Graphic Content: Thought Bubble 2016
Comics fans will gather in Leeds in November for the tenth anniversary of Thought Bubble festival – the UK’s biggest celebration of sequential art, from superheroes to small press and beyond. Whether you know your Robert Kirkman from your Jeffrey Brown isn’t the point: beginners are encouraged to dive in and join the fun, with a wide range of celebrity guests, exhibitors and forums on offer. This year’s event also plays host to the fifth annual British Comic Awards, and there’s even a chance to win a writing gig with legendary sci-fi weekly 2000 AD, widely renowned for its ongoing Judge Dredd series and former home to the likes of Alan Moore and Neil Gaiman.
To give you a taste of the treats in store, we’ve collected work by some of our favourite artists at this year’s event:
Birmingham-based Sarah Graley is the artist/writer of Rick and Morty spin-off Lil’ Poopy Superstar, published by Oni Press for Adult Swim – her own title Our Super Adventure also saw her nominated for Emerging Talent at the British Comic Awards in 2015.
sarahgraley.com
Al Davison is best known for his graphic autobiography The Spiral Cage, originally published in 1988. Currently residing in Coventry, he’s hard at work on upcoming sequel Muscle Memory, supported by Patreon, and will be appearing this year alongside collaborator Yen Quach.
@theastralgypsy
Canadian artist/writer Faith Erin Hicks worked in animation before moving into comics full-time in 2008. Since then she’s won an Eisner Award for The Adventures of Superhero Girl in 2014, and recently published the debut volume of her Nameless City project with First Second Books.
faitherinhicks.com
James Turner won the 2015 British Comic Award for Best Young Persons’ Comic thanks to his strip Star Cat, which appears in weekly children’s comic The Phoenix. He is also the creator of acclaimed webcomic The Unfeasible Adventures of Beaver and Steve.
eruditebaboon.co.uk
Thought Bubble 2016, Leeds, 1-6 Nov; the convention takes place at Leeds Dock, 5 & 6 Nov, weekend tickets £26, day tickets £16
We'll be publishing the best in local graphic art at The Skinny over the coming months. If you're an artist working in the North, we'd love to see your work! Send us a link via Twitter at @TheSkinnyNorth or find 'The Skinny North' on Facebook