About the guests
Posy Simmonds is an English illustrator, comic artist, and graphic novelist based in London. A graduate in graphic design from the Central School of Art, her earliest works date from 1969 when she began contributing illustrations to The Times and Cosmopolitan, earning her first daily cartoon feature, Bear. In 1972, she joined The Guardian where she wrote and illustrated Mrs. Weber’s Diary, a cartoon strip about a middle-class couple. She is the creator of several graphic novels and children’s books, including Gemma Bovery (1999) and Fred (1987), the latter being adapted into an Oscar-nominated film. In 2024, she won the Angoulême International Comics Festival’s Grand prix – the fourth woman and first British artist to do so.
Pénélope Bagieu studied multimedia and animation in France. She gained fame through her blog My Quite Fascinating Life, showcasing her daily experiences with humour. Her work spans advertising campaigns, book covers, and press publications. Bagieu’s internationally acclaimed graphic novels have garnered numerous awards, including the Prix SNCF at the Angoulême Festival, the Harvey Award for Best European Book, and the Eisner Award for Best U.S. Edition of International Material with her comic Brazen: Rebel Ladies Who Rocked the World.
Charlie Adlard is a British comic book artist renowned in the UK for his work published in the magazine 2000 AD (including Judge Dredd, Savage, etc.) He has contributed to independent series such as X-files and Astronauts in Trouble. For major publishers, his credits include titles like Batman, Green Arrow and Green Lantern. He gained significant acclaim when he took over as the artist for the bestselling series The Walking Dead, written by Robert Kirkman, succeeding Tony Moore.
Emmanuel Guibert is a comic book artist and writer, known for his work Alan’s War and collaborations with Joann Sfar on The Black Olives series and the album The Professor’s Daughter, which won the Alph-Art award for Best Album at the Angoulême International Comics Festival in 1998. His acclaimed work The Photographer, created in collaboration with photographer Didier Lefèvre, chronicles the experiences of Médecins Sans Frontières in Afghanistan.
Paul Gravett (chair) is a writer, critic, editor, and broadcaster, active in the comic book industry since 1981. He authored several books on comics, including Manga: Sixty Years of Japanese Comics, Graphic Novels: Stories to Change Your Life, and Comics Art. Gravett served as the general editor of 1001 Comics You Must Read Before You Die and co-directs Comica, the London International Comics Festival.
- Image: Book cover: Starwatcher by Moebius (Jean Giraud); Illustrations: Posy Simmonds, Gemma Bovery (1997); Pénélope Bagieu, The Witches (2020); Charlie Adlard, The Walking Dead (2016); Emmanuel Guibert, Alan’s War: Memories of G.I Alan Cope (2009)
