subject is immigration".
Comic strip enthusiasts were also able to test their hand at comic drawing.
Brussels is the birthplace of Tintin, Spirou and the Smurfs. So it's perhaps natural that it's become the home of the Comic Strip Festival.