Bristol Comic And Zine Fair returns this Saturday

BCZF 2014 - Bristol Zine and Comic Fair 2014

The Bristol Comic And Zine Fair – BCZF 2014 – is back this Saturday (4th October), with over sixty incredible artists, writers and makers exhibiting and selling their work at .

The line up includes…

Avery Hill Publishing, an independent publishing house set up in South London in 2012, currently promoting use of the word ‘micropublisher’ to describe themselves, “as it sounds boutique-y and glamorous,” they say. Publishing comics, zines, fine art and anything else that grabs their fancy under two labels, AHArts and AHComics, they also have three ongoing house publications: Tiny Dancing, a miscellany of nonsense and genius; Reads, a comics anthology featuring some of the best talent from the UK small press comics scene; and Fronts, an arts showcase that focuses on an artist whose work the team admire, featuring images and an interview with the creator regarding their process.

“Our canon includes psychogeographical mappings, drunk 19th Century scientists, time-travelling beagles, minimalist musings, kids running amok in dance tents, and much more.”

Sean Azzopardi is a London-based cartoonist who’s been making and self publishing comics for eleven years. He’s produced numerous mini comics and books for his Phatcomics imprint, including acclaimed titles such as Ed, Twelve Hour Shift and Dark Matters. Away from self published titles he is working on Necessary Monsters (First Comics) and has drawn a back up strip for indy smash Phonogram (Image). He has work in numerous anthologies and magazines, most recently the current Off Life and Ink + Paper.

 

• Nine-year-old Max and his friend Reuben are the young team behind BARK who set up Bark magazine to raise £100 to buy one acre of rain forest for the worldlandtrust.org. and will be launching their comic at the zine fair, which includes loads of great artists including Philippa Rice, Jack Teagle and . (Check out the bark tumblr to see all the amazing artists involved). They will also be selling original artwork from the zine and have made some exclusive comics and other goodies especially for the fair. 

• Andy Barron draws comics and cartoons based in the world of OM. OM is a series of short wordless comics featuring an expanding cast of characters, and Andy will be showcasing a brand new comic at BCZF.

Sammy Boras and Sarah Fogg  are friends who make comics. Sammy specialises in comics, while Sarah specialises in illustration and zines. As a team they produce a comic anthology once a year and a music zine whenever they feel like it. They both work on the quarterly zine What’s The Time, Mrs Woolf?

CM Carter creates comics and illustrations under the guise of Breakfast Champion. He draws influence from alternative comix, low brow culture and dark humour and his work can be seen in various places including Off Life, the Design Week Blog, Doodlers Anonymous and Peculiar Bliss. As well as old fashioned pens and paper Breakfast Champion works with digital media, silk screen and single malt.

• Gareth Brookes has been small press publishing since 2005, beginning with collaborations with Banal Pig and later becoming involved with groups such as The Alternative Press and The Comix Reader. Goodies to be found artfully arranged on his table include The Black Project – a Graphic Novel created entirely in the mediums of embroidery and linocut relief print; the psychidelic sci-fi epic The Land of My Heart Chokes on its Abundance; and a bountiful preponderance of original prints and handmade zines.

Browner-Knowle Issue 2

The fantastic cover to Browner-Knowle Issue 2 by Paul Ashley Brown

 

Paul Ashley Brown has been self-publishing Browner-Knowle since 2008, his collection of short, poetic melancholy narratives and comic-strips, as well as other one-off zines, and has also been published in The Illustrated Ape, The Comix Reader,and Stripburger.He can usually be found loitering in Park Street cafes, drinking copious amounts of tea and drawing the denizens of Bristol very very quickly, as they pass.

Laura Callaghan is an Irish illustrator currently based inSouthEastLondon. Her work is largely hand painted using watercolour, indian ink and isograph pen, depicting women in environments which are ostensibly bright and beautiful but that cultivate a sense of mystery or unease. She will be selling publications, art prints and cards and will be debuting the third instalment of her ‘Fancy’ zine series.

Emma Carlisle is a freelance illustrator and makes stories, prints, hand painted badges and ceramics, based in Malvern.

Craig Conlan is a Scottish artist living in London. He’s worked as an illustrator for many years but has recently returned to his first love- comics! His site, Craig’s Comic Land, features a new story every month, on the first of the month, with a rotating cast of characters. Craig will be selling comics, prints and original art featuring Ghost Cat, Hairy Mary and friends.

Decadence, from Decadence Comics, is a comic anthology and collective that publishes science fiction stories. Their comics feature psychedelic altered states and dystopian visions. Futures and alternative realities are projected while an awareness of the past and present are retained. Decadence comics attempt to break down reality and confront the idea of duality within the Cosmos.

 

Dirty Rotten Comics Issue 3

 

Dirty Rotten Comics is an underground comics anthology curated by Kirk Campbell and Gary Clap. They will be debuting our third issue at the Bristol Comic and Zine Fair, featuring work from upcoming UK artists and writers.

Dry Comics is a newly-founded publisher of minicomics based in Cardiff. Debuting at BCZF will be ‘The Architect’ by Ioan Morris, a poetry zine by Rhydian Parry, and an adaptation of Gemima Salt’s short story ‘Treehouse’. They’ll also be selling other comics/zines/illustrations by founder Ioan Morris.

Eyeball Comix began in Bristol, the first issue was printed in 2010. EyeBall produces toxic garbage in the underground/horror tradition and has printed works by, among others, James Quigley, Motohiro Hayakawa, Kyle Platts, Aidan Cook and Brigid Deacon, alongside your main EyeBall honkies, Paul Arscott, Barry Cook and Robscenity.

Harvey Finch is the creator of the swords and sorcery adventure – Logar The Barbarian, and more recently, Nadir – a pre-apocalyptic story set in South London.

The Flapjack Collective are a group of freshly graduated illustrators from the Arts University Bournemouth. Made up of Louis Craig Carpenter, Maia Fjord, Allie Oldfield, Hope Sloan and Florence Zealey, they’ll be selling zines, comics, screen prints, t-shirts, postcards and the like. They’ve previously exhibited at Comica Festival in London and assure us they’re friendly, so go and say hello, they don’t bite!

 

What Didn't Happen Issue 10

What Didn’t Happen Issue 10

 

• The Fold Collaborative is an independent publication produced by nine illustration graduates from Falmouth University. They will be releasing fold issue 10 at BCZF along with other printed things and goodies

Footprint are a printer co-operative from Leeds. This Risograph specialist, zine-happy, anti-capitalist, booty-shaking collective have started doing a zine distro of the finest wares that rattle off their machines and they’ll be bringing a tableful of it to Bristol. They’ll also be happy to talk to punters about printing, co-operatives and anything else they do.

Lorena Garcia is a freelance illustrator, designer and artisan. Currently based in London, she published the first issue of her zine Compendiums of Curiosities last April, featuring botanical illustrations of poisonous flowers. Lorena has a passion for knowledge and curiosities, specially regarding Botany, History and Literature. She is the kind of person who believes you can never have too many books, just not enough space.

 

Tall-Tales-Outrageous-Adventures-isabel-greenberg

 

Isabel Greenberg is a London based illustrator and writer. Her first graphic novel The Encyclopedia of Early Earth was published in 2013 by Jonathan Cape in the UK, Random House in Canada and Little Brown in the US. She studied illustration at the University of Brighton and since graduating has worked for a variety of clients including Nobrow Press, The National Trust, Seven Stories Press, Solipsistic Pop and Wrap Magazine. In 2011 she won the Observer Jonathan Cape Graphic short story prize.

• Two parts of Bristol based collective Grind Your Teeth, Gwion Christmas and Paul McQuay will also be at the event – two illustrators brought together through a love of pens and print.

Alex Hahn Publishing is an independent producer of comics, zines and graphic novels. With products ranging from small, home made editions to 100-page graphic novels and more, the charm of Alex’s products is matched by the characters within them: the emasculated hero, Heracles; the lovestruck cupcake known as Muffnut (doughnut/muffin) and his muse, the Cruffin (croissant/muffin); a determined little space man and, of course, Blop – everyone’s favourite Martian!

Visit Alex’s table for a wide selection of titles, prints, cards, original artwork and other cool merchandise; free signing and a friendly smile. Look out for a brand new book launching at the fair

• Terry Hooper-Scharf, the man behind Comic Bits Online, is a writer and comics journalist and has worked in comics since the early 1980s for Fantagraphic Books, MU Press, Blackbird Comics, Marvel UK, Fleetway and Egmont. He has been a major supporter of the Small Press in both the UK and Europe and Black Tower Comics and Books recently celebrated over 30 years of publishing. Follow him on Twitter

 

Art from Jazz dad Books

Art from Jazz Dad Books

 

Jazz Dad Books is a small press publisher based in Bristol. Founded in 2013 by Edward Cheverton. Jazz Dad Books focuses on producing small runs of Zines, Comics and Artist’s books from a variety of Illustrators and Artists. We will have titles from Nick Edwards, Disa Wallander, Chris Harnan, Jayde Perkin, David Biskup, Rosie Brand and many more, as well as prints, original art and the legendary Jazz Dad badge.

Mr G Johnson, sometimes known as Graham, is a Bristol based artist currently mostly finishing his illustration degree and slowly drawing portinastormcomic.com, but sometimes does other stuff like raising a pet lizard (and drawing him).

Max K is the organiser of the up & coming ‘SHAKE BRISTOL’, comic & poster illustrator and creator of the saddest/raddest mutants.

Joseph P Kelly is a comic book artist, illustrator and screen printer based in London. His work is created using traditional pen and ink techniques often adding colour digitally before reproducing through hand made screen prints. He will be selling zines, hand made screen printed posters and art works.

Stephen Kelly is a Scottish artist living in Bristol, working mostly in publishing as an editorial illustrator for magazines like Classic Rock, Total Guitar and Rock Sound. He will be making his first foray into comics at BCZF 2014, so please be nice.

Leadache comprise Marie Callum, Hamish Steele and Melissa Trender – animators with wildly different styles but a shared love of exploring pop culture, human nature and the macabre through comics. Hamish (@hamishsteele), creator of Cartoon Hangover’s Dead End will be signing copies of his new comic Pantheon: The Heavenly Cow.

Isaac Kenkiewicz is a fantastic Plymouth-based artist who clearly would rather not get hit by a car again. 

 

Sad Ghost Club by Lize Meddings

Sad Ghost Club by Lize Meddings

 

•  Lize Meddings is a plant loving illustrator residing in Devon, creator of the Sad Ghost Club, fan of badass babes and cute animals.

The Modernist magazine is a quarterly publication about 20th century modernist architecture and design. Published in the North of England and now spreading its tentacles across the world, they’ve hand picked a team of experts, and dilettantes alike, to bring you news, reviews, musings and delightful titbits about modernist architecture and design. So, if you love 20th century architecture and design, the modernist magazine is just the ticket.

Monster Emporium Press was born in 2009 out of the constructed chaos of south London arts collective What They Could Do, They Did and one of its innumerable projects, a zine, They Did. Out of MEP’s own chaos now come art books, zines and new writing.

• Nuala Murphy puts out a comic about once every five years in a half-arsed, photocopied sort of way.

Louis Netter is the man behind Corruption Comics, and it seeks to crawl under the reptilian skin of the power brokers of the world and shine a light in the dark corners (with more than a laugh or two thrown in). Four comics will be available with one never before seen journey into LSD and CIA mayhem.

Ian Norris publishes Fixed Up the story of one man’s journey from a geeky, awkward, shy teenager in Cape Town – to a geeky, awkward, shy adult in Oxford. It tells the story of how being in love is the worst thing ever. The first three epic issues will be on sale, as well as a speak preview of Issue 4.

Opposite the Alley is a small independent press founded by Illustrators Emma Evans and Iselle Maddocks. It offers a platform for illustrators working in a wide variety of styles and aims to shed light onto both emerging artists and young talent.

A Cup of Tea Solves Everything: Illustration by Sandra Ortuño

A Cup of Tea Solves Everything: Illustration by Sandra Ortuño

 

Sandra Ortuño describes herself as a female human currently living in the UK but was born in Spain. She claims to be an illustrator and graphic designer. When she grows up, she wants to be a crazy cat lady but since she’s got no cats yet, for now she’s just crazy. Besides cats and every living creature wandering on the planet, she also loves cake, colourful things, cartoons, gentlemen with goatees and sunny days. Sometimes she grabs a pencil and draws silly stuff.

Otto Press publish a varied selection of comics, art books and prints published @ottopressuk will be on display for your discernment.

Mark Pearce and James Stayte describe themselves as “The Wyld Stallyns of comics”. Mark is the creator of Ronin Dogs and James the creator of Big Jimmy.

• Having realized at an early age that he was a bit of an introvert, Tom Plant decided to become a cartoonist. He has since gone on to produce work for The Beano, The Dandy, The Guardian, The Readers Digest, CBBC, Nessy and many others. Tom is the author and illustrator of The Broadmead Colouring Book, Sunshine Bay: not half as bad as people say, A Load of Old Rubbish and lots of magazine comics.

Jim Pownall is the writer of the autobiographical comic series Fingers Crossed.T he stories give us an insight into the author’s life to date as he attempts to find his path and just do the right thing. However, standing in his way are suicidal frogs, crazy best friends, aggressive French women, ex-girlfriends and ruined weddings. These are definitely not your typical coming of age tales.

• Fresh off the boat from Montréal where she’s been living for the past few years, Zoe Power is moving back to her hometown with a paintbrush in hand and a thirst for collaboration. Bikes and food are some of her favourite things, as are black marker pens, sexy lettering, relief print and dry humour.

Princesa Pirata is a small queer/anarcha-feminist distro with a love for cycling and all kinds of D.I.Y. It’s run by A-K Pirata and based in Bristol. Princesa Pirata stocks zines, small press comix, badges, postcards etc.

• Based in London, Shape of My Heart writes perzines focusing on mental health recovery, travel and penguins!

Sicker than Thou is a comic collective consisting of Andrew Godfrey (artist, writer) and Emma Mould (writer) who make autobiographical comics about chronic and mental illness with a twist of humour. Andrew was born with the chronic illness Cystic Fibrosis, a degenerative disease that affects the lungs and digestion, amongst other things, and Emma Mould was diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder aged 18.They are currently working on a strip for the forthcoming anthology of mental health recovery comics edited by mental health nurse and educator Theo Stickley and cartoonist Brick (Depresso, Knockabout Comics).

Samantha Starkey is a London based character Illustrator who’s drawings humour the mundane, and celebrate the beauty of the ordinary. She’ll also be teaming up with some of her buddies from Kingston University. Expect digestible zines and mini stickers.

• As well as having co-created issues of the music / art / stuff zine ‘The Screever’ since 2009, Lee Taylor also makes a perzine called Larry, draws bleak comics for folk, and writes, records, and releases a bunch of music that no one listens to.

Mair Thomas makes DIY lo-fi surreal comics and colouring books, which often feature flying tortoises. She has a weekly updated Welsh Language online comic called Llong about a boat’s adventures around a flat world. Mair’s work can sometimes be seen in Bear Pit Zine and What’s the Time, Mrs Woolf Zine.

Twin Freaks are Bristol-based illustrators Alys Jones and Ryan Gajda. Alys likes almost anything which is over 100 years old. Ryan is unable to relate to anything except through an increasingly alienating filter of pop culture and geekery. They will be selling: zines, postcards, badges, prints and various pieces of illustrated esoterica.

 

Ladies & Gentlemen #2

 

Water Closet Press comprises Richard Worth, a bearded comics writer; he’s Northern. Jordan Collver is a bearded comics artist; he’s Canadian. They have been making comics together as The Water Closet Press since 2010. Their chief export is a small press serial comic entitled Ladies & Gentlemen. The Water Closet transcends all divides and is located in both Leeds and Bristol.

 

Psychedelic Journal of Time Travel,

The Psychedelic Journal of Time Travel,

 

downthetubes contributor Owen Watts publishes the marvellous The Psychedelic Journal of Time Travel, a bizarre anthology filled with the best of the small press – short self-contained tales of the strange and the inexplicable.

Ellice Weaver is a young comic maker, self publisher and cake artist from Bristol. She studies Illustration at the University of West England and prints her zines and comics under ‘Cringe Press’. Most of her Comics are autobiographical and deal with the problems of everyday life: petting soft animals, getting a haircut and the creeping feeling of not belonging anywhere.

We Studio Press is a wee/small press publishing initiative based in Glasgow and Dundee, set up by Glaswegian illustrator David Kerr. They will be presenting books and prints by a select few illustrators and comic artists.

WolfMask is a London-based cartoonist who has been commissioned/featured by people such as Kerrang! Magazine, Download Festival, The Murderburgers, Don’t Panic, Asian Man Records, Bizarre Magazine, Secret 7″ and many more. Over the past few years he has released over a dozen zines ranging from the childish to the purely idiotic.

Yeti Spaghetti are a father and son independent publishing powerhouse delivering heavy hit after heavy hit.

• The Bristol Comic and Zine Fair, Saturday 4th October 2014, 12 noon to 6.00pm, The Station, Silver Street, Broadmead, Bristol. Free. Full exhibitors list here; sign up to their mailing list or follow them on Twitter and Facebook for news and updates



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