The organisers of the Yorkshire event pick the fresh names you shouldn’t miss this year.
By definition, the big names in the creative world are few in number, and so we naturally tend to venerate them and think of them less as mere mortals and more as gods. And yet, if we can ever see past the peculiar mix of jealousy and hero-worship they tend to elicit in our primitive brains, we also know that, logically speaking, they’re actually just regular humans, and had to start somewhere.
For Alice Oseman, whose LGBTQ+ young adult Heartstopper series became the UK’s fastest-selling graphic novel ever, and has since been adapted into a hit Netflix series, that somewhere was a table at Thought Bubble.
Yes, long before the TV adaptation of Heartstopper won a staggering five Emmys, the Kent-born author and illustrator applied to the Yorkshire festival’s open exhibitor process and traipsed up north to sell their work alongside hundreds of other indie creators.
Photo: Simon Godsave
Photo: Simon GodsavePhoto: Simon Godsave
Photo: Andrew BengePhoto: Andrew Benge
Now Alice – whose accolades include a British Book Award, three Goodreads Choice Awards, and a Silver Inky Award – is returning to Thought Bubble as the headline guest, just as the festival celebrates its 20th birthday.
The next Alice
Events are running across Leeds and Yorkshire in the run-up to the main convention, which takes place at Harrogate Convention Centre on 14-15 November. And with more than 600 exhibitors, it’s likely the next Alice will be here, hiding in plain sight. So we asked the event’s directors, Martha, Amy and Chloë, to pick the small press creators they think deserve your attention. Here are some names they shared.
Riotbones is a Filipino illustrator whose work is intricate, beautiful and dark. They have self-published a string of comics, and their debut graphic novel, Strange Cases, is out now.
Sajan Rai makes colourful, unsettling and otherworldly art. “Sajan has such a distinctive style with great textures,” the organisers rave. “We’re big fans of his illustrated Haiku series.”
Clarice Tudor‘s book, ‘Tis Thee, Not Me, is full of humiliating stories of bad dates, interspersed with even worse advice, all painstakingly illustrated in medieval illuminated manuscript style. She’s also designed a T-shirt for this year’s festival.
Beck Kubrick is a UK-based writer and cartoonist. She likes comedy-horror and thinking about the apocalypse.
She’s the creator of Dead Girls, a Young Adult horror comic visitors should definitely check out.
Photo: Simon Godsave
Photo: Andrew BengePhoto: Andrew Benge
Photo: Andrew BengePhoto: Andrew Benge
Illustrator and comics creator Fiona Marchbank makes queer, colourful historical stories, and her new book, Ladies of the Knight, is out now. She also happens to be a volunteer at Thought Bubble.
“Nadia Schlosser‘s exquisite work caught our eye at last year’s convention,” the organisers enthuse. She works mostly in pencil, tackling serious issues in an ethereal, surreal style.
Tim Bird is an illustrator based in Winchester who recently completed an MA in Illustration at Falmouth University and is known for his utterly engaging stories. His graphic novel Adrift on a Painted Sea is a memoir dedicated to his mum, and includes her own paintings.
Rein Lee is an illustrator and comic artist interested in drawing queer people, nature and nerdy subcultures. Her work is dreamy, experimental and poetic.
Panels worth booking
Beyond the exhibition hall, there are a bunch of must-see panels. The intriguingly titled ‘Myths that shaped Comics’ looks at how mythology has fuelled some of comics’ most enduring and inventive stories, from Marvel’s reimagining of Asgard to works like Promethea, The Wicked + The Divine, and Pantheon Myths. Kofi Smiles hosts Mohsen Ashraf, Kieron Gillen, Erica D’Urso and Emma Ríos to examine why mythology keeps returning to comics, and how the next generation of creators is taking things to the next level.
The team from 2000 AD are in the house too, for a modest-sounding affair titled ‘The Galaxy’s Greatest Panel’. As the iconic publication turns 50 next year, expect surprises and reveals about the worlds of Judge Dredd, Rogue Trooper, Strontium Dog and more.
In ‘Comics, Mental Health & Healing’, Dr Ian Williams, founder of the Graphic Medicine field, hosts Kay Medaglia, Rubyetc, Kim-Joy and Jaleel Hudson to discuss the healing comics can bring. And in ‘The Waifs and Strays Return: Comics into a Career’, eight rising comic book creators pull back the curtain on the journey to becoming professional artists and writers. We’ll learn how they develop their unique styles, build stand-out portfolios, find creative collaborations and pitch their dream projects.
Photo: Simon Godsave
Photo: Simon GodsavePhoto: Simon Godsave
Photo: Simon GodsavePhoto: Simon Godsave
Further big-name guests include Simon Bisley, Matt Fraction, Emma Ríos, Christian Ward, Kate Beaton and Jahnoy Lindsay. Cartoonists Yudori and Rubyetc are also on the bill, along with Charlie Adlard, Becky Cloonan, Al Ewing and Jamie McKelvie.
Then there’s Tula Lotay, aka illustrator Lisa Wood, who co-founded Thought Bubble while working at Leeds comic shop Travelling Man, along with the shop’s director, Nabil Homsi. That first event was a one-day convention in the basement of Leeds Town Hall. Two decades on, the festival has grown to become one of the biggest dates in the calendar.
But while it’s grown in scale, Thought Bubble’s spirit hasn’t changed: it’s still about the people making comics and the fans who love them.
