The Bristol Expo was, for me, a great opportunity to catch up, writes Matthew Badham, firstly, with the ever-expanding British small press comics scene and secondly, with a whole bunch of comics people that I only see once or twice a year.

Unfortunately, as it turned out, I didn't manage to get a taste of what's on offer at the moment on the small press scene, mainly because I mostly spent the weekend chatting with friends and acquaintances and meeting new people. For some people conventions are about meeting their favourite creators, showing a portfolio and attending panels. For me, though, I prefer to spend my time bar and café-hopping swapping tall tales and anecdotes, and generally chilling out. Bristol is, therefore, in my eyes, the perfect host city for a comic convention. It's chilled, has a nice ambience and is stuffed to bursting point with cool cafes and bars.

Star Wars stormtroopers brought a whole new meaning to the word security at the evnt. Photo: John Freeman

Engine Comics Barry Renshaw, a key figure in the UK's indie scene. Photo: Joe Gordon

Chinese artist Yishan Li and Sean Michael Wilson helped swell much interest in manga at the event. Photo: Barry Renshaw

Batman meets Sailor Moon thanks to the Cosplay action at Bristol. Photo: Joe Gordon

That's not to say that I didn't venture into the convention hall, where the artists, merchandisers and comic companies, large and small, compete for Expo punters' attention. I did pass a couple of hours in there on Saturday, although most of this time was spent manning the Engine Comics stall in an attempt to give artist, publisher and busiest-man-in-comics Baz Renshaw a much needed break from selling his wares.

Sitting there flogging the always-excellent Redeye (a top comics magazine edited by Baz), what really struck about this year's Expo was how crowded it was. The convention hall itself was full to the brim on Saturday (and very hot!), which, I suspect, has a lot to do with the influx of manga devotees in recent years. Certainly, there were plenty of manga fans in evidence, many of whom had taken the opportunity to dress up as their favourite characters, although I couldn't tell you who those characters were. There were also plenty of younger fans there, which made a nice change. In recent years it has seemed as though the British comic scene was doomed to die a slow and lingering death due to a lack of interest from kids and young people. The recent growth of web-comics, the popularity of manga and the booming mini-comics scene may have changed that.

Was the con a success? Ask five different people that question and you'll probably get five different answers. Personally, I had a great time. Two moments stood out for me as examples of what Bristol is, or should be, about. The first happened on Saturday when I was introduced to the cartoonist Sally-Anne Hickman. Her confessional comic, Have You Got All Your CDs and Things?, was a revelation, a Jeffrey Brown-like meditation on the highs and lows of love and sex in the big city. Later on, when I saw another of Sally-Anne's comics, Sex, Drawn & Rock-n-Roll, at the Smallzone stall, I immediately snapped it up. 

The second moment came on Sunday morning when a whole bunch of us were waiting to go to lunch. We fell into conversation with a guy called Gareth, who produced a pile of comics from a plastic bag that he was carrying. He'd just bought them from a second-hand comics stall in the convention hall. Soon we were all debating the relative merits of said comics, which included Superman, Death's Head 2 and The Nam. For me, this is what a good comic con' is all about, stumbling upon talent like Sally-Anne's and sharing your enthusiasm for comics with like-minded people like Gareth. That's what made Bristol for me and that's why I'll be back next year.

Now, I wonder what Leon and Dave thought...?

Shane Chebsey from Smallzone does an amazing Sandman impression. Photo: Barry Renshaw

Bryan Talbot quickly sold all 60 of the copies of his new Alice in Sunderland graphic novel he brought to the event. Photo: Joe Gordon

Glenn Fabry. Photo: Joe Gordon

It never ceases to amaze me the sheer number and the wide variety of comics exhibited at the Bristol Expo, writes Leon Hewitt. From the vast array of manga at the Tokyopop booth down to the A5 photocopied minis that jostled for space on Shane Chesby's Smallzone table, to say there is something for everyone is an understatement, there are at least half a dozen things for everyone.
Of the professional publishers, Top Shelf had their usual impressive range and both Rebellion and Panini arrived with a good selection of books. Panini's booth was particularly noticeable thanks to it being manned by a Dalek, promoting the release of their latest Doctor Who strip collection, The Flood. Meanwhile, the more traditional back-issue dealers occupied the far wall and seemed to be doing brisk business throughout the weekend.
But it's the small-pressers and the self-publishers that really make this event. I didn't do the maths, but it seemed like a good three-quarters of the tables in the main convention hall were taken up by those folk that make comics solely for the love of it. Some of these people have been coming to this event for years. Arthur and David Goodman were celebrating ten years of publishing their Square-Eyed Stories. An impressive run and they show no sign of stopping any time soon. I wouldn't be surprised if I found them celebrating 20 years of their slick and witty cartooning at Bristol '17.

And what of the new kids on the block? I was particularly impressed with Steven Aryan and Eddie Butler's Mythos.  I remember talking to them last year when Mythos was little more than an idea, and was delighted that in the ensuing year they have managed to produce three issues of their comic, with a fourth and fifth on the way and a collection planned for October. An example to self-publishers everywhere, with that kind of dedication to making comics they deserve every success.

Diversity was what came to mind as I made my way around. On one table sat the lovingly produced science-fiction that is Paul Scott's Omnivistacope and behind him sat Oliver East with copies of the third instalment of his stylish and innovative travelogue, Trains Are...Mint (which won't be officially released until September, making it a bit of a Expo exclusive).
For a newcomer I can imagine it to be quite daunting; where do you start? Thankfully help was at hand from the boys at Accent UK. These guys have been producing anthologies for several years now and each year they get bigger. Weighing in at 168 pages, this year's book, Zombies, is a great representation of the wide-range of styles on offer in UK comics at the moment. An entertaining and economical way of sampling a variety of UK talents, it was hardly surprising that everywhere I went over the weekend I could see someone clutching a copy.

So all in all another great show and to many I spoke to, one of the best. To the casual observer it would appear that the UK comic scene is all but dead, surviving on Judge Dredd, some American reprints and a clutch of nursery titles, but all these casual observers need do is put their heads round the door of the British Empire and Commonwealth Exhibition Hall in Bristol one weekend in May and they'll see a scene that is anything but.

Bristol Comics Expo is the annual event where anyone and everyone that has anything to do with comics gets very little sleep, writes David Baillie.

MINI INTERVIEW: Daniel Hartwell of Caption Why Bristol? Because it's the biggest mainstream comics event in the country. Are you a first-timer or regular? Regular. I've been to every Bristol con since it began. Best bit of Bristol? Talking to Ilya about Urban Beasts, a comic I'm co-creating with the Rubins sisters of Dark fame. He seemed really interested in it. Worst bit? Drinks in the Ramada being more than £3 a pint! Bah. Most memorable bit (good or bad)? Having my impromptu lightsabre duel with Karen Rubins broken up by Boba Fett. "You got a licence for that weapon?" Will you be there next year? Oh yeah, I always have a great time a Bristol.

Like a prize idiot I compounded this terrible scenario by staying up until 4.00am the night before it all started, finishing off work that would have been quite happy to be left until this week. So on Friday morning, after wrestling with my alarm clock (a device I employ perhaps twice a year) I had approximately seven minutes in which to shave my head, brush my teeth and race to catch the five-pounds-bus I'd booked to take me to Bristol.

I bet Grant Morrison doesn't start his conventions like this.

The 2007 Expo marked my third anniversary as a freelance writer and artist (or what my friends like to call ‘quitting the day job and becoming a man of leisure') and I spent the vast majority of it on the periphery of the main event chatting with my fellow man (and woman).

And before anyone has the audacity to suggest I do this to try and avoid paying the (very reasonable) 12 pounds entrance fee required to enter the ‘official' Expo areas, I'd like to take this opportunity to thank Mssrs Morris and Allwood for kindly having me as a guest.

For anyone looking to break into or find work in the weird world of comics, networking at conventions is the tried and tested route. For me, Bristol has always been a long-term career-assist, rather than somewhere I pick up immediate gigs - I'm currently looking at something which resulted from a conversation I had at last year's event, for example. Last weekend was no different – I got a sniff of the usual one and a quarter jobs, but no doubt things will happen in years to come because of my attendance. I certainly hope to make that fiver back at any rate.

The Comics Expo is definitely a social event for me. I have a number of friends that I see mostly at these sorts of things, and I really look forward to catching up with people I haven't seen for a few months and becoming jealous about the exciting, high-profile jobs they're working on.

Honestly – the number of people who confided in me about top secret and incredibly impressive new projects this year was staggering. A sign that the British comics industry is finally on the up? I hope so... And so does my landlord!

Of the many pleasurable encounters I had at the weekend I'd especially like to mention Lew Stringer and Dave Windett – it's always a pleasure meeting these guys, Declan Shalvey and Andy Winter – who walked off with a well-deserved Eagle Award for best B&W British comic, Al and Maggie Davidson – whose Astral Gypsy shop in Coventry everyone should visit, Al Ewing – whose lounge songs brighten up any occasion, ‘Big' Jim Stewart – whose Astounding Ganjaman is on the cusp of becoming a multimedia industry all on its own,  Bridgeen Gillespie – whose offer of jiving I will take up one of these days, John Aggs and Dave Andrews - whose new Manga will be stellar, and Paul Fryer – whose movie star beard wowed the crowds.

The only problem is, given that I spend the vast majority of my day working in isolation, I'm not accustomed to prolonged social interaction and usually end up struggling to string a sentence together by the end of it. In fact I'd like to apologise to anyone who had to suffer my anecdotes come Sunday evening, when I'd definitely run out of brain steam. I think next year, I'll try something different... And aim for at least one good night's sleep!           

About the Writers:

Matthew Badham was not invited to Alan Moore's recent wedding (or his honeymoon).

Leon Hewitt is a regular contributor to Redeye Magazine.

David Baillie writes, draws and complains about the price of hotel bars. He might have an impressive new high-profile project that he's working on... But if he does, he certainly can't tell you about it.

Special thanks to all the Festival organisers for another great year!

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AND FINALLY... LET'S HEAR IT FROM A FIRST TIMER!
Joe Gordon of Forbidden Planet International

Why Bristol?

Hunt Emerson is attacked by a giant costume, not that he seems to mind. Photo: Joe Gordon

Lauren Seymour spent some time sketching con goers - including, we think, Silver Bullets columnist Rick Johnston.

You mean why does the city of Bristol exist? Or why did I go? I don't do deep philosophy on Mondays, so I'll go with the latter: kind of a mix really, a chance to cover it a bit for the blog, of course, but also a chance to meet folks I deal with online. The web is great for keeping in touch and swapping news and so on, but it is nice to actually meet people in the flesh.

Are you a first-timer or regular?

First time to both the Expo and first visit to the city

Best bit of Bristol?

The ales from the local Butcombe Brewery! Only kidding, they were the second best bit; best bit was getting to meet a lot of folks I know from online in the flesh for a change, especially a lot of the UK small press crew.

Worst bit?

Getting lost on the way to my hotel which wasn't as close as the con site made it seem probably ties with not getting a decent (or even indecent) picture of the lady in the Black Cat costume (for strictly professional reasons, of course, ahem)

Most memorable bit (good or bad)?

Hunt Emerson recognising me before I had a chance to introduce myself. I've swapped emails but never met him, so I was taken aback - he knew my face from the pirate cartoon he did of me and my colleagues on the website for a Comics International ad the year before. Now that is an impressive memory for facial details! Guess that is one more reason why he is such a top cartoonist.

Will you be there next year?

To quote Rick from Casablanca, "I never make plans that far ahead," but I would be happy to go back.