Now that the dust has settled,
Behind Thought Bubble 2013!
Written by: Neil Patel
There was just one word I could think of at the time while coming back from Thought Bubble in Leeds. “Tiring” would be the word, and that’s it. I feel asleep on the train back home, fortunately it was a long haul. But looking back I had a great time. The UK has seen a massive increase in comic conventions and Thought Bubble has been going for six years. I started going there back in 2010, to get sketches get some comics signed and I’ve been going there since.
TB or TBubs as it’s known by con regulars is nothing like a standard two day con. For starters there’s a classy anthology published by Image Comics, featuring strips by guests who attend, then it’s a week-long festival of the art form that goes from talks, screenings of animated films, like the extended version of The Dark Knight Returns, to workshops of how to create a comic and signings featuring creators at various comic shops, which culminates into a weekend affair.
Jon Lock, the creator of Afterlife Inc, explained “It's a real carnival of an event, and one I always await with great anticipation.” Jon and artist Nich Angell were at TB to launch their collaboration Big Punch Studios. “Nich and I have been working together for some time now. August 2013 saw the release of 'The Heavenly Chord', the crossover between our respective titles 7STRING and Afterlife Inc. We're also developing several board games together, not to mention brand new stories and further adventures for our shared multiverse. With 'Big Punch' we're simply officiating our creative partnership. It's a statement of shared intent and ethos for our comics.”
The duo also did a panel but also launched their new books between them “Afterlife Inc. Volume 3; Cat and Meringue: 1000 Days of Adventures; and Tabby and Trout. The reaction from the Thought Bubble crowd was lovely and stands as a testament to the general openness and enthusiasm of the event.” said Jon.
TB or TBubs as it’s known by con regulars is nothing like a standard two day con. For starters there’s a classy anthology published by Image Comics, featuring strips by guests who attend, then it’s a week-long festival of the art form that goes from talks, screenings of animated films, like the extended version of The Dark Knight Returns, to workshops of how to create a comic and signings featuring creators at various comic shops, which culminates into a weekend affair.
Jon Lock, the creator of Afterlife Inc, explained “It's a real carnival of an event, and one I always await with great anticipation.” Jon and artist Nich Angell were at TB to launch their collaboration Big Punch Studios. “Nich and I have been working together for some time now. August 2013 saw the release of 'The Heavenly Chord', the crossover between our respective titles 7STRING and Afterlife Inc. We're also developing several board games together, not to mention brand new stories and further adventures for our shared multiverse. With 'Big Punch' we're simply officiating our creative partnership. It's a statement of shared intent and ethos for our comics.”
The duo also did a panel but also launched their new books between them “Afterlife Inc. Volume 3; Cat and Meringue: 1000 Days of Adventures; and Tabby and Trout. The reaction from the Thought Bubble crowd was lovely and stands as a testament to the general openness and enthusiasm of the event.” said Jon.
I’ve been going to conventions since 2006 so whilst waiting for sketches, the panels, the queues it can get a bit too much for people, especially on a Saturday. I remember a fight breaking out at a con when someone attempted to jump queues for an artist. I often just slump somewhere on the floor or by the bar of a con, or just go back to my hotel room. Perhaps my favourite part of the con was Bubs Lounge.
It was an area that was created in mind where con goers could just chill out, it’s a sentiment shared by Lisa Wood, the creative director of Thought Bubble spoke to me about why the Lounge had a serious side to it “Last year we did a feedback session with Leeds Autism Services. Because a lot of their members do attend our show and do get a lot from it, they really enjoy it. From the feedback we found out that sometimes that the main convention hall and the busyness of the festival can be quite difficult for them to deal with. LAS deals with a variety of people on the autistic spectrum, some people get by with things ok, others can find the crowds overwhelming, so after the session with them it would be really helpful to create a quiet space considering that we created Bub’s Lounge. We didn’t want to make it exclusive to members, we wanted to create a space for people who attend the show, who find it overwhelming sometimes so that when they know if it does happen, there’s a place they can go to. Martha Julian who started off as a volunteer for Thought Bubble put the whole thing together with the help of Arts Council England. I’m super proud of that this year.”
Thought Bubble has come a long way since 2007 when it was just a one day con held in the basement of the town hall. It’s been thriving since it moved to the spacious Royal Armouries . Along with a comic art competition, the festival also hosts the British Comic Awards which saw the acclaimed Nao of Brown scoop best prize. This was the biggest year for the Leeds based festival, on this occasion for the first time and last time it was spread over three separate halls usually there are just two halls, earlier this year TB sold out all of their exhibitor spaces, which showed how popular the festival has become, so organisers decided to add a third hall.
It was an area that was created in mind where con goers could just chill out, it’s a sentiment shared by Lisa Wood, the creative director of Thought Bubble spoke to me about why the Lounge had a serious side to it “Last year we did a feedback session with Leeds Autism Services. Because a lot of their members do attend our show and do get a lot from it, they really enjoy it. From the feedback we found out that sometimes that the main convention hall and the busyness of the festival can be quite difficult for them to deal with. LAS deals with a variety of people on the autistic spectrum, some people get by with things ok, others can find the crowds overwhelming, so after the session with them it would be really helpful to create a quiet space considering that we created Bub’s Lounge. We didn’t want to make it exclusive to members, we wanted to create a space for people who attend the show, who find it overwhelming sometimes so that when they know if it does happen, there’s a place they can go to. Martha Julian who started off as a volunteer for Thought Bubble put the whole thing together with the help of Arts Council England. I’m super proud of that this year.”
Thought Bubble has come a long way since 2007 when it was just a one day con held in the basement of the town hall. It’s been thriving since it moved to the spacious Royal Armouries . Along with a comic art competition, the festival also hosts the British Comic Awards which saw the acclaimed Nao of Brown scoop best prize. This was the biggest year for the Leeds based festival, on this occasion for the first time and last time it was spread over three separate halls usually there are just two halls, earlier this year TB sold out all of their exhibitor spaces, which showed how popular the festival has become, so organisers decided to add a third hall.
“It was a last minute thing, we managed to make that space okay it a was horrible dusty warehouse beforehand,” commented Lisa. The convention drew over seven thousand attendees, most of whom came to see headliners like Sean Gordon Murphy, Fiona Staples, Geof Darrow, Matt Fraction, and David Aja. Milan Kovacs, a photographer flew in from Hungary for the con and spoke about his experiences “I was interested in the all-girl creator-trio of Kelly Sue DeConnick, Emma Rios, and Jordie Bellaire. I already met a lot of different artists from different countries but all I can say is that Spanish artists are probably the kindest and most enthusiastic ones out there. And not just because they usually offer free sketches, they're like that at home too I imagine.” Fraction and Aja drew large crowds even some people who had exhibitor passes decided to join the queue, in the face of people who began queuing in the early hours but this was soon quashed by the organisers. Common sense prevailed. “Meeting David Aja was a dream come true for me as I adore his work and his style how he experiments and changes and grows each time he is on a new book or sometimes on the same book as well His style with design elements and his covers are nothing short of amazing. All in all I loved this year's Thought Bubble Festival and I’m already looking forward for next year!”
His enthusiasm is equalled by fellow con goer Scott Jarratt “The combination of guests is also a major factor. They always manage to get the right blend of regulars alongside A list talent and up and coming names in the industry, and I get the impression that the organisers let the guests make their own rules in regards to their time there, to draw on their experience from overseas shows and let them bring that with them, another part of making the machine run so smoothly. If the guests are comfortable, then the word of mouth surrounding the show will spread quickly and positively to other creators and the fans.”
As for the future of Thought Bubble it’s getting more bigger, which creates challenges.. Aside from being a director, Lisa is making waves as an artist. Under the nom de plume of Tula Lotay, she’s recently drawn some short stories, her work has been featured on an American Vampire special “I need to do that full time" said Lisa, “The last three months I’ve had to devote to TB, i’m trying to get other people to help me, a lot of what happens at TB is in my head. I need to start delegating, it’s really difficult when you’ve done things yourself, that’s something I have to do next year as I can’t juggle my freelance career with TB, it’s too hard, I’m not ready to let Thought Bubble go yet, but I do need to pass some of the jobs on.”
As more artists and exhibitors want to attend, there are concerns that the festival might have outgrown it’s venue, which she addressed; “It’s grown so much! We’ve had to look at so many options, there’s going to be some real challenges next year, they’re all good ones! I’m not sure how we’re going to deal with them, but we do need a bigger venue and there is nowhere in Leeds, so potentially we are going to think outside the box, like maybe creating a venue? I’ve been looking to constructing a marquee and constructing extra space as well, that’s a feasibility. The amount we charge for tables are a lot lower than other conventions, I’ve always tried to keep it that way, that does have an effect on us, it means that if we are going to have a bigger venue then we have to pay more for the venue, we need to increase those prices really, that’s something that we never enjoy doing, you start to exclude people. There’s other options we’re not quite sure yet, I want to stay in Leeds, I don’t want to move out. We’re going to try our best to make it work.”
His enthusiasm is equalled by fellow con goer Scott Jarratt “The combination of guests is also a major factor. They always manage to get the right blend of regulars alongside A list talent and up and coming names in the industry, and I get the impression that the organisers let the guests make their own rules in regards to their time there, to draw on their experience from overseas shows and let them bring that with them, another part of making the machine run so smoothly. If the guests are comfortable, then the word of mouth surrounding the show will spread quickly and positively to other creators and the fans.”
As for the future of Thought Bubble it’s getting more bigger, which creates challenges.. Aside from being a director, Lisa is making waves as an artist. Under the nom de plume of Tula Lotay, she’s recently drawn some short stories, her work has been featured on an American Vampire special “I need to do that full time" said Lisa, “The last three months I’ve had to devote to TB, i’m trying to get other people to help me, a lot of what happens at TB is in my head. I need to start delegating, it’s really difficult when you’ve done things yourself, that’s something I have to do next year as I can’t juggle my freelance career with TB, it’s too hard, I’m not ready to let Thought Bubble go yet, but I do need to pass some of the jobs on.”
As more artists and exhibitors want to attend, there are concerns that the festival might have outgrown it’s venue, which she addressed; “It’s grown so much! We’ve had to look at so many options, there’s going to be some real challenges next year, they’re all good ones! I’m not sure how we’re going to deal with them, but we do need a bigger venue and there is nowhere in Leeds, so potentially we are going to think outside the box, like maybe creating a venue? I’ve been looking to constructing a marquee and constructing extra space as well, that’s a feasibility. The amount we charge for tables are a lot lower than other conventions, I’ve always tried to keep it that way, that does have an effect on us, it means that if we are going to have a bigger venue then we have to pay more for the venue, we need to increase those prices really, that’s something that we never enjoy doing, you start to exclude people. There’s other options we’re not quite sure yet, I want to stay in Leeds, I don’t want to move out. We’re going to try our best to make it work.”
Unlike the larger cons I’ve been to, which attempt to replicate the feel of San Diego Comic Con, which I’ve never been, but I’d love to experience the headiness that’s attached to it, but Thought Bubble is an experience in itself. It’s a place where well known names rub shoulders with the unknowns, the up and comers, the smaller ones who make the industry as a whole and that’s usually at the legendary mid con party where you’ll find Kieron Gillen as a D.J, sadly I couldn’t make it to the con party, but hopefully I’ll be there next year.
Special Thanks to Lisa Wood, Jon Lock, Milan Kovacs, and Scott Jarratt.
Editor's Note: To see more pictures of Thought Bubble 2013, check out Neil's Flickr for more awesome sights!
Special Thanks to Lisa Wood, Jon Lock, Milan Kovacs, and Scott Jarratt.
Editor's Note: To see more pictures of Thought Bubble 2013, check out Neil's Flickr for more awesome sights!