A browse through Reflex magazine quickly reveals one of the big names in Czech comics, Zelený Raoul, making stabbing political and social commentary. Most Czechs are also familiar with the name Rychlé šípy, a comic that was suppressed by communist regime about five boys in a club, and Čtyřlístek, a well-known children's comic.

However, fewer have heard of Oskar Ed, the surreal tale of a being with a very strange head by Slovak artist Branko Jelinek. Or the compilation Kontraband, a collection of stories based on the songs of Czech rock band Traband. Or the wordless serial poetry of comics artist Tomáš Kučerovský.

KomiksFest marks the start of an effort to widen exposure for Czech comics artists, according to Matějíček, who manages the Czech comics news and reviews Web site www.komiks.cz. "This is the first time Czech comics are being opened to a larger audience," he says. "Most of the comics published in the Czech Republic are translations of works from other countries. We want to show that [a Czech comics scene] exists, and that there are progressive young artists working in it."

Some particular artists to take note of include Jiří Grus, Karel Jerie and Honza Bažant, all of whom have work on display this week at Kino Světozor, and Kučerovský, whose work can be seen at Obratník, a small café close to Anděl. Matějíček describes Kučerovský as a comics poet. "He makes comics mostly without words, like a kind of music or poetry," he says. "And he uses fantastic, poetic and fairy-tale motifs."

Films, both Hollywood features and short animation pieces, form another significant aspect of the festival. "We wanted to connect neighboring schools of art, such as graphic art and animation," Matějíček says. Many of the animation works are drawn from past winners of the Czech animation festival Anifest, and many have no dialogue. They are being shown before the feature films and in a block Saturday, all at Světozor.

The talks will focus on a number of topics, but most importantly the dearth of Czech exports. "We want to show that Czech comics are strong enough to be published outside this country," Matějíček says. Scheduled to take part in the discussions are several publishers who may make this possible in the near future, including Crew, (pronounced "krev," Czech for "blood").

Matějíček envisions this year's event as the kickoff to an annual festival that will grow in size and scope, with interpreters provided for the discussions and expanded rosters of comics artists and films that will include a more international spectrum. "Next year, we hope to cooperate with embassies and get some foreign authors and artists into the program," he says.