COMICEXPANSION 3 Conference
December 4–5, 2026, at the Literaturhaus München
Comics and manga have become a cultural force even in Germany. The first two COMICEXPANSION conferences—held in Berlin in 2022 and in Bochum in 2024—clearly demonstrated this. The comic and manga scene in this country is vibrant, diverse, and constantly evolving. Yet it still regularly flies under the public radar. The goal of the COMICEXPANSION conferences is to change this, to strengthen the scene itself, and to demonstrate just how much room there still is for growth. Both conferences, supported by the Federal Commissioner for Culture and the Media and other sponsors, addressed key topics in the comics field: In Berlin in 2022, the focus was on education, comics venues, funding, representation, and knowledge transfer; in Bochum in 2024, topics such as cultural education, manga, libraries, and diversity were discussed in depth. The results of these lively debates are documented in the comprehensive proceedings of Comicexpansion 1 and Comicexpansion 2. They not only offer insights into current discourses but also bring together additional comics-related texts—a valuable resource for both newcomers and experts.
Following the great success of the first two editions, one thing is clear: the comic is a dynamic medium that must be recognized—from education to international recognition by the state and society—as equal to the other arts.
(Art by Nele Brönner for Comicexpansion)
In Germany, as a federal state, the pace of progress varies from one federal state to another. The Free State of Bavaria is leading the way in this regard. In this state, home to two of the largest comic festivals in the German-speaking world, there are a wide variety of aspects of comics to discover and discuss. That is why the next COMICEXPANSION will take place on December 4 and 5, 2026, at the Literaturhaus in Munich—with a special focus on comic-related topics that can be particularly well illustrated and discussed in Bavaria.
The event is sponsored by the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media, the Bavarian State Ministry of Science and the Arts, the Department of Culture of the City of Munich, and the Berthold Leibinger Foundation.
Event in German language. Further information and registration will be available starting November 2 via the link comicexpansion.de