2020 was a time of great emptiness. Virtually all fandom events have either been canceled or moved to the internet. The second option was chosen by the International Festival of Comics and Games, which at that time decided to only offer online attractions. A year has passed and the biggest comic book event has returned to Łódź with a stationary event.
This is my second contact with MFKiG. I was at the festival for the first time in 2015 and then, as a regular visitor, I had mixed feelings. The event seemed to me not very inclusive – more focused on internal meetings of Polish comic books than on the average visitor. In addition, the Atlas Arena had a strangely laid out space – comics were then pushed to the crown, and computer games dominated in the center.
This time I went as an OT editor, so in a way I became a part of the community myself. Hence, my goals were different from those a few years ago. It’s hard for me to judge the program of MFKiG, because on Saturday, the only day of my presence, I only had a great meeting with Unka Odya. The artist has an amazing charisma, which made it great to listen to. It was more than just the “Broma 2” promotional campaign (which you should read because it’s good!). The rest of the time I was circling from stand to stand and talking to publishers and comic book writers. And it was very enjoyable, especially after such a long break from fandom meetings. I will certainly remember, among others an interview with Kuba from the Comics Center, which I had watched just the day before in the documentary “W Centrum Komiksu”.
I was not able to participate in it, but one of the most anticipated attractions (looking at the comments on the Internet) was the annual meeting with Tomasz Kołodziejczak from Egmont, who presented comic book publishing plans for the next year. It is a pity that no other publisher has decided to present a similar type of presentation. And while I’m on this topic – it’s a shame that there were so few entities representing the manga market (JPF, Studio JG, Kotori – where were you, if you weren’t there?). All the more kudos for Waneko and Hanami for appearing and spreading the knowledge that manga is also a comic.
I complained about the layout of the space a few years ago and now I can’t say a good word either. Apparently, the positioning of the positions was handled by a professional company, but it looked more like assigning places based on a random number generator. Some of the exhibitors were in the crown, others were in the center of the Arena, mixed with shops selling various types of merch. Damn this strange mix – if only it could be sensibly grasped on the map. Such Publishing House 23 on the set had number 1 (why not 23? What a missed opportunity!), But the position on the right was number 67 and on the left 45.
On the plus side, I’m getting rid of video games that used to throw off stage noise – a bit lower than on the traumatic PGA, but still painful. Here and there computers, newer and retro, there were indeed, but this time the “G” in the name of the festival represented much less invasive board games. The main stage (or two) was thus used for animation presentations, meetings with game developers, competitions, cosplay and autograph duty hours, during which you could watch the creation of fringes on a large screen.
The exhibition of works by Ernesto Gonzales was by far the biggest profession. Something that was loudly referred to in the program as “Captain Bzyk’s Exposition” finally turned out to be … a slide show played on one projector. And since it took place in the Polesie Art Center, a few minutes’ walk from the Atlas Arena, it made no sense even more. When we got there in a larger group, after seeing the slide show, we started looking around in other rooms in search of the rest of the exhibition. In vain. From behind-the-scenes conversations, I know that an original poster exhibition was planned, but the Art Center rejected the idea in favor of a projector. The captain deserved much more. The organizers of the Comic Book Festival could also think about more side attractions.
MFKiG 2021 is a further industry event and my reception this year, as I have already mentioned, is different. Nevertheless, I had a lot of fun, and watching the comic book market in Poland have grown enormously in recent years made my heart feel warm.
See you in a year?
