Lakes International Comic Art Festival Main Events: Friday 26th September 2025
Day by Day Program links for this year's Festival
• Saturday 27th September 2025
Shelly Bond – Ten True Editing Crimes & How to Avoid Them
1.30 – 2.30pm, The Other Space (marquee alongside the Lakeside Comics Marketplace)
Comic Book Editor extraordinaire, Shelly Bond, has been throwing red ink at comics all-stars and up-and-comers for more than three decades. On a rare visit to the UK, she offers a special presentation for all those who edit comics, their own or others’ –and an insight into how to avoid the cardinal sins of editing.
Successes and hiccups of publishing
With Emma Burleigh, Wallis Eates, Lou Crosby, Lana Lê, Dr Nicola Streeten
3.00 – 4.30pm, The Other Space
LDComics team share their combined knowledge and experience of the UK graphic novel publishing industry to reflect on the whys, whats and hows of the publishing journey. They offer practical tips around aspects including agents, approaching publishers, self-publishing, post-publication and making without publication and will be of interest to comics creators at whatever stage of their careers.
You Couldn’t Make It Up!
7.45pm, Old Laundry Theatre
Donald Trump’s first few months in office have served to confirm many people’s worst fears. In the months and years to come, literally anything could happen. But at a time when increasing numbers of US political cartoonists are being censored or sacked for the mildest criticism of The President, how do you fight back?
Well, we are going to try to find some of the answers with the help of the world’s very best cartoonists in a game of two halves.
First off, “You Couldn’t Make it Up” takes the form of a quick live draw extravaganza MCed by Bill ‘The Simpsons’ Morrison, National Cartoonists’ Society of America and featuring Graham Dury and Simon Thorp from VIZ, Dagsson from Iceland, Mehdi Annassi from Morocco, Pertti Jarla from Finland and more….
Martin Rowson then bowls in with his completely new show, “Trumped”, drawing on insights from his 40 years in frontline journalism and the thousands of cartoons about British, US and global politics he’s produced in The Guardian and almost every other publication you can think of. He’s hellbent on having a lot of desperately needed fun finding out…Expect cartoons. Expect jokes. Expect radical analysis, some ranting… And many startling insights! Probably expect food-based action painting.
The evening ends with LICAF’s Awards Ceremony featuring the Sergio Aragones International Award for Excellence in Comic Art.
Presented in association with the NCS
• For more information on our Guests for 2025 head to this dedicated page
Day by Day Program links for this year's Festival
• Saturday 27th September 2025
