MCM London Beckons!

A welcome return this weekend to MCM Comic-Con in London where again I'll be in the heart of Artist Alley, Booth F-08. My show profile page is here :) 

The show has evolved a lot since we first exhibited with the original Comic Village morphing into Artist Alley but is still true to its roots of spotlighting artists and creators who bring life to so much which has become popular culture alongside independent makers like me. The quality and diversity of talent on display is continually changing and always inspiring to attendees and 'ol timers alike!

If you're around, please have a good wander around Artist Alley and I'm sure you'll find something you like and if you see me, please say hi :)

Look Out?

Look Out indeed as progress continue with a much cherished project! Things are happening and a number of 2023 comic shows and events, including a very unique one are confirmed, but I best get back to work, so thanks again for patience and interest - watch this space!

MCM a Smash!

Wow that was something! When you've been doing events for a long time, it's easy to take them for granted in a way but in this new 'living with covid' world, there's been a certain joy in returning to things and enjoying yourselves again. This was certainly the case with last weekend's London MCM Comic-Con event which, like it's earlier spring show, was a blast!

These fine Father Ted folks kept me chuckling for ages! 

I've not heard any official figures, but it felt even busier that the May event, which itself was a record breaker, with huge crowds and increased footfall in our Artist Alley area, meaning good to great sales for most people. Without my new graphic novel, I didn't quite match May's record-breaking tally, but came close to it, so very pleased.

Scott enjoying his break from selling comics at his shop!

Having Scott, (returning to his first MCM since 2019), really helped so I had some company and assistance at the table which makes a difference. That said, I still didn't wander around the show much, other than my favourite TinTin pop-up shop, so didn't really see the event itself or everyone that I would've liked to have caught up with.

There was near constant browsers and conversations at the table and selling out of the little watercolour sketches I do with the Moments packs, meant I had to work hard to quickly prepare more, some to customer order! All great stuff and it's nice to be popular!

Howard & Vicky smashing it!

As always there was some great cosplay and where I could, I got a few snaps, thanks to all for obliging and posing, particularly long-time readers Howard and Vicky who were cosplaying for the first time and did a great job! There was a real friendly vibe at the show despite the crowds with folks really enjoying themselves.

Arthur & The Tick

The Fat Controller

We stayed over Sunday as well to give ourselves a wee break and easier journey home which we needed after a fun and successful weekend, already looking forward to next year, fingers-crossed, when I'll make sure I have some new material and plenty of art prepared!

London Colin!

 

A hectic wee time recently with some time away and a lovely happy event :) I've also had some IT issues so this coming w/e's return to MCM Comic-Con in London has crept up on me a little so currently getting prepared.

The London show has become a firm favourite and a great chance to catch up with readers, reach a new audience and be inspired by the many other artists and creators out there.

If you're around, please come and say 'hi' in Artist Alley where you'll find me in Booth G-9 :) 

MCM London Fun!

Well MCM London was fab the other week! Felt like a return to 'normal' and certainly in Artists Alley it was if anything better than 'normal' with footfall pretty steady throughout the three days which helped many, including me post record sales!

The interest in comics was pretty strong and although print artists appear to be in the majority at the show, most of my other comic making chums had also done well, which is great to hear. Oddly my own new prints didn't do so well although they did generate a lot of interest in my table and helped promote the comics so that was good. 

It was great to see so many familiar faces and meet lots of new people too. I had many interesting conversations about comics, creating and lovely comments about my artstyle with a couple even comparing me to Herge's Tintin - I wish! I hardly left my table but did though have a sneaky look at Covent Garden's 'pop-up' Tintin store at the show and bag myself some goodies to celebrate!

I didn't get many photos at all, mainly just folk who came past the table - thanks to all those who kindly posed - but there were many wonderful costumes and characters.

Special thanks to my Artist Alley neighbour, Eilidh Price who, with her partner, were a delight. It was her first-time exhibiting at the show but she was very well received and sold well with her amazing prints and art - I had to snag one myself as a forthcoming birthday gift for someone special, who I know will love her style. Check Eilidh's site out here and I hope to see her on the circuit again soon :) 

All great fun and here's hoping I can attend again for their next one in the Fall, end of October.

A return to London!

As hinted at last time, this season's events calendar is finally getting going and I'm delighted to confirm my return to London this 27th to 29th May as part of MCM's Artist Alley!

MCM London is usually one of the UK's biggest pop culture events attracting massive crowds pre-covid and it's hoped that May will see its 'full-size' return after it's successful (and safe) scaled back event last October. 

October '21's table layout, may look very different in May!

I understand that Artist Alley applications were oversubscribed and some familiar faces have missed out which is a real shame but shows the breadth of talented comic creators and artists out there so hopefully you're in line for a treat if you're able to attend to see what new artistic delights await you!.

Ticket applications and guest announcements can be found at MCM's website.

Back with a bang!

Yay! After several enjoyable 'pop-up' events since the summer, we were delighted to safely attend our first 'big' event the other weekend at ReedPop's MCM Comic Con in London!

This was our first comic con since October 2019 so we were both excited and, given all that's happened since then, a little nervous too. Thankfully the Excel's protocol's and vast space together with a reduced capacity meant that attendeess could feel safe and distance themselves should they want to.

New table layout and 'Hadrian's Wall' behind!

That said it was still a busy affair for us, possibly with less attractions elsewhere, people made a point of exploring everything that was available so made their way to Artist's Alley (the re-branded  Comic Village) to see what was on offer. Overall we did better than we had expected in the circumstances and were happy with how things went.

We only had two hiccups; the new application process meant that Dave and I's tables were in seperate aisles but being virtually 'back to back' we weren't too concerned, until we saw the new safety feature of dividing walls around each table pairing meaning that we couldn't see each other let alone have a natter, ah well, safety first.

Dave's table - the view 'behind the wall'!

  The other hiccup? My puncture and delay the following day, back with a bang indeed!

Missing Comics?

Aha, well seeing the traffic from yesterday's post and in the need for some postive action, I thought  since people can no longer come to comic conventions, festivals and gatherings, why not bring our comics to the people!

I know not the most radical of ideas, but starting this week I'm going to post the pages from one of my short comic stories so you can see and read the sort of thing I do, much in the same way you may have browsed my work at a convention or gathering.

Also just like at an event, if you like what you see and want to read more, (and support an independent artist!), you may want to buy the whole issue and perhaps have it sent to you and signed for your collection or as a souvenir of your visit!

To that end, I've re-newed my dormant 'etsy shop' containing two of my comics in the 'Moments of Adventure' series from which most of the stories featured will come from. The store can be accessed both here and on the comic cover link on the right. You may even fancy a browse round other etsy comic stores for goodies?

Not quite the same as attending the show you and we had planned but brings a small bit of the trading and browsing experience to you so you know what to expect when normality returns and we meet on the 'convention circuit', whenever that may be.

Now bookmark and watch this space but please don't all rush at once, I've plenty of stock!

 

New Moments of Adventure Review!

Yay! As I'm finishing off lettering the second issue, I'm delighted to flag up a new review of Moments of Adventure:Collection One by The Comic Vault, (an online Bat Cave of all things geeky - so it says here!).

This is a very timely review as I only met the writer, Jamie Ryder at Manchester MCM at the weekend so for him to have quickly read, reviewed and written about the comic so promptly is (hopefully) testament to the strong impression it made on him!

You can read his own thoughts on the comic here and if you haven't already got yourself a copy, check out our convention appearances, order online or add a comment below. Right I'm back to lettering Moments of Adventure: Collection Two with a big smile on my face and for those wondering, yes it 's planned to launch at The Asylum :)

Unlettered preview of the Pirates strip appearing in Collection Two!

MCM Manchester!

Fantastic 'Ziggy Bowie' cos-player at this year's show (pic MCM's own site)

Last weekend's Manchester MCM was fun, busy and inspiring with lots of interest in our books and sales at the same level as last year. So although not a return to the 'heady' heights of 2015, the recent decline seems to have eased to a sustainable level. Certainly a 'hometown' show like Manchester with minimal costs is a welcome boost and helps offset other shows where travel and accommodation costs can eat into finances.

The show was very crowded both days and seemed busier that last year but the reported 36,000 attendance (gulp!) is, I think around the same as 2016? In any case the celebrity guests and special attractions seemed popular and everyone we spoke to had said they'd enjoyed the show and would return which is nice to hear.

For the first time since, I think, last year's Thought Bubble show, the whole Accent UK crew was there with WesterNoir co-writer & artist Gary Crutchley joining Jemma, Scott, Dave and I. Its always good when we all get together and make plans on what's happening next, in this case co-ordinating our forthcoming trips to the Asylum Steampunk festival and separate MCM Glasgow & Thought Bubble shows which fall on the same weekend this year.

We had a fun social time too meeting up in the evenings with fellow creators and comic dealers which is always an important part of being on the 'convention circuit', both swapping notes on various events and just letting our hair (what's left of it) down!

Dave moonlighting at Mike Garley's table

MCM Manchester Returns!

It's been a very quick year but this weekend sees the return of my (adopted) hometown show MCM Manchester, this time with added HULK!

The full Accent UK crew will be pitching up in the Comics Village with our latest comics, prints and special offers in what is always an enjoyable and friendly show and being one, for me, involving minimal travel for once - yay!
 

You can see some pictures and reports of previous Manchester shows here, here and here but if you're around please stop and say 'hi' - just be careful not to make us angry, you wouldn't like us when we're angry!

More Comic Reviews!

 

It's nice when someone you've met at a show takes the time to review your work and that's just what Ian Carter of Nerdspan has done following our meeting at the recent MCM London show, reviewing our two latest releases, Moments of Adventure: Collection One and the WesterNoir Trade: Volume One which collects the first four issues (or 'Season One' if you prefer!) of Dave West and Gary Crutchley's cult hit series, including a new bonus story, pin ups and introduction from Mark Buckingham.

Check out Nerdspan's WesterNoir review here and Moments of Adventure here!

And of course both titles can be purchased from Accent UK's webstore here.

Thanks Ian!

Back to Scotland!

After almost a month's break, the Accent UK tour bus is rested and ready for a return journey to Glasgow, this time for a much anticipated return to the MCM Scotland show! We were fortunate to attend the inaugural show there back in 2013 and had an amazing time but sadly events and commitments have kept us away since, so we've missed out as it's developed, we understand, into a vibrant and successful two day show, rivalling MCM Manchester in it's attendance.

I think we've over a dozen new releases since 2013 so hopefully we'll find an appreciative audience waiting for us there, wish us luck!

The Accent UK team at Glasgow 2013 - Adam's started and completed his uni course since then!

It's not always about the sales!

Well that was fun, Accent UK were exhibiting at last weekend's Manchester MCM, our 'hometown gig' and it was, as always fun. However unlike previous year's it wasn't a record breaker in terms of sales for us. In some ways, our recent success couldn't continue but it is always interesting to try and understand why sometimes you haven't done so well as before.

The Judges wondering where their order of doughnouts are

In this case we couldn't fault the crowds, tickets had largely sold out in what promised to be another record attendance at this enjoyable show and we got plenty of browsers through our central Comic Village spot, although noticeably more and more said they were 'doing the rounds' browsing before buying and while some returned to buy, many did not, but whether this was due to them finding something else more to their tastes or simply limited budgets is hard to say.

We also had 5 new titles since last year's show so there was plenty new on offer although disappointingly our launch of the new WesterNoir trade was unexpectantly postponed due to technical difficulties with the book, meaning that we quickly sold out of the few remaining #1's of the title which effectively killed off it's sales for the rest of the weekend.
 

Team West resting - wait a minute are those doughnuts they're scoffing!

That said we still did pretty well and with it being the 'hometown gig' we had no additional accommodation costs to cover meaning it was still a good 'un overall and I was personally pleased that once again my own Moments of Adventure comic sold steadily over the weekend.

Sketching away!

We of course enjoyed catching up with regular faces on the comics convention circuit and renewed our recent Belfast acquaintances with Jenika Ioffreda and Gary Erskine, this time joined by smiling Steve Tanner (who reported that his Flintlock book had sold like proverbial hot cakes, proving that not everyone was having an 'ordinary' show saleswise) and Lorenzo Nicoletta, talented artist on Steve's afore mentioned Flintlock book who'd flown in specially from Italy!

Storage Hunter's Jesse & Sean interviewed

And, proving yet again that you should never judge a shows performance purely on sales we not only met several folk from comics' fandom who may feature our books in forthcoming reviews etc but we were presented with three highly interesting opportunities which, if they proceed, will certainly raise Accent UK's profile by taking our books into new areas!

Favourite cos-player of the show...

....Aidan, whose Mum had made this super Jurassic Park adaption!

As is the way of such things, we can't really say anything about two of them at the moment, however the third is something that has been brewing away in the background since last October's London MCM show and that is that we have been invited to attend Asylum, Europe's largest steampunk festival in Lincoln late August bank holiday weekend!
 

This really follows, regular MCM attraction, the Victor Steampunk Society's (VSS) interest in our comics, most notably WesterNoir and Stephenson's Robot at previous MCM shows and thinking they may be suitable for their authors exhibition area to be set up in the Steampunk Embassy in Lincoln's Cathedral Centre.

Colin and the VSS's Alan at London MCM last year!

At Manchester, the VSS's good Major confirmed that all our papers were in order and that we would be receiving our deployment orders soon, so all exciting stuff, of course this does mean that we will have to dress up and Dave has that troublesome big head to find a hat for!