The Lakes International Comic Art Festival is delighted to announce that comic writer and artist Lucy Sullivan has joined the organisation as a new patron.
Lucy joins fellow comic exponents Yomi Ayeni, Kate Charlesworth, Keli Lark, Michael Lark, Sean Phillips, Bryan Talbot, Mary Talbot and Zoom Rockman as an advisor to the Arts Council funded LICAF, as it continues its mission to promote comics and comics literacy throughout the year, in partnership with local, national and international organisations.
Lucy Sullivan is a writer and artist from London whose acclaimed debut graphic novel, BARKING, based on her own experience of a mental health crisis, was first published during the pandemic and quickly sold out. The new edition launched February 2024 with Avery Hill Publishing and is available for the first time in Canada and the United States.
Alongside her own comics and zines, Lucy has created a variety of commissions for titles including Hey, Amateur!, The Department Of Truth: Wild Fictions and Black Hammer, including the short comic Betwixt, Between for Jeff Lemire. She is the artist on IND-XED with Fraser Campbell, as well as creating stories with John Reppion for Skrawl Magazine, Jordan Thomas for Metallic Dynamite, Peter Davison for YOSHIN10, and Dan Watters for Razorblades.
Her new Folk-Horror series, SHELTER, is currently in development, with support from Arts Council England. The first story, “Early Doors”, which was winner of Broken Frontier’s ‘Best New Periodical Series’ Award 2022, is out now.
This was followed by the research zine, HAGBOUND, self-published in 2023. The second long-form story, “Mothers Ruin” is in development and currently scheduled for publication in 2026.
The Lakes International Comic Art Festival is developing a wide range of events and projects for 2025 and beyond, in addition to planning its annual weekend-long Festival, returning to Bowness-on-Windermere 26th – 28th September 2025, and Lucy, as well as promoting the Festival in general, will be involved in some of them, alongside other patrons. These events complement appearances by Comics Laureate Bobby Joseph, who is working hard on improving awareness of the comic form across the UK.
“We’re delighted Lucy has agreed to become a patron,” says Festival Director, Julie Tait. “Like our other patrons, she brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the table, in terms of independent comic creation, and more. We were pleased to publish the first edition of her graphic novel, BARKING, and we’re delighted the book, and Lucy are now gaining deserved international recognition.”
“The coverage and validation I’ve garnered thanks to the support of Julie Tait, Carole Tait and the LICAF team has had a significantly positive impact on my career,” says Lucy. “So, it was without hesitation I said yes to being a patron when Julie asked. Although I did have to clarify what ‘patron’ meant. I’d always assumed it was a money based post, but it’s more of an advisory / cheerleading role, and I am very keen to help in that area as much as possible. As a creator, money is somewhat of an abstract concept, but supporting comics is an easy role for me.”
• Lucy Sullivan is online at lucysullivanuk.com | Follow her on socials media: Instagram & Threads: @lucysullivanuk Bluesky: @lucysullivan.bsky.social Facebook: @lucysullivanukcom
• The Lakes International Comic Art Festival is a year-round organisation promoting comics and comic creators, with its annual festival returning to Bowness-on-Windermere 26th – 28th September 2025 | Web: www.comicartfestival.com | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube
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An Interview with Lucy Sullivan
What prompted you to become a Patron of the Lakes International Comic Art Festival?
I’ve been lucky to have been supported by LICAF from the start of my comics career. Since 2018, we’ve worked together on a variety of projects. From LICAF co-commissioning the first edition of BARKING, to delivering skills-based workshops for festival goers and talks on making comics. This year, I was involved in the Festival’s British Comics Now scheme, moderating a panel at the Toronto Comic Arts Festival, as well as an incredible trip to the Philippines International Comics Festival, to teach local children, table at the festival and talk about British comics, with fellow creator Mollie Ray.
I value the International aspect of the festival greatly and love the intimacy of the event itself. When it comes to talks, fascinating guests and exhibitions, LICAF is the place. It will be a pleasure to be a part of that going forward.
How do you see your role as patron?
I hope to bring another perspective to the LICAF team, from an exhibitor’s point of view. To get the word out about the festival to creators far and wide, at every level, but especially those taking their early steps into the form. I’ll try to look for opportunities to strengthen and widen engagement in comics from readers new and old, while supporting new creators and help by advising them about how to get their comics out there, through LICAF and their fantastic partners. In short, I’ll have a multitude of roles!
Comics is an ever changing, widening industry, so I’d imagine my role will be somewhat flexible in what I can bring, but it will be always with an eye on how to help the festival move with the industry, across the broad range of comics and support creators.
Aside from your groundbreaking work in comics and advocacy of the medium, what other skills will you apply to your new role?
I’m hoping that my experience in the Small Press scene will be beneficial to LICAF. I’ve been lucky to be a part of what I believe to be the most enjoyable side of the industry. I’ve self-published a number of comics, as well as raising funds through Arts Council England alongside crowdfunding, and learnt much from every project that I would love to share. I’ve got to know creators from across the industry from London self-publishers through LDComics and WIP Comics to Kickstarter and the crowdfunding scene, alongside small press creators in Canada, US, Asia and beyond. As well as experience working with small press publishers like Avery Hill, and supportive comic shops such as Gosh, Travelling Man and Jam Bookshop.
I love zine culture and the accessibility of self-publishing, so it would be great to bring more of those creators to engage with LICAF, especially with the new International Rights Market. Giving creators the opportunity of access to international publishers is a brilliant move and one I will be very pleased to advocate for.
I think it’s vital that creators understand their value and have options to grow, without having to jump through hoops. I’ve also been lucky to work with some incredible creators from mainstream titles and well-known publishers. I hope I can entice some of them to the festival to enjoy the gorgeous Lakeside vistas alongside one of the most unique festivals in the UK.
What do you want from being a patron of the Festival?
I’m seeing this more as a “giving-back” role, for all the support I’ve had from LICAF. I guess I would like to have a voice in conversations around looking after exhibitors, bringing in newer voices and fresh ways to engage with readers. Honestly, just getting to be a more involved part of the festival is a fantastic opportunity and I will do what I can to advise, aid and support the LICAF Team and festival as a whole. It will also be an invaluable chance to understand how the festival is run as I’m hoping to start a (much smaller) event when my family moves to Brighton soon.
What do you hope to achieve as a patron, in terms of the Festival's future?
My greatest ambition is to help LICAF to continue to evolve and support comics as a broad industry, with creators from every stage and across the range of genres. I hope the pitfalls I’ve narrowly avoided can be put to good use in advising others. I would love to grow skill sharing opportunities around the business side of being a creator and help others to take control of their own projects. LICAF have an ambitious outlook for comics and one that, with their support. I believe can be achieved. Especially in collaborating with other brilliant festivals like Thought Bubble, TCAF and PICOF, alongside organisations such as the Comics Cultural Impact Collective and Broken Frontier. I hope I can be a part of bringing the various groups and sections to work more collaboratively together and benefit comics as a whole.
It’s an exciting time and I think one that’s going in the right direction. I’m lucky to get to be a small part of that and am very much looking forward to getting stuck in.
