Earlier this month, Sheffield Hallam University hosted “Comics Up Close - Origin Stories” a full one day academic event, in conjunction with The Lakes International Comic Art Festival (LICAF) and The University of Manchester. Sim Leech and Chris Wright report…

Featuring several keynote speakers, including comic creators Dave Gibbons, Karrie Fransman and Steven Appleby, “Comics Up Close - Origin Stories” celebrated the impact of comics on the wider culture, and society.

John Freeman catches up with Bobby Joseph, the UK Comics Laureate for 2023-25, an acclaimed comic writer, artist, tutor and editor whose work has often challenged and inspired its readers. His early work includes the creation of Skank magazine, where his best-known strip, “Scotland Yardie”, first featured, and later collected by Knockabout Press.

We are delighted to reveal our official poster for the 2024 Lakes International Comic Art Festival, running 27th - 29th September in Bowness-on-Windermere, by Italian maestro Gigi Cavenago.

This beautiful poster is a homage to the adventurous sailor Corto Maltese, created by the Italian comic book creator Hugo Pratt in 1967, and has been created by arrangement and with thanks to copyright holders CONG SA.

The team at Little LICAF, the year-round section of the festival aimed at youngsters, family, education, and outreach of the Lakes International Comic Art Festival, are celebrating the impending streaming debut of Disney’s animated series, Iwájú, with a look back at their work with some of the team at Pan-African comic book entertainment company, Kugali.

Comic Art Europe, the international project we are proud to have been part of with our partners Escola Joso, in Spain, the Lyon BD Festival and Musée de la BD - Bruxelles, co-financed by the Europe Creative programme of the European Union, has come to an end, but will most certainly prove a springboard to many new things.

An exhibition focused on Marvel’s Amazing Fantasy #15, which saw the debut of Spider-Manback in 1962, arrives at the Silk Museum in Macclesfield this week.

Working in partnership with the Lakes International Comic Art Festival and others, the Arbroath Festival is seeking applications for five funded residencies, for comic creators and other creatives, via open call, for dates between May until August 2024.

London’s Cartoon Museum has revealed the lineup for its third annual Cartoon Conference, taking place all day on Monday 26th February 2024, which includes Comics Laureate Bobby Joseph and comic writer and artist Lucy Sullivan. Plus, if you book your tickets using a special code before Wednesday, you’ll get 25% off the price.

The first Lakes International Comic Art Festival Rights Market will take place in September 2024 and creators can apply to participate now