On Saturday October 18 at 10:30am, the doors of the Royal Pump Rooms will open for Leamington Spa’s first comic convention, an event funded by the Town for the Town!
Local lad, Dan Mallier raised just shy of £1,800 through a
crowdfunding campaign to launch Leamington Comic Con, which will see writers, illustrators and fans celebrate comics and memorabilia.
Commenting on the forthcoming convention, he said:
“I’m blown away by the support I’ve had to get Leamington Comic Con off the ground, from donators, traders, the local press and those willing to give up their spare time to help spread the word.”
Leamington Comic Con is being held at
The Royal Pump Rooms, which is celebrating its 200th anniversary this year, and will focus on giving independent publishers, writers and
illustrators a platform to showcase their talent.
The event will feature the likes of Al Davidson, writer of ‘The Spiral Cage’ and owner of The
Astral Gypsy Art Studio and Bookshop in Coventry’s Fargo Village, Neil Gibson of
T Publications and writer of Kindle Bestseller ‘Twisted Dark’, and Northampton’s
Borderline Press who give a spotlight to the best European and new unpublished comic book talent.
Phil Hall, Borderline Press, said:
“Our intention is to support ‘the small’ rather than to continue to feed ‘the big’. That’s why we support Leamington Comic Con, because it’s new, it’s ambitious and the organisers are clearly attempting to put on a professional event.”
Increasing your comic library aside, Neil Gibson will also be presenting ‘5 ways how comics can help you in work and study’, followed by a Q&A hosted by Mike Garley (‘Adventure Time’ and ‘Wallace and Gromit’ comics) to talk about his latest project ‘The Kill Screen’.
Neil Gibson, T Publications, said: “
We want to do all we can to help comics in the UK, and having regional cons with motivated talent like Dan is a firm step in the right direction. Some people organise cons for the money, but Leamington is clearly a work of passion.”
While comics will be the star attraction, there’s plenty more planned - a super hero / villain
photo booth, face painting, caricatures, a cosplay competition, and entertainment courtesy of Star Wars costuming group the UK Garrison and Jester Styles the Magician.
Since his fundraising success, Dan has harnessed the power of social media to excite more than 500 comic lovers, cosplay fanatics and those looking for a unique family day out to buy a ticket.
While advance tickets are now sold out,
Comic Book Shopper tickets (entry valid from 2.30pm) are currently still available and you can still pay on the door on the day with last entry 3.30pm (the event is on until 4pm).
Commenting on tickets sold, Dan said:
“It’s been nine months since we launched this project and if you’d have told me then we’d have sold over 500 tickets prior to the event, I would have recommended you check into Gotham’s Arkham Asylum.
“While we can’t wait to see you all, the venue is intimate so please be patient while queuing and take some time to soak up the atmosphere – there’s plenty of comics for everyone!”
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