One great-looking item to look out for at the Lakeview Marketplace at this weekend’s Lakes International Comic Art Festival, available from North West-based indie CoCo Comics, is a collected edition of The Magician’s Curse by James Patricks, the story of two down on their luck magicians, Walter and Marlon, who discover that the world’s greatest magician performs real magic but at a terrible cost.

This smashing-looking collection features Issues 1-5 of the series, a 130-page graphic novel, plus exclusive art – and a comic by Connor Tierney.
When faced with the end of their careers, down on their luck magicians Marlon and Walter decide to break into the house of the world’s greatest magician, only to discover that he performs real magic.
A tale of fame, fortune – and fate…
“I’ve been working on this for two years, so I’m hoping it will make a bit of a splash,” James tells us.




CoCo Comics are an independent comic book publisher based in the North West, founded in 2020 by James Patricks, creator of The Magician’s Curse, Tom Philipson, creator of the digital comic, StrangeWorld, Theo Pickering and Caio Whitmore, who are aiming to create comics with Personality, and whose current projects also include the CoCo Comics Anthology, available physically and digitally.

They are also the organisers of a new event, CoCo Comic Con, which first took place in Lancaster earlier this year.
“Never in our wildest dreams could we have predicted the absolutely wonderful turnout from the Lancaster locals,” the team say of the event, “and everyone’s generosity in raising £124 for Comics Youth through our charity raffle, or the overwhelming support by everyone at Pizza Margherita, the venue we were at, who routinely made sure everyone was well hydrated, and even made all of the exhibitors free pizza bites!”
An event is already in the works for 2023.
• If you’re not at LICAF this year, then check out The Magician’s Curse – Collected here on the CoCo Comics web site
• Check out this vibrant new independent publisher at www.cococomics.co.uk | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | Tapas | Patreon
- About the Author
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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.
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