Italy’s first comic was created by artist Attilio Mussino. The strip was named Bilbolbul after its main character, an African kid who takes everything literally, which creates a comical effect. It was published by the magazine for children Corriere dei Piccoli (“Courier of the Little Ones”) from 1908 to 1933. Naturally, the name of the country’s first comic strip seemed like a perfect name for one of the largest comic festivals in Italy.
The BilBOLBul organization was founded in 2001 with the support of the Hamelin Cultural Association (Hamelin Associazione Culturale) which focuses on educating children and young people via literature, cinema, comic books, and illustrationы. In the early years of its existence, the organization held a series of events dedicated to comics. This allowed to accumulate enough experience to organize the first international comic convention in Bologna. The inaugural edition of the convention took place in 2007.
The program of the BilBOLBul convention includes comic book exhibitions, meetings and workshops featuring famous comic book artists, roundtables, panels, screenings, performances, and a plethora of other events for comic book fans and aspiring artists who want to gain professional experience and get valuable advice from established industry names. Events are held at different venues across the city.
The BilBOLBul comic convention hosts a number of special programs including BBB Young, BBB Lab and BBBZine. The BBB Young program is designed for the youngest visitors of the convention. It aims to introduce children to the world of comics and to showcase the best specimens of the genre.
BBB Lab is an educational program for young professionals and aspiring comic authors. It includes roundtables, panels, meetings with editors and publishers where authors can present their portfolios and pitch their ideas, and workshops conducted by renowned comic book artists and writers. Finally, BBBZine is a comic book fair where authors present self-published works.
Photo: bilbolbul.net
