The Lakes International Comic Art Festival’s free, long-running Make Mine Manga travelling exhibition, curated by Paul Gravett, has a new destination – Macclesfield Library.
The exhibition will run from 23rd June – 30th July 2026 at the Library, so if you’re also attending the Macc Pow Comic Art Festival, running 25th to 28th June, this is definitely something to see.
Make Mine Manga is a free exhibition for anyone curious about manga as well as the avid fan. Drawn from material from the Kyoto International Manga Museum, it has been specially created by Paul Gravett, comic publisher, fan and author of Manga: 60 Years Of Japanese Comics.
Manga have become a pop-culture phenomenon in the UK and more and more people are reading them, with bookshops and Local Comic Shops initially leading the charge to bring this comic form to the attention of the public, buoyed by wider interest in related anime.
Make Mine Manga was originally part of Manchester City of Literature’s Festival of Libraries, a county-wide celebration of Greater Manchester’s 133 libraries from 7 – 11th June 2023.
In the exhibition, brought to Macclesfield in partnership with the Lakes International Comic Art Festival (LICAF), you can explore how these comics evolved first in Japan and how their brilliant creators continue to expand the medium.
Discover today’s generation of award-winning British talents making manga their own way into a truly global language.
The Bookseller (subscription required) reported last year that six of the top ten bestselling graphic novelists in Britain are Japanese manga authors: Eiichiro Oda (One Piece); Gege Akutami (Jujutsu Kaisen); the late Kentaro Miura (Berserk); Koyoharu Gotouge (Demon Slayer); Hajime Isayama (Attack on Titan); and Kohei Horikoshi (My Hero Academia).
These authors continue to break Total Consumer Market sales records, outselling many domestic UK authors and, reportedly, occasionally cracking the £1 million earnings threshold in the British book trade.
Make Mine Manga Workshop, Too
If you also enjoy drawing Manga, Macc Pow’s Manga Masterclass with award-winning creator Sonia Leong (Manga Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet) a Director of Sweatdrop Studios, a UK comic collaborative and independent publisher, is also not to be missed! Secure your spot by booking here
Sonia has been running manga workshops since 2004, Her work appears in Domo: The Manga (Tokyopop/Big Tent), Bravest Warriors: The Search for Catbug (VIZ Media), Doctor Who: The Women Who Lived (BBC Books) and Doctor Who: Adventures in Lockdown (BBC Books). She illustrates covers for Titan Comics, most notably for Assassin’s Creed and Norman, and also works in children’s publishing, illustrating the I, Hero series (Hachette) by Steve Barlow and Steve Skidmore, Girls FC series (Walker) by Helena Pielichaty and the Ninja Trilogy (Barrington Stoke) by Chris Bradford (Young Samurai).
MACC-POW!, Macclesfield’s Boutique Comic Art Festival, returns for its eleventh year in June, bringing a mighty weekend of comics and comic art to the very heart of Macclesfield, Cheshire. The event will include the world premiere of the new film, OiNK! A Short Tail documentary.
• Make Mine Manga! Free Exhibition, 23rd June – 30th July at Macclesfield Library, open Monday and Thursday 10.00am – 7.00pm; Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays, 10.00am – 5.00pm; Saturdays, 10.00 – 1.00pm; Closed on Sunday
• Make Manga! with Sonia Leong! At MACC-POW! 2.00 – 3.30pm, Room for Comics, 9a Market Place, Macclesfiled, SK10 1EB | £16.50 per person (plus small booking fee) | All materials provided Suitable for ages 8+ | All abilities welcome Spaces are limited, booking is essential| Book your ticket here via EventBrite
Join Manga artist Sonia Leong and learn the amazing skill of manga art, characters, comics and much more!
This fantastic event is part of MACC-POW! Comic Art Festival 2026!, brought to you by the team at Room for Comics. Offering a highly creative, and in-depth workshop with renowned manga artist Sonia Leong. Learn the true art and tradition of manga illustration and storytelling in this hands-on session. No prior experience necessary, just bring your creativity, enthusiasm and love of art! Don’t miss this exciting opportunity to learn from a true master in the world of Manga.
• Macc-Pow 2026 Friday 26th June – Sunday 28th June 2026, Macclesfield, Cheshire | Latest Information: Facebook | Web: maccpow.co.uk
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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.
Categories: Comic Art, Comics, Creating Comics, downthetubes Comics News, downthetubes News, Events, Exhibitions
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