Chatting and book launching Science Tales, with a bookplate available at Gosh on the night as an exclusive:

The site for this year’s BD Passion event celebrating French and British comics culture is now live and choc-full of details of some great bande dessinee gigs in the heart of London. Taking place over May 24th to the 27th, the festival will include a reading group with Paul Gravett (doubtless in his full Jackanory mode), comics workshops with Christophe Arleston and Luke Pearson, talks by the acclaimed creator David B, Tom Gauld and Guy Delisle (how much do I want to be at that gig?!), Rosinski talking Thorgal, workshops on digital comics, Pat Mills and Kevin O’Neill talking, Karrie Fransman holding a masterclass, broadcaster and comics lover Jonathan Ross discussing his love for the medium and more. Last year’s event was very well received and this year sounds even better, so if you are in the area you are going to want to get along to some of it. The events are again in the London Institut Français, 17 Queensberry Place, SW7 (nearest tube: South Kensington)

The tickets are free for the event, but space is limited so you should try and grab them in advance; tickets are available from all Falkirk region libraries or call 01324 503870. And again I applaud our fellow booklovers in our public libraries for being so open to using the comics medium to encourage reading and discussion of books, we’re seeing a lot more of this these days, long may that trend continue (and long may our public libraries facing huge cuts also continue, a vital resource in any civilised society)

Two new comics are available: The 16-page At The Caves and her latest mini flip comic; Curse of the Bogmen/Horseome, plus there’s a reprint of the mini flip comic Tofu and Cats/A Dinosaur Tale!

The comics are all available from Lunney’s store for preorder (dispatching mid April) and in person at Comica and TCAF. (Is it me, or is everyone except me going to TCAF this year. No fair. Or in my case, no fare.)

Lizz also tells us that original Curse of The Bogmen artwork will be on exhibition as part of Once Upon A Time In The Midlands event – flyer below.

‘Entertaining Dundee: From the Comical to the Comic, the Ridiculous to the Sublime’ is an upcoming event which sees Doctor Chris Murray (who we know from his excellent comics academic work in Dundee) pitched against Eddie Small, an authority on Dundee’s well-kent son William ‘the great’ McGonagall (often celebrated as one of the worst poets in the English language and loved for being so awful), discussing the Dundonian bard followed by Chris discussing the importance of characters to come out of the comics produced in the city’s famous DC Thomson publishers, contrasting their influences on public humour. The event is scheduled for Wednesday April 4th at 7.30pm in the Byre Theatre, Saint Andrews.

Another entry on the comic event list – ELCAF 2012, East London Comics and Arts Festival is a new, small affair, organised by Nobrow and taking place on 17th of June at the rather splendid looking space of The Village Underground at Shoreditch.

“We are very pleased to announce that on June 17th, we are presenting a carefully curated fair with the very best of comics and graphic art from across the globe in the stunning venue of the Village Underground in Shoreditch. We will have special guests, signings, live drawing events, talks, a publisher’s fair and even a ticketed concert that very same night! The day fair is completely free to attend and will have only the best collectives, publishers and small presses from the UK and abroad in attendance.”

“The first edition of the festival will aim to showcase the plethora of youthful talent in the comics and graphic art scene in London and the UK and also to bring something fresh to our locals by drawing talent from abroad to take part in the event, inviting exciting new collectives and publishers from Europe and the wider World.”

The event will have just 40 (ish) stalls, so get those applications to exhibit in asap.

Work in progress – the ELCAF 2012 poster by McBess.

Hugh Shug Raine writes to tell us about what looks like a fun thing happening in Leeds, starting on May the 4th, a date beloved by all Star Wars fans the world over.

“To commemorate Star Wars day ‘May the 4th’ FullCircle Gallery Leeds, The Hang Gang and Leeds Alternative Comics, have got together to host the ultimate celebration of the greatest films ever made! FullCircle will be transformed into a gallery not so far far away, hosting not only a huge display of vintage Star Wars toys including over 100 carded figures and boxed vehicles, but a contemporary / lowbrow look at the Star Wars universe supplied by over 30 amazing artists”

All the art will be available to purchase on a first come first served basis, plus vintage collectibles. Live music will be supplied by the Cantina Band and the evening will cumulate with a screening of Star Wars.

Saturday and Sunday it’s pay on the door, but Friday night’s opening party is limited to 100 tickets.

Full details at the Hang Gang site.

Poster says it all really. Part of the partnership between Leeds’ Thought Bubble Festival and Comics Forum.

Daniel Clifford and Lee Robinson’s Art Heroes company have their first comic series Halcyon & Tenderfoot series launching in a few weeks time.

They’ve already released a preview issue zero, but the actual issue 1 launches at Newcastle City Library, Saturday 31st March in an all day event mixing signing and sketching sessions with a morning Art Heroes Quick Comics workshop, limited to 30 young people, booking advised, no experience necessary and an afternoon 3pm “How To Make Comics The Art Heroes Way” with Clifford and Robinson going through the creative process.

More details at the Art Heroes website.

But if you can’t make it along to Newcastle on the day, issue 1 along with annual 4-issue subscriptions to the series are available for print and digital versions of the comic at the Art Heroes webstore.