Thought Bubble Comic Art Festival 2024 It has officially come to an end. Running across Yorkshire from 11 to 17 November, culminating in a two-day convention in Harrogate, it’s a week celebrating comics, art and the British community.
As discussed in a recent preview posted on The Beat, there is a variety of exciting events taking place throughout the festival, especially during the two-day convention. Three of the convention center’s halls are open to the public for the first time – Bubbleboy Hall, DSTLRY Hall and Travelers Hall. Spread across the three halls are a diverse mix of comics professionals, including independent cartoonists and small press people, e.g. Lucy Sullivan, molly ray and Dennis Mencier, to big shot names like Sean Phillips, Ram V and Chip Zdarski. Saturday’s conference was sold out, with large crowds showing up around lunchtime. It can feel overstimulated and crowded at times, but the incredible team of red shirt volunteers keep a keen eye on things and take every opportunity to help those in need.
Several retailers set up stalls at the event, including traveler. Almost every stall holder has their own book, which means comics are not hard to come by and autographs are plentiful. I bring most of my personal collection to be signed and exhibitors are always very grateful for any expression of support and admiration. Almost every exhibitor accepted cash and cards, and I didn’t have any major issues with the card readers like I’ve experienced at previous large conferences. Granted, there is a problem with dealers taking out suitcases full of comics, signing them without any personalization and listing them online after the show. While the ethics of this practice can be debated endlessly, I applaud the fact that many exhibitors have begun charging a small fee for doing more than ten or fifteen signings for any individual in an effort to minimize dealers.
The Thought Bubble team was extremely supportive of the press staff, setting up a designated press room in the Queen’s Suite area to conduct interviews. The Beat conducted two interviews over the weekend, both of which will be published in the coming weeks. It’s very easy to do interviews as a media outlet over the weekend. I’ve never had a press pass at a convention before, so I’d like to thank Harry Ridgway Thank you for setting up an interview and helping me set up some interviews, and a special thanks to the entire Redshirt team for their support throughout the event.
One of the highlights of this conference is Steve Dillon exhibition. Honoring late great artists priest, Hell Detective In addition, a selection of his original artwork from throughout his career is on display at a free exhibition held over the weekend. Preacher was an important comic to me when I was younger and growing up as a comics reader, so seeing the original pages from it was a wonderful experience. With Dillon’s passing, we have lost a master of his craft, and it is a wonderful thing to pay tribute to him, even in a small way.
During the convention, I participated in many interesting and engaging panel discussions, from discussing Muslim representation in comics to discussing self-portraits through the creation of horrific monsters. The range of topics was very broad and almost all the panels I attended were well moderated, had interesting guests, well thought out and eloquent questions, and good audience participation. My favorite group of the weekend was Queer Horror Comics, James Tynion IV, John Harris Dunning, Tiny Howard and Claudia Aguirre under discussion Jazlyn Stone. The energy in the room was contagious as they discussed finding queer power through writing back in the horror genre. As a queer person, this was a very touching conversation, especially Dunning’s insight that young readers need “a window looking out of the prison” to help them find their own unique identities, far removed from the places they grew up Way. In a vibrant, diverse scene filled with creators and readers of all backgrounds and identities, it’s important that panels reflect this diversity and the diversity delivered by thought bubbles.
Food at the convention center is very convenient, there are several restaurants nearby, and there is plenty of coffee at the various cafés in the convention center. After the event on Saturday, there was a Mid-Con party at a bar called Mojo, hosted by Tiny Onion and featuring a DJ Al Ewing and Kieron Gillen. Admission is free to anyone attending the conference, including guests and attendees. Although the space was a little too small for the number of people going in and out, it was a pleasant experience and despite my initial concerns about the event, I felt safe. One moment that I found particularly memorable was when a cardboard cutout was passed around the dance floor, one of the funniest and most hilarious experiences of the weekend, which Gillen managed to capture on video.
At the heart of the conference is the vibrant and friendly British comics community. Around the convention, you can see convention-goers buying comics, prints, and merchandise, even in areas focused on small press, independent comics. Cosplayers dress up as characters from popular comics like Lovesick or The Ministry of Truth, just to let them know how important these stories are to them. People bring gifts for exhibitors and guests, and it’s common to see exhibitors supporting each other by buying each other’s books or prints. I was lucky enough to have a brief opportunity to sit behind a booth with a comics professional to get a glimpse of the experience and see firsthand the kind communication and support the creators received. This was one of my favorite experiences of the weekend.
Personally, I’ve been to many conferences before, but none felt like this one. Thought Bubble focuses almost entirely on comics, rather than movie adaptations, animations, or video games. It champions the art form we all love and seeks to spread that love to everyone who walks through its doors. I feel so welcomed and supported by the community. I’m grateful to everyone who spoke to me over the weekend, whether friends, fellow media members or professionals. I would recommend this convention to anyone who is passionate about comics and wants to see their enthusiasm reflected and further developed by a group of people who are more passionate than you can imagine.
Overall, Thought Bubble 2024 was a wonderful experience. The British comics community is passionate, caring and vibrant, supporting each other and championing artistry and the importance of comics at a time when we need them more than ever. It was a strong performance from the team at Thought Bubble, who have proven time and time again that their festival is one of the most important and important events in comics every year, focused on promoting talented, kind and deserving creators. Looking ahead to next year, I’m excited to see what the teams involved do next and can’t wait to come back for another year. See you next time, Harrogate.
