Caption: Rebirth takes place next weekend (Saturday August 16th and Sunday 17th 2025) at Seacourt Hall, in Oxford – and the final guest programme is now locked and primed!
Seacourt Hall is a community centre based in West Oxford and we’re happy to be able to support the local neighbourhood with Caption.
There are no barriers or tables at Caption between professionals and attendees. Confirmed guests include (in alphabetical order): Mike Armstrong, creator of Rose Thornhill and the Troll Bridge; Cara Brown, creator of Everything’s Fine; comic artist and writer Al Davison, creator of Muscle Memory and The Spiral Cage; Shane Chebsey, publisher behind Scratch Comics; Paul Cornell, writer of Doctor Who and his creator-owned series I Walk With Monsters; Darryl Cunningham creator of Supercrash: How to Hijack the Global Economy; Dominique Duong, creator of The Dog & The Cat; Daniel Merlin Goodbrey, creator of hypercomics and the new webcomic serial The Occasional Quests of Lemrin Spur; Comics Laureate Bobby Joseph, writer of the forthcoming graphic novel My Dad Fights Demons! (with artist Abbigayle Bircham); Broken Frontier publisher Andy Oliver; Shane Melisse, creator of They’re Coming Down The Stairs; Alice Nuttall, co-creator of the comics Footloose, Cherry and Black Market Magic (with artist Emily Brady);Paul B. Rainey, creator of There’s No Time Like the Present and the upcoming Murder School; comic artist, book cover maker, illustrator Alison Sampson; Chris Shepherd, creator of Anfield Road; Zara Slattery, creator of Coma; Lucy Sullivan, creator of Barking; Steve Tanner, Publisher of Time Bomb Comics; and Zen K, creator of The House on 52 Carlton Street and Runaway Mayhem.
Caption also has a limited number of portfolio review allocations remaining for those with a valid advance festival ticket. These will be 20 minute slots throughout the day, with one on one discussions with established creators who have been exactly where you are and have continued to succeed in their own unique ways.
The review is informal, without promise of employment, nor bias or agenda- we’re there to help in whatever ways you’re looking for. To that end, they are free with a valid advance ticket for the festival. This is an unique opportunity to spend quality time with professionals.
“We expect these portfolio reviews to go quickly,” we’re told, “so find out how you can register your interest when you buy your ticket, with your contact details, preferred professional and a brief paragraph of what type of advice or help you’re looking for.”
The professionals volunteering their time include:
Shane Chebsey (publisher of Scratch Comics), Lucy Sullivan (creator of Barking), Andy Oliver (Saturday only, publisher of Broken Frontier), Chris Shepherd (creator of Anfield Road), and Dominique Duong (Saturday only, creator of The Dog & The Cat).
If you already have a ticket but want to get a slot, then email us at captionfest@gmail.com with your ticket reference number, your contact details, preferred professional listed in order of preference and a brief paragraph of what type of advice or help you’re looking for.
Bookings for portfolio reviews close Wednesday 13th August.
There is a full programme of events, workshops, art auction, quiz, community sales table and panels available with your festival ticket including Bobby Josephs’ presentation on the importance of diversity in comics; Darryl Cunningham in conversation; exploring autobiography in comics; the past and future of sequential art online; sustaining safe spaces in comics; plus Broken Frontier Revisited with former “Six to Watch” creators discussing life post BF.
You can also pick up Caption Rebirth merch including limited edition t shirts and the Caption booklet.
There is also a dedicated quiet space for those attendees needing to take time out from the crowds and relax.
Caption: Rebirth takes place Saturday August 16th and Sunday 17th 2025 at Seacourt Hall, 3 Church Way, Botley, Oxford OX2 9TH
• For the full Caption events time table go to captionfestival.co.uk/news
(Please note video recording will be in operation for future online broadcast of panels).
- 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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