Local Library Visit 14: Greek Comics Fun Club (Lefik) and Athens Comics Library
Time: 10:00-11:00/13:00-14:00 (accordingly)
Greek Comics Fun Club (Lefik)
Type of library: special
Postal address: 14, Iera Odos Str., 104 35 Athens, Greece
Distance to Congress venue: 4.1 km
Meeting point: Kerameikos Metro Station
Optimal route: From Kerameikos Metro Station Lefik is 5 min walk next to Technopolis at Pireos Ave.
A volunteer will be waiting for you at the proposed meeting point.
In 2007 a small group of people driven both by their great love for all paper heroes and by nostalgia for reading their childhood comic books, met and made their dream come true. As a result, the idea for a library which would host all the wealth of Greek comic books was born.
The first comic book library in Greece was housed in the heart of Athens, in a 2-storey neoclassical building in Monastiraki. It opened its doors to the public in 2009 and its name is “GreekComics Fun Club” or “Lefik” as many people know us from its Greek acronym.
From 2016 the library of “GreekComics Fun Club” moved its headquarters in the cultural heart of Athens, in the area of Kerameikos having a stunning view to the Acropolis and the Parthenon.
The library consists of 20.000 comic book issues of all Greek publications from 1938 to present. Its variety acts as a pole of attraction not only for reading but also for academic projects or papers conducted by art school students. In an area of 180 sq.m. there is a “club space” available for visitors while beverages and Wi-Fi internet access are offered for free.
There is a separate event hall for cultural activities such as:
- Seminars
- Exhibitions
- Presentations of new comic books
- Comic and animation movies projection, etc.
In addition to the above mentioned cultural activities, “GreekComics Fun Club” Library has organised and hosted the following:
- Signing sessions by Greek and foreign comic creators and artists with the most popular of them being a two-day signing event by Don Rosa (Eisner, Disney, etc.)
- Caricature/satirical portraits exhibition of “Stathis”
- Monthly festivals of Greek comic book publishing houses
- Photography and painting exhibitions
- Assemblies of organizations for the creation of new cultural organizations such as the “Association of Friends of the Archaeological Museum of Kithnos”
- Exhibitions and conferences of cartoon organizations
- 2-day fanzin events (comic creators self-publishing)
- Comic and drawing workshops and seminars, etc.
For the first time in Greece, the “GreekComics Fun Club” has published Don Rosa’s early work “The Pertwillaby Papers” (currently out of print). It has contributed to the publication of the “Storm” comic albums, which was voted as the best publication of all time worldwide. Moreover, after four years of research, work and recording by the members of the “GreekComics Fun Club”, the “First Catalog of Greek Comic Books” was created, which is the most complete record of all the comic books published in Greece from 1934 to 2010, while it is a compass for comic collectors as well as an in-depth archive for the route and history of comic art in Greece.
The library of the “GreekComics Fun Club” has the capacity to accommodate 40 visitors (seated) and 200 standing, while the event venue can accommodate up to 40 guests (seated).
The “GreekComics Fun Club” is a private initiative, a cultural organization, a corporate form of a nonprofit company and is based on private funds and revenues from its activities. It has no employees as all members voluntarily contribute to the promotion of the comic culture.
We will be glad to host you in our library.
Athens Comics Library
Type of library: special
Postal address: 28, Karaiskaki Str., 105 54 Athens, Greece
Distance to Congress venue: 3.1 km
Meeting point: Monastiraki Metro Station
Optimal route: From Monastiraki Metro Station, exit Athinas Str., it is 3 min. walk.
A volunteer will be waiting for you at the proposed meeting point.
Athens Comics Library was designed as a creative hub that aims to become a power center for everyone that seeks an inspirational learning environment through comics. Hosted at Impact Hub Athens, ACL is part of a vibrant community of social and creative entrepreneurs. The collection holds 3.000 comics and graphic novels from US, Europe and Japan. A special section presenting the Greek local comic scene is also part of the library’s collection. Athens Comics Library hosts educational workshops, exhibitions, comic book presentations and panel discussions on 9th Art.
