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Create a new hero – or heroine – for the Lake District!

By John Freeman on October 6, 2022

The most dramatic, powerful and beautiful area of the UK deserves a hero – or villain – to match its status. But – unbelievably – there are no Lakes-based comic characters!*

So, given the general lack of a comic character to represent the area… can you design a comic character ideally suited to the Lake District, the winning designs part of this year’s “Live Draw Finale” at the Lakes International Comic Art Festival next weekend?

The Festival team are holding out for a hero/ heroine/ anthropomorphic adventurer/ ridiculously brave robot!

What would they be called? What would their powers be? What would they look like? What would be their greatest obsessions?

Their greatest fears? And what would make them uniquely suited to life in the Lakes?

You can be as funny, as wild, as deadly serious as you like.

Simply follow this link to the LICAF Live Draw Final page and fill out the associated form to submit your ideas – there’s still time to enter!

The best eight will be drawn live to your exact specifications by world-renowned comic artists before your very eyes at the festival – Michael Lark (USA), Mollie Ray (UK), Charlie Adlard (UK) and Mike Perkins (UK).

Get your thinking caps on!

* Well, apart from the Lakes Festival’s new mascot, Tizzie-Whizie, of course, designed by Luke McGarry, but we’re still waiting for his/her/its comic strip. Find out more about Tizzie-Whizie here – art by Luke McGarry

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. 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.