The biggest worldwide annual event for the comic book industry, Comic-Con International: San Diego, will take place at the San Diego Convention Center from July 18th to 21st. This year, with the support of the Ministry of Culture, Taiwan Academy in Los Angeles collaborates with Taiwan Comic Association to install a Taiwan-centered exhibition for the first time, which is also the very first exhibition with the theme around a nation in the convention. We hope to have this exhibition as a window to Taiwanese comics and as a platform facilitating international exchanges to increase Taiwanese comic artists’ visibility to the comic book industry and comic fans in the United States, and let them have an opportunity to know more about Taiwanese comic artists and their works.
Taiwan Academy invites Liang-Cheng Wei, Director of Taiwan Comic Association, Comic Artist, and Assistant Professor of Chinese Culture University, to be the curator of this exhibition. Based on the theme, “The Eastern Power: Taiwan Superhero League,” 9 emerging and established working artists whose works center on young adults’ adventures and action figures are presented. These curated works exhibit Taiwanese heroes’ grandeur and vigor, which manifest what superheroes symbolize―justice, strength and dream, allowing Taiwanese heroes to shine in this convention full of superheroes. 9 artists of this exhibition with their works include Hsien-Tsung Chou’s Origami Fighters, Yu-Tung Yeh’s Cat Swordsman, Kurudaz / iimAn’s Hero of Robots FIGHT, Ming-Hsuan Yeh’s The Lord of Master - Li Bai, Chien-Hua Tseng’s Who Great Hero, Evan Huang’s Shanghai Junior, Chen Wind (Liang-Cheng Wei)’s Task Ranger, BARZ (KUAN-JU LEE)’s Sword Lion, and Ponjea’s Chronos Ruler.
Three artists, Chen Wind, Chien-Hua Tseng, and BARZ, will attend the exhibition. In their works, Chen Wind depicts martial-art heroes and Chinese kung fu knight-errant, Chien-Hua Tseng the mythological hero―Sun Wukong, and BARZ the local hero deity―Sword Lion, all of which are culturally specific hero figures. The creative style and visual representation of these works are also equally brilliant. At this Comic-Con, these three artists will have 3 In-booth signing events to interact with audiences. Besides, there will be a Talk in Taiwan Center San Diego, presented by Taiwan Academy in Los Angeles and Taiwanese American Community Center.
Comic-Con International: San Diego was established in 1970. Since being founded, it has become the biggest annual event for the comic book industry, which takes place at the San Diego Convention Center, the hotels, libraries, and theaters around it in every July. In the United States, there are up to 20 Comic-Cons in total taking place in different States every year. But given its economic scale, the one in San Diego, California is the biggest, and is considered one of the two most important comics festivals, alongside with the Angoulême International Comics Festival in France. Each year, around 130,000 visitors attend the convention. Tickets are usually completely sold out within one hour after they go on sale on the official website. Attendees include professionals from the comic book industry and show business, authors, and general comic/anime fans. Due to its efficiency in marketing, major Hollywood producing companies often premiere their superhero TV series and movies, which shows adaptations of comics into film and television works bloom from this Spillover Effect.
Info on Taiwanese Exhibition in Comic-Con International: San Diego 2019
Location: San Diego Convention Center (111 W Harbor Dr., San Diego, CA 92101), Booth No. 5524 (located on the right hand side of the main information center)
peration Hours: July 18th - 21st. July 18th - 20th, 9:30am - 7:00pm. July 21st, 9:30am - 5:00pm.
Info on In-booth Signing Events: July 18th, 19th, & 21st, 11am - 11:45am. Free but limited amount of gifts.
Note: There will be souvenirs at the exhibition. You must purchase tickets in order to enter the convention center.
Info on Talk:
Location: Taiwanese American Community Center (7838 Wilkerson Court, San Diego, CA 92111；Tel: (858)560-8884)
Time: July 20th, 4pm – 5pm
Topic: Eastern Power: Introduction to Taiwanese Comic Superhero
Press Contact:
Sophia Chiu
Taiwan Academy in Los Angeles
hsuling@moc.gov.tw
+1 (213) 403-0168#104