Montreal Comic Arts Festival 2022 Program

Montreal, April 21 2022 – The Montreal Comic Arts Festival (MCAF) is entering its second decade with a new location. From May 27 to 29, the Festival will set up its tents on Saint-Denis Street, between Gilford and Roy, creating a 1.5 km-long comic book stroll punctuated with activities, exhibitions and encounters. This project is part of the Plan de relance de la rue Saint-Denis.

The Montreal Comic Arts Festival team, in partnership with the SDC Rue Saint-Denis, is excited to reconnect with the public live and in-person, and is pleased to unveil its 2022 program. Spread over three days, the programming slate will be bilingual, free and open to all. After two years of absence, more than a hundred exhibitors will be participating in this year’s Festival.

Poster Art by the Legendary Michel Rabagliati

L’équipe du festival s’est tournée vers Michel Rabagliati pour illustrer à la fois ce The festival team turned to Michel Rabagliati to illustrate both the poster for our 11th annual Festival as well as the cover of our latest anthology, Rencontres. The creator of “Paul” has been MCAF’s greatest ambassador since the Festival first set up its tents over a decade ago. His continual enthusiasm and unconditional aid have made him a key supporter of the Festival, and we can never thank him enough.

This Year’s Theme: Making Connections

A festival is by definition a place of encounter, discovery and learning, a mission we take seriously. But beyond meeting others, it is the spirit of community and exchange that increasingly drives creation. This is why our 2022 theme, “Making Connections,” highlights this important aspect of comics and art in general.

This year, we are focusing on the art of conversation, by inviting creators to discuss subjects that are common to them in the form of a round table or a discussion for two. Topics such as spirituality, adaptation in comics, queer creation, anthropomorphism, punk culture and art will be the subject of exchanges between comic book creators and other members of the comics industry.

The weekend will be punctuated by a dozen free drawing workshops that will allow festival-goers to learn more about the art of comic book creation. And of course, let’s not forget the live drawing performances, which will be an opportunity to see the artists at work, and sometimes even to guide their creative impulses.

Honouring Quebec Comics

For more than ten years now, the Festival has been welcoming Quebec comic artists and offering them a platform to showcase their art. What a pleasure to see these creators return year after year with their new books and creations, and this year will be no exception!

The recent high honours bestowed on members of the Quebec comics community, notably at Angoulême International Comics Festival, have confirmed the choices of our programming committee. Julie Doucet, winner of the Angoulême Grand Prix, will be in conversation with Jessica Campbell, creator of the new graphic novel Rave. Christian Quesnel, who received the Eco-Fauve Raja Award and the Grand Prix de la ville de Québec for Mégantic, un train dans la nuit, will be part of the panel on History with Marc Tessier and Emanuelle Dufour. We will also have the pleasure of welcoming Jean-Paul Eid, whose latest book, Le petit astronaute, won the ACBD Critics Award. He will be discussing stories of resilience with Marcello Quintanilha and Éloïse Marseille.

Furthermore, the Quebec youth author Alex A., known for his series L’Agent Jean, will also be on the program along with other local comic artists including: Jade Armstrong, Eloisa Aquino, Jean-Sébastien Bérubé, Cab, Cathon, Olivier Hamel and Olivier Carpentier, Jeik Dion, Iris, Philippe Lemieux and Garry, Billy Mavreas, Catherine Ocelot, Obom, Yanick Paquette, Salgood Sam and Zviane.

Welcoming International Guests

For the first time, MCAF will have the pleasure of welcoming artists hailing from Brazil, with Marcello Quintanilha (Écoute, jolie Marcia) and Marcelo Lelis (En fuite!) in attendance. This year’s Festival will also feature an exhibition on Chilean women in comics, installed along our comics route. Chilean author Berna Labourdette and editor Vivian Lavin will be on hand to present the work and discuss the rich history of the 9th Art of this South American country.

The European continent will also be well-represented, including appearances by Brecht Evens (City of Belgium); Elene Usdin (René.e aux bois dormants), Léa Murawiec (Le grand vide), Juni Ba (Monkey Meat), and of course a special appearance by Diane Le Feyer and Mr Tan the creators of the hit series Mortelle Adèle. We will also welcome from Italy Lorena Canottiere and Pietro Scarnera, and the German creator Katharina Greve.

May, Comic Arts Month: Great Events All Month Long

Montreal Public Libraries have been focusing their public development activities on the comic arts for 11 years now. Their initiative has paid off, as the month of May, dedicated to the pleasures of comics, will be busy in a great way thanks to the work of MCAF, Montreal Public Libraries, and our many partners including Liseur Public, Cinéma Public, NFB, Pointe-à-Callières Museum and the Salon du livre de Montréal.

In addition, a number of noteworthy exhibitions will be at the heart of the MCAF’s expansive, including the art show Vicoli et ruelles, which will be presented at the Institut de la culture italienne de Montréal. On display from April 26 to May 31, this exhibition features the work of 24 artists, 12 from Italy and 12 from Quebec, featuring the representation of urban space through the vibrant life of alleys in both locales.

Multidisciplinary artist and the undisputed pope of Montreal’s alternative comics scene, the late Henriette Valium (Patrick Henley) left behind a considerable, provocative, and edgy body of work. The exhibition Habuimus papam – nous avions un pape, presents an immersion in the amorphous universe of this extraordinary artist; on the calendar from April 26 to May 29 at the Maison de la culture Janine-Sutto.

Don’t miss the exhibition of original drawings by Caro Caron and Christine Redfern from their book Qui est Ana Mendieta at the Art Neuf gallery from May 18 to June 22.

For all the details on the program and the artists present, check the website and follow the festival on its social networks (Facebook and Instagram) and consult the calendar.

About MCAF

The 11th annual Montreal Comic Arts Festival will be held for the first time on Saint-Denis Street, from Friday, May 27 to Sunday, May 29, 2022, in collaboration with SDC Rue Saint-Denis. This year, the Festival is proud to present the 23rd annual Bédélys Awards and to publish its third book, Rencontres, from Les Presses du FBDM | MCAF Press. Active year-round, the Festival hosts, among other activities,, a monthly reading club for Quebec comics and a biannual international symposium on the comics arts.

The Montreal Comic Arts Festival, in collaboration with Le Journal de Montréal, would like to thank its partners for their precious collaboration: SDC Rue Saint-Denis, Canada Council for the Arts, Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec, Heritage Canada, Conseil des arts de Montréal, SODEC, Service de la culture – Ville de Montréal, Emploi Québec and ProChile.

Thank you to Michel Rabagliati for the magnificent MCAF 2022 poster and all of his illustration work.

Finally, we would like to acknowledge the sustained and dedicated contribution of the MCAF volunteer team, on whom the realization of this major project depends.

About the SDC Saint-Denis Street

A non-profit organization created in 2010 and representing more than 270 members, the Société de Développement Commercial Rue Saint-Denis brings together all the businesses located on Saint-Denis Street from Gilford to Roy. Its mission: to contribute to the evolution, dynamism and attractiveness of Saint-Denis Street as a quality commercial, cultural and tourist destination, in order to make it an exceptional and distinctive living environment. To learn more about the SDC Rue Saint-Denis, visit ruesaintdenis.ca.

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