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Lakes Comics Festival gest cash boost from local Council

By John Freeman on February 6, 2015

Poblin, the Lakes Festival’s mascot designed by Jonathan Edwards, outside the Clock Tower.

The Lakes International Comic Art Festival has just received a welcome cash boost from Kendal Town Council that will help it secure further funding for this year’s weekend-long event in October (16th-18th October 2015) and its impressive array of outreach projects.

The Town Council voted to allocate a further £2,500 of funding to the town’s annual Comic Art Festival earlier this week – increased funding that means the event will also continue to receive help from the British Arts Council to develop internationally.

The increase will be a one-off payment for this year’s Festival, whose line-up has yet to be announced but we’re told includes a similar line-up of both British and international guests as over the past two years. There are some great names in the still-secret line-up but the first will be announced next month.

Numerous outreach projects are in the works including a longform graphic novel, partner events with organisations both home and abroad, and a partnership with nearby Lancaster Library for a special comics day, probably in June.

The Festival’s patrons are Bryan and Mary Talbot, Sean Phillips (who is working on a fantastic exhibition for the event, encompassing the work of numerous artists) and Emma Vieceli.

• Check out the Festival’s official web site at www.comicartfestival.com or follow them on Twitter @comicartfest and Facebook

• Booking for spaces in Kendal’s Comics Clock Tower venue for this year’s Lakes International Comic Art Festival (16th – 18th October 2015) closes on 27th February 2015. Full details here

• Existing and potential new volunteers for the Festival have been invited to a relaxed and friendly meeting on Tuesday 24th March where organisers will review the 2014 Festival, share the 2015 line-up and discuss volunteering opportunities. It will take place at 7.00pm in The Warehouse Café at The Brewery, Kendal. If you’d like to come or are interested in volunteering email: sandra@comicartfestival.com

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John Freeman

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.