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Creating Comics in Palestine: Jim Medway’s Qusasat Comics Camp Story

By downthetubes Guests on 28 July 2026 • ( 0 )

Across his career, award-winning comic creator Jim Medway has led comic classes across Britain, as well as Vermont and Denmark. His latest trip, to the Middle East, as part of a Lakes International Comic Arts Foundation initiative supported by the British Council, proved a fruitful challenge…

*Creators, sponsors and mentors at Qusasat 2026. Photo: Power Group*

Qusasat 2 Project Cover 2026 — *Photo: Power Group*

Between the 2nd and 10th July 2026, I was teaching comics to students in Beit Jala, near Bethlehem, as part of this year’s Qusasat Comics Camp, part of a wider, ongoing project to nurture a Palestinian comics ‘scene’ and assist existing cultural organisations and projects.

It was a truly eye-opening and incredible experience, with the nicest people you could imagine.

This was the second Qusasat (meaning “Snippets”) comics project, that is part of an ongoing initiative by the Lakes International Comics Comic Arts Foundation, founded by the Lakes International Comic Art Festival, supported by the British Council. it was hosted by the energetic local Power Group, and the twelve students, aged between 20 and 32 were all artists, creatives or designers keen to explore the potential of comics and graphic storytelling. I was accompanied by Julie Tait from LICAF, and visual artist Kevin Scuari, from the annual Napoli Comicon (Naples Comic-Con) who led portfolio reviews and sessions on routes into comics publishing.

Friends and family were concerned for my safety, although my own mind was put at rest by a British Council security briefing, installing of the tracking and alert app Solace, and by the relief of getting through passport control at Tel Aviv airport. Once there, I felt nothing but safe, welcome and very well looked after. As a white British visitor, I became more and more aware of my privilege as daily aspects of the occupation, apartheid system and constant humiliations and degradations became apparent.

*Artist Jim Medway at Qusasat 2026. Photo: Power Group*

*Jim Medway, preparing for a workshop at Qusasat 2026. Photo: Power Group*

The first few days consisted of an intensive crash course in making comics, with an emphasis on keep drawing styles simple; many successful comics rely on simplicity for both visual impact and the practicality of actually getting it made efficiently. Through examples, demonstrations, individual exercises and group drawing games, the students became familiar with the key considerations; characters ought to be kept simple, distinctive and identifiable by a ‘visual hook’.

*Chris Rose from Amos Trust one of the main project supporters, at Qusasat 2026. Photo: Power Group*

Every day at "Qusasat 2" opened a new door to creativity. The artists and mentor Basel Nasr (pictured) gathered for a session on building the scene and visual storytelling, where they learned how a shot, perspective, and movement can give a story a stronger rhythm and impact. The training also included screenings and discussions of short films, providing a space to explore different storytelling approaches and how to turn them into comics that come to life. Photo: Power Group — Every day at “Qusasat 2” opened a new door to creativity. The artists and mentor Basel Nasr (pictured) gathered for a session on building the scene and visual storytelling, where they learned how a shot, perspective, and movement can give a story a stronger rhythm and impact. The training also included screenings and discussions of short films, providing a space to explore different storytelling approaches and how to turn them into comics that come to life. Photo: Power Group

*Basel Nasr leads a session at Qusasat 2026. Photo: Power Group*

Speech and thought bubbles should be considered as part of the drawn composition, read left to right as creating our comics for a wider English speaking audience. Narration can be utilised to assist with storytelling, whilst also potentially adding a first-person voice. We found this began to involve the students as powerful authorial characters in their own stories, which many explored.

In showing classic black and white comics, gag cartoons and printmaking I encouraged the consideration of timesaving yet bold graphic techniques. Jam comics allowed a playful collaborative outlet for testing all these lessons out, and an ever-popular ‘animal jobs’ game resulted in swarms of fun characters whilst reinforcing the importance of drawing with clarity; you might be confident you’ve represented something clearly, but can the rest of the group also ‘read’ it without obstacle?

Mr. Vladimir Kharoufeh, Mayor of Beit Jala city, with LICAF’s Director Julie Tait and Power Group co-founder Sliman Mukarker. The Mayor toured Qusasat Comics Camp, met the artists, and got to know the mentors and partners from the UK and Italy. Photo: Power Group

*Creative minds at work at Qusasat 2026. Photo: Power Group*

Beyond these first lessons, the students were set free on their own individual stories. Some benefitted from discussing possible narratives before committing, while others had a clear vision in their heads which they were determined to do justice. In many ways, starting from scratch was the easier process, as long complicated or overly-detailed plots could be disregarded before they solidified. Not all stories were occupation stories, and no restrictions were placed on their individual ideas. I walked everyone through my own process, from scrawled notes to rearrangeable post-its, to thumbnails and scripts. Almost all found this the most difficult and challenging task; planning what and how to draw, and fitting it across their allotted four pages.

From paper... to print: As part of developing the training program for Qusasat, artists learned about the journey of book production from the inside, through a visit to Noor Printing House in Bethlehem, where David Noor led a masterclass on transforming a digital file into a printed book — From paper… to print: As part of developing the training program for Qusasat, artists learned about the journey of book production from the inside, through a visit to Noor Printing House in Bethlehem, where David Noor led a masterclass on transforming a digital file into a printed book

*Creativity in full flow at Qusasat 2026. Photo: Power Group*

Despite urging them to simplify and strip out all unnecessary aspects, all worked into the evenings and some through the night(s) to achieve their storytelling aims. Having never been one to concentrate after 5.00pm, I saluted their determined work ethic while kicking myself for not managing their ambitions better. Nobody had seriously attempted to create comics before, plus all knew this week’s fruit would be published and widely shared.

*Work from Qusasat 2026 on display. Photo: Power Group*

On publication, I’ll be sharing their comics on my LinkedIn, for all to see the talent and creativity of these young people. Everyone impressed and inspired me with their ideas, artistic approaches, willingness to experiment, collaborate and support each other. I’ve come away fired up to create, learn Arabic, and return at the next available opportunity.

Without the generous positivity and logistical excellence of Sliman and Aseel of the Power Group this project could not have happened, so I’m extremely grateful to them, as well as Qadar, George, Razy, Said, Nathalie and Nurin for their warmth and hospitality.

Jim Medway

• You can find Jim online at jimmedway.com and on Instagram @catdrawerjim and LinkedIn

Our thanks to Jim for permission to feature his report on downthetubes and to Sliman Mukarker for permission to use Power Group photos from the Camp here. Find out more about the work of the Lakes International Comics Comic Arts Foundation here

The first Qusasat anthology

Qusasat is a comic art development programme presented by the Lakes International Comic Art Festival LICAF (UK)in partnership with Power Group (Palestine) supported by British Council and Amos Trust to build capacity and develop the comic scene in Palestine.

The anthology includes the work of Hana Ibrahim Mhani, Dalia Nidal Dar Abed Alhai, Tuleen Hanna Asmari, Shahd Izz Aldeen Alruzze, Nermin Anees Naifeh, Natalie Alz, Karma Ihab Barghothi, Ward Nayef Al-Hantouli, Majd Rafat Wahbeh, Abdalrahim Mutaz Zalloum, Mohammad Majed Al-Raie and Dima Iyas Nassar.

*The cover of the Qusasat (“Snippets”) anthology*

At a summer camp near Bethlehem in August 2025, 13 young Palestinian artists created a new digital anthology called Qusasat (“Snippets”), co-led by Mollie Ray from the UK. This was the culmination of a new collaboration between LICAF and the Power Group in Bethlehem, supported by The Amos Trust.

Copies were given away at Lakes International Comic Art Festival 2025.

The success of the first edition of Qusasat summer camp led to Qusasat 2, including mentoring for the first cohort with UK trainers and the new camp launched in early July 2026, bringing 12 new participants and more collaborations and opportunities.

• Download a coy of Qusasat from The Amos Trust web site

• British Council: Qusasat

Jim Medway

Born in Wakefield, Jim Medway is a illustrator, sign-writer and comic artist inspired by vintage imagery and graphics living near Manchester, with years of experience planning and delivering comics workshops for primary, secondary, Further Education, and Higher Education, as well as projects for libraries, galleries, heritage sites, museums, community, adult learning and mental health groups.

His is currently working on Create Comics in the Classroom, a book aimed at teachers, librarians, youth groups and comic clubs.

His also the creator of Crab Lane Crew, published by Bog Eyed Books, an all-ages title, “a distillation of childhood, treasured moments of growing up, making dens, sharing ice creams, losing friends”.

Playing Out, a 48 page story about Connor, Kieran and Jamal mooching around Manchester City Centre, one empty afternoon of the summer holidays, published by Blank Slate Books, was shortlisted for the Young People’s British Comic Awards in 2014.

Jim recently completed a set of illustrations and short sequential illustrations commissioned by music psychologist Dr Dawn Rose of Hochschule Lucerne Musik in Switzerland, to complement her Playlist4Parkinson’s initiative. “Research has found various positive aspects to the strategy of imagining music to assist with challenges faced by people with Parkinson’s,” he explains. “The images are intended to help interpret and share her research in an accessible non-academic format.” Find out more here