Comic Strip Revolution exhibition opens soon in Belgium

By John Freeman on March 3, 2017

A “Comic Strip Revolution” exhibition at La Boverie, Liege, Belgium will present art from two game-changing French bande dessinée magazines, Métal Hurlant and (A SUIVRE) from 17th March to 11th June 2017.

Showing more than 300 original drawings from French, Belgian, and international artists, the exhibition, titled Révolution Bande Dessinée (“Comic Strip Revolution”) presents two major magazines, Métal Hurlant and (A SUIVRE), which shook up the Ninth Art from the mid-1970s up until the end of the 90s.

The exhibition is the result of an initiative of the City of Liège and Michel-Edouard Leclerc, a passionate collector of comics, president of the Hélène & Edouard Leclerc Culture Fund, and under the leadership of Jean-Baptiste Barbier, comics expert and his commissioner, the exhibition retraces a decisive period in history for Franco-Belgian comics.

Over some 25 years, thanks to many talented authors, comics opened to a new audience, mainly through the existence of the two magazines featured.

The exhibition will present a set of roughly 320 original drawings from Métal Hurlant and (A SUIVRE), placing the history of these two magazines in close comparison, in chronological presentation extending from 1975 to 1997.

The presented works involve such authors as Gal, Juillard, Margerin, Munoz, Gillon, Barge, Sokal, Forest, Clerc, Manara, Comès, Boucq and Servais – and provides a particular focus on the flagship authors of the period: Moebius, Druillet, Schuiten, Tardi and Pratt.

• More information (in French)

(With thanks to Paul Gravett)

John Freeman

The founder of downthetubes, which he established in 1998. John works as a comics and magazine editor, writer, and on promotional work for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He is currently editor of Star Trek Explorer, published by Titan – his third tour of duty on the title originally titled Star Trek Magazine.

Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Babylon 5 Magazine, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics. He has also edited several comic collections, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”.

He’s the writer of “Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies” for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs” with Dave Hailwood.