On Saturday 27th October Dundee University welcomes a very special guest. Dave Gibbons, one of the most famous comics artists in the world, and best known as the co-creator of Watchmen, the ground-breaking graphic novel written by Alan Moore and drawn by Gibbons.

Gibbons will deliver a talk on the theme of Creating Comics, and will discuss his own methods for producing comic art, and in particular, his use of Manga Studio, which he will demonstrate. He will also lead a workshop on this theme, which anyone can participate in, but would be particularly useful for anyone who has ever considered creating a comic.

Dr Chris Murray, lecturer in Comics Studies at theSchoolofHumanitiesand Director of the Scottish Centre for Comics Studies said “it is a tremendous honour for us to host a workshop with Dave Gibbons. He is a hugely talented and influential figure”. He added, “to have Dave Gibbons and Grant Morrison in Dundee on the same weekend is astounding – we are very proud that comics creators of this calibre are supportive of the Comics Studies courses and events that theUniversityofDundeeis leading”. Phil Vaughan, lecturer at DJCAD added, “comics students at theArtCollegeand in Humanities will benefit enormously from meeting Dave Gibbons and Grant Morrison, and hearing about their creative processes”. Dr Murray added, “it is also good to see such interest from the general public in these events, as this demonstrates that for many Dundee’s proud history as one of the homes of comics production is still something that has a great deal of resonance”.

The talk and workshop are open to the general public, but are ticketed (£15 full price, £7.50 concession). This ticket also allows access to Dundee Comics Day on Sunday 28th October, which features comics superstar Grant Morrison, along with several of his collaborators, including Frank Quietly, Peter Doherty, Rian Hughes, Frazer Irving and Cameron Stewart. The events will be held in the D’Arcy Thompson Lecture Theatre and Baxter Suite, TowerBuilding, Universityof Dundee. More information is available here: http://on.fb.me/WgJH1t

To buy tickets, please visit www.literarydundee.co.uk or http://bit.ly/SXEity

Tickets are also available from Literary Dundee, 6th floor,TowerBuilding,UniversityofDundee, tel. 01382 384413.  Please note, this workshop and talk is part of a wider event called “The Comics of Grant Morrison”, so that should be selected. One ticket allows access to all events on Saturday 27thand 28th October.

General inquiries about any of the events should be directed to Dr Murray at c.murray@dundee.ac.uk.

 Dave Gibbons Bio

Dave Gibbons has 40 years experience in the field, and is an early adopter of new technology, keeping himself at the cutting edge of comics production. Dave is a founding member of new digital comics producer Madefire (http://www.madefire.com/) which points towards the future of the medium.

Dave Gibbons has worked in comics since 1973. Cutting his teeth on undergrounds and fanzines, he became a frequent contributor toBritain’s 2000AD, illustrating HARLEM HEROES, DAN DARE and co-creating ROGUE TROOPER. Since then, he has drawn and written for most comics publishers on both sides of theAtlantic. His work has encompassed DR WHO, SUPERMAN, BATMAN, GREEN LANTERN, PREDATOR, ALIENS, the Hugo Award-winning WATCHMEN with writer Alan Moore, GIVE ME LIBERTY and MARTHA WASHINGTON GOES TO WAR with Frank Miller. His semi-autobiographical THE ORIGINALS won an Eisner Award in 2005. He is currently working on THE SECRET SERVICE, written by Mark Millar and is both writing and drawing TREATMENT for publication on the Madefire platform.

The annual event, part of the Dundee Literary Festival, takes place on Sunday, 28^th October and this year’s programme, entitled ‘Invisible Symmetries: The Comics of Grant Morrison’, celebrates the work of the Glasgow-born writer.

It will be preceded by two special events in the run-up to Comics Day – a screening of the documentary ‘Grant Morrison: Talking With Gods’ at Dundee Contemporary Arts on Friday 26^th, and a two-hour workshop on creating comics using Manga Studio on Saturday 27^th. This workshop will be delivered by Dave Gibbons, the co-creator of Watchmen and one of the world’s most respected comics artists.

Grant Morrison began his career at the famous Dundee publishers DC Thomson before going on to work for Marvel and DC Comics and write for many of the world’s best-loved publications, including Superman, Batman and X-Men.

He will be discussing his approach to writing comics, his thoughts about superheroes (as expressed in his recent book Supergods: Our World in the Age of the Superhero), and his experience of working with some of the best comics artists in the world.

Joining him at the event will be several of his collaborators, including Frank Quietly, Peter Doherty, Rian Hughes, Frazer Irving and Cameron Stewart. They will talk about their experience of working with Grant Morrison, as well as discussing their wider careers and future projects.

Dr Chris Murray, event organiser and one of the UK’s foremost authorities on the subject, said Grant Morrison’s upcoming appearance was causing a great deal of excitement among comics fans.

“Grant Morrison is, quite simply, a legend in the world of comics,” he said. “Having him come here is a real honour and we are absolutely delighted to be able to pay tribute to a truly great comics writer.

“The fact he is Scottish and began his career with DC Thomson is testament to the great comics tradition here. We have a fantastic line up of other artists and writers and this is an event no true comics fan should miss. We know that people are planning to travel considerable distances for this year’s Dundee Comics Day so I’d advise people to get their tickets fast.”

Dundee is one of the great powerhouses of comics production, not just in theUK, but internationally. The publisher DC Thomson is at the heart of the city, with its long running comics, The Beano and The Dandy, and a host of beloved characters, such as Dennis the Menace, Desperate Dan, and the Bash Street Kids.

Building on this local tradition and expertise, theUniversityofDundeeis currently leading the way in this emerging academic field, with modules on comics at undergraduate level and theUK’s first Masters course in Comics Studies.

The Scottish Centre for Comics Studies (SCCS) is based at the University, bringing together researchers, teachers, archivists, artists and writers, industry professionals, and others involved in the promotion of Comics Studies.

Comics Day has been held annually since 2007 and has attracted some of the biggest names in the industry, including artists, historians, scholars and writers, in that time. It is designed to appeal to anyone with an interest in comics, and will be accompanied by an exhibition of comic art work. Book signings, talks and the announcement of the Dundee Comics Prize winners will also take place.

The events will be held in the D’Arcy Thompson Lecture Theatre and Baxter Suite, TowerBuilding, Universityof Dundee. More information about any of the events is available by contacting Dr Murray at c.murray@dundee.ac.uk.

To buy tickets, please visit www.literarydundee.co.uk. Tickets are also available from Literary Dundee, 6th floor,TowerBuilding,University of Dundee, tel 01382 384413.

1^st annual British Comic Awards announced

Nomination recommendations are now welcomed; award presentation ceremony takes place 17^th November 2012 as part of the Thought Bubble Comics Art Festival

The British Comic Awards are an exciting new initiative, running in conjunction with 2012’s Thought Bubble Festival and Leeds Book Awards, and represent an annual celebration of the best stories told by writers and illustrators over the past twelve months. Nomination recommendations are now welcomed from the public, comic creators, and comic publishers, and this year’s award presentation ceremony will take place at the Thought Bubble Convention on November 17^th.

The BCAs serve to recognise and reward the finest examples of creativity, ingenuity, skill, and originality in illustrated storytelling produced over the last twelve months. The awards don’t distinguish between printed work and digital, or between published and self-published work; their only criteria is that the creator(s) and publisher be based in the UK. The BCAs are seeking to develop an award that recognises the incredible wealth of creative talent to be found in the UK, and reflects the quality of the work that they are awarded to.

The British Comic Awards is comprised of an Awards Committee and a Judging Panel. Broadly speaking, the Committee is responsible for selecting the nomination shortlist while the Panel, which changes every year, is responsible for selecting the overall winner of each category.

Nominees for the British Comic Awards must be the work of a wholly British creative team, with Britain in this context referring to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and the rights to such work should belong either to creators or a UK publisher.

The Committee works hard to stay aware of work from all levels of the comics community, but welcomes suggestions and recommendations from members of the public, and is happy for creators and publishers to also get in touch while the nominations period is open.

Once the shortlist has been announced then the final decisions will rest in the hands of our Judges. The Judges for each year’s award will be chosen based on their knowledge, contributions to, and experience of the comics industry, and are selected by the Committee. The only exceptions to this are The Hall of Fame Award, which is chosen by the Committee and the Young People’s Comic Award which is chosen by children from numerous schools.

The award categories themselves comprise:

• The Best Comic award, open to short-form, self-contained stories published between 1^st September 2011 and 31^st August 2012;
• The Best Book award, open to long-form comics or collections published between 1^st September 2011 and 31^st August 2012;
• The Emerging Talent award, open to creators who have shown irrepressible talent, ingenuity, and potential over the previous year, and who are early on in their career as a comic creator;
• The Hall of Fame award, which celebrates talented and influential figures from Britain’s rich comics tradition;
• The Young People’s Comic Award, which is run in association with the Leeds Book Awards and Leeds Library. This award is judged by young people and aims to celebrate the best in short-form and long-form stories suitable for a young audience published between 1^st August 2011 and 31^st July 2012.

For all the latest news and updates, please visit britishcomicawards.com or get real-time updates on twitter (@BritComicAwards).

Quote from British Comic Awards founding committee member Adam Cadwell:

“The British Comic Awards were conceived in May 2011 after I witnessed the simplicity and elegance of the Doug Wright Awards in Canada. I starting talking to other comic artists and the Thought Bubble team about setting up a new awards, and a year later we’re ready to go.

The awards are designed to focus on the work itself and the wonderful stories being told by the wealth of talent in this country. There are only 5 awards which will emphasise the high quality of all the nominated books, not just the winners. Our children’s award will be voted for by children and we’ll be inducting the first artist to our Hall of Fame.

The comics culture in Britain is hugely ambitious, but often very modest too. It’s about time we pause for a moment and commend some of the incredible work that’s being done.

The Thought Bubble Festival is the last date on the UK comics calendar and I hope the British Comic Awards ceremony will be a fitting celebration to the end of a very busy 12 months for everyone involved in the British comics scene.”

ENDS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

***

Notes to Editors:

The British Comic Awards:

• A brand new initiative founded in May 2011, with an inaugural awards presentation ceremony taking place 6pm November 17^th in the Leeds Royal Armouries’ Bury Theatre as part of Thought Bubble 2012;
• Seeks to recognise and reward innovation in comics and their creators, highlighting important creative works to the general public, as well as commending the work of the UK comics industry;
• Nomination recommendations are welcomed from members of the public, comic creators, and comic publishers, for more information on the nomination process, please visit the website;
• The British Comic Awards are a partner of Thought Bubble 2012 which runs 11^th – 18^th November at venues around Yorkshire, for more information on the festival, please visit thoughtbubblefestival.com

ALL MEDIA ENQUIRIES INCLUDING INTERVIEWS, IMAGES AND PRESS DELEGATION FOR THE FESTIVAL:

Clark Burscough and Adam Cadwell, PRESS CO-ORDINATORS

Email: committee@britishcomicawards.com 

Saturday was busy busy, Sunday was quieter, numbers slightly down on last time- but the quieter day was a good chance to take more time to chat to people. People loved watching the artists draw, loved the workshops and have been inspired by the panel discussions. Highland Cosplayers have had a rare chance to get together and do some ‘costume play’. The ever popular Stormtroopers and Predator entertained the crowds. The comics based film Electric Man was screened with a directors Question and Answer session. We explored Comics in education, Celtic comics, the perception of comics today, the challenges facing the industry, the opportunity and potential, the relevance for Gaelic and Scots, different comic universes, The Renegade Arts panel on how to get into the comics industry as well as the current comic scene in Britain and Ireland.
We had Montynero’s digital art demonstration, Nigel Dobbyn, Dave Shelton, Inko and Chie’s drawing workshops. A room packed with keen tabletop gamers. Portfolio sessions for artists to showcase and discuss their work with a range of professionals. Filmmaker John Vaughan entertained everyone with his hilarious ‘Vault of Horror’ a dissection of the rather terrible B-Movie ‘The Swarm’.

The guests (who came to Hi-Ex! at their own expense) had  a wonderful time,  loving the family, inclusive atmosphere and enthusiasm of the attendees. Exhibitors sold plenty of their comics and other wares. We had parents coming up to us and thanking us for what this event gives to their youngsters. Creators getting work or cooking up new comic ideas together, friendships and working relationships made over the course of the weekend.
There was the issue about women being represented in comics, well with so many talented and creative women at Hi-Ex! 2012, we don’t understand how other events manage to remain male dominated! It really wasn’t difficult to make sure there was a good balance with no loss of quality! The gender battles instead manifested outside between the irrepressible roller girls and Stormtroopers of the UK 501st Garrison, to the entertainment of us all!

The photographs, reviews and press items are still coming in, we will be uploading these soon. We also have a MASSIVE thankyou list to follow. We got a slot on the regional TV news and have converted a few more folks to comics. This weekend achieved everything we at Hi-Ex! HQ wanted it to and more.

What about the Charity Auction for Children 1st? What about all those wonderful pieces of artwork so generously donated by comics artists, books from writers, goodies from companies? What about the takings from the raffle and the face painting?  We are very VERY proud to announce that you all raised £1907 for Children 1st. This is an incredible achievement for such a small event in austere times. Thanks so much to all of you!

There are already calls for Hi-Ex! 2013. Once we do the sums, tie up all the loose ends, unpack those boxes, catch up on sleep and have some meetings- then we will be trying everything we can to make this event sustainable and achievable on an annual basis. We’d also like to run smaller events throughout the year but all of this is subject to funding and our own workloads. Watch this space!

Stay in touch via twitter @HiExComicCon   www.facebook.com/HiExComicCon and on this website.

And THANKS again to everybody who attended and supported, making running this event an honour and a privilege.

~ Vicky and Richmond~

And Click these links for articles and reviews;

www.breakingnewsnorth.net/hiex.html

www.inverness-courier.co.uk/Whats-On/Theatre/HI-Ex-comics-eventdraws-fans-back-04042012.htm 

forbiddenplanet.co.uk/blog/2012/things-i-learned-at-hi-ex 

news.stv.tv/scotland/highlands-islands/302373-hundreds-attend-annual-highland-comic-expo/ 

player.stv.tv/programmes/news-at-six-aberdeen-north-full/2012-04-02-1800/ (14.31 in)

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-17582636 

northings.com/2012/04/03/hi-ex-highland-international-comic-expo 

forbiddenplanet.co.uk/blog/2012/hi-ex-2012-comics-fun-in-the-sunny-scottish-highlands 

www.highland-news.co.uk/Whats-On/Theatre/Highland-role-in-Johns-talking-comics-04042012.htm

www.highland-news.co.uk/Whats-On/Days-Out/Comics-Heavy-Hitters-Annonuced-for-HI-Ex-21122011.htm 

www.flickr.com/photos/woolamaloo_gazette/6888907968 

downthetubescomics.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/comics-creators-at-hi-ex-2012-part-1.html 

downthetubescomics.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/comics-creators-at-hi-ex-2012-part-2.html

graphicscotland.co.uk/profiles/blog/list?user=3nzm3tj6auzjn 

http://gnreid.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/hi-ex-2012-report.html

downthetubescomics.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/in-review-hi-ex-2012.html

comicsanonymous.wordpress.com/2012/04/12/comics-anonymous-at-hi-ex-2012/