LAComicsFestival Vol.2 – a week of playful energy in Larissa for games and arts lovers.

An entire playful week is approaching for the City of Larissa, our network Greek partner, hosting the second edition of LAComics Festival (Vol. 2). The ETouKou Comics and Arts Association and the LAComicsFestival Team are organizing the festival, which will take place from 24th February to 1st March at Pappas Mill Culture Centre.

For the second consecutive year, LAComicsFestival, co-organized by the Culture and Sciences Municipality of Larissa, returns with renewed enthusiasm, bringing along with it unique original exhibitions in which Greek artists participate, seminars and workshops held by experienced comics artists and also, relevant talks at the festival’s panels. At this big comics celebration, the audience will be able to meet and interact with many artists and comics creators, and to view or purchase their works. In the LAComicsFestival’s Vol.2 bazar there are going to be shops and publishing houses, not only to provide the public with their favourite comics, science fiction books and favourite characters’ figures, but also to keep them posted regarding the new releases in the 9th art front and in the general art world.

ETouKou Comics and Art Association and the organizers of the LAComicsFestival payed much attention to the education around the comics and other art forms culture. That is why a series of various events, special guests, talks and activities were added.

Programme overview

Comics, illustration and caricature exhibitions

Tractformers — Comics-illustration exhibition, participating 60 Greek & foreign artists / Push the pedal to the metal — Illustration exhibition, participating Greek creators / JNK in the plain — Giorgos Milonas’ exhibition, a digital illustrator with recognized work in Greece and abroad and a recent collaboration with the internationally renowned band “Tool” / Rare self-publishing comics and fanzines exhibition — Melandros Ganas’ personal collection / Music & Musicians — International Cartoon Exhibition of Lafysti.

Talks and Panels

Talk COMICIPATE in Jordan — Melandros Ganas in collaboration with I DARE NGO / Presentation New RPG — Zisis Apostolidis / Talk Self-defense and applied martial arts — Ioanna Seyamann Georgakopoulou, Kick Boxing – Self-defense coach / Talk History of Tattoos — Orestis Kotopoulis (Stab), Department of Applied and Fine Arts graduate, art teacher and tattoo artist / Panel Web Comics — Thanos Kiratzis, WebComics; what they are and why they are important for the 9th Art / Talk Board Games — Vasilis Barbouzas / Talk One Year of Comic Cultura and presentation of the first printed copy of the online magazine Comic Cultura— Ionas Aggelis, Konstantinos Katsos, Lazaros Kolaksis, Periklis Koulifetis, Lena Tziokidou.

Workshops

Comics Scenario for teenagers — Thanos Kiratzis. The participants are going to learn how to tell a story through comics and at the end they are going to create their own Comic Strip / Tattoo Design — Orestis Kotopoulis (Stab), Department of Applied and Fine Arts graduate, art teacher and tattoo artist. The participants are going to learn about different styles of tattoo design and how to create their own / Miniature Assembly and Painting — The Fallen Phoenix Gaming Club / Creation and Expansion of a New World — Thanos Vasilakis (Time Traveller), fiction books writer. The participants along with the speaker are going to create a completely new world, name it, give it rules and, thus provide it with a purpose. / Digital Painting — Zahos Tsionas, AKTO-Digital Illustration teacher / Japanese Fencing (Kendo) for teenagers and adults — Thanasis Stamatis, Japanese Fencing teacher in Tonbobai Kendo. The participants are going to learn Kendo’s basic moves and after the end of the workshop the coordinator will give them a demonstration / Comics Children’s Workshop — Melandros Ganas (everyday, for school visits) / Adult Comics — Thanos Kiratzis (everyday, for school visits).

Shows and Screenings

Mini-Festival Larizona Dream / Award-winning animations — TAF / Award-winning movies from the Short Film Festival in Drama.

Role-playing games and Modelling

Dungeons and Dragons One Shot — Zisis Apostolidis, Aris Grimpas. The participants are going to learn the rules and the history of the game and play it in a brief story under guidance from the Dungeon Masters / A Diorama of Modelling — The Fallen Phoenix Gaming Club.

Other cultural events

LIVE music / Drink and Draw and Stand-up Comedy — Pierros Patouheas / Board Games Exhibition — PlayHouse / 40 Participants Game — PlayHouse.

Artist Alley

60 artist participations (from Greece and abroad)

Bazar

Participation of local publishing houses and shops with relevant products.

About LACOMICS FESTIVAL VOL.1

LAComicsFestival took place in Larissa, at the Pappas Mill Culture Centre, from 4 March till 10 March 2019. The ETouKou Comics and Art Association and the LAComicsFestival Team collaborated with the Culture and Sciences Municipality of Larissa and materialized a comics festival which constituted of exhibitions, seminars, workshops, talks, printed matter bazar and the Artist Alley of 50 artists involved with the 9th Art front. The citizens of Larissa, as well as the citizens from other cities, were given the opportunity, through this festival, to participate in a big comics celebration.
LAComicsFestival’s Vol.1 great success became evident from the positive reviews and the considerable public response. These created the basis for the establishment and the further development of the festival.
The great public participation in the LAComicsFestival’s events revealed the existence of an immense interest for events concerning comics and other forms of art among the people of Larissa and other cities. Furthermore, the festival, apart from events concerning comics, also hosted music and graffiti events, role-playing games and other kinds of activities. The response to the call for volunteers was great as well, which shows that we are not the only ones who desire having the experience of preparing and participating in such a big celebration. The photos depict the public participation in LAComicsFestival’s events.

More on the festival Facebook page