Paris à la Geek presents the…

Ultimate guide to the Angoulême International Comics Festival…especially if you don’t speak French!

Watch our new webseries, Paris à la Geek as we walk you through this ultimate comic town and highlight our favorite moments. There was so much to include in the episode, we just couldn’t do it. So, we added extra photos and information in this post.

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Our Favorite Parts of the Festival

Here is a list of some of our favorite things during this year’s festival. Everything from meeting legends like Wendy Pini and Richard Pini, the creators of Elfquest, to being astonished with the city’s absolute devotion to comics. Everyone gets in on the action! From they City Hall (a former castle), to museums and churches. Comics are a respected form of art (what a change!). France loves books and Angoulême is mad about comics!

1. The city of Angoulême

Going to Angoulême for the festival is a thrill, but getting to walk around this beautiful city was the cherry on the top of a big slice of awesome pie. Angoulême is an ancient city situated on a hill. The city center is the original/historic town, which is now the city center.

The entire old/historic part of the city is encircled by ramparts with magnificent views over the surrounding countryside and the Charente river.

A stunning mural by Max Cabanes, “La Fille des Ramparts”. You can see a bit of the city wall at the bottom right of this photo.

At the very top of the hill is a castle, which is now City Hall.

Shopping district (great for shoe shopping!)

Some restaurants…

2. A city-wide festival

The entire city is part of the festival. Museums, theaters, city hall, shops, churches and cathedrals all take part. It’s an amazing thing to see. It’s definitely one way to up the ante on a mere convention center.

The giant “Obelisque Goscinny” is dedicated to the creator of Asterix. It’s located right at the entrance of the main train station.

All churches and cathedrals also had author signings and comics for sale.

Musée Angoulême exhibit – “Osamu Tezuka, Manga no kamisama”

Maison des Peuples et de la Paix

Even the trash and recycle bins were in on the comic action

3. Elfquest Creators: Wendy Pini and Richard Pini

One of the BEST parts of the festival was meeting Wendy Pini and Richard Pini, creators of Elfquest! (click here to visit their site). I was surprised to see them there, so I quickly bought my first French volume of Elfquest (good practice!) and waited in line to get their autograph. What a thrill! They’re the nicest people and a great example of indie creators making a career out of doing what they love.

4. Bumping into old friends

What a surprise! While walking to various exhibits, we literally bumped into Peter Birkemoe from The Beguiling, the best comic shop in Toronto, Canada. Why? The best selection, real alternative and indie comics, and comics and art from all over the world. Peter was also the first to pick up our first graphic novel – Samurai Elf. Click here to visit his site. You’ll be glad that you did!

5. Alternative/Indie Press Pavilion

We were extremely impressed with the indie or alternative press pavilion (the “tent”). It was huge with a wide range of styles, featuring creators from all over the world. Here’s a few compilations of the booths we saw and the fabulous people we met.

Angoulême: Trains, Hotels and Passes for Adults & Kids

If you’re looking for information about the Angoulême International Comics Festival, then click here to visit our related blog post. I’ll talk about my own experience booking train tickets, reserving a hotel, and buying the actual festival tickets.

Ultimate Guide to the Angouleme International Comics Festival 2018…especially of you don’t speak French