The Phoenix Comic brings Phoenix Fest 2025 to the Lakes

 The Phoenix comic and the Lakes International Comic Art Festival (LICAF) are thrilled to announce an exciting new partnership that will see Phoenix Fest 2025 coming to the heart of the Lake District this autumn.

For the first time ever, Phoenix Fest – the UK’s best-loved children’s comics festival – will join LICAF for a weekend of storytelling, creativity, and comic fun in Bowness-on-Windermere, from Friday 26th to Sunday 28th September 2025.

Philip Bond, Serge Bloch and more join 2025 Lakes lineup

The Lakes International Comic Art Festival is delighted to announce its second tranche of guests for its annual weekend of comics celebration, taking place across Bowness-on-Windermere over Friday 26th – Sunday 28th September 2025.

Festival Passes are available now. 

Shubbak Festival free online event explores “Mulberry Tree” exhibition

Presented as part of Shubbak Festival, there’s a special online event coming up this Thursday, 29th May 2025, exploring Enter the Mulberry Tree and Fly Free, a striking exhibition which showcases the works of twelve Palestinian comic artists. 

Alison Sampson

Alison is an award winning, London-based artist and writer, drawing comics and illustrations in the fields of horror (Wolverine, Bloodline, Hellboy, EC Comics, Winnebago Graveyard, the 2023 Eisner-nominated Department of Truth, Werewolf By Night), fantasy (Sleeping Beauties Volumes 1 & 2), science fiction (TITLE AND PUBLISHER REDACTED) and adventure (Hit-Girl: India), and more. 

Will Potter

From the late 1980s to the early 1990s, William Potter played bass in Top 30 indie band CUD while writing and drawing “Nommo” for seminal UK music/comics anthology Deadline. On leaving the band, Will worked as a writer, editor and artist for numerous licensed-character magazines and partworks featuring Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Transformers, Captain Scarlet and Spongebob Squarepants, plus the DC Comics Graphic Novel Collection and Marvel Fact Files. 

Serge Bloch

Born in 1945, Serge Bloch studied under Claude Lapointe in the the illustration workshop of the Strasbourg School of Decorative Arts. For a time, he was the Artistic Director of Bayard Youth press, and he also drew for various daily newspapers, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, Suddeutshe Zeitung Magazine and Die Zeit. 

He's the illustrator of many children's books, including the Max and Lili series, and the creator of several albums such as the SamSam series.  

Lakes International Comic Art Festival announces first tranche of guests for 2025

The Lakes International Comic Art Festival is delighted to announce its first tranche of guests for its annual weekend of comics celebration, taking place across Bowness-on-Windermere over Friday 26th – Sunday 28th September 2025.

Festival Passes are available now. The Early Bird Festival Pass Offer ends on Friday 16th May, so be quick if you want to take advantage of that!

Qusasat Comics & Digital Production Training Camp in Bethlehem

The Lakes International Comic Art Festival is delighted to partner on the Qusasat Comics & Digital Production Training Camp, taking place in Bethlehem in July 2025. Representing the British comics community at the event for young Palestinians will be Mollie Ray, whose much-praised debut graphic novel, Giant, was published in June 2024, by Faber and Faber.

Festival 2025 Crossword

Test out your knowledge of the Lakes International Comic Art Festival, Cumbria and all things comics! Download a copy of this challenege (PDF format, link below) and send your completed crosswords to us with your chance to win free passes for this year’s festival, signed artwork and much more. You may also find some hints to this year's guests in your answers. Good luck

Lakes International Comic Art Festival launches UK Development Agency for Comics

 The Lakes International Comic Art Festival (LICAF) is proud to announce it has formalised its role as the UK Development Agency for Comics.

The new Agency for Comics will be based in Barrow-in-Furness, where the Government and private sector is investing in a bold programme of cultural renewal.

The announcement was made at a reception held in the UK’s House of Commons yesterday, Wednesday 30th April, hosted by Tim Farron MP, to celebrate UK comics.