A big update from Paul Gravett:
Hello and Happy New Year!
- and Happy Chinese New Year of the Rat as well next week!
Back from a fantastic Angoulême festival and busy with loads of projects.
First up is my first ever trip to Ireland, stopping off at Cork tomorrow for
a potentially amazing event for this summer, and followed by an overnighter
in Dublin where I'll be taking part on Saturday Feb 2nd in a whole day of
manga and anime events at the Chester Beatty Library - details here, hope
some of you can be there:
http://www.cbl.ie/Programme---Events/Events-Schedule.aspx
Further ahead, I'll be very involved with Birkbeck's exciting Graphic Novel
Study Day on Saturday February 23rd, 10.30-4.30. David Lloyd, Nick Abadzis
and Steve Marchant are among those taking part. Don't miss this. Details,
poster and booking here:
http://www.bbk.ac.uk/ce/news/graphicnovel, or
http://www.bbk.ac.uk/ce/histart/graphicnovel.html
The big (and free) exhibition looming on the horizon is MANHUA! CHINA COMICS
NOW, from March 7th to April 11th at the London College of Communication,
SE1. It's been a fantastic opportunity for me as curator to research this
culture and work with some excellent experts to source both major mainstream
hits and cult and underground alternatives, from mainland China as well as
from Hong Kong and Taiwan. Details are on the site and much more info and
images will follow soon:
http://www.paulgravett.com/events/manhua/manhua.htm
Another date for your diary, Tuesday March 25th, 9.30am-6pm, brings a China
Comics Now Study Day, all day with a dozen international guests including
major artists. This will be a free event, supported by the China Now
Festival, but you will need to book, as numbers are limited. I'll email you
as soon as know how you can book. There will also be an evening reception
afterwards.
Finally, Comica stirs again on Thursday March 27th with a celebration of the
life and legacy of the King of American Comics, Jack Kirby at the ICA. Paul
Gambaccini and other admirers tbc, including Christine Harper from Jack
Kirby Quarterly, will be in conversation via satellite phone link with
stateside biographer Mark Evanier, whose Kirby artbook from Abams is
launched that evening - and with John Morrow, from Jack Kirby Collector,
hitting its 50th bumper issue. Rare audio clips, a viewing of collectors'
item original artworks, and more make this an essential event. Tickets are
not bookable yet but will let you know soon as they become available.
Look out for Peter Stanbury's and my report from Angoulême this coming
Sunday. And all the very best for a gr8 '08 - may it be your best year yet!
Paul
