Here’s the second of our guest reports from the recent Birmingham Comicon 2011 (first one yesterday from Matthew Craig). This time it’s from Ryan Taylor, author of The Grinning Mask comic and member of the Midlands Comix Collective.

Thanks very much to Ryan……

Hello trees, hello sky, welcome to Birmingham’s Comicon. Following the previous year’s Bics at Millennium Point, this year the organisers took a punt on splitting the comics fun into two shows. One aimed at creators and one for fans – Comics Launchpad and Comicon respectively.

Having attended them both, I can happily say that both events were top days out. I’m not sure if much was written about Launchpad on the FP Blog in terms of reviews, but it really deserves a mention here. For an aspiring comic creator, it was an unmissable day out. Full of interesting talks and presentations by a wealth of professionals – indeed my only complaint was that for an artist, there was almost too much to see and much like a music festival, there were a few inevitable clashes of events. Hardly a fair criticism on my behalf though…

And so to the past weekend’s Comicon. Skipping the Launch Party and stepping off the train at New Street on Saturday morning with a rucksack and portfolio laden with stuff, I was suddenly very glad of the change of venue. Swapping last year’s miles-from-New-Street-Station Millennium Point to handily-down-the-road Holiday Inn, this was at first glance a smaller affair more akin to a Bristol comics show than what BICS fans may be used to.

(On the way in to the show – Timebomb Comics‘ Steve Tanner with trademark jacket, Accent UK‘s Colin Mathieson, and right at the end is Futurequake)

The comic room – Jason Cobley of Bulldog fame front and centre)

(The other room at BC2011)

(Laura Howell and Tim at the Midlands Comix Collective stall)

Chatting to one Shane Chebsey first thing though, I was told that this was certainly in terms of hire costs a great choice. In fact, given the inner city location, there was a steady stream of folk through the doors all day and more passing custom than one would get at Millennium Point. All this added up to a super busy show. A small point perhaps, but having the hotel booked for the evening meant that there was also a great sociable atmosphere in the hotel bars afterward.

I did a fair amount of stall-sitting and didn’t get chance to attend any talks / events so will quickly just mention some of the bits and pieces that caught my eye and filled my rucksack on my strolls around the show.

Starting at the bottom and going around clockwise; -

The hard working Matthew Craig had his new Bostin’ Heroes comic – always a great read and this was happily no exception. How he manages to produce so much good comics work is beyond me I’m afraid. Some fabbo original artwork from Playhour Annual from Mike Higgs’ stall. Who could resist this?
Tuk Tuk – a fabbo looking comic by Will Kirkby. I’ve not actually sat down to read this one yet, but when a comic looks as great as this, that’s half the battle won for me.
A lovely Frankenstein fridge magnet by Hunt Emerson. Rather handily, I do own a fridge. Check out Dean Beattie’s site, I saw plenty of people walking around with his prints. Gloriously odd stuff. The NQHIRT comic was a real surprise. Thrust into my hand as I walked around the show, it’s a spoof set of old comics covers that has certainly made me chuckle. Whoever put this one together (I can’t find a contact on the comic) deserves a quick round of applause. The London Deep card is a flyer from Mogzilla for their wonderful looking line of books. They were bravely manning a heaving table of great looking reads.

Finally my big purchase of the day – Gary Spencer Millidge’s ‘Alan Moore Storyteller’. This is now proudly sat atop my coffee table waiting for the day I can find a spare hour or so to plough through it.

To sum up, a great new venue and a top top show. The change of venue only added to the atmosphere of the day. Shane, James and Andy should be applauded for the work they put into getting these events together and here’s hoping that they look to put on similar shows next year.

Thank you very much to Ryan Taylor for sharing that with us. His Grinning Mask comic is up to issue 2 now, and you can order it from his website. And if you need a nudge, here’s my review of it.

Well I didn’t make it to this years Birmingham Comicon – Molly’s birthday weekend took precidence I’m afraid.

Mark Millar didn’t make it either, flu to blame. So no word of what he and Dave Gibbons were rumoured to be announcing. However, all the mentions I’ve seen on facebook and twitter seem to be saying prettty much the same thing; that this slightly reduced Birmingham convention (it’s usually two days in the bigger venue of Millenium Point) was a massive success, very friendly and very busy.

There are lots of very nice messages about it on the BC2011 Facebook page, Lew Stringer’s done a write up over at his blog, Accent UK (finally) launched their new Predator graphic novel and had a great show, and Tony Lee had this to say on Twitter:

“Am home, finally decompressed from BrumCon. One of the best in years, easily best UK con so far for friendliness and conversations. Nice!”

(Pic of the dealers room at the Birmingham Comicon 2011, picture from Lew Stringer’s blog)

Like I say, I didn’t make it down this year, but luckily Matthew Craig stepped into the breach with his con report below.

Matthew’s the creator of many fine, fine comics, many with a distinctly Midlands setting, including his latest; Both Sides.

Ladies and gentlemen……Matthew Craig:

(Matthew Craig at Birmingham Comicon 2011. Photograph from the Flickrstream of Neil Patel, who also contributes his write-up at his website.)

2011BC was a pretty great show, with a lot of familiar faces on both sides of the table. There was a steady stream of visitors throughout the day, with healthy queues for signings by Dave Gibbons and Dougie Braithwaite. Unfortunately for me, the queues were just that little bit too far from my table to be considered fair game for my sales pitch. The crowd skewed a little older than Thought Bubble might, but with all the families and young (primary-age) kids, it also skewed a little broader in age range. The venue was modest and cosy, reminding me at first of some of the Manchester marts I attended in the previous millennium, but there was plenty of room for everyone.

(There’s that She-Hulk Matthew mentions – photo from Jon T Law’s Flickrstream)

There were a few cosplayers, collecting for charity and flying the flag for spandex seamstresship. My favourites were She-Hulk, who showed a remarkable commitment to her verdant persona, Cyclops (a hero spoiled for me forever by Jamie McKelvie’s moustachioed defacement), and The Spirit, who I may have accidentally addressed by name. We had a good chat about Eisner and his indefatigable signature creation, which left me with some novel insights into the character.

(And here’s Cyclops, photo sent along by Dave Lloyd)

The range of exhibitors seemed to me to be a fine slice of the British indy comics scene. Some notable London and Northern names were absent, as were a couple of major UK publishers, but the Midlands comics scene was well-represented, and there was plenty of fine indy fare for readers with a taste for novelty. I enjoyed the best one-day and whole-con sales I’ve seen for a good long time, and gleefully dished out comics and sales pitches to whoever stopped by.

(Detail from Will Kirby’s Tuk-Tuk – expect more about this very soon)

I didn’t get much of a chance to circulate, but that wasn’t such a problem, as people seemed willing to deliver. First among these blessed travellers was Tony Hitchman, who dropped off a couple of free four-page A4 maxicomics. These were jolly as hell, consisting of harsh economic realities and parodic pin-ups. Next up: Will “Chamonkee” Kirkby, whose Tuk-Tuk was a sumptuous (again, A4) full-colour electrostatic odyssey through the lives of two anthopomorphic arthropods on the make. Will’s art is furiously sharp and dense, and the colour, rich and expertly applied, makes Tuk-Tuk a complete package in every respect. My only wish is that someone can get this to a publisher with pockets so it can be mass-produced to bring the price down.

(Page 1 from Ryan Taylor’s new Grinning Mask issue 2)

Ryan Taylor, the only comic book creator with sideburns better than mine, stopped by to swap for a copy of his new comic The Grinning Mask 2. The unnerving cover suggests a surreality to proceedings, but I wasn’t quite so prepared for Ryan’s excellent clockwork plotting, moving between three discrete but parallel strands while also dropping in two-page horror stories in the classic style. Fans of Douglas Noble will very much enjoy The Grinning Mask.

(It’s Just Josh by Josh Clarke)

At the table to my left were Josh Clarke and Wayne Hughes. I picked up a copy of Josh’s first book (online here) at NEC Memorabilia fair in the Spring, so I swapped one of my comics for Wayne’s anthropological fantasy comic Sabre. The art is pleasantly charming, in a classic indy comics style, but watching Wayne sketch (with ink and brush, not bingo markers like I used to use!), I can already see how much his art has improved since finishing Sabre #1. Wayne’s introduction to the comic tells of how it grew out of a desire to enhance his existing artistic portfolio with a finished product, a notion that to me seems both rewarding and logical.

(Tinpot Hobo Issue 1 by Jack and Adam Lawrence)

Briefly enticed from behind my table by a banner on the other side of the room, my final swap/purchase was Tinpot Hobo, by Jack and Adam Lawrence. A richly-imagined science fiction universe in the Firefly/Moonrunners/Farscape vein, Tinpot Hobo finds a naive young woman seeking to redeem her family name in the company of a dodgy courier and his crew, while an outlaw does whatever it takes to evade capture. Tinpot Hobo is Jack’s first creator-owned comic in some time, having previously worked on “Lions, Tigers and Bears” for Image, and his own series Darkham Vale. His art is right at home in the American scene, being delightfully amiable and lightly cartoony, in the Wieringo-Nauck-Brooks vein, and while the world he and Adam have created will feel familiar to sci-fi buffs, the characters are equally well-defined, holding the reader’s attention admirably.

Despite the proliferation of new cons and expos (mostly concentrated in the capital), and the deserved success of the mighty Thought Bubble, I feel that the Birmingham con is important for a number of reasons, above and beyond my own obvious biases. It serves a community of loyal, open-minded readers, quite distinct from the people who attend events such as the Birmingham Zine Festival, who can’t (and shouldn’t have to) splash out forty quid to travel down to London or up to Leeds. It offers a relaxed yet lively atmosphere. And best of all, as with her white rose sibling, the focus of BICS is squarely on Comics. Marvel Comics, DC Comics, British Comics.

And whatever problems people might have had with the show in the past, it’s worth supporting BICS in whatever incarnation it takes next. A one-day version might well ameliorate some of these problems, rebuilding and focusing the energy of the con in the way that made Thought Bubble so much fun these last three years. A cheaper venue would help, although that’s easier said than found, and the proximity of the Holiday Inn to New Street Station is hard to sniff at. But whatever happens, the Birmingham Comicon should not be allowed to fade away.

(Matthew Craig’s new comic – available at his webstore – he’s far too nice to mention it himself!)

Thank you very much to Matthew Craig for the great convention report. Make sure you go and have a look at hiss website for some great Birmingham comics and have a read of this – Matthew’s in need of a few good artists right now!

I can only support what he says about the real need for an ongoing Birmingham convention of one sort or another. And as usual I think we should all be thanking con organisers Andy, James and Shane for doing this year in, year out. See you there next year!

Yep, Birmingham will have a comic show this year, it just wont be the traditional 2-day British International Comics Show we’ve come to expect over the last few years. Instead, the city will be hosting the one day Birmingham Comicon in August.

Put together by “International Comic Shows” (basically most of the team behind BICS), it’s taking place on August 27th, starting at 10am and ending, well, to be honest, it’s up to you – the bars at the venue are open to 4am.

The location is the Smallbrook Queensway Holiday Inn, very conveniently located around the corner from my favourite place in the comics world: Nostalgia & Comics.

There’s something very fitting in all this; after all the very first UK comic convention not only took place in Birmingham in 1968 but was organised by the original boss of Nostalgia & Comics Phil Clarke (who’s also the man who said yes all those years ago when I asked if he had any work going for my summer holidays). So when you attend the con, make sure you pop in to Nostalgia & Comics to say hello. I have a feeling they’ll be doing some special events to make the weekend go well.

For a little more on UK convention history – see this Dez Skinn article.

Guests announced for Birmingham Comicon so far include Chris Sprouse (Tom Strong) from the States, Dave Gibbons, Declan Shalvey, Peter Hogan and Jimmy Broxton. (I imagine James Hodgkins may be there as well, although it is funny how you never see James and Jimmy in the same place at the same time, isn’t it?)

For more details on the Birmingham 2011 Comic Con head to their website. So far it’s sparse, but no doubt will be growing over the weeks.

There’s also The Comics Launchpad event, a one-day conference for comic professionals, aspiring pros and those with an interest in the comic business. Guests include Joey Cavalieri, Klaus Janson, Mark Farmer, Andi Watson, Rufus Dayglo, Emma Vieceli, and more – all providing talks, workshops and events during the day.

Comics Launchpad takes place on June 18th in Birmingham, tickets and more details at the website.

It’s important that events like Birmingham Comicon, Bristol Expo, Manchester Expo, Leeds Thought Bubble, Inverness Hi-Ex and the like continue. And whilst it’s lovely to see London events growing and expanding, the UK comic scene, including the comic press, has to be representative of the whole of the UK with a variety of different events. So it’s great to be able to report on so much going on around the country rather than just focus on the comic events going on inside the M25.

There may be no BICS this year (maybe – see below – it’s officially “on hold”) …… but the organisers haven’t been putting their feet up.

International Comic Shows (the group behind BICS) Comics Launchpad 2011 is being organised for June – a one-day conference for comic pros, aspiring artists and writers and anyone concerned with making comics.

There are few details at present, but they promise a full day packed with talks, demonstrations, seminars and workshops featuring a host of comic pros on hand to share their expertise. Confirmed guest speakers at the moment include: Klaus Janson, Andi Watson, Mark Farmer and Emma Viceli. I imagine more wil be confirmed very soon.

Shane Chebsey got in touch via email and had this to say:

“BICS is currently on hold until a suitable venue can be found. The show will return bigger and better than ever! :-)”

“Launch Pad is a totally different kind of event as it’s far more focussed on events for creators and will include workshops and seminars. Marvel US are officially involved and we are talking to most other major publishers too so it’s a unique opportunity for creators of all types to develop their careers and to have a great day out too. The evening party includes free food and drink and there will also be a goody bag for every delegate which is bound to be more in value than the cost of a ticket so it’s great value at just £45.”

“There really is nothing quite like Launch Pad in the UK so we’re very excited about bringing the concept to UK creators.”

Tickets for the event are available from the 28th February, but it’s limited to just 300, so if you want to go, early booking is probably a must. For more information on Comics Launch Pad 2011 contact: info@comicslaunchpad.com

Before you read this, have a look a the first part of the BICS 2010 report.

There were far too many pics this time, of far too many lovely people to fit into one post, so here are a few of the rest…..

Rob Davies and Warwick Jackson Cadwell were there for the day, Warwick with his new mini Kani and pages from the forthcoming Gungle, Rob with various postcards and some lovely prints. But what Rob did have, what nearly managed to get me in a lot of trouble with Mrs B when she heard, was a selection of pages from his Roy Of The Rovers strip from the 90s. The temptation to splash out on a couple was so, so very strong. Instead, I think I may have found a Christmas present for Mrs B to get for me.

Steve Tanner of Timebomb Comics with wife Suzanne and the gorgeous Sasha. Steve’s latest release London Calling looks absolutely great, expect a review soon. In fact, between little Sasha, Ian and Jane Edginton’s lovely two children and John McCrea’s children hanging out behing the Nostalgia stand, Sunday afternoon had a lovely feeling of a comic show creche.

And speaking of Andi Watson…..

Andi was there with some lovely artwork and spent all weekend sketching. There are a few Watson projects coming up in 2011, nd I’m sure you’ll hear about them on the FPI blog.

Alan Davis with something to say during one of his always popular signing sessions. Not pictured; Mark Farmer, who was busy chatting about Aston Villa in the distance.

Hunt Emerson, nursing a hand recently recovering from a Carpel Tunnel op (all is well, he had the sling on more to stop him drawing than anything) and Knockabout’s Tony Bennett. Knockabout’s Depresso is released in early November and is quite brilliant.

And really, isn’t it far past time we had some sort of hardback reissues of Hunt’s wonderful work?

Al Davison with a copy of his new book Hokusai: Demons, a copy of which is on the shelf right now. In fact, I do believe it’s the copy Al’s holding up there.

Roger Gibson and Vince Danks, the Harker boys, with news of an impending publishing deal, a sellout couple of collections and previews of their new monthly Gravestown, of which I have no doubt I’ll be talking more of in time.

DC artist Nicola Scott, taking time out from a very long line of fans waiting for sketches and signatures.

Olivier and the Cinebook crew, selling many, many fine examples of Euro-comics. Cinebook are a continuing success and proving, for once and for all that there is a definite market for the quality Euro-comics they are releasing.

New to many at BICS, but an old friend of mine, Matt Dixon was doing a steady trade in his lovely pin-up artwork all weekend.

Ian Edginton and Simon Gane, signing and sketching.

And finally, it’s far past time I mentioned the man without whom I wouldn’t have ended up here; Mr Phil Clarke. He’s the man who said yes when I applied for a job, many, many years ago at Nostalgia & Comics in Birmingham. He’s an original, a founding father of the UK retail scene.

Without him, I’d not be here, my love of comics would never have developed and I don’t think I’ve ever really said thank you enough over the years. Here he is with Mike Higgs, artist on The Cloak and Moonbird. They are now fronting Blasé Books with copies of their book Great British Fantasy Comic Book Heroes (Paul Gravett covered it last year, and it was reviewed on Down The Tubes last September). Thanks Phil, it’s lovely to see you looking so well and enjoying comics after all these years.

And that’s it, that was BICS 2010. A fantastic time had by all, especially me. Thanks again to James, Shane and Andy. I hope to be reporting from it again in 2011.

LINK ROUNDUP

I’ll be keeping this up to date over the next week or so with any new blog posts or news articles, but feel free to get in touch with a specific link in case I miss it.

Excerpt from the Jonathan Ross (with added Tommy Lee Edwards) panel at BICS 2010 – You Tube clip.

Alex Fitch was wandering around all weekend, microphone in hand tells us that he has interviews with Charles Vess and Peter Gross at Panel Borders right now. And future shows streamed at Resonance FM and available as a podcast at Panel Borders after transmission.

Future interviews recorded at BICS include Roger Gibson and Vince Danks of Harker at 5pm on the 28th October. An interview by Dickon with Yanick Paquette and Alex’s Nicola Scott interview will be broadcast on November 3rd.

Birmingham Mail Slideshow.

Warwick Johnson Cadwell – report.
Jason Cobley – report.
Mike Collins – Facebook photos.
Alexi Conman – report.
Paul Cornell – report.
Dr. Sketchy’s Flickr Pics.
Etherington Brothers – report.
John Freeman – Flickr set.
Geek Syndicate – Bryan Hitch Live Panel podcast.
Jenni Gyllblad – report.
Roger Gibson (Harker) – report.
David Goodman – Facebook photo album.
Heidi Macdonald at the Beat – report.
Sarah McIntyre – report.
Sean Phillips – very quick report.
Pornokitsch – report.
Abi Ryder – report.
Speech Balloons – report.
Dave Stokes – report.
Kev F Sutherland – Report.

This past weekend saw the 2010 British International Comics Show take place at Birmingham’s Millenium Point. And it was a really good comics show, pitched somewhere between the massive crowds of MCM and Memorabilia and more indie cons like Thought Bubble. BICS could do big movie star and sci-fi names if they wanted to – but at it’s heart it’s a traditional comics only event. And is a brilliantly entertaining and enjoyable weekend for all.

And thanks to the trio of organisers; James Hodgkins, Shane Chebsey and Andy Baker, it’s an event firmly rooted in the schedules of the UK comics scene. In fact, it’s so firmly rooted that there’s a risk that it’s taken somewhat for granted and there’s a temptation to criticise it for too many things and not praise it enough for all the great things it does every year.

If the dedication of the organisers needed proving at all, you only had to take one look at Shane by middle of Saturday; his eye looked like it had exploded; red and bloodshot, terribly sore. The stress of getting everything together was obviously taking it’s toll. All we can really do is wish him, and all three organisers well, hope Shane enjoys his recovery week off and thank them for another hugely successful, most enjoyable weekend of comics events.

The show kicked off, as is usual now, with the (in)famous launch party on Friday night, essentially an excuse for comic folks to get together over alcohol. Last years was a bit of a letdown to be honest, not the organisers fault though, what they booked was nothing like what the venue delivered. This years launch party, at Oceana nightclub, was a damn sight better, but still felt a little strange. Set over three levels, the venue just served to split the crowd into too many disperate groups, all tucked into their own little worlds. It was still fun, but nothing really beats the venue they had a few years ago where all the guests and fans mingled in one large pub, single level, not too loud, and everyone was really happy with the night, with so many people I chatted to at Oceana commenting on how perfect the old venue was. Shane, James, Andy – is there not any chance we could get Bennetts back next year? Surely us comics fans didn’t get BICS barred from there?

Saturday it was off to Millenium Point, gleaming silver science museum over multiple floors and with far too many confusing elevators:

Birmingham doesn’t really have that much cosplay going on, and what is around tends to be a rather professional looking group of Star Wars and horror characters, usually from Hollywood Heroes who always have a presence at the show. So it wasn’t that much of a surprise to be met with this as I walked through the door:

There were a few nice costumes, and a couple of slightly silly comic launches involving spandex and PVC clad women. But the award for bravest cosplay for the weekend goes to Julia Tromans, who slipped into her Leia Slavegirl costume for the day (The Birmingham Mail has got pics in this slideshow – I couldn’t bring myself to get one I’m afraid. But like I say – brave).

This year the show still consisted of two exhibition rooms plus the events and signing rooms, and although anecdotal evidence told me numbers were a little down on last year, most of the exhibitors I spoke to talked of good, if not great sales. But most of all, it was lovely to see so many very happy comics fans about the place, buying lots, getting sketches, catching up with friends and generally having a great time. (Except, it seems the guy in the next photo.)

This year I even had a basecamp to go back to, as my favourite comic shop in the whole wide world had a stand at BICS this year. Nostalgia & Comics were there, with the stall brilliantly manned by FPI contributor Michael and ex-N&C staffer Corinthia. It’s a long time since Nostalgia & Comics had a stand at their hometown gig and hopefully, this year will just be the first of many.

(Nostalgia & Comics’ Michael smiling a smile he’d effortlessly maintain the whole weekend. Thanks for the basecamp Mikey)

Saturday’s show consisted of me wandering around the halls, looking around the place, chatting, browsing, looking over people’s work. Truth to tell, there weren’t that many people there who had something new and wonderful. Not that there weren’t a load of wonderful things, just nothing really wonderful and new. Loads of folks to see, lots of familiar faces and people whose work I’ve enjoyed over the past year, but I always want to find someone at any con whose work I can discover and love.

However, there were lots of familiar names to the FPI blog, lovely people all, with some great, great books:

(Jenika Ioffreda and her Vampire Free Style comics, sharing table space with Andrew Cheverton and Tim Keable – whose West has been a most enjoyable discovery this year)

(Graham Pearce sells his Sgt Battle Collection whilst Martin Eden was busy selling Spandex all weekend)

(Jason Cobley and Neill Cameron were there, Jason with his new Bulldog collection and all new anthology Bulldog Clips and Neill with pre-publication copies of Mo-Bot High. For the early part of Saturday they were joined by Sarah McIntyre, of Vern & Lettuce fame, before she had to rush off to the Cheltenham Book Festival)

One very strange thing at the show for both days was the filming. Not the BBC/ITV stuff going on for Jonathan Ross on Sunday, but the ongoing, ever-present filming of Pulp, a comedy about comics. Although by the end of the week, there weren’t that many people finding the joke that funny.

They’d taken over about 10 stands, filling nearly half an aisle with very authentic, albeit rather dire looking comics and backing panels (Sodomiser, Supertardz, Planet Rock et al). And they proceeded to stop people walking up the aisles whenever they had a take to shoot, annoying punters and exhibitors alike.

BICS, like all Brittish shows benefits greatly from a relaxed, easy-going vibe. There’s none of the paranoia and over bearing crowd control of the US cons, where guests and fans just don’t come into contact too often away from the stands. But BICS is awash with big names, wandering around, stopping to chat, happy to be around fans.

Take Dave Gibbons, artist of Watchmen and a genuine star. As I’m walking out on Saturday around half 5, he’s in the main entrance hall, chatting to a couple of fans. Someone else wanders along, portfolio in hand, enquiring if Dave could have a quick look. Before long, Dave’s critiquing the guy’s work, encouraging, patient, helpful. And then another guy joins the queue, then another, portfolios in hand. I snapped a quick picture, said a quick hello and wandered on. But I could pretty much guarantee Dave spent time with every aspiring artist who joined that little line. Tell me that would happen at San Diego.

(Dave Gibbons, artist on Watchmen and genuine comics legend, but above all, a wonderful pro and comics fan, freely giving of his time throughout BICS 2010)

And one more little Dave Gibbons anecdote whilst I’m here. I was having lunch on Sunday, and putting my aching feet up when Dave sits down with Mike Carey and a few other folks for a coffee and a chat. Dave’s just finishing off a chat when a young lad of 15 tentatively wanders over and asks if he can have a word. Dave asks for just a minute to finish off and he’ll be right with the lad. True to his word, he then proceeds to answer this aspiring artists first question after which the lad starts to get up. “Is that it?” says Dave, what else would you like to know? A one minute question turned into 5 minutes of his time and the lad went away beaming. It was a pleasure to see happen. And apologies to Dave if he’s reading this – I promise I wasn’t earwigging.

Likewise on the Sunday, the hall is fairly quiet, it’s lunchtime, Charles Vess is talking and signing downstairs and suddenly Jonathan Ross is walking through. James Hodgkins and a couple of show minders were along for the ride, but there was never the sense that the guest star was not to be disturbed, not to be approached. Again, a lovely relaxed atmosphere really helps make Birmingham a great show, where all levels of the comics world mingle and mix.

(James Hodgkins and Jonathan Ross. BICS 2010)

I didn’t get to Ross’ panel, where he had a satellite link up with Tommy Lee Edwards, his artist on Turf, but I did chat to various folks who’d seen him and had stood in the impossible large queue for a chance to get a signature afterwards. Everyone had nothing but praise for Ross, his talk was entertaining and he signed, and signed, and signed afterwards, until everyone went away happy.

The Jonathan Ross talk was the big deal of the Sunday, indeed the big deal of the whole weekend, with far more people wanting to see him talk than the theatre could accomodate. But the show seemed to handle it really well, both Saturday and Sunday had a certain number of free passes to his event available, and the resulting, well mannnered, patient crowd snaking throught the venue before it started was testament to the pull of this superstar guest and sometime comic writer. You know, I should really pull my finger out and pick up Turf, just to see what it’s like.

I’ll have more pics and a link round up tomorrow, but let’s end this, yet again, with a big thank you to James, Shane, Andy and the army of volunteers who made BICS 2010 the most enjoyable and successful yet.

As is normal after the con, there was talk of this being the last ever BICS. But I, and a host of happy comics fans would dearly love it to carry one. Here’s to a very successful BICS 2010 and here’s hoping I’ll be back there for BICS 2011.

Al Davison’s latest graphic novel is available for the first time at BICS this weekend. Previews at Davison’s Facebook. It does look rather lovely though…. and here’s the trailer to show you exactly what I mean.

(Alternative direct You Tube link)

This weekend it’s the big annual British International Comics Show in Birmingham on 16-17th October. A host of big names will be there, and there’s always the possibility you may miss some of the marvellous stuff at smaller tables. Which is where we come in…..

(Jason Cobley‘s Bulldog makes a triumphant return in Bulldog Clips #1, with a host of new short stories – details at his blog. And there’s also the second volume of The Best Of Bulldog (review of Vol 1 here). He’ll be at BICS sharing a table with Neill Cameron….)

(…. and speaking of Neill Cameron, he’ll have copies of Mo-Bot High available weeks before it’s official release – I’ve read it and it’s quite breathtakingly good.)

(David Wynne’s rather interesting looking Particle Fiction gets it’s first collection courtesy of Orang Utan Comics)

(Survival Stories from Sleepless Pheonix – the anthology originally planned from Insomnia Publications – will be coming out from it’s creators at BICS)

(Paul Rainey brings B.A.S.T.A.R.D.S. Volume 2 to Birmingham – review of Vol 1 here)

(Andrew Cheverton and Tim Keable’s excellent West: Distance #2)

(Graham Pearce is debuting his first Sgt Mike Battle collection at the show. “280 pages of freedom-loving fun for around £12.”)

(Steve Tanner at Timebomb is launching London Calling by Stephen Walsh and Keith Page)

(Rob Davis doesn’t have any new books or comics but he will be taking original art for sale and will have a selection of lovely looking prints, posters and postcards – loving the Doctor Who poster!)

(And sharing a table with Rob will be Warwick Jackson Cadwell, who’s promising his “deep sea diving samurai” comic Kani will be ready for Birmingham along with posters and art from his Gungle book, coming in 2011 from Blank Slate)

(Fall Of The Wolfmen from Andy Bloor and Accent UK gets a big event premiere at BICS)

(Matthew Craig has three new comics for BICS – the latest Bostin Heroes featuring the black country heroes, the completely revised and redone Trixie Biker Vs The Time Wastrel wherein “The Pixie-Powered Petrolhead” faces a middle-aged scientist looking to turn back time. Finally there’s a similarly rejigged Tryhard and Tearaway, the amazing adventures of two Welsh schoolboys.)

Well, it’s hardly a huge surprise and the rumours had always been around that Jonathan Ross was going to be making an appearance at the British International Comic Show. After all, his artist on the Turf series Tommy Lee Edwards was appearing and Ross is a well known comics fan himself.

Then Edwards dropped out, under deadline pressure. But still BICS promised us a surprise special guest. And now they’ve confirmed it:

“As previously announced, Tommy Lee Edwards is no longer able to attend BICS 2010….. No one is more disappointed about this than Tommy Lee himself. Desperate not to let down the fans, he put forward a proposal that might yet allow the organisers to present a killer Turf event at the show.”

“After weeks of careful planning and negotiation, between BICS, Tommy and series author and co-creator Jonathan Ross, the organisers have recently announced details of the event fans have all been waiting for. Scheduled for 1.00pm on Sunday the 17th, Jonathan Ross will make a special appearance at BICS 2010. Jonathan will talk Turf and hold a Q & A, followed by a signing session in the theatre lobby. If this weren’t enough, we are incredibly excited to announce that via a live satellite link, Jonathan will be talking with Tommy during the event.”

Not a surprise perhaps, but still a nice extra for the final day of the show. And a great excuse for every website that runs the story to include this picture: