Comic Book Festival Dublin
Issue #10: 14-17 May 2025
10ème Fête de l'Illustration & de la Bande Dessinée
About
J'ai dix ans!
Alliance Française Dublin , Illustrators Ireland and the French Embassy in Ireland are proud to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of the Fête de l’illustration & de la Bande Dessinée running from 14th to 17th May 2025, in partnership with the Centre Belge de la Bande Dessinée , the Embassy of Belgium in Irelandand Wallonie-Bruxelles International. In 10 years, the Festival has grown into a key cultural event and has brought together hundreds of people – fans, illustrators, authors and publishers – who have all helped to enrich the field of comics creation, illustration and animation.
The anniversary edition will showcase 15 international guests for book sales & signings, discussions, exhibitions, screenings, creative workshops for all ages and, of course, our famous Live Readings performance!
Highlights include exclusive talks with French illustrator & author Lucie Arnoux; Irish artist, writer & director Robert Cullen; and the Centre Belge de la Bande Dessinée’s Deputy Director Tine Anthoni for an overview of the last decade in European comics. We are also proud to be introducing to Irish audiences the first 10 episodes from Emillie Tronche’s massive hit animated series Samuel.
Events in English or French with subtitles.
All events free except Creative workshops (50% discount for AF Friends)
Events
All events are free of charge. Please note early booking is essential (except for the Exhibition)
- Talk
Meet with
Robert Cullen- "Line Work: From Animation to Comics": Animation veteran Robert Cullen (Netflix, Disney, Cartoon Network) will discuss his leap from screen to page with his acclaimed debut graphic novel Ligne de Fuite . Cullen will share how decades of storytelling in animation informed his approach to comics, and what he discovered in the transition from moving images to still frames.
- Presented by Karen Harte
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Wednesday 14 May – 6pm
Admission Free
Alliance Française Dublin
- Talk
-
Meet with
Lucie Arnoux - Lucie Arnoux is an accomplished French illustrator and comic-book author. She will talk about her work, which has appeared on stage in various theatre productions, as well as on film and TV.
She will also share with us all the creative paths and different processes she is exploring including illustrating comics and internationally published children's books. - Interview in English by Margaret Anne Suggs
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Thursday 15 May – 6pm
Admission Free
Alliance Française Dublin
- Performance
Live Reading, Q&A
& Book Fair- Illustrators Ireland has selected the most promising indie comic makers from Ireland and France to bring their comics to life. The experience is a fully immersive storytelling event that combines illustration, sound, and live performance in what feels like a cross between theatre and animation.
- Moderated by Karen Harte
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Thursday 15 May – 6.30pm
Admission free
Alliance Française Dublin
- Talk
'A Decade in Comics'
with Tine Anthoni- "Cross-cultural comic novels and comic retrospective": Specialist Tine Anthoni, Deputy Director of the iconic Centre Belge de la Bande Dessinée in Bruxelles, a true temple dedicated to comic strip art, will explore the diversity of comic strip genres and formats, and give an overview of the last decade in comics.
- Presented by Margaret Anne Suggs
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Friday 16 May – 6pm
Admission free
Alliance Française Dublin
- Screening
Émilie Tronche’s
Samuel- Come & discover the first 10 episodes of the hit series Samuel, playfully exploring the emotional stirrings of a 10-year-old boy and his circle of friends. French artist Émilie Tronche is the writer-director-illustrator-performer (lending her voice to all the characters) of this massive success on Arte and social media.
- French with English subtitles - From 8 years old
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Friday 16 May – 7.15pm
Admission free
Alliance Française Dublin
- Children's Workshop
Let’s Make Comics!
with Kate Escolin- Encouraging kids to write is no easy feat but comics are one of the best mediums for storytelling. In this 1-hour workshop they will learn about the key basics on how to create their very own comic strip! From page layouts and panels, speech bubbles and dialogue and more. All materials provided.
- Workshop in English for children 6-10 years old
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Saturday 17 May – 11.45am
€15 / €7.50 AF Friends
Alliance Française Dublin
- Teenagers' Workshop
Diary Drawings
with Fiona Dowling- In this workshop, especially designed for the Comic Book Festival 2025, Franco-Irish artist Fiona Dowling will share her experience and lead participants through exercises and prompts to explore making diary comics, documenting their daily life, and being the hero of their own story. All materials provided.
- Workshop in English for teenagers 11-15 years old
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Saturday 17 May – 1pm
€20 / €10 for AF Friends
Alliance Française Dublin
- Adults' Workshop
Create your own comic-strip!
with Lucie Arnoux- Come and learn how to make an autobiographical comic-strip with acclaimed French author Lucie Arnoux, one of this year's guests of honour!
No prior knowledge of comics is required, just bring yourself and your stories! All materials provided. - Workshop in English for Adults
(older teenagers also welcome from over 16) -
Saturday 17 May – 2.30pm
€20 / €10 AF Friends
Alliance Française Dublin
- Collective Exhibition
Collective Exhibition:
A Decade- Offering a unique blend of storytelling visual styles, Illustrators Ireland & friends are delighted to present an exhibition of recent work entitled A Decade celebrating the Festival 10th anniversary.
These large-scale works weave visual narratives connecting us to the city and people around us. -
From May to June
Admission Free
Alliance Française Dublin
3rd Floor
- Resources
Curated Collections at
The French Library- What does "ligne claire" mean? What is the Franco-Belgian school of Bande Dessinée? Come and find out! We invite you to spend a relaxing hour or two at The French Library and browse through a special selection of French-speaking comic strips and graphic novels for all ages.
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All month of May
Admission Free
Alliance Française Dublin
1st Floor
Guests
We are honoured to welcome this year 15 graphic artists, comic book authors & professionals of French and English languages. Many thanks to all of them.
2025 guests:
Tine Anthoni
Belgium
Tine Anthoni is a Comic Strip specialist. She has been working at the Belgian Comic Strip Centre since 2006, and is both the Deputy Director and Head of Communications since 2020. As an Education Officer, she is in charge of developing educational programs, materials and activities for the museum's various audiences.
Tine has a master degree in Germanic languages and literature (KULeuven) and in cultural management and education (VUBrussel).
Lucie Arnoux
France
Lucie is a French illustrator and comic-book author from Marseille. They are the author of an autobiography, Je Ne Sais Quoi, published by Random House. They also work on the Enola Holmes comics series, published in 15 languages. Comics is what they first learned, but they've tried their hands at myriad other creative ventures - live drawing of events and festivals, murals in schools and theatres, props and set design for film and TV, and even a punk band.
Philip Barrett
Ireland
Philip Barrett is a comic artist, graphic recorder and comics educator originally from Co. Donegal. He illustrated the children's book series best-sellers Where’s Larry?, as well as graphic novel Savage Town written by Declan Shalvey. He recently illustrated A Little History of Dublin by Trevor White. Philip’s work has appeared in publications from The Irish Times to Rabble. He has been self-publishing his comic Matter in various forms for almost two decades.
Rayne Booth
Ireland
Rayne Booth is an Irish artist and curator. Since 2019 she has created and self-published three graphic novels, Dead Dogs (2021), Eileen (2023) and Love (2023), and several shorter pieces. One of these, Lillian was featured in Home – a comic anthology on belonging in Ireland, which was shortlisted for an Ignatz award in 2023.
Rayne tends to use found documents such as letters, texts and photographs as a basis for her stories, which aim to embody forgotten and imagined histories.
Robert Cullen
Ireland
Robert Cullen is an Emmy-nominated director, writer, and artist.. With over 25 years in the animation industry, he has directed and developed TV series and feature films for major studios, including Netflix, Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon, BBC, and Disney. In 2021, he was honoured with the Murakami Award for outstanding achievement. His critically acclaimed debut book, Ligne De Fuite, was published in France in 2024 by Blueman Editions. Ablaze Comics will release the English version in 2025.
Fiona Dowling
France / Ireland
Fiona Dowling is a French-Irish visual artist and storyteller living in county Mayo.
She finds inspiration in her childhood spent between Ireland and France and in her daily life.
Fiona had a solo exhibition of her diary drawings in Ballina Art Centre in 2023.
She gave live readings of her comics at the Alliance Française Comics Festival in 2022 and 2023 and at the Castlebar Comics Festival 2023. Fiona is currently working on a comic about her tastiest romantic disasters.
Kate Escolin
Ireland
Kate Escolin is a freelance illustrator, arts facilitator and comic artist based in Dublin. Her illustrations have a fun and playful style, paired with a bright colour palette and simple line art. Her previous clients include The Ark Dublin, Dublin Inquirer, Dublin Fringe Festival and much more. She is most notably known for her 4 panel comic style. She uses drawing as a tool to process through tough emotions and memories which is the main focus of her comics.
Katherine Foyle
Ireland
Katherine Foyle is a Dublin-based cartoonist also working in video, creating immersive stories in any medium. She has self-published numerous zines, including Beyond the Elms, River Rascals, and An Awful Abecedarium, and had comics featured in anthologies by Stray Lines, The Comics Lab, TOWER, and Abundant Number Vol. 1 & 2. Their work is full of atmosphere and humour. Her next comic, 'Double Take', will be published in 2025 by Fieldmouse Press.
Karen Harte
Ireland
Karen Harte is an illustrator, visual designer and comic creator from Dublin, known for bold lines, bright ideas and a spark of storytelling fun. Her work blends playful narrative with thoughtful design across pages, screens, and panels. She illustrates the bestselling Milly McCarthy series by Leona Forde (Gill Books) and has collaborated with clients like the Arts Council, Ogilvy, House & Home Magazine, Totally Dublin, The Irish Times and Children’s Books Ireland.
Julien Laloy
France
While being a French teacher living in Ireland, Julien has been pursuing a secret comic drawer career . After many years of drawing just for himself, he took evening classes at the École des Arts d’ Ixelles comic strip section. There, he created his own characters and published short stories in various fanzines. He’s still doing it today with an unfailing pleasure and is delighted to have the opportunity to share his stories!
Paddy Lynch
Ireland
Paddy Lynch is a comics artist and graphic designer from Dublin. He loves creating personal, heartfelt slice-of-life work exploring the complexities of human experience.
His work has been published both in Ireland and internationally, including My Last Day at Seventeen (Aperture), Big Jim (O’Brien Press), and has featured in anthologies like Zona (Comics Workbook, USA) and š! (Kuš!, Latvia).
Elisabeth Neveux
France
Elisabeth Neveux is a french illustrator living in Kilkenny. Self taught, she likes creating intricate linocuts, pen and ink illustrations and gouache paintings. Her work has been featured at The Court Métrange , in the play Casting of the Runes, Halftone Print Fair, Dublin Comic Arts, Dublin Comic Con, Dublin Megacon, and recently Wonderfell by Irish writer Luke O’Connell. She is currently working on Hazel and Batcat, and Eleanor Doomrisk.
Mari Rolin
Brazil
Mari Rolin is a Brazilian comic book artist and linguist residing in Kerry, Ireland. She’s one half of the team behind the webcomic Chaotic Neutral and one of the organisers of OPArt, nominated for the Angoulême Alternative Comics Award in 2024. Mari is also the artist in When Language Fails (2023, Hearts & Lines), is featured in several other comic book anthologies and has a few self-published zines. When not drawing, Mari can be found teaching or playing with her cats.
Margaret Anne Suggs
Ireland
Margaret Anne is an illustrator / author whose book, The Dandelion’s Tale (Graffeg), was nominated for the Yoto Carnegie Medal in Illustration. Her next book, Robin and Pip, will be released in June. Mags is a Director for Illustrators Ireland and Administrator of the Silent Book Collections for IBBY Ireland. She is on the 2026 Jury for the Hans Christian Andersen Awards. An archive of Margaret Anne’s illustration work is held in the National Library of Ireland..
Eoin Whelehan
Ireland
Eoin is an illustrator and visual artist from Dublin. His work features themes such as local and popular culture, music, and folklore. His illustrations have appeared in numerous publications and exhibitions both in Ireland and abroad. In 2019, alongside writer Dara T. Higgins, Eoin was awarded the runner’s up prize in the Irish Times inaugural Graphic Short Story Prize for their story ‘Echoes’. His first published book illustrations were published in 2024 for Weird Ireland, An Unofficial Guide to the Island.
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