International comic trail to return to city ahead of Portsmouth Comic Con to celebrate emerging talent of Asia

In an international initiative ahead of this year’s Portsmouth Comic Con which will take place at Portsmouth Guildhall on May 11 and 12, the organisers will be bringing a flavour of comic art from the Philippines to the streets of Portsmouth in the form of a trail which features the work of some of Asia’s exciting emerging comic talent. Running from Monday, April 1 to Sunday , April 14, 20 pieces of art can be explored in a free trail of poster sites across the city which link to the Comic Con website for a background to the artist and their work, short interviews and a map of all artwork locations.

Working with Paolo Herras of Komiket, a non-profit organisation that organises comic markets and publishes Filipino komics, some of the most exciting voices in the independent comic scene will be presented including GN Santiago, Maou No Sekai, Alexandra Sevilla, Levi Sabarre and Randy Valiente. 

The trail has been developed by Creative Co-ordinator for Portsmouth Comic Con and Illustrator, Jonathan Scott, who also devised the successful trail of Thai art that was presented at Portsmouth Comic Con in 2022 and Japanese art in 2023.

Philippines Paolo, of the comic industry said: “Filipino Komiks has a long and rich history of illustrators, from Alfredo Alcala, Nestor Redondo, and Francisco Coching, but many of our komiks during this Golden age were lost during the death of big publishers. In the past decade, there has been a resurgence from a community of creators that tell their independent stories with original characters, reclaiming our identities, histories, and narratives.

"Most creators self-publish their work and peddle them in community-led conventions and art markets. During the pandemic, many creators grew followers on social media, some even finding international agents for their work. Through the Philippine International Comics Festival, an official selection of ten graphic novels were selected, developed, and published, representing the Philippines in international book fairs and comics festivals around the world. Filipino Komiks is waiting to be discovered, and ready to break through the invisible bubble of Southeast Asia.”

Levi Sabarre, project artist and creator of the published comic book, Dante, Damian and Pascal the Pusang Kalye, said “I believe Filipino comics is thriving and it will be a strong institution that will share our culture to the world through captivating stories and illustrations”.  

All 20 pieces of art featured in the trail will also be displayed at Portsmouth Comic Con on May 11 and 12, 2024. Bringing you the best in comic, film, TV and pop culture entertainment, Portsmouth Comic Con will see some of the greatest creators in the industry come together with a whole range of panels, displays, workshops, exhibitions, cosplay and interactive fun for all to enjoy with special features for the biggest, family-friendly Comic Con of its kind confirmed as Jurassic and Star Wars Experiences, a celebration of the 40th anniversary of Ghostbusters and a Strangely Marvelous Wizarding walk-through.

For more information about the trail, click here.

For more information about how to get tickets to Comic Con, click here.