ATTENTION! Almost time for our annual return to SALUTE! The UK's largest wargaming event this Saturday 11th April at its usual Excel Convention Centre home in London's Docklands.
I've been going a few years now and although comics are clearly not the focus of the convention, I've found there's a lot of overlap with gamers and I've received a warm welcome with genuine interest in my publications.
New batch of ZULU Graphic Novel Sketch & Print Packs!
The convention itself, with a new committee, have noticeably upped their game in the time I've been attending, widening the event's appeal to embrace the many new and varied aspects of the hobby and attracting a larger and younger audience which can only be a good thing.
At last year's SALUTE! - Modelling our TJ16 location!
This year, I return as Colin Mathieson Comics to TJ16 marked by the red circle on the plan below - don't worry if its a bit small to see, I'm close to the central boulevard and there's of course a larger map in the event programme!
CHARGE! Things coming together a little for this year's convention and festival appearances so delighted to confirm that I'll be returning to SALUTE the popular wargaming event at London's Excel on 11 April! This year will be the 53rd event hosted by The South London Warlords club, an amazing achievement, with cavalry this year's selected theme, promising an exciting exclusive figure to catch for the first 500 attendees!
This year will be my 5th consecutive time exhibiting with, thankfully, each year improving on the last as myself and my historical themed comics get better known for which I am grateful and just the inspiration I need to keep focused on creating new art.
The show is held at London's ExCel Centre and I'm at traders space TJ16, a similar spot to last year, so if you can make the show (which I recommend), please stop by and say hello.
Oh and the committee recently shared the welcome news that last year's event won the Wargames Illustrated magazine's award for best show of the year - HUZZAH!
Yay! A welcome return to the UK's largest wargaming show this weekend in London for SALUTE! Amazingly will be my fourth time exhibiting with my comics, art & more and each time I'm feeling more comfortable with the event being as its, obviously, not a traditional comics one. However being as many of my comics have a historical or fantasy basis there is a crossover with people's interests who would not otherwise likely come across my work.
This year I'm in a different corner of the Excel convention space at TJ16 which, as you come in, is towards the back, bottom right as you'll see on the website's main map here. If you're able to attend, please stop by and say hello!
Excited for my first event of the year this coming weekend, SALUTE at London's Excel Centre, Europe's largest independent one day wargaming and hobby show! This will be my third appearance but the first with my deluxe expanded hardcover Zulu Water Cart graphic novel!
The graphic novel has also had a timely nice wee mention by wargamer, Big Lee on his friendly and informative youtube channel, Miniature Adventures!
Check out his whole interesting video below, (Zulu's mentioned in the book review section) and also Lee's blog which covers a lot of wargaming and related subjects.
If you're at Salute, please say hello - I'm at stand TE05 - and check out the limited Zulu sketch & print packs and my other comics. If you can't make Salute, my 2024 schedule is filling up with a few other appearances around the UK, hopefully see you at one of them!
Ian Knight, Alex Haimann & Me meeting for the first time since 2019!
Wow, that was fun! All that preparation, planning, travelling and then the day itself just speeds by, far too quickly and SALUTE50 was over as quick as it begun!
I was delighted with the response that my new release, ZULU: WATER CART RESCUE received and felt justified in attending the event with the interest and many encouraging comments received. That said, SALUTE is of course a wargaming show with models, figures, paints and the many, many game displays being people's priority, so this remains very much an outreach event for comics and one that I'm willing to invest the time and energy in to see if a successful crossover can be made to justify the expense in attending.
One thing I may have to do is make the fact that my books are comics more obvious, as despite the various signage and displays, many thought that I was selling Zulu War gaming rules and were interested if any figures were being produced or recommending manufacturers existing sets to suite such a venture! Most saw the funny side and were intrigued enough by the comics concept to give them a try but it is something I need to address in future.
Check out Warspite's video for a great SALUTE50 overview and a wee cameo after 09:30!
The event itself was certainly much busier than the previous covid hit 2021 one and everyone was saying that it was 'back' in terms of attendance and atmosphere so it was nice to fully experience the show that had enticed me previously. Certainly the new organising committee seemed to pull out the stops by adding many features such as panel talks, increased demonstration and participation games to give attendees more to do than just shop, which in turn encouraged them to stay at the show for longer so it didn't markedly drop off early afternoon like before.
With Tim and James of the Die Hards in mufti!
A personal highlight was of course catching up with chums that I'd not seen since my last South African trip in 2019, with historian and author Ian Knight and fellow enthusiast (and exhibition curator) Alex Haimann and Tim Rose and James Dix of the Die Hards - although I'd of course seen Tim at Salute in 2021. Our time was brief together but well spent with updates, ideas and more being discussed and shared ahead of July's very exciting Clash of the Empires exhibition, more to follow!
My handy backing table restock and display items
Being kept busy at the table I didn't really get the chance to look round the show myself but there are already a few videos like the one above on YouTube to give you a feel of the event. Not enough time to see everything was a common theme but I guess the additional venue and related costs may make an extension to two days prohibitive but we'll see.
The only game I did see was the really quite wonderful, Battle of Ntombi River wargame display presented by the Hornchurch Wargames Club from, of course the Zulu War! This was fabulous to see and discuss with one of the Club members and of course Ian Knight who I had visited the real scene with in 2010 and 2014, a special moment indeed.
Ian & I at Ntombe in 2014 after wading across the river!
So there you are, over in a flash but a lovely memorable day with a few other highlights and potential contacts made so hopefully worthwhile overall and I do enjoy trying different types of events to spread the word of independent comics so would like to return next time too, fingers-crossed. Thanks to all who stopped and chatted and showed interest in my efforts, very much appreciated and of course sincere congratulations to the South London Warlords on their 50th anniversary, here's to many more.
But overall just delighted to finally get my ZULU comic out there in the wild, USUTHU!
Aha, as promised, I've updated the 2023 'tour' schedule with a few of the confirmed events for this year, some new and some very, very exciting, including this Saturday's Salute Wargaming show, which this year celebrates its 50th anniversary!
This follows my debut there at Salute's previous show, way back in 2021! I really enjoyed the experience, even if they were clearly a little subdued given the covid situation we were all in at the time and indoor events were only really slowly emerging. Sensibly, they opted out of 2022 to allow the new committee time to fully plan their anniversary event so here we are. This year I return to table TE05 and hopefully we'll experience the full Salute in all its glory, if only I'd something new out.........
Well I did say that when things go quiet here, it means I'm busy and so it is! The first fruits of my labours have arrived, a fresh batch of my Moments of Adventure Artist's Pencil Edition (or A.P.E for short!).
These are limited edition collections of the pencil pages that go into many of my historical adventure comics in the Moments series and are hopefully both interesting and perhaps inspiring to those wanting to see more of the process of how comics are created?
In any case, getting ready for my first event of the year, (yes I need to update my diary list, I have 5 or 6 confirmed now, starting this week!), I was pleasantly surprised to find that I was down to the last few copies of the second (blue logo) printing, so quickly arranged for a third with a nice green logo this time.
They promptly arrived and I'm busy getting them signed and added to those collectors packs I make up with the Moments comics, prints and watercolour sketch which prove popular at the events I do. I best get cracking then as its a big week with a few other deliveries expected.......
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!
Well that was fun! Just a brief word to accompany a few snaps from last weekend's SALUTE 2020(2021) wargames show at the Excel Centre, London Docklands.
It was our first time exhibiting and attending and although we were a little nervous as to how comics would be received at a primarily wargaming event, we were pleased with our reception. Lots of curious browsers, interested persons and several surprises of folks recongising us and our titles from other comic conventions or events.
We sold decently given the circumstances and unfamiliarity but had many positive reactions to our comics, particularly my (mainly) historicaly based, Moments of Adventure series and our Asylum Steampunk books, the first of which quickly sold out of the comics I had!
A closer look at our two 'special guests' !!
It was odd being at the familiar Excel Centre not surrounded by other comic artists, art stalls or cosplayers - although the Excel also hosted a Star Trek convention, so that at least felt 'normal' to me and I wasn't phased at all !!!
A wee look at the hall and one of the games tables
Thanks to the South London Warlords for being to host an event of this type in unusual and challenging circumstances and, while I understand from others that we were experiencing a very different and scaled back SALUTE, we still enjoyed the day and hopefully can return!
"Comics Ahoy!" Yes, no sooner do we make our first trip to London in over two years, we return next weekend for our first ever wargaming event at SALUTE!
SALUTE is the annual showcase event from wargaming club, the South London Warlords and is now almost in it's 50th year and established as one of the largest, (if not the largest), wargaming event in the UK and possibly Europe!
Salute Salute!
It is therefore quite a thrill to attend for the first time with our comics and see if the crossover potential with gamers exists? If not, it still promises to be quite a spectacle.
We were due to attend the show's traditional April 2020 slot but well you know what happened to that.....The date then moved a couple of times before settling on November 13th, accommodated by the venue's availabilty and allowing a little distance before their next April 2022 event, fingers-crossed.
The change in date was personally unfortunate as it now clashes with Thought Bubble, the UK's largest pure Comics Festival and one that we normally try to attend. Luckily though we have some flexibility so Accent UK's Dave and Gary will be in Harrogate while I'm in London and will be ably supported by guest attending creators' Kia Wordsmith's artist Ian Ashcroft and V2A Wasteland's co-creator, Drone!
I too will have my own guest star at Salute who I will not reveal quite yet!
So yes next weekend will see a return to the Excel at booth TE05 with a selection of Accent UK's finest Historical, Post-Apocalyptic, Steampunk & Western Horror comics, wish us luck!.
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