Twenty years ago this year, John Harris Dunning and Paul Gravett co-founded COMICA, the London Comics Festival, at the Institute of Contemporary Arts, or ICA. To mark this anniversary, COMICA is coming back to offer a season of early evening events through March at the stunning Century Club, Soho on Shaftesbury Avenue, in association with VIP Brands and The Lakes International Comic Art Festival.

The first COMICA took place in 2003, a two week long festival, based at the ICA, or more formally know as the Institute of Contemporary Arts, in The Mall, sponsored by The Guardian. Guests included Charles Burns, Mike Carey, Sophie Crumb, Warren Ellis, Gary Spencer Millidge Joe Sacco, Posy Simmonds, Chris Ware and more.

Although there hasn’t been a COMICA in recent years, a substantial number of comic fans form part of a COMICA Social Club on Facebook, and gather at the regular London Comic Mart at the Royal National Hotel to meet friends old and new, and enjoy conversations, drinks and chips.

Full dates, details and booking links of COMICA 2023 will follow soon – join the COMICA Social Club on Facebook for news | COMICA on Facebook

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John Freeman

John  is the founder of downthetubes, launched in 1998. He is a comics and magazine editor, writer, and Press Officer for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He also runs Crucible Comic Press.

Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine and Overkill for Marvel UK, Babylon 5 Magazine, Star Trek Magazine, and its successor, Star Trek Explorer, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics; and has edited several comic collections and graphic novels, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”, and Hancock: The Lad Himself, by Stephen Walsh and Keith Page.

He’s the writer of  comics such as 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.

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Categories: Comic Art, Comics, Creating Comics, downthetubes Comics News, downthetubes News, Events

Tags: Century Club, ComICA, Comics Events, downthetubes News, Events London, John Harris Dunning, London, Paul Gravett