Looking Back at Enniskillen Comic Fest 2026

By downthetubes Guests on 3 July 2026 • ( 0 )

With James Bacon unable to get to the recently-held Enniskillen Comic Festival this year, Andy Boal stepped up to bring us his “highly biased” review…

Ryan McVeigh, local writer of Tales of Monster Mayhem and Tales of the Chilling Kind gave me a lift from Belfast for my first visit to Enniskillen Comic Fest in two years. Paul Trimble, no stranger to this blog, has now been running this event for ten years, and always with the same message – it’s about the comics and the creators. This year was no different.

Paul’s quiet competence always secures a certain standard of guest. Repeat visitors over the years have included John Wagner MBE, the late Alan Grant, Lew Stringer, Laura Howell and the late Ian Kennedy, as well as local friends like 2000AD writer and Rusty Staples blog publisher Michael Carroll (who, this year has given up pretending to have a table while he walks round talking to people and chairing discussion panels), Alan Ryan, and, while he was working on Game of Thrones, Glenn Fabry.

Was this year up to scratch? Of course. We had the greatest living Korky the Cat artist, Dave Windett (sorry Laura Howell, you know I love your work!), artist of the “Zero” series and “Harlem Heroes” in 2000AD, Kev Hopgood, former 2000AD editor Andy Diggle (contentedly just writing now), Frazer Irving, Tom Foster, Ben Willsher, and possibly the best thing to have happened to “Sinister Dexter” since Steve Yeowell, Tazio Bettin (seriously – if you haven’t seen Tazio’s work on 2000AD’s “Azimuth”, you need to.). Eoin Coveney also had an exhibition of his work in a side room.

Event organiser Paul Trimble and Ian Churchill at Enniskillen Comic Fest 2026. Photo: Enniskillen Comic Fest — Event organiser Paul Trimble and Ian Churchill

Tazio Bettin at Enniskillen Comic Fest 2026. Photo: Enniskillen Comic Fest — Event organiser Paul Trimble and Ian Churchill

We had the usual stalls, including Sector 13 Comics, which included Ryan McVeigh, with three new titles out now, including the latest publication from Davy Francis, creator of Cowpat County: The Gift, a gorgeous story of a lost father to the recognition of… no, I won’t spoil it, but it’s edited by the excellent Peter Duncan, and comes with a standard cover or a limited edition blank cover waiting for Davy to draw it for you (see boxofrainmag.co.uk for this and more Sector 13 publications).

Michael Carroll chairs most panel discussions at Comic Fest, and this year I attended only one: “Outside the Box”, with Mike leading an entertaining conversation with Davy Francis and Abigail Harding about their experiences as artists.

Enniskillen Comic Fest 2026: Enniskillen’s panels were once again moderated by Michael Carroll, who does a really fabulous job. Here, he's putting the tough questions to Michael Lark and Jimmy Broxton. Photo: Enniskillen Comic Fest — Enniskillen’s panels were once again moderated by Michael Carroll, who does a really fabulous job. Here, he’s putting the tough questions to Michael Lark and Jimmy Broxton. Photo: Enniskillen Comic Fest

*Local legend and ComicFest regular Kevin McHugh welcomes first time ComicFest Guest Abigail Harding to Enniskillen. Photo: Enniskillen Comic Fest*

Neil Roberts at Enniskillen Comic Fest 2026. Photo: Enniskillen Comic Fest — *2000AD and Commando cover artist delivered a panel on digital art. Photos: Enniskillen Comic Fest*

Neil Roberts did a seminar on digital art, Jimmy Broxton and Michael Lark formed a panel about comic art. Michael found himself interviewed with Jimmy Broxton about the New Adventures of the Trigan Empire stories by Paul Trimble, followed by a late evening discussion over a pint or two in Blakes of the Hollow with Andy Diggle, Frazer Irving and writer and artist Torunn Grønbekk, chaired by Jo Alexander.

Enniskillen Comic Fest 2026: Joanne Alexander interviewing Andy Diggle, Frazer Irving, Ben Willsher and Torunn Grønbekk in the ‘Blakes Legends’ slot. Photo: Enniskillen Comic Fest — *Joanne Alexander interviewing Andy Diggle, Frazer Irving, Ben Willsher and Torunn Grønbekk in the ‘Blakes Legends’ slot. Photo: Enniskillen Comic Fest*

I missed Day Two, PJ Holden, and discussions about Junior Superheroes (with Nathan Stockman and Ian Churchill) and working on Characters You Grew Up With (with Dave Windett, Kev Hopgood and Ben Willsher), but I went home well laden down with stuff from Sector 13 and annuals from David McDonald’s Hibernia Comics bookstall. More books are in the works, and the now sold out first printing of Ron Smith’s King Cobra will hopefully be only the first DC Thomson character licensed to the independent publisher.

Why do I love Enniskillen Comic Fest? Partly because I get to see friends like Sector 13 and Mike Carroll. Partly because Paul puts on a fantastic and welcoming event with plenty of interest. But mainly, it’s because it’s exactly what it says on the tin.

Other conventions have Artist Alleys just to remind us that comics are vaguely included. Comic Fest is an Artist Alley.

Andy Boal

• Enniskillen Comic Fest returns to Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland in 2027 | Follow the Facebook Group for updates