Strip show

The inaugural BD & Comics Passion long weekend, which will be held next month, appears to have accomplished a tricky balancing act by managing to appeal to both the graphic novel geek squad and those who don’t know their Hergés from their Incredible Hulks.

Hosted by London’s Institut Francais, the festival will feature talks, signings and live drawing events from comic creators from all over the world.

Highlights will include a talk from cult author China Miéville, a head-to-head between Watchmen artist Dave Gibbons and Valérian illustrator Jean-Claude Mézières and a film by artist Moebius.

And for the less comically-savant, there’s a screening of the 12 Trials of Asterix, a lecture by Time Traveller’s Wife author Audrey Niffenegger and a ‘very, very kitsch’ fancy dress screening of Barbarella.

Featuring comic book creators from Britain, France, Belgium and the US, the event promises to ‘explore accepted ideas about the genre’.

BD (Bande Dessinée) & Comics Passion is at The Institut Francais, London SW7 from 7-9 October. For more information visit www.institut-francais.org.uk/bdandcomicspassion