Five Taiwan comic book artists have been shortlisted in two competitions at the upcoming Angouleme International Comics Festival running Jan. 24-27 in France, according to the Ministry of Culture.
Chen Pei-hsiu and Lin Chien-yu were the only two Asian artists among 20 finalists in the festival’s Young Talent Competition. In the inaugural #drawmecomics 2019 contest, for which entries were submitted via the social media platform Instagram, Rao Yu-an secured a spot in the top three while Ou Nie and Yeh Hsin-wen made the shortlist of 10 illustrators.
Chen was selected for her work “Long Queues Everywhere,” which pokes fun at the practice of waiting in long lines, while Lin earned her nomination with the piece “Creation” that centers on a comic artist looking for inspiration.
Entries to #drawmecomics were judged on a number of factors including composition, story and freshness of approach. Rao said her winning entry “The First Vote of Love” was inspired by Taiwan’s recent same-sex marriage referendum.
Ou made the shortlist for her creation “Visit,” which sketched out the daily life of two friends and a cat onto paper products such as bags and sheet music while Yeh was chosen for “52 Hertz—The Lonely Whale,” a comic that centers on a lonely robot whale unable to communicate with other members of the species.
The winner and nominees will display their selected works at the festival’s Taiwan pavilion. The MOC-organized “Taiwan Comic Trio” will also spotlight the nation’s classic, contemporary and alternative comic books.
Taiwan’s participation in the festival over the past eight years has helped raise the international profile of the nation’s comic artists, according to the ministry. Since 2012, translated editions of several Taiwan comic books have been published including French versions of “Yong-jiu Grocery Store” by Ruan Guan-min and “The Summer Temple Fair” by Zuo Hsuan, as well as German language copies of “The First Emperor of China” by late graphic novelist Chen Uen.
The annual Angouleme International Comics Festival was first held in 1974. It features competitions, exhibitions and trade shows for comic artists and publishers, attracting more than 200,000 visitors each year. (CPY-E)
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