Denmark Return!

Copenhagen Comics 2025 Poster by Craig Frank

Delighted to have the opportunity to return to our spiritual Comics home this summer!

Martin Flink's distinctive 2004 banner artwork

Since making the initial trip in time for the first 'modern' Danish comic convention, komiks dk, all the way back in 2004, Dave West and I as Accent UK regularly made the trip at subsequent events, (see here for a few of them!) through committee, venue and re-branding changes to Copenhagen Comics until covid, brexit and changes of our own brought things to an end.

I'm further delighted to confirm that Dave West will again be my travel and table sharing buddy as we attempt to roll back the years and try not to bore everyone about the good old days when it felt that we were trailblazing pioneers of British comics or something like that anyway!

Trailblazing Pioneers of British Comics or just a couple of naive chancers?

It was thanks to an encounter with Copenhagen Comics committee members and some old Danish pals  at last year's Thought Bubble Festival that led to Dave and I sharing a pint and discussing the possibility of returning and here we are now confirming plans. It will be different with another new venue and need to showcase samples of our latest endeavours, but we'll look forward to it and seeing who remembers us, Mange Tak for the opportunity!

Coming to Copenhagen!

The splendid show poster from Kerascoet!

Excusing the bad grammar above, Accent UK are dusting off their passports to make our first convention appearance of the year and what better place to start than Copenhagen Comics!

One of, if not, our favourite show which is always very different in approach and atmosphere to every other show we do and one we've been attending bi-annually since it started in 2004!! Really looking forward to catching up with our many Scandinavian friends and creators as well as fellow Brits including Garen Ewing and Cliodhna (Ztocial) who are making their own return trips.

That said the move from Summer to Winter may test us so maybe we should seek some local beverages to keep us warm! We'll see! For those attending we're at a large stand - number 23 - at the same central venue as recent years;

Details of all fellow exhibitors can be found here and details of homegrown and international guests here  and here including Tom Gauld who we've not seen recently. The guest list is always electic and apart from Tom (and Garen obviously!) I'm really excited to see Boulet again (John Anderson of UK's Soaring Penguin will be equally delighted), one half of Kerascoet (see poster above and the wonderfully macabre Miss Don't Touch and Beautiful Darkness) and Grzegorz Rosinski of Thorgal fame, of which Scott and I saw a wonderful exhibition of at the Comic Art Museum in Brussels a couple of years ago!

 

Hopefully there will be some new discoveries too!

Both my wee Moments of Adventure and the WesterNoir trade will be making their Danish debut along with, I think, 6 releases since our last trip, so something new for everyone!



















Sadly in a very late development, Gary Crutchley is now having to miss the trip which he was eagerly looking forward to and will watch proceedings from afar and hold the Accent UK fort at this end. We'll be thinking of you Gary and trying not to enjoy ourselves too much!

Right, off we go! 

2015 Comic Reflections!

Accent UK's impressive two table spread in Copenhagen, June 2015

Plans are already well underway for this year's comic convention season so while the Accent UK tour bus receives it's annual service I can briefly reflect on what a cracking year 2015 was.

Accent UK attended 12 shows in all, a new record for us, throughout England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and our usual bi-annual visit to Denmark. A few of these were new to us including one of my personal highlights, a trip to Aberdeen (just North of my native Stonehaven!) where we and the organiser's were blown away by the Granite Cty's overwhelming response to it's first ever comic show, virtually selling out of the stock we brought.

Adam & Colin in Aberdeen's Extreme Indoor Climbing Centre!

In fact most of the shows we attended were top performers meaning we intend to return to them all, if possible, this year which makes for an even fuller schedule than normal. Disappointingly at the time of writing, we don't know if the successful (in terms of sales at least) shows in Blackpool and Warrington will return but this does free up space to accommodate new locations in Edinburgh, Liverpool and Oxford. While some of these are still to be confirmed - see full list on the right - it potentially makes 2016 even busier than 2015's record. Whether it proves to be as successful remains to be seen and no doubt depends on what new books we can release this year, more of which to be revealed later!

Accent UK's 2015 releases - did you catch them all?

We released 5 titles in 2015 which, alongside cracking reviews helped to propel us to our best ever sales performance. These included the ongoing WesterNoir series which is really building a solid audience keen for Josiah Black's latest exploits as creators Dave West and Gary Crutchley put him through the wringer with surprise, intrigue and danger around every corner!

WesterNoir spread at London MCM May 2015

We were also delighted to  publish a new book from the talented Martin Flink with The Troll which like his earlier Man of Glass was well received both in reviews and with a healthy advance sales order through Diamond distributors.

Martin Flink, Dave & Colin at The Troll's Copenhagen launch

It seems that finally after all these years the audiences are there for quality independent comics and graphic novels. Most cities we attend on the convention scene have at least one well stocked comic shop which helps promote the industry but people genuinely enjoying stepping out to local shows and making new discoveries as we, and many other indie creators, have seen our readerships grow.

It's a great time to be involved in the creation of comics and we are grateful for sticking it out these long years to now be able to enjoy this particular purple patch, hopefully this will continue into 2016 and beyond, if so we best get cracking on our new releases - watch this space!

In the meantime, here's a few snaps from some of our 2015 shows;

D C Thomson legendary artist Ian Kennedy & fan in Birmingham

Fredrik Stromberg hides Martin Flink!

The WesterNoir creative team in action in Copenhagen

Team Mathieson fly the flag in Glasgow

Colin and Steampunk Alan share a moment in London

Jemma, Scott & Dave at work in London

Spider-Man doing his thing in Aberdeen!

A happy Anna & Neil with their signed Troll in Leeds!

Jemma & Dave in Leeds

Erm, make your own caption here I think......

The Troll Lands!

Been lovely hearing people's feedback on Martin Flink's wonderful The Troll book now that it's shipping it's way across the world courtesy of Diamond Comic Distributors.

It's been well received at the comic festival and shows we've done since it's preview launch back in June in Martin's native Copenhagen but now everyone can appreciate it's silent beauty.
 

A happy Martin Flink at Copenhagen Comics festival

The Troll has been warmly embraced by all most recently and notably by Stephen Holland, of renowned British independent comic shop, Page 45 who, in today's review calls it;

"..an unexpected silent pleasure and treasure!"

Read Stephen's full review here and if you're in the Nottingham area make sure you visit Page 45 to grab yourself a copy! If though you're not local to Page 45, you can try your own retailer - whether UK, US or anywhere worldwide, providing they have a Diamond account. Just ask them to order a copy using Diamond's code AUG150933 with which re-orders are being taken.

Alternatively catch up with Accent UK at November's Thought Bubble comic festival in Leeds or check both this blog and here for our 2016 comic festival schedule which is taking shape.

A page of Martin's delightful art from The Troll!

A perfect Hallowe'en or Winter treat to yourself!

Copenhagen Here We Come!

 

Well I really feel like the original 'Travelling Man' at the moment as I'm busy packing for our much anticipated trip to Copenhagen and this weekend's Copenhagen Comics festival!

The show is the revamped and re-named komiks.dk show that we've been proud to be part of since its inception in 2004 - gosh is it really that long ago - and we've attended every one since. The shows normally a bi-annual one but slipped its slot from last year so its now 3 years since our last trip there and we're getting quite excited.

Yes it really was 2004 - The original Accent DK Team, Colin, Dave & Chris say Skal!

 

We've had many, many special moments at these shows and have met a great bunch of folk there over the years, some of whom we see elsewhere on our travels in the UK or at MoCCA in the US, but the majority we only see in Denmark so its always good fun catching up and seeing more of the sights - providing Soren our tour guide is available!

The Rio Bravo - one of Soren's cultural recommendations in 2010!

The core of this year's committee have been involved with the show since its start and it promises to be a good one with a great mix of global guests, featuring the UK's own Charlie Adlard, Melinda Gebbie and Frazer Irving plus from the US, Brian Azzarello, Jaime Hernandez and Jill Thompson and lots more European guests- see the lists here and here!

Right, still a bit of packing to do so I'll leave you with a few fun vintage snaps - Skal!

 

A toast with Bryan Talbot at the inaugrual 2004 show

A youthful Leah Moore & John Reppion guest star at the AUK table 2006

Colin and Sussi Bech at the sunny 2008 show!

The Accent UK / DK 2008 Team up!

Heads down at the AUK 2010 table as Col n Dave let Pedro Lopez,
Fanny Bystedt and Matrtin Flink do all the hard work!

Dave and Scott at the 2010 show

Copenhagen's famous little mermaid in 2010
(Really, the original was on tour in Tokyo!)