The Lies of the Saints, a family history by Douglas Noble, a graphic novel centred on a legacy of deceit, has been earning plenty of deserved praise, and you might want to look out for it at Thought Bubble in Harrogate this weekend.
Douglas Noble is an independent comic creator and publisher, who runs the independent self-publishing imprint Strip For Me, which has produced dozens of unique comics since the mid-2000s, some also on sale this weekend. His work often explores folk horror, geographic unease, and “unfriendly romance” that forces readers to slow down and actively engage with the page
As we reported back in August, The Lies of the Saints, available online here, spans the centuries from 1660 to the present day, highlighting the instants of falsehood that mark and define the members of the Saint family. The lies that they tell each other and the lies that they tell themselves are explored, and how these untruths propagate and echo up and down their family tree.
“It is a history that is quite unlike any other,” said Douglas of the story, “incorporating moments that swing between comedy and horror, and touching on everything in between, The Lies of the Saints becomes a secret history of Britain and its changing landscapes.”
“What a cunning title!,” enthuses comics auteur Paul Gravett. “Douglas Noble is making a breakthrough work here of darkly resonant history and its pervasive effects through time. Look out for this one!”
“It goes without saying,” notes Andy Oliver in his recent review of the title on Broken Frontier, “that The Lies of the Saints is a book that we can only talk about in broad strokes when it comes to its narrative twists and turns. But this is a story that you will feel drawn to re-reading as soon as you have finished that final page.” (Andy has been previewing many of the huge range of independently either launching or on sale at Thought Bubble this weekend, do check out his substantial guides here).
Douglas is at Thought Bubble, alongside many, many other talented comic creators and independent and mainstream publishers. You’ll find him at table A19 in the 2000AD Hall.
• The Lies of Saints is available now direct from Douglas Noble
• Thought Bubble Comic Art Festival – The Yorkshire Comic Festival 2026 and Thought Bubble – Comic Convention | 14th – 15th November 2026 | Harrogate Convention Centre, Harrogate | Web www.thoughtbubblefestival.com
• Broken Frontier coverage of new and available comic works at Thought Bubble Festival 2026
- About the Author
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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.
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