In an international initiative ahead of this year’s Portsmouth Comic Con which will take place at Portsmouth Guildhall on 11th -12th May, the organisers will be bringing a flavour of comic art from the Philippines to the streets of Portsmouth in the form of a trail which features the work of some of Asia’s exciting emerging comic talent.
Running from Monday 1st – Sunday 14th April, 20 pieces of art can be explored in a FREE trail of poster sites across the city which link to the Comic Con website for a background to the artist and their work, short interviews and a map of all artwork locations.
The trail has been developed by Creative Co-ordinator for Portsmouth Comic Con and Illustrator, Jonathan Scott, who also devised the successful trail of Thai art that was presented at Portsmouth Comic Con in 2022 and Japanese art in 2023.
Working with Paolo Herras of Komiket, a non-profit organisation that organises comic markets and publishes Filipino komics, some of the most exciting voices in the independent comic scene will be presented – GN Santiago, Maou No Sekai, Alexandra Sevilla, Levi Sabarre and Randy Valiente.
Of the comic industry in the Philippines Paolo said, “Filipino Komiks has a long and rich history of illustrators, from Alfredo Alcala, Nestor Redondo, and Francisco Coching, but many of our komiks during this Golden age were lost during the death of big publishers. In the past decade, there has been a resurgence from a community of creators that tell their independent stories with original characters, reclaiming our identities, histories, and narratives. Most creators self-publish their work and peddle them in community-led conventions and art markets. During the pandemic, many creators grew followers on social media, some even finding international agents for their work. Through the Philippine International Comics Festival, an official selection of ten graphic novels were selected, developed, and published, representing the Philippines in international book fairs and comics festivals around the world. Filipino Komiks is waiting to be discovered, and ready to break through the invisible bubble of Southeast Asia!”
Speaking of how they became interested in creating comics and illustration, the artists involved in the project have spoken of their inspirations growing up, how the pandemic had seen an influx of Filipino comics being created and how today’s technology had made it very accessible for artists.
Levi Sabarre, project artist and creator of the published comic book, Dante, Damian and Pascal the Pusang Kalye, said “I believe Filipino comics is thriving and it will be a strong institution that will share our culture to the world through captivating stories and illustrations”.
All 20 pieces of art featured in the trail will also be displayed at Portsmouth Comic Con on Saturday 11th and Sunday 12th May 2024 – see some of the featured artists on our 2024 ART TRAIL PAGE.
Bringing you the best in comic, film, TV and pop culture entertainment, Portsmouth Comic Con will see some of the greatest creators in the industry come together with a whole range of panels, displays, workshops, exhibitions, cosplay and interactive fun for all to enjoy with special features for the biggest, family-friendly Comic Con of its kind confirmed as Jurassic and Star Wars Experiences, a celebration of the 40th anniversary of Ghostbusters and a Strangely, Marvellous, Wizarding walk-through.
There really is something for everyone at Portsmouth Comic Con. If you’re serious about comics, love Marvel/DC and cult series or simply looking for a fun day out – this is the event for you!
