Pioneering Greeks: Ilias Kyriazis, Comic Book Writer and Artist

Welcome to “Pioneering Greeks”, the weekly column of GTP Headlines, which highlights the Greeks that stand out for their creative thinking in the business world. “Pioneering Greeks” is a collaboration between LoveGreece.com and Greek Travel Pages (GTP).

This week we introduce Ilias Kyriazis, one of the most prominent comic book writers/artists in Greece.

Born in 1978, Ilias started doing comics long before realizing that it could actually become a profession. After winning the first prize in the 1st national comics contest held by “Eleftherotypia” newspaper and “AKTO” art school, he began a collaboration with “9” comics magazine (an insert of “Eleftherotypia”) and decided that this was his calling. He created the comics series “Manifesto” (collected in graphic novel format in 2004) and its sequel “Manifesto Dyo” (collected in 2008), “Blood Opera” (collected in 2003), “Se Vlepo”, “Blockbuster”, “Ena Tsigaro Hronos” and more.

In Greece, he became famous with the so called “slice of life” comics, everyday stories on life in the city. He has worked on a variety of themes, from romance and drama stories, to horror and science fiction. The Greek recession forced him to look for opportunities abroad, and nowadays he is working almost exclusively for international publishers.

For his works he has been honored with the prize for “Best Script” in the Comic Festival of Belgrade and Comicdom Awards for “Best Artist”, “Best Writer”, “Best Short Story” and “Best Anthology”. He has also taken part in various comic exhibitions.

While he finds the world of comic books highly demanding and still can’t predict what’s in for the future, he gets excited by a sense of adventure. He believes there is a comic book for everyone, equally enjoyable as a book or a movie. This is why he pays great attention not just on drawing but on storytelling as well.

Inspired by the dynamism and creativity of the Greek entrepreneurial spirit, LoveGreece was founded in 2013 as an initiative to boost and promote the country’s image abroad by profiling talented and successful Greeks. With their ethos and vision, Greece’s entrepreneurs and professionals are an important aspect of the country worth highlighting to the world. LoveGreece is powered by Gina Mamidaki, the founder of the G & A Mamidakis Foundation.

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Εμπνευσμένο από τον δυναμισμό και τη δημιουργικότητα του ελληνικού επιχειρηματικού πνεύματος, το LoveGreece ιδρύθηκε το 2013 σαν μια πρωτοβουλία για την ενίσχυση και την προώθηση της εικόνας της χώρας στο εξωτερικό, παρουσιάζοντας ταλαντούχους Έλληνες με εξωστρεφή νοοτροπία. Οι Έλληνες επιχειρηματίες αποτελούν σημαντικό παράγοντα της χώρας που αξίζει να παρουσιαστεί σε όλο τον κόσμο. Το LoveGreece υποστηρίζεται από την Τζίνα Μαμιδάκη, Πρόεδρο του Ιδρύματος Γ. & Α. Μαμιδάκη.

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