Lakes International Comic Art Festival

A review of the inaugural Cumbrian event

Hi Folks,

Well, last week was the culmination of a busy period as far as my time spent on working on the painted cover and pencils for the strip pages to Worlds End – Volume 2 – A Hard Reign’s Gonna Fall and getting the second ashcan finished and ready for print along with new banners, business stationery, and a whole plethora of other printed and manufactured goods, in time for the impending convention season.

So it was just like normal then, I hear you cry and you would not be far wrong. Last week saw me creating and arranging for the production of a new range of mugs, which I sorted with a new supplier that had made contact with the company last year and gave them an insane turnaround time to produce them. They came up trumps, so by the time my other print jobs were ready I only had to finish off the artwork for the cover and some more strip pages to take along to the show with me.

I was originally asked to go along as a guest way back in the latter part of 2012 when I was approached via email by Julie Tait, the main organiser and curator of the festival. Bryan Talbot had suggested she get in touch with me pretty from much the outset. It sounded like it could be something special - I hope this Blog goes someway to trying to say just how special it was.

Wednesday evening, after teaching my Fantasy Art Unlimited class, I ate a late dinner and then set about completing the remaining artwork. This went straight through the night, aside from about a ten minute nap and continued throughout Thursday in much the same vein whereby I suddenly found myself facing Friday morning and having to pack everything I needed to take along, crossing them off in order from my list as I loaded them into the car.

Showered, fuelled up, tyres, oil, and windscreen washer levels checked I set off northwards to the Lakes. The journey is not a long one by any stretch and takes around an hour or so to reach Kendal. Although cloudy for the most part the weather remained clear.

Having checked out the venue and the guesthouse in which I was staying a week earlier when fellow comic creator, Dave Windett one of my FAU students, Roland and I had a trip to Kendal to see it for ourselves meant this second trip was an easy one to navigate and in no time at all I found myself parked up in the loading bay and ready to start the process of unloading the banners, other POS and all the different merchandise I had brought along.

As I had driven along the main street into Kendal I saw all the many festival banners that adorned and lined the streets in proclamation of the impending comics invasion. The organisers really had gone to town with their take over of the town centre. The week before it had poured down and so I hadn’t noticed quite as many of the banners. That said we had noticed that alongside Bryan Talbot’s marvellous “Brainstorm” exhibition, at the Wildman Studios on Wildman Street, all manner of exhibits both from professionals and children adorned the shops. Even establishments like estate agents were getting into the act. A pub changed its name for the weekend to the Fnaar bar – straight out of the adult humour comic, Viz. A ladies clothes shop had a batman costume in the middle of its front window display.

It was an absolutely amazing sight and testament to the hard work of the organisers and their many volunteers with this massive undertaking.

Inside the WestmorlandShopping Centre, in which our section of the festival was being held it was a similar scene with other folks also setting up their displays. I had checked with security, as I had the week previous that I was fine to unload in the bays below us and once given the all clear began to unload the goods.

Dave was already there and had begun to unpack his gear. I made my first drop and never for one second thought anything about it. Upon my return to the shop, in which we were situated next to Mhairi Stewart’s Perfect Spiral, I found that the curse had returned…

Yes, you know the one, The Windett Curse!!!

Dave was all of a panic, as I entered the area, he was busy tearing the brown packaging from the graphic novels I had dropped off in my first trip from the car. The table had collapsed and Dave had seen one of them had been damaged and so was checking out the rest. I reassured him not to worry and we both mentioned and laughed about the curse.

Another four or maybe five trips using the sack truck (kindly donated for the event by one of the security men – cheers, buddy) and I was ready to actually set up.

By six o’clock or so the signage, banners and merchandise was all in place across from Dave’s stall. We looked the business and we were now ready for something to eat.

So we made our way the short distance across town to the Brewery Arts Centre where we were to pick up our guest badges/ and various tickets and vouchers, which enabled us to get inside the events, bars and restaurant.

Inside we were directed to the restaurant, where we met up with John Freeman, who was already dining. We exchanged greetings and then arranging once more to go along to the event he was due to host in a short while we sat down. So, it was that with a table unoccupied we ordered from the special menu from the event and what beautiful food it turned out to be – well it did when it arrived. You have to remember that I was sharing the table with the aforementioned Mr Windett, yes, the cursed one. Not only did the meal take a while to arrive, but upon arrival, Dave pronounced that his order was wrong – he had ordered the vegetarian platter, which then entailed a further delay before the food arrived. When it did, however, despite the curse it was beautiful. There were two platters; a meat one and a vegetarian option and this was followed by a desert platter - Glorious.

There are few things better than good food and conversation.

By the time we had eaten we attempted to make our way to the Friday evening event, being hosted by John Freeman, but it was too late – it had almost finished – and feeling absolutely shattered after my two previous all-nighters we decided to make our way back to the car, still parked in the loading bay of the shopping centre, which the security had allowed me to do and then drive to the guest house. By 9:00pm I could be seen, sitting on the edge of the bed, sending a text message to Margaret in my PJs with a cup of tea on the bedside drawer in the B&B and moments later I was asleep. Oh, the Rock N Roll lifestyle of the graphic novelist!!!

I was awake the next day, long before my mobile phone’s alarm went off, around five in the morning. So fully refreshed from my slumber I had a shower, got myself ready for the day ahead and then sat looking through the festival guide with another cup of tea. The Sundial guesthouse was lovely and very indicative of a countryside home. It was warm and inviting and the bed was so comfy I could quite easily have stayed in its thrall.

I checked out a copy of the newly printed, second volume, Ashcan and watched a little early morning TV and then eventually found myself looking at my watch, which at last said 8:00am. It was time to join Dave in the dining room for breakfast, which like all the other aspects of the festival the organisers had ensured we were well looked after. The hosts were lovely as was the breakfast they provided and it set us in good stead for the coming day and the first official day of the festival.

The weather although grey and overcast, was dry, but I still rang for a taxi. We soon found ourselves being chauferred along the high street to the shopping centre passing a myriad festival banners, which must have taken someone an age to erect. We stopped off in a little pound shop and I bought some supplies for the coming day. Well, after all, one can’t get very far without copious amounts of Pepsi and Liquorice All Sorts now, can one?

Back at the shop Dave opened up and with a little last minute setting up we awaited the coming crowds. We sketched outside the shop to entice folks towards us, but the crowds were intermittent and for some reason we saw the public were very rarely venturing in our direction. The weather was awful, though, and may have been a contributor to that. By all accounts, however the Comics Clock Tower, in reality the Town Hall, had been seeing a steady influx of people. So it could very well be that the weather was preventing them from venturing far. That said when the public did find us we managed to engage them and during the day we did sell too, albeit slowly. Early on in the morning I had decided that sketching for the children had to replace the expected queues of children that we had hoped to be directed to us and that gave us a chance to engage them and was a lot of fun – it always is.

One of the main organisers, Justin arrived and asked if we could give him the lunch vouchers and he would go and get them, enabling us to stay where we were. This was a great help and stopped us having to lock up and disappear for a short while, perhaps making it even harder for the public to find us. It was a good move.

By just after lunchtime it had picked up a little but then so had the inclement weather. An hour or two later, as the torrential rain began to subside, we began to see more of the public, although still in no great numbers, at least not until later in the afternoon when the footfall really seemed to pick up. Maybe it was also something to do with most families actually using the Saturday inside the shopping centre to actually shop.

I did an impromptu sketching session for Mhairi next door for one of her little groups and was asked to draw a super-villain with the powers of super smell, super speed, the ability to turn into water, turn water into ice and the ability to fly. This was fun, and everyone enjoyed seeing me cope with the brief they had given to me, as I sketched away on the flip chart, speaking to the group all the while, as I always do, to add some entertainment value.  

The day passed very quickly and Dave and I soon found ourselves heading once more to the Brewery Arts Centre’s restaurant for our evening meal.

Once more delicious platters were the order of the day and they were absolutely delicious. John Freeman joined us and the evening pursued a series of conversations about the state of the UK comics industry, if we can still call it that. We seemed to spend an age talking and then decided to leave to go to the bar next door.

It was packed, but we soon found ourselves with a table, as a group of us press ganged one when we were joined by Al Davison who, as he had previously mentioned on FaceBook, had planned to have as many of the guests as possible provide a sketch of one of the universal monsters on a piece of art board. This was to be auctioned off in aid of US writer, Steve Niles, whose house had been flooded with a total loss of possessions some days before. So with three sketches already done Kev Sutherland, Dave and I added ours.

We could hear folks around the bar describing all the many events they had each attended – far too many to attend them all, which is testament to the organisation of it all. It felt like an event that had been running for a while, rather than the inaugural one.

The time spent here enabled me to look at Al’s newest work, which was beautiful. Now regular readers of my Blog may remember that Al was the first person I met way back in 1979 at the very first comic convention I attended, when we were both “wannabe” comic creators. This latest work is fully painted and looks amazing and in my honest opinion probably the best stuff I have ever seen from Al – you should check it out, it really is gorgeous stuff.  

It also gave me a chance to show Al the first Worlds End graphic novel as well as the latest Worlds End pages from Volume 2 and the new Ashcan. I received one of the nicest compliments about a piece from book two, as yet unseen by the public. He said it reminded him so much of Moebius’ work. Now to find oneself being compared to probably the best known and perhaps the greatest French comic artist ever was indeed a great compliment. I have maybe three pictures of his work out of all my many books in my collection of comics and books and have seen only a few other pieces of his work in reality, but maybe the impact of this great artist has indeed had some effect my own work – Al certainly seemed to think so. I need to get hold of more of Moebius’ work.

Al left to get more sketches from folks to add to the auction piece, but we were soon joined by firstly John Freeman and a comic fan, Jim that had visited our little shopping space earlier and then Emma Vieceli. Dave and Emma, having the same agents representing them and working for the same publisher began to discuss their mutual thoughts on the work they were currently producing. MaltaComicCon was mentioned and folks were keen to show their wanting to attend, which is now the case for the convention. Over subscription has become the name of the game. The conversations then lent themselves to a comics based nature and by this time the air was full of laughter and on the spot joke making.

Next to join us was Scottish comic creator, Jim Stewart, whose first act was to give me a wee Glaswegian bear hug. Towards the end of our evening in the bar Brian Gorman joined us, fresh from his part in the enactment of the stage play version of Alan Moore and David Lloyd’s V for Vendetta. We all had a great time. But all good things must eventually come to an end and this being no exception meant it was time to walk back to the guesthouse and some more much needed sleep.

The next day began exactly as it had the day before, with a cup of tea, an early shower, etc followed by another great breakfast. As this was the final day I drove Dave and I back to the centre in my car and, parking up in the loading bay as I had on the Friday, checked with the security guys that it was still okay, like they had said earlier to park there. Then leaving Dave I went off to the only event I had booked myself to go to – the one on Arts Funding – I wanted to see if there was anything I could learn to get funding for my students on the FAU course.

Whilst there listening to the talk it seemed to be an easier thing for someone to get funding for his or her graphic novel or comic project, however, than to do so for a course, so I stayed behind after the talk for a short time with the speaker to ask for a little more information.

I was soon back in our space; sketching for the children  - it was a little brisker than the day previous, but still quieter than I would have liked, but it was still early Sunday morning.

Dave told me that whilst I had been away at the talk he had allowed himself to be “forced onto his knees” for a photo opportunity with one of the Judge Dredd cos-players. These guys were superb and I found later that they had been staying at the same guesthouse. Outside one of them, Judge Bane and I chatted, as one does, about the amount of footfall and I suggested he should, along with the other Judge, Lemmy “bully,” as only a Judge can, the children to send them up to us.

Well Judge Bane disappeared and shortly afterwards we found a sudden influx of families appearing out of nowhere – in stark contrast to the previous day. Whether it was the work of the Judges or not, I’m not too sure, but I’d like to think it was role-playing that did the trick here.

I did another impromptu sketching session for Mhairi next door and this time I was asked to draw an alien villain who had super strength, vines, lasers and thus the ability to blow things up, along with x-ray vision. Again it was a fun session to do and once more they wondered if I could draw something with all five elements included in the drawing. Inside one of the guys dressed up in Judge Dredd gear, Judge Lemmy was sat in the session watching, when a group of children came to the door and shouted – “You’re not even the real man!” To which he arose, took out his baton and his “Lawgiver” – gun – and promptly pursued the “lawbreakers.” Not only did these guys look the part they played the part too – superb and kudos to both these guys!!!

We soon found more and more families coming along for which I would engage with them, asking who they would like to learn how to draw. I would do a step-by-step sketching mini session and of course this lead to selling books and other stuff too. It was a complete contrast to the day before.

Justin was again a star obtaining our picnic lunches for us, enabling us to carry on with the now much better subscribed, larger audiences.

Our particular area was definitely a lot better attended by families on the Sunday and Dave and I did lots of sketching sessions and I certainly sold a lot more Worlds End Graphic Novels, Ashcans and lots of other stuff too. Dave also did much better selling his Kaci Bell books too – more on this book in my next Blog – Teaser Alert!

However, time flies when you are having fun, as they say, and Sunday went even quicker than the day before and we soon found ourselves in the unenviable position of having forty minutes to dismantle it all and loading up the car.  Dave not having as much to sort out as I did, was ready much sooner and left to catch his train. Thankfully the security guys were really accommodating and with Justin’s help I managed to get all the stuff down to the car, albeit overshooting the forty minutes deadline a little. Thanks again to the security guys for their patience here.

Outside, an obviously exhausted Justin and I chatted for a short while, whilst I signed complimentary copies of the book for Him and Julie and her son, Finn. By the time it was all in and I was belted up, Sat Nav at the ready, text message having already been sent off to Margaret to say I would be setting off in a few moments, I sat for a second and thought about the past three days and it all seemed such a blur.

The trip back home, mostly on the motorway – the beauty of living close by two motorway slip roads – was thankfully uneventful with no hold ups and the weather was kind too. In just over an hour I was unpacking everything from the car and sitting with a brew in hand regaling my wife all about my exploits that weekend.

All that remained to do that evening was to send a text message to Julie and Justin, the two main organisers I dealt with and Bryan Talbot, the guy responsible for getting me involved in the first place, to tell them all just how much I appreciated being asked to the festival in the first instance, for looking after me so well, whilst there and for all the incredibly well worked out events to make their comic art take over of Kendal an unbelievable success.

I received much-appreciative replies from both of the organisers, who were so obviously totally exhausted, both physically and mentally after their momentous efforts.

All that remains is to say that the guys are running the event again next year – make sure you plan for this in your next year’s schedule and take your families along to what you will find is an absolutely awesome festival, celebrating the many diverse universes that are the worlds of comics and graphic novels – not just super-heroes – unlike most other UK comics events.

I would certainly like to offer my services again and I know you will have a great time there.

Kudos to Julie, Justin and all the other organisers, volunteers, Westmorland Shopping Centre staff and security, all the restaurateurs, the Sundial guesthouse owners, all the many café and shop owners, estate agents, hoteliers, town hall staff, gallery owners, all the other comic and graphic novel creators and everyone else that played their part in making this festival such a resounding success.

It has taken me a week to catch up and then finally get round to writing this Blog, but I really wanted to spend time telling you folks just how great this event was. The only criticism is; I wished it could have lasted longer.

I leave the final words in the form of a few photos - not many I was so wrapped up in the event I kept forgettig to take them. Check out the bottom of the menu with Desperate Dan added - everyone got into the act like this - truly marvellous. Also look at the gorgeous food, the shop set up we had, some comics fans - now Worlds End fans strut there stuff after one of my workshops. And lastly, but not least a picture drawn by a very young, Loris. If Loris' parents just happen to see this, drop me a line with a low-res photo of you guys, so I can see you are the real McCoy and I'll send you something in the post by return.

ThoughtBubble is my next UK comics venue on November 23rd and 24th so everything is set up for that. My expectations from this event have now been raised by the Lakes festival. I’ll Blog about this one in Leeds too, upon my return to the studio, following my trip to MaltaComicCon the weekend after on November 30th and December 1st – as I doubt there will be enough time to do so before I go out there.

The one thing that is now in my mind about the trip out to Malta is quite simply that Dave, yes, he of the Curse, is also flying out to MaltaComicCon, but he is on the same flight as me, oh and we are sharing a taxi to the airport too – so please wish me luck…

I may need it… LOL.

Check out my Blog on Friday 1st of November for details on fellow comic artist, Dave Windett and writer, John Gatehouse’s newly published book – The Kaci Bell Mysteries.

Next: Well it is Halloween isn't it - I'll post a creepy, spooky sketch at just after midnight on the day of the evening in question!!! See you on the 30th October for some fright-filled fun!!!

Until next time, have fun!

Tim Perkins…

October 29th 2013