Den Bosch, the Dutch San Diego (??)

Fluks, H.W. H.W.Fluks at kpn.com
Tue Sep 25 11:34:42 CEST 2001


Some time ago, Ivo van Wieringen wrote:

>>> On 22 and 23 September there will be the annual Stripdagen (comic
>>> convention) in Den Bosch.
> I visit the Stripdagen since 1980 or so.
> I don't exacly why, because it's one big commercial selling 
> circus, and
> every year less artists are coming, but it gives the feeling 
> that you are
> not alone in reading/collecting comics/graphic 
> novels/sequential art.

This text has been more true than ever, the past weekend. This year's
convention was the *worst* one that I have attended in the past 20 years!
Very few sellers or comic artists. Very few interesting things to see or do.

An exception was the Daan Jippes happening on Saturday: he got the prize
(Stripschapprijs) for his entire work, and he held a speech. After that, all
interesting people went to a "vip room" where no-one else was allowed to
go...
Fortunately, Jippes walked around "in the wild" later that day. So I could
make some photographs of him at the Jippes exhibition. (That exhibition also
featured an "advertisement" poster for our Inducks project.)

The exhibition hall was so empty and dull, that at a certain time, two of
the Dutch Disney artists, Bas and Mau Heymans, started making some music (in
stead of making fan drawings)!

But Ivo's second observation was very true: the convention have us
Disney-comic fans the feeling that we are not alone. And in that respect
this was one of the *best* Dutch conventions that I've attended in the past
20 years.

We had a meeting near the "Donald Duck" stand, with Andreas & wife, Angela &
Roy, Arthur, Daniël, Henri, and François. I guess Duco was already gone long
before. And I haven't seen Ivo either, unfortunately.

We chatted a lot, also with the Disney artists who happened to be nearby. (I
hope to have some photographs on-line tomorrow.)
After the convention closed, six of us had a nice (Italian) dinner in the
centre of Den Bosch, and a drink on a terrace afterwards.

So we had a lot of talking and meeting people, and I liked it very much.
I think I'll attend next year's convention, but probably *only* for that
reason...

--Harry.



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