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WHAT A BLAST! For the first time in 37 years, the UK took on the major
international events with an upmarket prestigious festival celebrating comics.
The weather was great, the venue amazing and the publicity brought in lots
of new faces with crowds of dads and kids – first timers at such an event.
The ten live bands were superb, the exhibitors came from across Europe as
well as the UK and even a few from the States. With over £60,000 spent at the
venue across two days, even the Hilton was impressed.
Dates have yet to be firmed up for the 2006 Brighton follow-up, but if you’d
like to read what the inaugural event was like, click here for a photo-packed
report, with comments from the actual exhibitors.
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BRITAIN has a long tradition of annual
gathering of comic fans and creatives, dating
back to Birmingham, 1968, whether under
the banner of Comicon, Comicana, UKCAC,
Comic Festival or now Comic Expo.
But, while mainland Europe has attracted
between 100,000 and 300,000 guests to
similar events in Spain, Italy and France,
Britain has very much been it's shadow.
The new Comic Expo team is gearing up to
change that, and with Britain being the home
of comics, intends to challenge the
dominance that Europe has enjoyed for over
25 years.
The location of the major UK annual
convention has varied over the years, from
Birmingham to Sheffield to Manchester to
London and, most recently Bristol for the last
six years. With Comic Expo Bristol
successfully managing that event
(www.comicexpo.net) in the spring, we have
no desire to disrupt things. But we also
believe Britain deserves a larger showcase
event, which can coexist with the Bristol
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Comic Expo, by being held much later in the
year. Brighton is as close to Gatwick
International Airport as London and has
become a major centre for festivals and
conventions, rivalling and often beating
competition from Edinburgh and London.
We believe that by recentralizing the event
once more, to give easier access to all parts
of the UK, we will boost attendance. We also
believe that, given the industry's high profile
through Hollywood, with a major advertising
and publicity campaign, locally, nationally and
internationally, we can put the Brighton Comic
Expo on the world map for comic events.
One innovation this November will guarantee
a far greater involvement by overseas
publishers and creators. With the added
bonus of Comic Expo Brighton being
organised by the publishers of the industry
trade magazine, Comics International,
published four-weekly for over 15 years,
(www.qualitycommunications.co.uk) it means
the event will have a far higher profile than
ever before, and, by siting it at the splendid
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Hilton Metropole and offering exhibitors
inexpensive booths instead of the
traditional trestle tables, the entire image
of comics in the UK is considerably
boosted.
Over the countdown period from now to
November, this site will be continually
updated, giving you far more detail about
Comic Expo, including its guests, events
and exhibitors. So be sure to bookmark
this page and return next month for further
details about this exciting development in
UK comics.
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Dez Skinn
Chair: Comic Expo
(Brighton) 2005
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Comics International editor Dez Skinn's career in the industry spans 35 years. Titles he has created include Dr Who Weekly, House Of
Hammer, Hulk Comic, Starburst and Warrior. Ex-editorial director of Marvel UK - where his Stan Lee-coined Sez Dez column had a
monthly audience of over 500,000 - he has also edited titles including Buster, Conan, MAD, Star Wars Weekly, 2000 AD Presents and
Spider-Man and won over 20 Eagle awards. His book Comix: The Underground Revolution (Thunder's Mouth USA, Collins & Brown UK)
was Pick of the Week in The Independent (10/04/04). V for Vendetta, which he co-created with writer Alan Moore and artist David Lloyd for
Warrior, is soon to be released by Warner Brothers as a major motion picture.
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