Intl. Comic Art Festival at The Lakes

By August Tales

Allow me to set a scene. It’s been about five years since I last attended a weekend comic event. This brings a new light to my experience at last weekend’s Lakes International Comic Art Festival. The event marked the end of my self-imposed exile, triggering a fascinating mixture of excitement and anxiety. Now, let me share with you some of my highlights.

The New Face of LICAF

LICAF has moved since my last visit to Kendal. The new surroundings in Bowness-on-Windermere amplify the novelty. Kendal was compact, but Bowness allows for a more dispersed festival vibe. This time, they put the festival concept forward, highlighted with focused programming over the comic marketplace.

New Initiatives

The most notable feature was the Comics Rights Market initiated at LICAF 2024. This shift dramatically altered comic events’ ethos and function. I must say, I appreciated the efforts to give indie creators a platform for their talent. The word in the grapevine is that creators are largely positive about the Comics Rights Market.

Programming Redefined

LICAF’s programming was particularly diverse. For instance, the Friday night event was a lively debate on who the greatest Avenger was. In an unexpected turn of events, Dagsson swayed the audience for Speedball, who isn’t an Avenger!

Reminiscent Conversations

Chats were not scarce: whether with the latest generation of UK-based creators like Mollie Ray and Isabel Greenberg, or British comics like Kate Charlesworth. A memorable panel was that of Aimée de Jongh speaking about her Faber adaptation of Lord of the Flies.

Exhibitions and Shows

The exhibition space left no stone unturned. There was the Palestinian artists’ exhibit, or the Doctor Who: A Comic Universe show, which managed to captivate the younger audience. If you’re keen, you can check out what you missed at the LICAF site.

Saturday Night Social

Come Saturday night; it was time to let loose. An entertaining compilation of works at the Show ‘N Tell, organized by Dan Berry and David Gaffney, caught my eye. Luke Healy and Dagsson’s stand-up comedy acts brought the house down.

Final Thoughts

Summing up my experiences is hard, given my long hiatus from such events. However, LICAF was an overwhelming sensory overload of exceptional comic magic. It encapsulated what a full-blown comic art festival should look like, integrating social relevance, interactivity, and past and future nods. Above all, a spirit of comics bonhomie was writ large. If you ask me, these were the most important qualities.