Alongside all the amazing things happening at this year’s Macc-Pow! comic art festival in Macclesfield, Cheshire (20th – 23rd June 2024), the team are also launching GOOF, a new comic for kids.
The town is also hosting “Archipelagogo”, an exhibition by Felt Mistress, ahead of the Festival, opening this Wednesday, 15th May, at the Silk Museum.
“We’re doing something special and pretty unique,” enthuses Macc-Pow! coordinator and comic creator Marc Jackson. “This year sees the launch of GOOF, a new 24 page printed comic for kids, that features a glorious gaggle of cartoonists from around the world creating brand-new characters and strips!”
The comic includes strips brought to you by the cream of the cartoonist crop, such as Tor Freeman, Lew Stringer, David Leach, Mika Song, David DeGrand, Rachael Smith, James Kochalka, Jim Smith, and more.
“Launching the comic at Macc-Pow gives us the unique chance to get the creators in front of the children who will actually be reading it,” Marc explains. “We’ll also be doing a unique live-draw challenge during the day, where kids can get a character drawn by one of the creators, in a fun speed drawing event!
“All these elements make this issue a real collectors item not to be missed.
“Taking the lead from the great work being done currently by BEANO, The Phoenix, and Monster Fun here in the UK, I wanted to offer something of the same high-quality, but with a unique spin,” Marc says of the comic’s origins.
“I felt there was room for a comic that was created entirely by cartoonists, those who really knew the medium, who’ve worked in it, who’ve crafted comics for it over many years. I also wanted to inject an anarchic spirit into the pages, and fully focus on the daft things that make children laugh.
“It’s been great to see all the comics come rolling in from the creators, some of them doing their craziest work to date.
“I really feel we’ve got something special on our hands, and who knows, maybe this won’t be the last we see of GOOF in the future. Watch this space, and we’ll see you in the funny pages!”
Macc-Pow! offers comic guests, films and more
Macc-Pow! returns for its ninth year from 20th – 23rd June, with a full weekend celebrating comic book art in the heart of Macclesfield. A truly unique event that brings together both local and international creators in a leap and one-single-bound, get up-close and personal with legendary comic pros and the bright stars of the future, as the town celebrates this wonderful world with a diverse mix of amazing creators.
This year’s Festival opens on the evening of Thursday 20th June, with an exclusive showing of the 2009 film Kick-Ass at Cinemac Macclesfield. Heralded as one of the great comic book films, it’s also a chance to say, that comics ain’t just for kids!
The main exhibitors day takes place in the Town Hall on Saturday June 22nd (10.00 – 4.00pm) with two rooms bursting with incredible creators exhibiting their work – doubled the numbers from last year, thanks to the continued support of Macclesfield Town Council.
Activities will be taking place across Macclesfield in the Library (BEANO drawing with Laura Howell), and Emma Reynolds returns with her “Five minute portraits” in Acacia Tree café. A full day of workshops and activities downstairs in the Town Hall building is also in the works.
On Sunday 23rd June, The Monocle café transforms into the Graphic Novel Reading room, and Macclesfield’s comic and cartoon art studio, Room for Comics, will host a full day of drawing workshops.
Cinemac closes the festival with a screening of Transformers: The Movie from 1986, celebrating 40 years of the robots in disguise, also stars of many a comic down the years.
Archipelagogo Exhibition opens this week
Ahead of the Festival weekend, there’s a fantastic month long exhibition from Felt Mistress at the Silk Museum in Park Lane to enjoy, opening this week, on Wednesday 15th May.
Archipelagogo is an exhibition featuring 3D soft sculptures inspired by the life work and creativity of Tove Jansson created by the artist Felt Mistress – Louise Evans and Jonathan Edwards.
Rather than take inspiration purely from Jansson’s most famous creations, The Moomins, the exhibition is instead inspired by the things that inspired Jansson herself – art, love, family, travel, and the geography of her native Finland.
The exhibition was initially commissioned by the Lakes International Comic Art Festival and The Finnish Institute in London with the blessing of the Jansson family.
Felt Mistress has been exhibited all over the world including shows in Tokyo, Osaka, Los Angeles, Mexico, Paris, Berlin, and London. Their work has been used in fashion shoots, ad campaigns, music videos and films.
• Check out the full details for Macc-Pow! 2024, running 20th – 23rd June, at maccpow.co.uk
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.
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