Posted in: Comics, Current News | Tagged: Angoulême, chris geary

Three Days In Angoulême – Day One, Life's A Pitch And Then You Diet

Three Days In Angoulême - Day One, Life's A Pitch And Then You Diet, as Chris Geary takes in the town.

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 05:57:06 -0600

Last updated Thu, 06 Feb 2025 05:57:11 -0600

Article Summary

Explore Angoulême's festival with British comic creators and unique pitches.
Experience the steep climb to Le Monde Des Bulles, massive comic showcase.
Dive into the relaxed International Rights Market for diverse language deals.
Capture Angoulême's artistic essence, from exhibitions to vibrant nightlife.

Three familiar British comic book creators, Chris Geary and Simon Lewis of Flesh And Blood and Skin And Bone graphic novels, and Joshua Spiller of Protean Masks, went to the Western world's biggest comic book festival last week, the Angoulême International Comics Festival. Chris Geary reported in with what he found, with photos to match. Here is what was waiting for them on Day One. Read more from Angoulême here…

Angoulême Day One – Thursday 30/01/25

"Spent most of the day moving between the Espace Création Nouvelle where we were pitching a new project to Publishers and the main part of the Festival, which was in the centre of town. Which is at the top of a steep hill. There are three ways to go from one section to the other. Free Festival Bus, walk around and spiral up, or straight up the hill. Just for the hell of it, we decided on the third option. Took the bus the other times. The hill is nice to walk down. Not so much the other way…"

"The pitching process is split into two parts. The first is a general meeting with one or two Creators/Editors that look at the project in order to decide if it's in a good position to be pitched, and who would be the best Publisher to pitch to. Our first appointment was just after 11am. The second appointment was at 3:45. In the few hours between we grabbed a bit of lunch, then quickly visited the Le Monde Des Bulles – the main place where all the larger Publishers had set up. It's massive, there are sections that are bigger than some book shops. And they're full of Comics!!"

"The other section that got most of our attention was the International Rights Market (Marché des Droits). This is where most of the publishers attending the Festival look into publishing, or getting published, their books into various languages. A lot more of a relaxed space, with a presentation area and a small reception area where the various Publishers and Creators can have a drink and a bit of a chat. Then, after having a another quick look at the two areas after our second meeting, it was time to call it a day, and head out into the town for some food and drinks."

And he took plenty of photos…