Comics Take Over Gloucester This Sunday

By John Freeman on August 18, 2017

The team behind the hugely-successful True Believers Comic Festival, returning next year, are hosting Summer Variant Edition this Sunday (20th August 2017) at Blackfriars Priory, Gloucester.

The event offers a small slice of what to expect from the team’s main Festival, back next February and will see a great selection of comic creators, artists and traders come together for a fantastic day of comic book fun for all the family.

Featuring two halls of tables, panels on creating comics, workshops designed to inspire creativity, cosplay and more.

The event will also be celebrating 40 years of Star Wars with the help of cosplay group The Joker Squad and the Cheltenham R2-D2, both of whom will be on hand for photos.

True Believers Comic Festival Summer Variant Edition is being put on in support of the Sue Ryder Leckhampton Court Hospice, with at least £1 from every ticket sold being donated to them.

The True Believers Comic Festival was founded in 2013 by comic book fans Stuart Mulrain, Jo Hartley and Andy Hanks with the objective of putting on a comic con event that put the focus back onto the comic books, their creators and the fans.
With the help of Cheltenham Comic Shop Proud Lion Comics and local comic creator Jon Lock, the team launched their Kickstarter campaign to partially fund the first event at Cheltenham Racecourse in February 2015.

• True Believers Comic Festival Summer Variant Edition – Sunday 20th August 11.00am – 4.00pm, Blackfriars Priory, Gloucester. Tickets are just £5 per person (with children aged 12 and under getting in for free with a paying adult) | More information at www.oktruebelievers.com

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.