Guests are greeted for the Malta Comic Convention. Photo courtesy Malta Comic Con |
I was lucky enough to be a guest at the Malta Comic Con this year.
So, while this is a kind of review/overview of the event, I will freely admit that a lot of what I say may be swayed by my position as a guest.
Sunny Malta! Photo courtesy Malta Comic Con |
Inside the Malta Comic Convention at St James Cavalier in Valletta. Photo courtesy Malta Comic Con |
The venue, St James Cavalier in Valletta, is one that any other convention on the planet would struggle to match. Certainly, it’s the only convention that I am aware of that is held in a 700 year old fort! Tables are spread throughout the venue on multiple floors. This did make for an initial bit of confusion when finding your way about, but after a lap or two, things were a lot clearer.
And there were an impressive array of books for sale. They ranged from the usual dealers selling graphic novels and action figures, to some incredible local talents.
The Pilot team. Photo courtesy Malta Comic Con |
Tim Perkins delivers a comic art workshop for Maltese schoolchildren. Photo courtesy Malta Comic Con |
Sean Azzopardi sketching at the event. Photo courtesy Malta Comic Con |
Emma Emma RĂos delivers a Guided Tour of her exhibition. Photo courtesy Malta Comic Con Dave Gibbons meets Maltese comic fans. Photo courtesy Malta Comic Con |
The venue and general size of the event help lend it a wonderful, friendly atmosphere. The kind of atmosphere that Hi-Ex!, which I co-organize in Inverness has, in fact. There were a lot of families and children there, and all were enjoying themselves.
Richmond Clements with cosplayer and cosmaker Federica di Nardo. Photo courtesy Richmond Clements |
The celebratory meal in Valletta, in front of the St John's Co-Cathedral. Photo courtesy Malta Comic Con |
After the meal, there were, of course, a few speeches.
During one of these, organiser Chris Le Galle said that one of their ambitions is to try to create a comic community in Malta.
Well, Chris, from what I seen over the weekend, you can stop trying. You have already done it. There is a vibrant and exciting comics community in Malta, and these guys are to be thanks for it.
What they need now is support to help make it grow. So, buy their comics and visit their convention! And don’t think it’s out of your price range either. It cost me less to go to Malta than to the Bristol Convention, after all...
• For more information about the Malta Comic Con visit www.maltacomic-con.com or find them on Facebook
• The Pilot Comic Anthology Richmond mentions above is a collection of short comics, each drawn and written by a different artist or author. Every volume of Pilot features a new theme, the first one being Steampunk and the second and latest book being Medieval. The book places a strong emphasis on variation of comic styles and stories that can be enjoyed by a wide variety of audience.
If you're interested in purchasing Pilot, drop an email to info@maltacomic-con.com
1 comment:
Thank you for writing this post about Malta Comic Con: I'm glad that you liked our convention
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