Award-winning comic creator Paul B. Rainey, author of Why Don’t You Love Me? and more, will be exhibiting at the Milton Keynes Indie Book Fair in in Middleton Hall, Central Milton Keynes, on Saturday 25th October.
‘Bring along copies of my comics to sign if you want,” he says. “I’ll also be selling, signing and sketching copies of my graphic novels and comics too.”
Following the success of the first Milton Keynes Indie Book Fair in December 2024, MK Lit Fest will again be celebrating a wealth of talented writers, both local and from the surrounding area, many of whom have made their work available with small, independent presses or by self-publishing.
Over sixty independently published authors and small presses wil, be in attendance, offering the opportunity to talk to them in person, hear them read from their work – and, of course, to buy loads of wonderful books. (There are fewer than a hundred days left until Christmas, by the way.) You’ll be spoilt for choice across a whole spectrum of genres: crime, mystery, fantasy, Young Adult, children’s books, poetry, self-help, memoir, sci-fi, humour, essays, travel and more.
The event includes a day of fantastic free children’s events: interactive workshops, readings and storytelling throughout the day, and all the authors’ books will be available in the Children’s Zone in the Book Fair.
Paul B. Rainey is a British cartoonist who has been making comics for decades. His graphic novel, There’s No Time Like the Present was published by Escape Books in 2015, republished by Drawn and Quarterly earlier this year.
He has written, drawn, and self-published many comics, including Pope Francis Goes to The Dentist, Journey into Indignity, and Gripe Night, and has been a regular contributing cartoonist to VIZ since 2013. His creations include “Peter the Slow Eater”, “14 Year Old Stand Up Comedian”, and “Audrey Pemberton”.
In 2020, he won The Observer/Jonathan Cape/Comica Graphic Short Story Prize with the strip “Similar to But Not”, in which he recounts meeting Madonna in his local pub in 1985.
Why Don’t You Love Me? was also republished by Drawn and Quarterly in paperback with an all-new cover earlier this year, in which Claire and Mark are stuck in the doldrums of an unhappy marriage. She chain-smokes and refuses to leave the house or even change out of her bathrobe. He sleeps on the couch and can’t distinguish one day from the next. With all love lost for family life, pizza and Chinese food take turns on a nightly take-out dinner menu.
Husband and wife are plagued by the idea that this is all a dream. Why can’t Mark ever remember their son’s name? Isn’t he a barber? Doesn’t he play in a band? Why is Claire obsessively stalking her ex-boyfriend online? When exactly did she stop caring about what the kids wear to school? And just why can’t she be bothered to tell the other mums at pickup apart? Didn’t Claire and Mark have different lives?
As reports of an imminent nuclear war make subtle waves on the radio, the truth begins to dawn on them…
“Paul B. Rainey’s critically-acclaimed sleeper hit returns. Why Don’t You Love Me? is a hilariously terrifying meditation on mourning lost opportunities, rolling with the punches, and confronting reality as it turns on you – one day at a time,” say Drawn and Quarterly. “Rainey’s tightly plotted relationship drama shifts into a science-fiction mindblower and keeps you surprised until the final heartbreaking panel.”
• Milton Keynes Indie Book Fair 10.00am – 5.00pm Saturday 25th October 2025. Middleton Hall, centre:mk, Milton Keynes MK9 3EP | Entry: Free, no booking required. Web: mklitfest.org/ibf2025
Children’s Events
Authors involved include Joan Asante, author of Guess What, Murray Fisher, author of the exciting sci-fi adventure Underlings: The Spark Engine, Stacey Gittens, creator of Daniel Dinosaur, and more
Age: all events family friendly – see individual workshops for details All children must be accompanied by a responsible adult
Head downthetubes for…
• Paul B. Rainey – Webshop | Facebook | Instagram Threads | X
• Graphic short story: Similar to But Not
Paul Rainey’s winning entry in the Observer/Cape/Comica graphic short story prize 2020. (From an archive of The Observer up until 21st April 2025. The Observer is now owned and operated by Tortoise Media)
• Paul Rainey: There’s No Time Like The Present – an interview with Paul Gravett (2020)
• There’s No Time Like the Present (2025 Edition) | AmazonUK Affiliate Link | ukBookshop.org Affiliate Link
• Why Don’t You Live Me? (2025 Edition) | AmazonUK Affiliate Link | ukBookshop.org Affiliate Link
• Drawn and Quarterly YouTube: At Home with Paul B. Rainey: How Time Travel Ought To Work is…
• Interview: At Home with Paul B. Rainey
- About the Author
- Latest Posts
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.
Categories: Books, British Comics, Comics, downthetubes Comics News, downthetubes News, Events, Other Worlds
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