The growing size of our dedicated British and Irish comic events page has meant we have had to split our Exhibitions guide onto a new page on downthetubes. Information on events and venues is always welcome.

This feature was last updated on Thursday 14th September 2023. As ever, information about events is welcome: here’s how to contact us. If you don’t see your exhibtion 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 Gallery

Bookery Gallerie, 20 Church Street, London NW8 8EP | Web: bookerygallerie.com

The Cartoon Museum – London

63 Wells Street, Fitzrovia, London, W1A 3AE Tel: 0207 580 8155
Web: www.cartoonmuseum.org | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube

• She Is My Daughter: All Of Her Is Me
Runs until Sunday 8th October 2023

In 2019, the NGO Médecins Sans Frontières – also known as Doctors Without Borders or MSF – commissioned award-winning cartoonist Ella Baron to travel to its field hospital in Pibor, South Sudan. She spent several weeks interviewing and sketching staff and patients about the difficulties in accessing maternity care in this remote rural region.

Rising star Ella Baron, who had scooped the Philip Geddes Prize for Foreign Reporting and Young Cartoonist of the Year already by this point, created an intimate and personal piece of graphic reportage out of her experience in the field.

Her nine-page graphic short story follows the lives of three generations of women; Chacha, her daughter Laito, and Laito’s daughter Maria. Their story is the subject of The Cartoon Museum’s latest In-Focus capsule exhibition.

• 30 Years of The Wrong Trousers
Runs until Monday 15th April 2024

The Cartoon Museum are celebrating the 30th Anniversary of the classic Aardman Animations film The Wrong Trousers with an exciting never-before-seen exhibition. The museum will be displaying a treasure trove of Wallace and Gromit goodies, including storyboards, sketches, props and insight from the people that made the film. They will also be exploring the cartoons that inspired Nick Park and his team.

Alongside the exhibition the Musuem will be running multiple events with the public from August 2023, so look out for more information on their website and social media during 2023.

For more information visit cartoonmuseum.org | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube

The Ealing Project

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).

Jam Bookshop

61A Hackney Road, London E2 7NX | Web: jambookshop.co.uk | Instagram | Twitter

Weirdos Go Boink! Calvin and Hobbes Exhibition
21st September – 15th October 2023
61A Hackney Road, London E2 7NX

A tribute to Calvin & Hobbes by various artists

JW3

Zoom Rockman’s Jewish Hall of Fame
JW3, 341-345 Finchley Road, London NW3 6ET
Box Office: jw3.org.uk/zoom | Entry ticket price: £6 per person (concessions £3 per ticket) – Children under four go free | Please note: 20 capacity, in 30 minute slots

The Heath Robinson Museum

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.

Bowness-on-Windermere

• Lakes International Comic Art Festival Exhibition 2023
Bowness-on-Windermere, Cumbria – TBA

Thee annual Lakes International Comic Art Festival wil feature tie-in exhibitions during its annual event, 29th September – 1st October 2023

Bovington

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.

Chester

Archipelagogo – an exhibition by Felt Mistress & Jonathan Edwards
27th September – 29th October 2023
Storyhouse, Hunter Street, Chester CH1 2AR | Web: storyhouse.com

An exhibition by Felt Mistress and Jonathan Edwards of paintings, drawings and etchings and over 20 felt sculptures. With an incredible soundtrack by Andy Votel. . Originally commissioned by Lakes International Comic Art Festival and the Finnish Institute in London. Opening night on 5th October

Dundee

Tower Building
University of Dundee, Nethergate Dundee DD1 4HN | Exhibitions Information

The Art of Sydney Jordan: Dream Pedlar
Saturday 7th October 2023 – Saturday 6th January 2024, University of Dundee Museums, Dundee | Free – No Booking Required | Open Monday – Friday 9.30am – 7.00pm, Sat 11.00am – 4.00pm (Closed for Christmas 23rd December 2023 – 2nd January 2024) | Find out more about University of Dundee Museums

Dundee-born artist Sydney Jordan is best known as the creator of Jeff Hawke, whose fantastic adventures appeared in the Daily Express, from 1955-74. Popular in Britain as the first regular science-fiction comic series to appeal to adults, the strip was even more highly regarded in European countries, where it had a significant influence on the development of science fiction and fantasy comics. 

The Art of Sydney Jordan: Dream Pedlar exhibition will feature a feast of original art from Jeff Hawke and more, some of it exhibited at London’s Cartoon Museum back in 2021, revealing Sydney Jordan’s extraordinary skill and visual imagination.

• 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.

Herne Bay

The Seaside Musuem
12 William Street Herne Bay | Web: theseasidemuseumhernebay.org

Has hosted cartoon-related exhibitions as part of the annual Herne Bay Cartoon Festival.

Northampton

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.

Rugby

Rugby Art Gallery and Museum
Little Elborow Street, Rugby, 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

Shrewsbury

Comics Salopia: Shrewsbury Comics Trail
Free. The Shrewsbury Comics Trail is a brilliant idea combining nine life sized art pieces created by ten world famous comic artists and writers. Read our news story

• Sign up to the Facebook Group The Shrewsbury Comics Trail to stay up to date with the latest news, or follow the project on social media

Woodstock

Into Battle: The Art of British War Comics
1st October 2023 – 30th April 2024
Soldiers of Oxfordshire Museum, Park Street, Woodstock, OX20 1SN | Registered Charity No. 1145408 | Web: sofo.org.uk

The county’s military history museum is collaborating with Oxford-based Rebellion Publishingon the new exhibition, which will offer visitors a chance to explore the history of British war comics through the archives of classic comic titles such as War Picture Library and Battle Action.

Still popular today, Britain has been publishing comics continuously for over 130 years. During that time, conflict has remained a staple of comic book storytelling and by the 1960s and 1970s war stories were the most popular genre.

The exhibition, featuring original comic artwork on public display for the first time, tells the story of war comics decade by decade. From satirical comic strips and patriotic illustrated story papers of 19th Century and early 20th Century, to the revolutionary comics of the 1970s, which presented much more gritty, authentic and emotionally-charged stories.

• Read our news story about this exhibition here

Make Mine Manga

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. The exhibition features artwork from incredible creators from Japan and UK manga creators.

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.

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.

Manga Workshops, Too

As part of Manchester City of Literature’s Festival of Libraries, a county-wide celebration of Greater Manchester’s 133 libraries, taking place from 7th – 11th June 2023, there will also be a number of Manga workshops also taking place.

Inspired by the exhibition, manga artists Chie Kutsuwada and Inko Ai Takita will be running several creative workshops organised by Manchester City of Literature, where participants create their own four panel manga comic. 

Several workshops have also been announced, at Bolton Library on Sunday 11th June and Sunday 11th August; Bury Library on Friday 9th June; Stretford Library on Saturday 10th June; and Stalybridge Library on Saturday 10th June 2023.

• For the latest information on the Make Mine Manga Exhibition head to manchestercityofliterature.com/event/make-mine-manga-exhibition

LAKES INTERNATIONAL COMIC ART FESTIVAL: ONLINE MAKE MINE MANGA RESOURCES

• How to draw manga with Inko
• How to draw manga with Chie 
• Manga colouring

Make Mine Manga Exhibition Tour dates

Birkenhead Central Library 
Until 30th September 2023
Borough Rd, Birkenhead CH41 2XB 
Web: wirral.gov.uk/libraries-and-archives/find-library/birkenhead-central-library

Atkinson Public Library
16th October 2023 – 18th November 2023
Lord Street, Southport PR8 1DB 
Web: theatkinson.co.uk/visit-us/thelibrary/

St Helens Library 
1st December 2023 – 20th December 2023 
The World of Glass, Chalon Way E, Saint Helens WA10 1BX 
Web: sthelens.gov.uk/libraries

Halton Lea Library 
15th January 2024 – 17th February 2024
Second Ave, Palacefields, Runcorn WA7 2PF 
Web: library.haltonbc.info

Huyton Library 
4th March 2024 – 30th March 2024 
Civic Way, Huyton, Liverpool L36 9GD
Web: yourlibrary.knowsley.gov.uk/branches/huyton/

Barrow-in-Furness Central Library 
15th April 2024 – 18th May 2024 
Ramsden Square, Barrow-in-Furness LA14 1LL 
Web: westmorlandandfurness.gov.uk

• More Exhibition News on downthetubes

• For comic-related events across the UK and Ireland, visit and bookmark this regularly updated page

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. Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Star Trek Explorer (previously known as Star Trek 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.

Categories: British Comics, Comic Art, Comics, downthetubes Comics News, downthetubes News, Events, Exhibitions

Tags: Bookery Gallery, Cartoon Museum, Comics Events, downthetubes News, Events, Exhibitions, Heath Robinson Museum, Tank Museum, The Panel Gallery