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First Hackney Comic + Zine Fair announced for September

By John Freeman on May 11, 2019

The first ever Hackney Comic + Zine Fair will be taking over London Fields Arches this September, offering a celebration of all things comics, featuring over 40 artists, writers and publishers with a huge range of styles and genres available to purchase.

Comic creator Joe Stone came up with the idea for the event, after seeing that the number of purely comic-focused fairs in London was declining. As the organiser of monthly comic-making group WIP Comics, he decided to go ahead and try to help fill the gap in the scene and provide a platform for both new and established talent alike to interact with their audience and sell their work.

Hackney is the perfect location for it, with an open-minded community already interested in creative arts and easy transport links to central London and beyond.

Hosted by London Fields Brewery, HCZF 2019 offers a day packed full of comics, art and beer, where people can meet the creators and share the love of sequential art and narrative. No matter if you’ve never picked up a comic before, or if you have boxes full of thousands of them in the spare room at your dad’s house, then with work on offer featuring everything from autobiographical travel journals, abstract introspection, sci-fi romance and struggles with mental health, there will be something for everyone to enjoy.

“The aim of the event is to showcase the many different forms and genres that sequential art can take – especially in the independent, self-published and small-press scene,” notes Joe, who has long been something of a crusader for independent comics and creators.

Katriona Chapman

“The small press and indie comic scene in London is incredibly vibrant, and comic fairs are always a great experience for both the creators and fans. I was keen to bring a celebration of graphic art to the Hackney community, and with both established creators like Gareth Brookes, Danny Noble and Katriona Chapman, and new and upcoming artists including Amy Browne, Olivia Sualdea and Shango Edunjobi, we’ve got a line-up full of astonishingly talented people who will do just that.

“Also, it’s being held in a brewery with a lovely courtyard, two large rooms (each with their own bar) and loads of beer on offer, so it will be a bit like a big comic-themed party and you should definitely come to it.”

Olivia Sualdea

London Fields Brewery first brewed beer from the railway arches that sheltered them during the London Riots of 2011. Love not War is their origin; and remains alive in their support for local charities and artists within our diverse community. With a little help from their sister brewery in Brooklyn, the company is now brewing flavourful, balanced and accessible beer, while building a spanking new brewery back where it all started, under the arches in London Fields.

• Hackney Comic + Zine Fair 12 noon – 6.00pm Sunday 8th September 2019 London Field Arches, 369 & 370 Helmsley Place, London E8 3SB | Follow Hackney Comic + Zine Fair on Instagram @hackneycomicfair and Twitter @hackneycomics for updates, and head over to www.hackneycomicfair.com for more information about the event and venue

John Freeman

The founder of downthetubes, which he established in 1998. John works as a comics and magazine editor, writer, and on promotional work for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He is currently editor of Star Trek Explorer, published by Titan – his third tour of duty on the title originally titled Star Trek Magazine.

Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Babylon 5 Magazine, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics. He has also edited several comic collections, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”.

He’s the writer of “Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies” for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs” with Dave Hailwood.