Ègarcòmic, Jornades del còmic a Terrassa, a new comics conference, launched yesterday at the Central Library in Terrassa in Catalonia, Spain. The event includes an exhibition of British comic art, “Viatge al centre del còmic britànic: Els meravellosos personatges de Fleetway”, (“Journey to the heart of British Comics: The Wonderful Characters of Fleetway”) the featured boards provided by collectors Alejandro M. Virturtia and Juan Rojas Caballero.
Ègarcòmic opened yesterday, Monday 1st June and runs until Saturday 6th June 2026, culminating in a large Comic Fair, an event born from a desire by the organisers for the gathering to become a regular space for meeting, discussion and celebration around comics and graphic narrative. The organisers hope it will become a point of connection between readers and authors, publishers, bookshops, cultural groups, professionals in the sector and all those people who find in comics a form of artistic expression, critical thinking and cultural enjoyment.
Comic creators attending include, in alphabetical order, Angelinux, Manel Cruz, Pedro Espinosa, Roger Giménez, Gras, R.M. Guéra, Toni Kudo, Joan Mundet, Jordi Ojeda, Ricardo Peregrina, Juan Samu, Commando artist Marc Viure, Marc Yarza, and Dani ZAR, who created the event’s poster.
Proceeds from the event will be donated to childhood cancer research, in collaboration with Policías X Valientes. A Drawing Contest for children aged 6 to 12 has also been organised, aiming to bring art to the pediatric oncology wards of various hospitals.
The “Viatge al centre del còmic britànic: Els meravellosos personatges de Fleetway” exhibition offers a unique opportunity to discover original comic works as they were conceived: pages that retain all the strength and detail of the original stroke.
Comic Connections: Spain and Fleetway
During the 1960s and 1970s, Fleetway – its comic assets now owned by 2000AD publisher, Rebellion – became the great powerhouse of comics in Britain. Beyond its genre stories, be they war, westerns or romance, its most enduring legacy remains its characters, who have impacted the imagination of entire generations of readers.
Humour, science fiction, espionage, horror and adventure were combined in thrilling stories starring unforgettable strips such as “Robot Archie”, “The Steel Claw”, “Mytek the Mighty”, “Kelly’s Eye”, “The Spider”, “Olac the Gladiator” and many others. Week after week, millions of people across the Britain, and the Commonwealth, enthusiastically followed their adventures.
Despite their markedly British character, these stories, full of action and impossible situations crossed borders and also conquered the Europe. In Spain, the arrival of these comics from 1964, republished by Ediciones Vértice, was a true popular phenomenon. Despite often irregular editions, with reorganised pages and disordered episodes, the strength of the characters prevailed, turning them into icons of comics of the 1960s.
Of particular note to Spanish comic fans is “Esther i el seu món” (“Esther and her World”) by the late Purita Campos, published by Editorial Bruguera, published as “Patty’s World” in the UK, which ran in Princess Tina. It’s regarded as one of the series most loved by the female audience of the time.
Fleetway was also a fundamental school for many Spanish cartoonists, who began or consolidated their careers there. For this reason, its history is closely linked to the evolution of comics in Spain, prompting this special exhibition.
The program for the first Ègarcòmic combines cultural activities, editorial presentations, conferences starting today, running until 3rd June, at the Central Library of Terrassa, meetings with authors, round tables, exhibitions, training workshops, signings, self-publishing spaces and a special Comic Fair on Saturday 6th June at Plaça del Vapor Ventallóm, which will be filled with tents with comic book publishers, shops and authors.
The goal of this new event is to generate a dynamic environment where the amateur public, professionals in the sector and those who are approaching comics for the first time will find attractive, inspiring and quality proposals.
• Ègarcòmic 1st – 6th June, 2026 | Online at egarcomic.com
• Viatge al centre del còmic britànic: Els meravellosos personatges de Fleetway can be visited from 1st to 5th June 2026, from 5.30 pm to 8:30 pm, and on 6th June from 10.00 am to 2.00 pm and from 5.30 pm to 8,30 pm, at the Tobella Archive | Full details here
- About the Author
- Latest Posts
John is the founder of downthetubes, launched in 1998. He is a comics and magazine editor, writer, and Press Officer for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He also runs Crucible Comic Press.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine and Overkill for Marvel UK, Babylon 5 Magazine, Star Trek Magazine, and its successor, Star Trek Explorer, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics; and has edited several comic collections and graphic novels, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”, and Hancock: The Lad Himself, by Stephen Walsh and Keith Page.
He’s the writer of comics such as 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.
Categories: British Comics, Comic Art, Comics, Comics Studies, downthetubes Comics News, downthetubes News, Events, Exhibitions, International Comic News, Other Worlds
Leave a Reply