The growing size of our dedicated British and Irish comic events page meant we have had to split our Exhibitions guide onto this separate feature on downthetubes. Information on exhibitions and venues is always welcome.
This feature was last updated on Wednesday 1st July 2026. Some of the exhibitions listed are permanent: some are temporary
As ever, information about events is welcome: here’s how to contact us. If you don’t see your exhibition added to this list, please re-send the information as it’s entirely possible, given the huge amount of email received, that we’ve missed it first time around – sorry!
• For comic-related events across the UK and Ireland, visit and bookmark this regularly updated page
• More Exhibition News on downthetubes
London
Bookery Gallerie – London
20 Church Street, London NW8 8EP | Web: bookerygallerie.com
Once a month the Bookery Gallerie hosts alternating exhibitions of London artists in a large spacious environment which lies beyond the bookshop. These sometimes include comic artists.
The British Library – London
96 Euston Road, London NW1 2DB
Web: bl.uk/whats-on
Check back for comic or illustration-related exhibition information – or visit bl.uk/whats-on
The Cartoon Museum – London
63 Wells Street, Fitzrovia, London, W1A 3AE Tel: 0207 580 8155
Web: cartoonmuseum.org | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube
Exhibit: Young Cartoonist in Residence Evan Bond
Runs until Sunday 5th July 2026 | Pick up merchandise from Evan and other Cartoonists in Residence in the Museum shop or online
This display showcases a selection of pieces from the Museum’s latest Young Cartoonist in Residence, Evan Bond. Through his use of colour and satire, this sci-fi comic explores the themes of politics and societal life.
This project supporting neurodivergent young artists is generously funded by the John Lyon’s Foundation.
Between 2025-2026, Evan Bond was the Young Cartoonist in Residence at The Cartoon Museum. This programme provides neurodiverse young cartoonist with an opportunity to produce cartoons and comic strips that can be exhibited and sold in the museum’s shop.
Across an eight month period Evan spent one afternoon pew week at the museum, woking with outreach Amba Malekin-Goneni and cartoonist/ tutor Steve Marchant to develop his characters and storyline.
Does My Head Look Big in This? The Art of Portrait Caricature
Saturday 23rd May – Sunday 1st November 2026
The Cartoon Museum, 63 Wells Street, London, W1A 3AE | Web: cartoonmuseum.org
Provocative, insightful, and rude, the caricaturist does the looking for us and hilariously reflects the society we live in, who we choose to vote for, and the personalities we celebrate.
Visitors are invited to celebrate the art of portrait caricature from its origins in Renaissance Italy to its outrageous Golden Age in 18th century England and into its popularity in the present day.
In this temporary exhibition, principally curated by Nicola Jennings, Chair of the British Cartoonists Association and the Cartoon Art Trust, visitors can examine the work of great caricaturists including Gerald Scarfe, David Levine, and André Carrilho among other notable artists.
This exhibition is funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and made possible by National Lottery players.
Exhibit: Well Actually: An Accurate Enough Collection
Tuesday 7th July 2026 until Sunday October 2026
Bringing their love of history and more importantly, having fun with it, to The Cartoon Museum, it’s Well Actually: An Accurate Enough Collection, a collection of comics that Madeline Horwath did the research for! From Medieval poetry to Medieval diseases to Medieval art, this expansive collection of topics will have no survivors!
Madeline ‘Mads’ Horwath is a cartoonist and humorist who sold their first cartoon to The New Yorker in 2019. They use their dark sense of humor to make comics about history. Since they’ve begun cartooning, they became a regular with The New Yorker, LA Times, and Chicago Reader before focusing their full attention to becoming a regular cartoonist for The Guardian in 2025.
Having made a few cartoons go massively viral, they are able to balance out making personal work and freelance work for institutions like The Wellcome Trust in England. Currently, Madeline is working on a humorous art history book set to come out in 2027.
The Duke of Greenwich – London
Duke of Greenwich, 91 Colomb St, London SE10 9EZ | Web: dukeofgreenwich.com
The Duke of Greenwich pub has previously hosted exhibitions of cartoons by a huge range of creators, curated by Daily Mirror cartoonist Pete Songi, who’s also a member of the Professional Cartoonists’ Organisation.
The Embassy of Japan – London
Embassy of Japan in the UK, 101-104 Piccadilly London W1J 7JT
Web: uk.emb-japan.go.jp/itprtop_en/index.html
Hosts the annual exhibition of winners of the Embassy’s Manga Jiman competition. 2025 exhibition ran from Friday 21st March – Friday 16th May. Walk-ins during the exhibition period are welcome. Admission is free, but showing photographic ID is necessary to gain entry to the Embassy.
Visitors to the Embassy can enjoy reading all the shortlisted entries in a special display, Manga Jiman: The Winners’ Exhibition, which features artwork from every story entered this year
The Ealing Project – London
Ealing Broadway, London W5 5JY | Web: ealingproject.co.uk
The Ealing Project – a multi-functional community space on the ground floor of Ealing Broadway centre, which has hosted comic related exhibitions, including 3 Generations, an exhibition of art that includes the work of comic creator and editor David Leach, in July 2023 (Read our related news story).
Farsight Gallery – London
Farsight Gallery, 4 Flitcroft Street, London WC2H 8DJ
Previously hosted Mick Jones Rock & Roll Public Library exhibition
For more information visit rocknrollpl.com | Mick Jones Rock & Roll Public Library Exhibitions Group | Read our news story
Gunnersby Park Museum – London
Gunnersby Park Museum, Gunnersbury Park House, Popes Lane, London W5 4NH (near Acton Town tube station) | Free, No booking required | Closed Mondays, Tuesday – Sunday: 10am – 4.30pm
Web: visitgunnersbury.org | Facebook | Instagram | X | YouTube
The Heath Robinson Museum – London
Pinner Memorial Park, 50 West End Lane, Pinner HA5 1AE | Web: www.heathrobinsonmuseum.org
The permanent Heath Robinson exhibition combines original artwork with books, photographs, film and digital media to tell the full story of Heath Robinson’s artistic career.
Heath Robinson’s autobiography was called My Line of Life and the permanent exhibition draws on this theme to follow his career from art school in the 1890s to his last works made during the Second World War. It describes how, having established himself as a leading illustrator at the start of the 20th century, he was forced to turn to humorous drawing to maintain his income. He pursued both forms of art for several years, but humour eventually dominated. However, throughout his life he saw himself as a serious artist and painted landscapes and imagined scenes for his own enjoyment.
South Bank Centre – London
Quentin Blake: The Southbank Parade
Tuesday 17th February to Sunday 8th November 2026 | Exhibition Details here
A free exhibition of cartoonist and illustrator Sir Quentin Blake‘s memories of the 1951 Festival of Britain at London’s Southbank Centre opens next month.
The much-loved illustrator and author has turned his recollections of Festival into a new installation for you to discover across the site.
The Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration
1 Myddelton Passage, London EC1R 1AG | Open Wednesday – Sunday, 10.00am – 5.00pm
Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration is the UK’s only permanent place for illustration, located in Clerkenwell, London.
Its three galleries in a former waterworks showcase the breadth and dynamism of illustration through regularly changing exhibitions.
Visitors can explore the free spaces, including public gardens, displays and an illustration library. A cafe serving fresh food in historic surroundings is also on offer as well as a shop stocked with unique illustration gifts.
Exhibitions at the Centre
Queer as Comics runs until 4th October 2026 | Curated by Paul Gravett | Tickets: Adults from £15. Tickets include entry to all exhibitions | Book Here | Members go free
Discover stories of fantasy, identity and resistance, as told by queer comic-makers in this first exhibition of its kind.
Queer as Comics traces comics, strip cartoons, graphic novels and zines that have represented LGBTQIA+ perspectives since the 1940s. From the UK’s first published gay comic strip and the first gay Black superhero, to today’s self-publishing scenes and webcomics, this is an exhibition of trailblazers.
For decades, queer artists have used comics to share impactful stories, often in defiance of censorship. With most artworks shown for the first time, the exhibition chronicles how comics have provided a voice for queer communities.
Highlights include drawings from Tove Jansson’s 1954 Moomin cartoon strip for the London Evening News and works by influential creators such as Kate Charlesworth, Rupert Kinnard and David Shenton.
In the decades following the UK’s partial decriminalisation of homosexuality in the 1960s, a vibrant queer press developed, with comic creators satirising queer scenes and making urgent political statements.
Artwork on show addresses state power, discrimination and bold visions for the future, including Tom Robinson’s Living with the Big A (1987), made to advocate for gay rights during the AIDS epidemic. Pioneering graphic novelists include Alison Bechdel, Howard Cruse and Ariel Schrag.
Today, queer creators continue to expand the medium through ambitious graphic novels, self-publishing and more. Recent works include Anna Trench‘s tale of women’s football and love in the early 20th century, Florrie, Jason Chuang’s poetic wordless comics and Lee Lai‘s award-winning story of love lost, Stone Fruit (2021).
Content warning: themes
The work in this exhibition represents a range of perspectives, experiences and imaginations.
Some works include references to violence, oppression, discrimination, dysphoria and mental illness. Some respond to homophobia and transphobia.
Some works include swear words and discriminatory language. In some cases, creators have reproduced this language to report on their lives, or they have reclaimed derogatory words for themselves.
Some works reference or depict sex.
If you would like more information about the content of the exhibition, please contact a member of the exhibitions team.
Supporters:
Queer as Comics is supported by Cockayne Grants for the Arts, a Donor Advised Fund, held at The Prism Charitable Trust. BSL interpretation for Queer as Comics has been awarded by the Exhibitions Group. It has been created by guest curator Paul Gravett, supported by an Advisory Board with members including Leo Fox, Ollie Hicks, Rachael House and Seena Shamsavari.
Having trained as an architect, MURUGIAH has brought ambitious scale and play with perspective to a decade of illustration projects.. He has collaborated with a diverse range of clients in editorial, apparel and branding. In his personal practice, MURUGIAHexplores his identity and feelings of disconnection from his heritage, overwhelm and rejection, with bold visual metaphors that invite people to reflect on their own lives.
This begins a series of exhibitions made in collaboration with contemporary UK-based illustrators, supporting new and ambitious illustration practice.
Supporters:
MURUGIAH: Ever Feel Like… is supported by the Bagri Foundation (as Major Supporter), using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England and sponsored by Procreate.
MURUGIAH: Ever Feel Like… runs until 31st August 2026 | Tickets: Adults from £15. Tickets include entry to all exhibitions | Book Here | Members go free
MURUGIAH invites you into his kaleidoscopic, sometimes macabre world in the multi-disciplinary illustrator’s first ever solo show.
MURUGIAH’s work reflects on his life and identity, drawing on his Sri Lankan heritage and Welsh upbringing. His flower-, elephant- and skull-headed characters are influenced by a youth playing Nintendo, listening to pop punk and watching Saturday morning cartoons. Fused with references to Hollywood film and Sri Lankan art and design, works range from new sculpture and painting to commercial print and animation.
Quentin Blake: Performance runs until 1st April 2027 | Tickets: Adults from £15. Tickets include entry to all exhibitions | Book Here | Members go free
From acrobatics to Shakespeare, this is a rare opportunity to explore Quentin Blake‘s theatrical influences. See over 100 original works by Quentin Blake in this UK-first survey of the influence of theatre on his work. Discover how Quentin has captured the spirit of performers – from street entertainers and circus artists, to comedic turns in pantomime and puppetry.
Included are Quentin’s rarely-seen illustrations from opening night performances, including his depiction of Laurence Olivier’s iconic turn in The Entertainer (1957). Glimpse original drawings for Roald Dahl’s The Enormous Crocodile (1978), inspired by the crocodile of Victorian Punch and Judy shows.
The exhibition features Quentin’s illustrations of works by Ancient Greek, Elizabethan and modern playwrights including William Shakespeare and Samuel Beckett, with highlights including Waiting for Godot (2021) and Aristophanes’ The Birds (1971).
His recent illustrations of Macbeth (2023) characters as birds will be publicly shown for the first time, with his distinctive scratchy line drawings offering a fresh take on the tragedy. Rarely seen preparatory material will give an insight into his working process, with illustrations for books including Angelo (1970) and Clown (1965), and cover designs for Punch magazine.
Young Victoria and Albert Museum – London
Young Victoria and Albert Museum, Cambridge Heath Road, Bethnal Green, London, E2 9PA | Exhibition Page
Beyond the Capital…
Bovington, Dorset
The Tank Museum brings the story of tanks and their crews to life. Exhibitions sometimes include comic-related items. The Museum owns a collection of “Charley’s War” pages from Battle.
Brighton, East Sussex
Graphic Brighton hosts a number of exhibitions, during its annual event. Follow their news blog here
Chester, Cheshire
Storyhouse
Hunter Street, Chester CH1 2AR | Web: storyhouse.com
Has previously hosted comic-related exhibitions including 2024’s “Aliens, Zombies & Monsters” a show filled with vibrant life-sized colourful characters in an immersive exploration into how children’s books and characters are created… from the mind of children’s author and illustrator, Aaron Blecha.
Ditchling, East Sussex
Ditchling Museum of Art + Craft, Lodge Hill Lane, Ditchling, East Sussex, BN6 8SP | Web: ditchlingmuseumartcraft.org.uk | Facebook
Previously ran Bloomin’ Brilliant: The Life and Work of Raymond Briggs in 2024, an exhibition featuring never-seen-before items and artworks from one of the UK´s most beloved author illustrators in the part of East Sussex that he made his home.
Sadly, Ditchling Museum of Art + Craft is temporarily closed to the public, since 23rd February 2026. “This pause allows time to reflect on the focus of our work and to plan our next phase in response to changes in the challenging economic context in which museums now operate,” the management state. “The organisation remains active, and we will share further updates in due course.”
Dundee, Scotland
Tower Building
University of Dundee, Nethergate Dundee DD1 4HN | Exhibitions Information
Previous exhibitions include Sydney Jordan retrospective – read our news story about the opening night and a preview of some of the art on display (If you’re a Jeff Hawke fan, check out the Jeff Hawke Fan Club here)
Bonus: Here’s a virtual tour of Ian Kennedy – Celebrating a Comics Legend, which ran in early 2023
Ian Kennedy (1932-2022) is a legend in British comics. Acclaimed and respected by fans and fellow artists, his career in comics spanned over 70 years. Ian left behind a huge legacy that will continue to inspire comics fans for generations to come. We are delighted to present this exhibition featuring a selection of original art from Ian’s studio and from the collections of DC Thomson.
• Read James Bacon’s review of this exhibition right here on downthetubes
• Watch: A guided tour by comics expert and Abertay University lecturer Phillip Vaughan showcasing highlights of the exhibition Ian Kennedy: Celebrating a Comics Legend in the Lamb Gallery, Tower Building, University of Dundee, given at a special event on 3rd March 2023 in the company of members of Ian’s family, former friends and colleagues and comics fans.
Glasgow, Scotland
The Mitchell Library, North Street, Glasgow G3 7DN has hosted comi-related exhibitions
• Official Site | Read the accessibility guide for The Mitchell Library on AccessAble | Autism-friendly guide to the Mitchell Library
To commemorate the 200th anniversary of the Glasgow Looking-Glass, the world’s first comic, in 2025, the Mitchell Library presented “Glasgow through the Looking-Glass” | Read our related news story
Harrogate, Yorkshire
The Mercer Gallery, Swan Road, Harrogate HG1 2SA | Open Tuesday to Sunday from 9.30am to 4.30pm
The Mercer Art Gallery in Harrogate previously hosted “Vision and Labour”, an exhibition showcasing some of today’s most exciting comics’ creators, created in partnership with Avery Hill Publishing and the Thought Bubble Comic Art Festival. The exhibition offered a fascinating glimpse into the work of leading comic artists, and an important snapshot of the UK comics landscape over the past decade.
Herne Bay, Kent
Herne Bay Festival-related exhibitions
The Seaside Museum, 12 William Street, Herne Bay | The Museum and shop are open Tuesday to Saturday, 11.00am to 4.00pm | Web: theseasidemuseumhernebay.org | Follow the Herne Bay Festival on Facebook | Instagram | X
Current Exhibition: An Edwardian Promenade (23rd May to 5th September 2026) | An exhibition of costume by Kent Costume Trust.
Stay tuned for Herne Bay Festival-related exhibitions in 2026 at Beach Creative, Beach House, Beach Street, Herne Bay
Help Keep a Museum in Herne Bay! For the past decade, Herne Bay Museum Trust (Charity No. 1160344) has kept The Seaside Museum thriving as a community hub in Herne Bay, after saving it from closure in 2014.
Now, the Museum is raising funds to enhance displays, conserve objects, introduce digital storytelling, and offer more free activities and events.
Run by dedicated volunteers, it relies on donations to keep local history alive — please consider supporting its future. Donate Now
Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire
Brew Cafe
76 Bond Street, Hull, HU1 3EN | Web: www.brewhull.co.uk
Has previously hosted art by local independent comic creators
Kendal, Cumbria
• Lakes International Comic Art Festival – Friday 2nd – Sunday 4th October 2026
The annual Lakes International Comic Art Festival, back in Kendal in 2026, usually features tie-in exhibitions during its annual event
King’s Norton, West Midlands
The Navigation is located at 1, Wharf Road, Kings Norton, Birmingham, B30 3LS | JD Wetherspoon Web Page | TripAdvisor Reviews
Not an exhibition as such, but if you’re in King’s Norton, The Navigation pub has a tribute to comic artist Reg Bunn, longtime artist on “The Spider” in the weekly British comic Lion, on its walls. Reg lived in King’s Norton. Read our news story
• Reg Bunn-related items on downthetubes
Liverpool
The Beatles in Comics
The Liverpool Beatles Museum is at 23 Mathew Street, Liverpool L2 6RE | Web: liverpoolbeatlesmuseum.com | Facebook | Twitter
The Beatles in Comics permanent exhibition features over 100 examples of the band from newspaper cartoons, strips and comic books from 1963 to the present day.
The exhibition is open to the general public and well worth the trek to the third floor of this most authentic and delightful of museums to all things Fab.
Macclesfield
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
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. Read our related news story
More information on the Make Mine Manga! Travelling Exhibition below
Milngavie, East Dunbartonshire, Scotland
The Lillie Art Gallery – Station Road, Milngavie, G62 8BZ
Open Tuesday-Saturday, 10.00am – 1.00pm and 2.00 – 5.00pm. Admission is free | For more venue information, call 0141 956 5536 or visit edlc.co.uk/venues/lillie-art-gallery
• Follow the Council on Facebook | Instagram | X | Follow the Trust on X @EDLC_Culture or like the page at facebook.com/EDLCCulture
Previously ran ‘Comics Stripped’, an exhibition exploring how comics are created. Oor Wullie, Judge Dredd and Rupert the Bear were at the ‘art’ of this free exhibition which focused on comic strips and creators in Scotland | Read our related new story
Mount Fitchet, Essex
The House on the Hill Toy Museum
Castle Visitor Centre, Lower Street, Stansted Mountfitchet, Essex CM24 8SP
Web: stanstedtoymuseum.com
Housed in the grounds of Mount Fitchet Castle, near Stansted Airport, the The House on the Hill Toy Museum has some phenomenal displays of toys spanning many eras and genres, with good examples of children’s comics and annuals. The 1960s Gerry Anderson inspired display had some collectable comics and books. Well worth a visit if you’re in the area. (With thanks to Phil Shrimpton)
Northampton, Northamptonshire
Northampton Museum and Art Gallery, 5-6 Guildhall Road, Northampton, NN1 1DP
Web: northamptonmuseums.com
Northampton Museum and Art Gallery previously hosted “Art and Comics Unwrapped: Exploring the Line Between Comics and Fine Art”, exploring the similarities between fine art and comics and how they are produced.
This free exhibition explained the process of how comics are created and examine the common elements from fine art; the drawing, the painting and the poetry. It also exhibited a story of epic proportions without superheroes, just ordinary people.
The Panel Gallery
3 Abington Square, Northampton NN1 4AE | Opening hours Tuesday to Saturday 11.00am – 4.00pm) | Free | Web: thepanelgallery.com
The Panel Gallery is the first art gallery in the UK to specialise in original comic art. Showcasing comic art from Marvel, DC Comics, 2000AD and many more publishers.
Opening to the public in 2021, Jeff Chahal, the owner and curator of the gallery, has always felt that comic art doesn’t receive the respect that it should, which ultimately lead to the idea of starting Panel Gallery so that comic artwork might at last be showcased in a fitting environment.
Having worked in comic retail for 20 years, and with a background of running the hugely respected NICE Comic Con in Bedford, Jeff applies the same criteria to both his comic convention and the new Panel Gallery. For him, it is essential that the focus of both are on the art itself and also on all those that are involved in the creative process of producing comic books.
The Panel Gallery has previously hosted the marvellous “Steve Dillon Revisited” exhibition, featuring new pieces, in addition to artworks by the late 2000AD and Preacher artist they previously exhibited. Check out Steve Dillon Exhibition on Facebook
Rugby, Warwickshire
Rugby Art Gallery and Museum
Little Elborow Street, Rugby, Warwickshire CV21 3BZ | Telephone 01788 533201 | Web: ragm.co.uk/kapow
Hosted Kapow – The Art of Making Comics and Film in 2023 featuring a wide range of comic art, including work by Frank Bellamy, Ben Oliver, Frank Quitely and many others.
• Read James Bacon’s review of KAPOW
Southport, Lancashire
The Atkinson
Lord Street, Southport PR8 1DB and online at theatkinson.co.uk | Facebook | Instagram | X
Free Entry | Monday – Saturday. 10am – 4pm | Closed Sundays & Bank Holidays.
Plan your visit here
Hosts a permanent “Dan Dare” exhibition in honour of creator Frank Hampson, who lived and worked with his team in Southport when the Eagle comic launched.
Previously hosted Bill Tidy: “Is there any news of the iceberg?” in 2024, a tribute to the late cartoonist, TV personality and author Bill Tidy MBE who lived for many happy years in Southport.
Whitehaven, Cumbria
The Beacon Museum, West Strand, Whitehaven, Cumbria CA28 7LY | Opening Times: Tuesday – Saturday | 10.00am – 4.30pm | Sunday | 11.00am – 4.00pm
Web: thebeacon-whitehaven.co.uk
Has previously hosted COMICS: The Famous & Forgotten, the Cartoon Museum’s roving exhibition, which tells the story of comic art in Britain – from the famous to the forgotten.
Woodstock, Oxfordshire
Soldiers of Oxfordshire Museum
Park Street, Woodstock, OX20 1SN | Registered Charity No. 1145408 | Web: sofo.org.uk | Facebook | Instagram | X
Temporary and permanent exhibitions often with strong illustration themes.
Touring Comic Exhibitions
Enter The Mulberry Tree and Fly Free
If you are interested in hosting this unique exhibition, please contact the Lakes International Comic Art Festival
Enter the Mulberry Tree and Fly Free: Palestinian Comics Revealed offers a unique glimpse into the world of Palestinian comic art, featuring the works of twelve incredible artists who explore personal identity, geopolitics and the nuances of everyday life in Palestine.
Make Mine Manga
If you are interested in hosting this unique exhibition, please contact the Lakes International Comic Art Festival
Make Mine Manga, a free, touring exhibition for anyone curious about manga, as well as the avid fan.
The exhibition explores the origins of manga in Japan, the creative techniques behind the art and the wonder of Manga-Anime. It features artwork from incredible creators from Japan and UK manga creators.
Manga have become a pop-culture phenomenon in the UK and, if you’ve been into any branch of Waterstones, or your local comic shop, you probably already know more and more people are reading them; and six of the top ten bestselling graphic novelists in Britain are by Japanese manga authors.
In this exhibition, visitors will be able explore how these comics evolved first in Japan and how their brilliant creators continue to expand the medium, and discover today’s generation of award-winning British talents making manga their own way into a truly global language.
The Lakes International Comic Art Festival is an annual comic art Festival and advocate for comic art. Established in 2013, the not-for-profit festival takes place annually over a weekend in the Autumn, originally in Kendal, and, since last year, in multiple venues in Bowness-on-Windermere.
The exhibition has been specially created by Paul Gravett, comic publisher, fan and author of Manga: 60 Years of Japanese Comics, and has been led by Bolton Library Services, on behalf of a consortium of libraries in the North West. It’s been funded by Arts Council England under its Project Grants scheme and the Lakes International Comic Art Festival is one of the delivery partners.
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.
First touring in 2023 the Make Mine Manga exhibition and associated workshops, funded by Art Council England, was led by Bolton Library and Museum Services running in several North West libraries, including Barrow-in-Furness Central Library and Manchester Central Library and produced in partnership with the Lakes International Comic Art Festival and Manchester City of Literature.
The exhibition was curated by Paul Gravett (author of, among other titles, Mangasia: The Definitive Guide to Asian Comics) and designed by Steve Kerner of Curious Road and the project owes its existence to many artists and publishers for their support to make it exhibition possible: Junko Mizuno, Jiro Taniguchi, Eldo Yoshimizu, Takayo Akiyama, Fumio Obata, Kiriko Kubo, Ilya, Yukiko Kai, Hatsu Haru, Hideko Mizuno, Eiko Hanamura, Ueda Toshiko, Matsumoto Katsuji, Kyoto International Manga Museum, Titan, Fanfare and Aquira.
In addition, Ed Hillyer (aka ILYA) designed signature idents for the project, used within the basic exhibition materials, largely existing images culled from his MANGA DRAWING KIT: Techniques, Tools And Projects for Mastering the Art of Manga (2006, AmazonUK Affiliate Link)), which has also been published as MANGA ART: Toutes les techniques pour maîtriser l’art du manga (in France), and MANGA ZEICHNEN: Das komplette Set für Einsteiger (Germany) – and from a much earlier exhibit he curated for Whitechapel Ideas Store in 2010 – MANGA UK! MANGA JIMAN! (which means ‘having pride in Manga’).
LAKES INTERNATIONAL COMIC ART FESTIVAL: ONLINE MAKE MINE MANGA RESOURCES
• How to draw manga with Inko
• How to draw manga with Chie
• Manga colouring
Web Links…
• More Exhibition News on downthetubes
• For comic-related events across the UK and Ireland, visit and bookmark this regularly updated page
- 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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