First Manchester Comic and Reading Festival announced for August 2018

By John Freeman on April 2, 2018

The first Manchester Comic and Reading Festival (MCR for short) will take place on 18th August 2018,

Taking place at Manchester Central Library, right in the heart of Manchester, with a bee mascot designed by Joe Matthews, this will be a free event with free tables for small press, an occasion with three programs strands – comics and novels, cosplay and anime.

The event is brought to you by the same family team that brought you Oldham Comic Con, headed up by Dennis Whittle (who will be doing it again in Oldham on 12th May – follow this link for more information).

“This is a continuation of my plan and desire to bring free comic related events to everyone,” says Dennis, “promoting writers, artists, designers and local talent.”

• More information about Manchester Comic and Reading Festival will be available soon | More about Oldham Comic Con 2018

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.