The Comic Exhibition yesterday opened its doors amid fanfare at the Taipei World Trade Center after the past two editions were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
This year’s edition marked the exhibition’s first-ever collaboration with gaming, animation, visual effects and emerging media companies to boost original content creators in Taiwan, Chinese Animation and Comic Publishers Association chairman Kang Cheng-mu (康振木) said.
These industry partners include the Taiwan Gaming Promotion Association, the Taiwan Animation and Visual Effects Association, and the New Media Entertainment Association, said Kang, who is also chief executive officer at Muse Communication.
Photo: Tien Yu-hua, Taipei Times
The cooperation resulted in the original intellectual property honor roll for distinguished domestic franchises, which would become a regular feature of future editions, he said.
Robust franchises can support content creators across multiple industries, but a significant amount of capital is required for their creation, Taiwan Creative Content Agency School chancellor Lee Ming-che (李明哲) said.
Taiwanese content creators need to work together to form an industry chain and international links to let the world hear the country’s creative voice, he said.
Adaptability is key to being competitive in the animation, comic and games sector, Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Cheng Yun-peng (鄭運鵬) said, calling it an industry cluster that can change rapidly with subcultural trends.
Content creators in Japan and the US have increasingly moved from cosplaying at conventions to utilizing virtual avatars on social media, showing that the scene is changing constantly, he said.
Taiwan’s graphic novel industry has been around for about 80 years and now is the time to re-examine the country’s talent pipeline, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Lin Yi-hua (林奕華) said.
Educational institutions should work with media creators and producers in training students, she said, adding that schools should also teach students to respect copyrights.
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