The Auld Alliance Comics Festival is back at Institut Français d’Écosse in Edinburgh soon (29th to 31st May 2026), with a fantastic, largely free Francophile friendly lineup of comic creators, and more.
The 730th anniversary of the historic treaty between France and Scotland was celebrated with a special Comics Weekend organised by the French Institute in partnership with La Belle Adventure bookshop last year. The event proved to be a great success, bringing together the French and Scottish communities around a shared love of comics.
Returning to the Scottish capital this weekend, the festival will welcome both renowned French and Scottish comics creators, along with an artist alley, talks, signings, and more.
This year’s guests are Anaïs Flogny, creator, Le Jour du Caillou (ed. Dupuis), Rivages Lointains/Smoke gets in your eyes (ed. Dargaud/Abrams); Sophie Leullier, creator, Ce que les corbeaux nous laissent (ed. Dupuis); Benoit Dahan and Cyril Lieron, creators of Dans la tête de Sherlock Holmes/Inside the mind of Sherlock Holmes (ed. Ankama/Titan); Lomig, creator of Au coeur des solitudes/John Muir (ed. Sarbacane/NBM), Dans la forêt (ed. Sarbacane); Jon McNaught, creator, Hors scène, L’été à Kingdom Fields (ed. Dargaud); and Sarah Lippett, co-creator of Everything Amplified (Cicada Books)
The event will open with a Live Drawing Show performed by Anaïs Flogny and Sophie Leullier (Booking advised).
Offering Talks and Signings with these amazing artists, this growing event includes an Artists’ Alley, featuring local talents and Scottish publishers, Workshops, and an Exhibition dedicated to its Guests of honour; plus, on Sunday, a Sherlock Holmes Walking Tour (in French, advance booking advised)
• Auld Alliance Comics Festival 2026 29th, 30th & 31st May 2026 Institut Français d’Écosse, West Parliament Square Edinburgh EH1 1RF | Free entry for most events, discount on paid events for Institut Français d’Écosse members | Full Details Here
Supported by La Belle Adventure is at 225 Leith Walk, Edinburgh EH6 8NX | Opening hours: Wednesday to Saturday: 10.30 – 6.00pm | Sunday: 1.00 – 5.00pm | Facebook | Instagram
Event Schedule
Talks & Signings (chaired by Assa Samaké-Roman)
Saturday 30th May
1pm to 2pm – Figures & imagination: Reinventing Sherlock Holmes and John Muir
(Benoit Dahan, Cyril Lieron & Lomig)
Graphic novels often draw on well-known figures, whether literary or historical. But how are they reimagined today?
From the intricate, mind-driven world of Sherlock Holmes to a more contemplative and sensitive take on John Muir, this discussion explores different ways of bringing these figures to life, balancing fidelity with creative reinterpretation.
3pm to 4pm – Growing up in Bande Dessinée: When everyday moments shape who we become
(Sarah Lippett & Jon McNaught)
What if the most transformative parts of adolescence weren’t big turning points, but small, everyday moments like a song, a summer afternoon, a friendship that changes?
Through their work, Sarah Lippett and Jon McNaught portray a kind of youth shaped by atmosphere, rhythm and fleeting experiences that slowly but surely shape identity.
This discussion explores what these stories tell us about young people today, and what they reveal about how we, as adults, look back on childhood and adolescence.
Sunday 31st May
1pm to 2pm – Telling the intimate: young adult stories and new ways of representing love (Anaïs Flogny & Sophie Leullier)
Young adult graphic novels often explore intimate themes — relationships, identity, emotions. They’ve also become a space where new ways of representing love are emerging, particularly through queer stories.
This conversation explores how these themes are addressed in graphic novels, through the work of two authors with distinct approaches.
Activities
Saturday 30th May
Japanese printing demo inspired by Kyôsai Manga by Stamnos Edition
Sunday 31st May
Comics workshop. Free for all ages! (Lunchtime) by Anna Schiraldi Arts Comics and Classes
Occidental Printing demo A tribute to Lovecraft (Chtulhu) by Stamnos Edition
Artists Alley
Meet Scottish and French local comics creators and publishers: Blue Fox Comics, Julie Campbell, Marie-Alice Harel, François Giro, Sloth Comics, Gustaffo Vargas, Marcello Borsetti, Andy Pearson, Quindrie Press, Catriona Laird & Ashling Draws – CHIP Collective, Onion Press, Tom Humberstone, Nadia Schlosser, Stamnos Edition.
Special Events (Booking in advance advised)
- Live Drawing Show with Anaïs Flogny and Sophie Leullier on Friday 29 May at 6.30pm
- Cluedo: A Live Drawn Investigation on Sunday 31 May at 11am
- Sherlock Holmes Walking Tour (in French) on Sunday 31 May at 3pm
• Auld Alliance Comics Festival 2026 29th, 30th & 31st May 2026 Institut Français d’Écosse, West Parliament Square Edinburgh EH1 1RF | Free entry for most events, discount on paid events for Institut Français d’Écosse members | Full Details Here
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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: Comics, Creating Comics, downthetubes Comics News, downthetubes News, Events, International Comic News
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