Bart Beaty at Angouleme 05: Report From Festival Near End of First Day

Bart Beaty Reports From Angouleme:

For the first time ever -- Angouleme has wifi in the press area!

It is now 3:30 in the afternoon of the first day of the Festival and people are slowly adjusting to all the changes. The worst thing is that it snowed hard on Wednesday night again and then all the snow froze. I rode the bus to the main tent in the morning and saw only one person braving the trek on foot. It's all downhill from the old part of the city, and really a skating rink. It is expected to warm up a bit by the weekend, but so far the weather is not a friend of the Festival.

Crowds have picked up in the afternoon but the hall was almost totally empty this morning, which was not a good sign at all. Angouleme is a steady growth Festival, with crowds more or less doubling from Thursday to Friday and then again from Friday to Saturday, so it is too early to rule on whether this remote Festival is a success or failure.

The good news (so far) is that the navettes are working extraordinarily well. Last night at dinner I watched Joost Swarte calculate the bus needs of the Festival. Given the frequency and number of buses, he estimated that they could serve 30,000 attendees in total and "more if people aren't lazy." Joost announced that if only 30,000 people come, we're in luck. But, of course, if only 30,000 people come the Festival will lose money. You can't win.

But this morning I walked right of my hotel and onto a shuttle, which took eleven minutes to get me to the main tent. At lunch I took another shuttle right up to the old town, and was able to catch a third shuttle after a lovely meal. So far I've heard of absolutely no problems, nor any lengthy waits. How this holds up for Saturday is still a question, but right now I would say that this is a major victory for the Festival.

One huge drawback of the remote location: No cash machines in the vicinity. I've found at least thirty books to buy so far, but just had to write them down so that I could get them after lunch now that I have cash in hand.

The press is here, of course. Right behind me right now Charles Burns is giving a TV interview. The lines are growing at the biggest publishers for book signings. I have not spent a lot of time in the fanzine space, but on first glance the mini-comics quality seems to be peaking again after a bit of a recent drought.

So, spirits are generally high at Europe's biggest comics Festival. People are well-rested and ready to buy and sell. If the snow melts and the sun comes out, this whole thing may become a success.

By the way, L'Association is announcing the arrival of the Apocalypse. Just so you know. More news when it's warranted.
 
posted 3:25 am PST | Permalink
 

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