ATHENS – The 15th Comicdom Con Athens, the longest running annual Greek festival dedicated to the art of comics, opens its gates in Athens on April 10-12.

International guests, original art exhibitions, workshops on comics and the Greek Comics Awards are only some of the highlights at the three-day comics bonanza, while a panel of comics professionals and specialists will honor the best works and creators of the previous year.

Some of this year’s honored artists are the Croatian Esad Ribic, who has worked in titles for Marvel Comics such as Loki, Silver Surfer: Requiem, and Secret Wars, and the French Emile Bravo, who designed the popular Spirou & Fantasio Franco-Belgian comics series and has been awarded the Rene Goscinny award.

The anniversary exhibition titled ’15 Years of Comicdom Con Athens’ will show the collaborative work among international comics luminaries such as Italy’s Milo Manara, British comics artist David Lloyd and American John Romita Jr, and renowned Greek artists such as Elias Kyriazis, Michael Dialynas and DaNi, with works designed exclusively for the festival’s 15th commemoration.

The Czech Republic will be honored this year with special invitations, screenings and the exhibition ‘100 Years of Czech Comics’ and the children’s exhibition ’12 Worlds’, which introduces children’s books illustrators.

The event is organized by the non-profit organization Comicdom Press and the Hellenic American Union; as of 2016, the French Institute of Greece was added to the organizers.

The main hosting venues of Comicdom Con Athens 2020 are the main building of the Hellenic American Union (HAU) on 22 Massalias Street, and the French Institute of Greece building on 31 Sina Street, some 170 meters apart. Also at HAU visitors will be able to see the international exhibit ‘Think blue, think Smurfs’, on the history of the popular characters, which is supported by IMPS and the Belgian embassy in Athens.

Entrance to the festival is free of charge.