Filipe Melo, Nuno Markl and Luís Louro will also be present
Officially presented last night, in a session that included the screening of Portuguese films that were pre-nominated for the Oscars, Maia BD promises a solid program and big names for its first edition, which will take place from 16 to 18 June, at the Maia Forum.
The organization guaranteed the presence of around two dozen national comic authors, from names linked to the most popular comics for a wider audience, such as Luís Louro, Filipe Melo or Nuno Markl, to more alternative and independent authors for a more specialized audience. , among which stands out Marco Mendes, author of the poster for this first edition of the festival.
In addition to them, as headliners, there are two foreign authors with established credits. One of them is the Frenchman Georges Bess, author of a powerful adaptation of “Drácula” (Portuguese edition of A Seita, 2021), by Bram Stocker, after years of regular collaborations with Moebius or Jodorowski, in series such as “O Lama Branco” or “Juan Solo”. No Maia BD will release their new album in Portugal, an adaptation of “Frankenstein” by Mary Shelley.
As for the second author, it is the Colombian Canizales who, although more identified with children’s illustration, drew the adaptation of “Os Maias”, by Eça de Queirós (Levoir / RTP, 2021), integrated in the collection “Clássicos da Literatura em BD”.
With regard to releases or presentations, Maia BD, an initiative of the Maia City Council through the Pelouro da Cultura, organized by the editorial cooperative A Seita, has already confirmed the “Auto da Barca do inferno” (Levoir), by João Miguel Lameiras and Joana Afonso, based on the work of Gil Vicente; “Instruction Manual” (Iguana), by Nuno Markl and Miguel Jorge; “The Mongoose” (A Seita), by Joana Mosi; “The Crow: Family Ties”, by Nuno Markl and Luís Louro; “Navel of the World II” (A Seita) by Penim Loureiro and Carlos Silva; “Dog Mendonça and Pizza Boy – integral edition” (Companhia das Letras) by Filipe Melo and Juan Cavia.
With the exception of the latter, all the aforementioned authors will be present, such as André Lima Araújo, André Diniz or Bernardo Majer, last year’s winner of the Prize for Best National Album at Amadora BD.
From the 16th to the 18th of June, at Forum da Maia, it will be possible to appreciate originals by Joana Afonso, Juan Cavia and Joana Mosi, with the exhibition of boards from their books being negotiated with Georges Bess. The originals of “Youth”, by Marco Mendes, will be on display from the 6th to the 30th of June at the Doutor José Vieira de Carvalho Municipal Library, also in Maia.
The festival’s program also includes a comics book fair, conversations with some of the guest authors, a panel on adaptations of classics of Portuguese literature in the Levoir and RTP collections, autograph sessions, presentation and launch of the BD PALOP project, a ProCultura project, promoted by the Camões Institute with EU funds, from which the first seven books will be presented, a cosplay contest, comic workshops for various audiences, guided by some of the biggest names in national comics, exhibition of animation films, participation of the Urban Sketchers collective, a community of artists who draw outdoors, and the presence of the Rebel Legion, an international volunteer organization dedicated to the Star Wars Universe.
