Magnificent MACC-POW!

One of the many nice things about being invited to conventions is that you get to visit places you might otherwise never think of going to. Such was the case with my first visit to Macclesfield last Saturday for the Macc-Pow! comics event.

I arrived at Macclesfield station early on Saturday morning to be greeted by Spider-Man himself (or maybe one of his alternate Earth versions)! When fellow Aces Weekly artist Emma Chinnery arrived on the following train, we were given a short and enjoyable guided tour through the scenic route of the town by Spidey with photographer Fiona Bailey and her daughter. 

Macc-Pow! was part of the Barnaby Festival, a local annual event that had its origins in the 11th Century and was revived several years ago celebrating the local arts and culture. This was the first year to include a comics convention, which was thanks to the hard work of comics creator Marc Jackson and his team. 

The convention was quite a small event but it had a good footfall of visitors all day keeping myself and the other guests busy. Speaking of those other guests, it included Leah Moore (writer of Albion, and Black Shuck with her husband John Reppion), Paul Grist (creator of Kane and Jack Staff), and Sean Phillips (artist of Criminal), all well known names in the world of comics. 

Sean Phillips and Leah Moore.

Paul Grist.

All the comics creators were in the main hall alongside exhibitors and dealers such as Wow! Comics, a new independent comics shop in Manchester. 
https://www.facebook.com/Wow-Comix-857946144229319/

Outside of the hall, there was a corridor decorated with numerous character designs by local schoolchildren, the promising artists of the future. 

In other rooms there were cartoons being shown, and a live link up to artist James Kochalka in the USA so that Marc Jackson could interview him. Power of the internet! (James had also supplied many small pieces of original art that were for sale.) 

James Kochalka via the wonder of the web!

Marc with art by James Kochalka.

It was a family-friendly event and indeed it did attract a far greater number of families than other conventions I've attended. Mostly members of the general public, rather than seasoned comics fans, but of course they were all familiar with The Beano! This was a good thing, as it meant that Macc-Pow! was making people aware that comics are still around in a diverse number of styles.

Here's a few words from Marc Jackson about the event...

"When setting out back in October to put on Macclesfield’s first-ever comic convention (within the Barnaby Festival) I was basically entering the unknown. I’ve been to a few conventions and been lucky enough to be a guest at one as well, so I knew what to do and more importantly, what not to do. The most important thing, was to value everyone involved and look after them all. I wanted a mini-con that embraced my love of comics, showcased exceptional artwork and was family friendly and had something for everyone. I wanted the youngsters to engage with it and generally welcome my hometown and visitors from far and wide, to the wild world of comics. So, with handwork, determination, lots of help from family, friends, Barnaby volunteers and an extremely well-polished brass neck, I think I managed to do it. It was a great day and if we only did this once, Saturday 25th of June in Macclesfield in Cheshire, will go down in the annuls of comic history as a great day for funny books! Thanks to everyone who came, our amazing guests, up and coming artists and each and everyone one of our visitors! MACC-POW!"

With organizer Marc Jackson.

I think Macc-Pow! can definitely be considered a success and I hope it returns next year. My thanks to Marc and his team, as well as my comics pals, for a fun and uplifting day! 

Here are a few more photos of the day. The outdoor shots with Spider-Man are by Fiona Bailey (http://www.fionabaileyphotography.co.uk/) while the others are by Richard Buck (http://www.richard-buck.com/). 

Scenes from Sheffield

I enjoyed my day at the Sheffield Film and Comic Con yesterday. The event is in its second day today but I was only there for the Saturday. As always it was good to catch up with fellow comic pros and chat with readers. Thanks to all of you who asked for a sketch. It was also nice to chat with Doctor Who's Sophie Aldred and Frazer Hines who briefly dropped by my table. (As many of you will know, Sophie provided the voice for Dennis the Menace in the 2009 Dennis and Gnasher cartoon TV series).

I was at my table most of the day but here's a few photos I took whist having a break. 

It was great to catch up with artist Lee Sullivan again after several years. I've known Lee since the Marvel UK days. A fantastic artist. Here he is with a sketch of Peter Capaldi he was working on for a fan. Check out Lee's work at his website: 
http://www.leesullivanart.co.uk

My table position was sandwiched between two major talents, with Lee Sullivan on my left and the fantastic Yishan Li on my right. Here's Yishan doing one of her superb portrait sketches of one of the many who stopped by her table yesterday. Visit her website here: 
http://www.liyishan.com/

The mighty Paul Grist was there too. I haven't seen him for a long time so it was good to chat and purchase the copies of The Weird World of Jack Staff that I'd missed. It's an excellent comic that homages the classic comic heroes of the past and is a must buy for every UK comic enthusiast. Copies of Paul's books are available on Amazon. 

Cosplayers are a big thing at these events now, with many spending hours designing their costumes in preparation for a show. I particularly liked this Dan Dare outfit. (Sorry I didn't catch your name. Email me if you wish me to add it.) In retrospect perhaps I should have chosen a better background for the photo rather than outside the Ladies! Sorry Colonel Dan! 

Two people were inside a Star Wars walker they'd designed out of card! Here it is, striding off to encounter the Hulk!

While not as packed as the London Expo, the Sheffield event was still very busy. Here's a few shots I took of the hall...

This was the first Sheffield event but there's already one scheduled for next year, on 15th / 16th August 2015! Here's the flyer...

The organisers, Showmasters, (http://www.showmastersonline.com) also have many other events on the calendar for the next 12 months. Here's the list for you to keep the dates in your diaries...

My thanks to Mike Conroy and Cassandra Conroy for the invite and hospitality. Good to see you both again. 

Before Mudman...

Before Mudman, before Jack Staff and Kane, and around the time of the controversial St.Swithin's Day comic with Grant Morrison, comic artist Paul Grist was illustrating strips for DC Thomson's girls comic Nikki. 

He even became the regular cover artist for a while. Here's a few examples from 1989...

As you can see, Paul's pleasant style and his great sense of composition and balance of black and white was evident even then. He also drew a semi-regular strip called I Love Dave about an infatuated teenager. Here are three of those strips...

There's a good interview with Paul about his career on the FPI website here. 

Website dedicated to Paul's work: http://www.weisshahn.de/kane/