PRESS RELEASE 12.6.2024:
Helsinki Comics Festival brings award-winning British creators and pop to Cable Factory
The 39th Helsinki Comics Festival will take place in 2024 in the Cable Factory’s Merikaapelihalli. This year, the festival’s themes are British comics and pop, which are approached from the perspectives of both new and older comics. Chosen as festival artist of the year, Reetta Niemensivu has created the visual identity of the festival. Niemensivu is a comic artist, illustrator and graphic designer. She has illustrated children’s books and published several comic books. Niemensivu was one of the authors of Sisaret 1918, which received the Sarjakuva-Finlandia award in 2019.
Among the British stars are Dave McKean, known from the Sandman comics, and Eisner Award nominee Zoe Thorogood
One of the most well-known invited guests, Dave McKean, has illustrated nearly 90 award-winning books and graphic novels, and published five short films and three feature films. McKean’s most notable works are the covers of the Sandman comic book series created by Neil Gaiman.
Another guest, Eisner Award nominee Zoe Thorogood, debuted as a comic artist in 2020 with The Impending Blindness of Billie Scott. Her autobiographical comic It’s Lonely at the Centre of the Earth has won multiple awards.
Other British guests include Hamish Steele, Emilia McKenzie and Gareth Brookes. Hamish Steele is known for his comic DeadEndia, which has also inspired the Netflix series Dead End: Paranormal Park. Emilia McKenzie, who is half Finnish, will present her comic book But You Have Friends at the festival. Gareth Brookes is known for his unusual use of materials.
The second theme of the festival explores the connections between comics and other pop culture, including music
Mika Lietzén, Aino Sutinen, JP Ahonen and Niko-Petteri Niva will present their new books in a discussion panel titled Music in comics. At the festival, the Finnish translation of Joonas Sildre‘s work Kahe heli vahel, about the composer Arvo Pärt, will have its launch. Pauli Kallio and Ville Pirinen will talk about the meaning of music in the comics they created together, such as Ornette Birks Makkonen and Muddy Lee Makkonen. Finnish duck cartoonist Kari Korhonen is interviewed on the theme of pop stars in the stories of Aku Ankka magazine.
The festival weekend is celebrated from 31 August to 1 September 2024. The premises of Cable Factory’s Merikaapelihalli are open to the public on Saturday from 11 am to 8 pm and on Sunday from 11 am to 7 pm. The event is free and open to everyone.
The programme of the festival will be published at the end of June. This year, special attention has been given to the programme aimed at children: it includes, among other things, a puppet show and several free workshops. Of course, as is the tradition, the festival will include the self-publishing event Zine Fest, which this year will again award the prizes for Heavenliest Small Publication and Web Comic.
Ella Tahkolahti
producer
+35844 366 36 06
info@sarjakuvafestivaalit.fi
Athanasía Aarniosuo
artistic director
+35840 126 45 78
athanasia.aarniosuo@sarjakuvaseura.fi
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