The Angoulême International Comics Festival, one of the most highly anticipated events among comics fans, opened in France on Jan. 15. The Ministry of Culture marked its fifth participation by sending a delegation themed “Strangers of Formosa” that told the stories of different ethnic groups arriving to Taiwan.
Publisher Huang Chien-he (黃健和)
"Over the past four centuries, many foreign expatriates and immigrants left their mark on Taiwan. Basically, each one of them had an interesting influence on the island. We hope an exhibition like this can somehow show our respect for them."
French edition of Taiwanese comics
At the opening ceremony, seven Taiwanese cartoonists painted images celebrating the upcoming Lunar New Year of the Ram. Another major highlight at the exhibition was the release of the French edition of “80s Diary in Taiwan.”
Participating French publisher
"Today’s French comics market developed from the screening of Japanese animations on TV in the 80s, as well as many Hong Kong kung-fu films starring Bruce Lee and Jacky Chan. So people here can relate to this particular Taiwanese comic book ['80s Diary in Taiwan']."
Taiwan’s representative to France, Michel Lu (呂慶龍)
"Taiwanese comics now hold a key position in the French comics scene. As cultural diplomats, we are quite proud of this feat."
Commemorating Charlie
Over 1,000 comic artists from around the world attended the 42nd Angoulême festival, which ended with a tribute to the victims of the Charlie Hebdo shooting.