The Thought Bubble Sequential Comic Art Festival, to give the show its original and grand title, made the venue transition and took over the Harrogate Exhibition Centre in North Yorkshire over the weekend of Saturday 9th/Sunday 10th November, with thousands of eager comics fans braving the elements to celebrate some of the worlds best comics creators, artists, writers and publishers.
A few of these creators took time out of their post-con recovery to join Leonard Sultana for interviews to be broadcast on his HWD Hospital Radio show, Lenny’s Little Slice O’ Nerd, as part of a Thought Bubble Special broadcast on Thursday 14th November.
ALEX PAKNADEL
First up was writer Alex Paknadel, a chap who has seen his career grow from strength to strength in recent years, something which was somewhat inevitable with books such as TURNCOAT, ARCADIA and the most recent FRIENDO under his belt (as well as work for mainstream IP’s such as DOCTOR WHO and ASSASSIN’S CREED).
Alex talks about how the Festival had dispelled any concerns about its new home, about the types of people and fans he experienced at the show, about the portfolio reviews he helped conduct with his fellow White Noise Studios creators (Ram V, Dan Watters and Ryan O’Sullivan), and the energy he experienced at what is arguably the premier comics-focused convention the UK has to offer.
Thanks to Alex for taking the time to talk to us for the interview – find out more about FRIENDO at: https://vaultcomics.com/comic/friendo/
MARC JACKSON
Next up was somebody that I specifically wanted to talk to about the festival, comics creator and cartoonist Marc Jackson, not only to get his perspective on Thought Bubble from the view of an exhibitor of his own self-published books but also as a convention organiser himself, as the man behind the popular Macc-POW! show that is held in Macclesfield annually.
Marc discussed his time at TBF, being only an exhibitor for the one day, testing the waters of being behind the table at the festivals new venue. He also talks about the types of crowds that could be found at Thought Bubble, the landscape of independent and self-published comics in 2019, and how important it is to have such a show of this scale being held in the UK.
Thanks to Marc for taking the time to talk to us for the interview – find out more about the Macc-POW! show at: http://maccpow.co.uk/
ALISON SAMPSON
Last but by no means least was someone who represented the type of exhibitor who has a unique take on what is happening at shows such as Thought Bubble are those that don’t necessarily have anything to sell, per se: writers, artists or people that have contributed to a book or comic, rather than publishing it themselves – master illustrator Alison Sampson is the incredible artist behind comics such as WINNEBAGO GRAVEYARD (for Image Comics) and the recent Mumbai-set run in Mark Miller‘s HIT-GIRL, written by the genius that is Peter Milligan and masterfully coloured by Triona Farrell.
In the interview, Alison talked about her own experiences of the festival, especially as someone who was able to take around two young family members on a rare wander from behind her very busy table! She also talks about the importance of having such a show such as Thought Bubble in the UK, as well as what TBF could further develop, moving forward in its new home.
Thanks to Alison for taking the time to talk to us for the interview – find out more about the HIT-GIRL IN MUMBAI (Season 2) comic at: https://imagecomics.com/comics/releases/hit-girl-season-two-9
