San Diego, July 19 (CNA) The work of nine Taiwanese artists is on display for the first time at an annual international comic book convention in southern California, which is considered one of the top events of its kind in the world.

Three of the Taiwanese artists are also attending the convention, signing books and meeting with fans at the Taiwan pavilion at Comic-Con International: San Diego.

Wei Liang-cheng (魏良成), whose work "Task Ranger" portrays the spirit of martial artists, told CNA on the opening day Thursday that American comics obviously are well protected by intellectual property laws, which boosts the development of comics as a mass entertainment industry in the United States.

Another Taiwanese artist, Barz who created the folk deity "Sword Lion," said he was thrilled to see the enthusiasm of the fans at the show.

Though he cannot speak the language of many of his fans, he said, they all share the common language of a love of comics.

The third Taiwanese Tseng Chien-hua (曾建華), whose works features a mythical figure Sun Wukong, said the convention was "a lifetime and must-go event."

The inclusion of Taiwanese artists and their work in the convention this year is aimed at raising their international visibility, introducing their work to readers worldwide, and giving them an opportunity to bring home the experience to benefit others, according to Yang Ting-chen (楊婷媜), director of the Ministry of Culture's Taiwan Academy in Los Angeles.

Comic-Con International: San Diego, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, is expected to attract some 130,000 fans over the four-day period, July 18-21.

Established in 1970, it has become one of the two top comic festivals worldwide, alongside the Angoulême International Comics Festival in France.

(By Lin Hung-han, Alyx Chang, Huang Ching-yi and Chung Yu-chen)
Enditem/pc