Thought Bubble Festival 2017 Guide by Thought Bubble Comic Art Festival

The eleventh Leeds Comic Art Festival 18-24 september 2017 With a massive twoday comic con in the centre of leeds 23-24 september

p r o u d ly sponsored by

free guide w w w.thou g htb u b b l efest ival.c om

FESTIVAL EXCLUSIVES iLLUSTRATED MIND THOUGHT BUBBLE T-SHIRT We are very pleased

to have worked with the awesome Illustrated Mind again this year for our exclusive Thought Bubble tee. This year they’ve collaborated with Dilraj Mann, creator of the amazing Dalston Monsterzz. Look out for all our volunteers who’ll be modelling a red version for you, and if you’d like to have one for yourself, they will be on sale at the Illustrated Mind stand (table 128 in the comiXology Marquee)!

THOUGHT BUBBLE EXCLUSIVE BOOK LAUNCHES

Tickets for our comic convention are as follows: • £28 + booking fee for a weekend pass (£29 on the door) • £17 + booking fee for a day pass (£18 on the door) • Breeze-card Holders £16 for day pass. • Cosplay weekend pass £25 + booking fee (£26 on the door) • Cosplay day pass £15 + booking fee (£16 on the door) • Under 12s get in for free with a ticket-holding parent/guardian.

- explore a world of amazing new books, and discover new favourites to take home! Scan this picture with your smartphone for info on titles making their debut at this year’s Thought Bubble Comic Con, or visit thoughtbubblefestival.com/debuting-books

• Free to over 65s with a valid form of photo ID. • Carers go free - please contact Leeds City Centre box office on 0113 376 0318 to book

COMIXOLOGY 10th ANNIVERSARY party at trinity kitchen This year’s midconvention party will be at the dazzling Trinity Kitchen from 19:00 on Sat 23rd September until 01:00 Sunday morning! This year’s party is sponsored by comiXology — come and help us celebrate their 10th anniversary! Check out the premier digital comics, graphic novel, manga and BD service at www.comixology.co.uk

MONDO EXCLUSIVE POSTER DROPS Mondo —

champions of innovative movie poster design — are returning to Thought Bubble! Utilising the talents of world-class artists and designers, Mondo produces limited edition, screen-printed posters based on all things film, television and comic properties. Throughout the comic con weekend, keep an eye on Mondo and Thought Bubble’s social media channels for exclusive, timed drops of incredible posters!

For full ticket details, please visit thoughtbubblefestival.com/tickets The awesome Biserka Stringer Horne has given us this lovely character to indicate events that are suitable for families and young people. Our children’s workshops, and family area at this year’s convention, have been made possible by an incredibly generous sponsorship from Charlie Adlard. Thank you, Charlie! If you see a volunteer in a red Thought Bubble t-shirt at one of our events they are there to help you, so if you have any issues, please let them know. If you’d like to let our volunteers know how great they are for lending their time freely to help make Thought Bubble possible, please do – they all rock!

a s p e c i a l t h a n k s to a l l o u r s p o n s o r s a n d pa r t n e r s :

Welcome to the 11th annual Thought Bubble Festival!

and every piece of work included was donated free of charge by the creators. What champions!

ome of you may have noticed that this year’s festival has had a bit of a shakeup! The entire festival has moved - not only to an earlier (and warmer!) time of year, but also to the beautiful civic quarter, slap-bang in the middle of Leeds. Since Lisa Wood (also known as artist Tula Lotay) started Thought Bubble in 2007 in the basement of Leeds Town Hall, the festival has grown into something bigger and better than we ever dreamed, and now we’re coming back to our roots!

As ever, our centrepiece event is the Thought Bubble comic con which will take place over two days on Saturday 23rd and Sunday 24th September, in our brand new festival village in Leeds City Centre. Our fantastic exhibitors will be selling their wares in three huge specially-constructed marquees and the exquisite Leeds Town Hall. The Carriageworks Theatre will play host to our talks and panels. Team Ketchup will be running our Drop In and Draw area for kids and families. Leeds Arts University are opening their Vernon Street site especially for the weekend with exhibitions and drawing activities. Leeds City Museum will be the venue for our family zone, community groups and Bub’s Lounge, our quiet space created in partnership with Leeds Specialist Autism Services and Sensory Leeds, for those who might want a break from the bustling convention halls. Both Leeds Arts University and Leeds City Museum will be completely free-ofcharge to enter, no wristband necessary! We’ve curated an incredible line-up of independent artists, retailers, publishers and international guests, whose work shows the true diversity of comic book and graphic novel storytelling.

This year, we’ve got some of our brilliant regular events such as our book crossing where we deliver thousands of free comics to local libraries, our academic conference Comics Forum, and of course our massive two-day comic con. We’ll also be expanding on the Rainbow Age book club collection - our LGBTQIA* event run in partnership with Leeds Library and Information Services and Travelling Man. But we’ve got a whole host of new stuff too, like the incredible exhibition from Vice Press ‘Zarjaz: An Art Tribute to 40 Years of 2000 AD’, our third exhibition at the wonderful Gallery at Munro House. Team Muhafiz, a Pakistani comic series dealing with challenging themes of social justice and gender issues, will be presenting a series of school workshops across Leeds and Bradford. Comics Power UK will be running a two-day comics-making workshop for Syrian refugees and asylum seekers in Leeds. And there’ll be so much more for you to catch during our festival week exhibitions, workshops, and reading and drawing events all across Yorkshire. See our schedule of events inside this programme for all the details.

s we enter our second decade, we would like to thank the huge range of partners and sponsors from funding organisations and colleges to retailers and hotels. This year, we are so grateful to our major sponsors Leeds City Council, Leeds BID and Arts Council England.

But our biggest thank you goes out to you, our super Thought Bubble attendees. Whether you’re a curious first-time visitor, a cosplay enthusiast or a comics connoisseur, we look forward to welcoming you to our biggest and best festival to date.

e’re really proud to bring you our sixth Thought Bubble Anthology, available now in all good comics shops. It’s jam-packed full of amazing art and stories by world-class artists and writers, alongside winners and runnersup from our comic art competitions. All profits from the sale of the anthology are going to the children’s charity Barnardo’s. As ever, it was put together with the support of Comicraft and Image Comics,

Special thanks go to our major festival sponsor comiXology. They are not only sponsoring our huge marquee on Millennium Square and a state-of-the-art Reading Room, they are also hosting our infamous Saturday mid-con party at Trinity Kitchen as part of their 10th anniversary celebrations! Check out the premier digital comics, graphic novel, manga and BD service at www.comixology.co.uk

The 2017 Thought Bubble Festival image is by the most excellent jen bartel

Photos taken at Thought Bubble Festival events may be used for marketing and promotional purposes. All artwork copyright belongs to the respective owners, except where indicated.

THIS YEAR’S festival guests 2000 AD Charlie Adlard John Allison Robert Ball Jen Bartel Jordie Bellaire Andy Bennett Dan Berry Hannah Berry Ricardo Bessa Fernando Blanco Shelly Bond Nick Brokenshire Chris Brunner Jonathan Burton Natacha Bustos Stephen Byrne Aaron Campbell Fraser Campbell Laurence Campbell Cecil Castellucci Gary Chudleigh Becky Cloonan Boo Cook Paul Cornell Kev Crossley I.N.J. Culbard Dee Cunniffe Darryl Cunningham D’Israeli Simon Davis Al Davison Rufus Dayglo Vanesa R. Del Rey Nico Delort

Ian Kennedy Sara Kenney Paula Knight Craig Knowles Ariela Kristantina David Lafuente Marc Laming Roger Langridge Jason Latour Jack Lawrence John Lees Tula Lotay Ron Marz Ollie Masters Jamie McKelvie David Messina Metaphrog Mondo Stephen Mooney Leah Moore Tom Muller Alex Norris Gary Northfield Ryan O’Sullivan Dean Ormston Guillermo Ortego Alex Paknadel Sean Phillips Sara Pichelli Francis Portela Frank Quitely Raid71 John Reppion Jamie S. Rich Jon Rivera

Nick Derington Andy Diggle Peter Doherty Mike Dowling Laurent Durieux Ian Edginton Jonathan Edwards Tommy Lee Edwards Tom Eglington Marc Ellerby Gary Erskine The Etherington Brothers Al Ewing Duncan Fegredo Toni Fejzula Felt Mistress Matt Ferguson Jacky Fleming Genevieve FT Antonio Fuso Kieron Gillen Sarah Graley Adi Granov Ottilie Hainsworth Chris Hewitt David Hine Jody Houser Frazer Irving ILYA JAKe Warwick Johnson Cadwell Antony Johnston Joëlle Jones

Thought Bubble would not be possible without the generous support of Travelling Man – the UK’s friendliest independent comics and games shops. Each year Travelling Man donate both their office space, and the time of their employees, to help with the logistics of the festival. We’d like to say a big thank you to all their staff for helping us both during the festival and in the run-up to each Thought Bubble. In 2017, Travelling Man sponsored our incredible guests Brian K. Vaughan and Gabriel H. Walta - thank you! For more information on Travelling Man, please visit travellingman.com or pop into their flagship store in Leeds, at 32 Central Road, LS1 6DE All Travelling Man events during the week-long festival and comic con are marked with this handy icon!

Andrew Robinson Nick Roche Alison Sampson Jade Sarson Declan Shalvey Tom Siddell Katie Skelly Cam Smith Simon Spurrier Richard Starkings Fiona Stephenson Cameron Stewart James Stokoe Nicola Streeten Dave Taylor Matt Taylor Nic Ter Horst Joe Todd-Stanton C. Spike Trotman Una Ram V Brian K. Vaughan Emma Vieceli John Wagner Kev Walker Gabriel H. Walta Christian Ward John Watson Dan Watters Gerard Way Caspar Wijngaard Chris Wildgoose Rob Williams Robert Wilson IV Marley Zarcone

This year saw the launch of Friends of Thought Bubble and we’ve been blown away by the response. Our friends help us continue our growing education and community programme and we are hugely thankful to all of those who have joined in so far: Christoph Keller Mark Kirwan Heather Isobel Griffey McGregor Dylan Oscar Schimek Camille Meze Kieron Gillen Anna Krupitza Ann Gavaghan Sian Hamer Warwick Mark Casey Colin Le Sueur Gazard Liana Casey Joshua Julie Tait Griffin Taylor Russell-Buckland The 3 Graingers Keith Chan Katrina Petra Schuh Andrew Welsh McGregor Stephanie Schuh Darren Shill

To become a Friend of Thought Bubble, and to find out more, please visit thoughtbubblefestival. com/friends-of-thought-bubble

2 01 7 HIGHL IGHT ED GUEST S Brian K. Vaughan is the award-winning writer of Y: The Last Man, Runaways, Ex Machina, The Pride of Baghdad, Paper Girls, We Stand On Guard, and Saga.

Gabriel

Joëlle

Jones has provided the art for Supergirl: Being Super, Superman: American Alien (DC), Helheim, Brides of Helheim (Oni Press) and Mockingbird (Marvel). She’s also done work for Boom! Studios, The New York Times, Vertigo, multiple books and covers for Marvel, and recently signed an exclusive with DC. Lady Killer will continue through Dark Horse.

Walta

is comic-book artist, painter and children’s’ book illustrator, who worked with Spanish writer El Torres, before starting work with Scholastic, Marvel Comics, and DC Comics. He has illustrated such books as Astonishing X-Men, Magneto, and The Vision, and is currently illustrating Occupy Avengers.

Marley

Zarcone

is an American comic book artist, based out of Kelowna, British Columbia, who is known for her work on Effigy, Madame Xanadu, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Forgetless. She is currently drawing Shade The Changing Girl, with writer Cecil Castellucci, for DC’s Young Animal imprint.

Gerard Way is the former

frontman of ‘My Chemical Romance’ and co-creator of such comics as The Umbrella Academy, The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys and the writer of DC’s current Doom Patrol series. He is also the curator of DC Comics’ Young Animal, an exciting new imprint produced by some of the most fearless minds in comics today.

Nick Derington is an artist living and working in Austin TX, who is currently illustrating Doom Patrol, with writer Gerard Way, for DC’s Young Animal imprint. Sara Pichelli is an Italian comic book artist perhaps best known for first illustrating the Miles Morales version of Ultimate SpiderMan. After starting her career in animation, as a storyboard artist, animator and character designer, S a r a entered the comic book industry working for IDW Publishing, before joining Marvel Comics in 2008. Sara is currently illustrating Marvel’s Spider-Man with writer Brian Michael Bendis.

James Stokoe

is a Canadian comic book artist known for his work on such titles as Godzilla: The HalfCentury War, Orc Stain, Moon Knight, and Wonton Soup. He is currently working on the mini series Aliens: Dead Orbit for Dark Horse.

Jody Houser

has written Faith for Valiant Comics, Max Ride: Ultimate Flight and Agent May for Marvel, and Orphan Black for IDW. She has been a contributing writer to the comic anthologies Avengers: No More Bullying, Vertigo CMYK: Magenta, and both Womanthology series. Jody is currently writing Mother Panic - part of DC’s Young Animal imprint - and will be writing the upcoming comic adaptation of Rogue One for Marvel.

frank

quitely

is a Glasgow-based artist best known for his work on All Star Superman, Batman and Robin, W3 and Jupiter’s Legacy. His art is currently the star of a major exhibition at Kelvingrove Museum and Art Gallery.

All characters ÂŠ their respecitve creators.

Always with you.

Festival duration Events 1 / Live Event / Thought Bubble 2017 Anthology

3 / Exhibition / Zarjaz! An Art Tribute to 40 Years of 2000 AD

From Weds 20 Sept, Comic Shops Worldwide, opening times vary, suitable for mature readers, £3.35/$3.99 (prices may vary) A collection of new short stories by some of the best in the business from Image Comics and Thought Bubble! All profits go to Barnardo’s Children’s Charity. A 32-page oversize comic featuring work from Jason Aaron, Jen Bartel, Cecil Castellucci, Brandon Graham, Jody Houser, Jason Latour, Emi Lenox, Simon Roy, Marley Zarcone, and many more! All of the incredible artists donated their artwork completely free of charge. For more information, please go to thoughtbubblefestival.com/ anthology-2017

Fri 1 Sept – Sat 30 Sept, The Gallery at Munro House, Corner of York St/Duke Street, Leeds, LS9 8AG, 08:00-17:00 Monday to Friday, 10:00-17:00 Saturdays, Closed Sundays (but will be open on Sun 24 Sept 11:00-16:00) All ages, Free Throughout September Vice Press present a truly staggering display of original tribute art and limited edition prints from the finest art droids to grace the pages of 2000 AD. Not only that, but the exhibition will feature the rare opportunity to witness some of contemporary comics’ biggest names deliver their own takes on classic 2000 AD characters. A must for posters and graphic art collectors, all the unique work on display will be available to add to your collection. Vice Press Presents: Zarjaz! An Art Tribute to 40 Years of 2000 AD will be on display at The Gallery at Munro House on Duke Street, Leeds from September 1st to September 30th 2017. Vice Press are a UKbased print house co-founded by artist Matt Ferguson, specialising in limited edition, licensed art prints. For more information visit Vice-Press.com.

2 / Exhibition / Unstable Molecules by Gramsch Fri 1 Sept to Sat 30 Sept, Nation of Shopkeepers’ Window of Opportunity (outside, opposite Leeds Cathedral), 29 Cookridge St, Leeds LS2 3AG, All ages, Free Somehow still being allowed to exhibit after years of bothering local venues, Gramsch is inordinately proud to once again be showing his Unstable Molecules paintings at Nation of Shopkeepers, in conjunction with the amazing Thought Bubble festival. Pop in for a mid-geekgasm beer break (just round the corner from the convention’s new Millennium Square location) and take in a Leeds nerd’s colourful labour of love!

4 / Live Event / 2000AD Art Challenge 2017 / Deadline 23 Sept Competition Entries must be submitted in person at Thought Bubble’s Convention, Sat 23 Sept, at the 2000 AD table in the Leeds Town Hall Marquee. A convention pass will be needed to gain entry Want to be the next great artist to draw Judge Dredd? Then take this opportunity to have your art seen by one of the world’s best-known publishers by entering the 2000 AD Art Challenge! To enter the challenge, draw your version of a set Terror Tale script (available at thoughtbubblefestival. com/events/2000adcompetitions/), bring it to the portfolio session on the Saturday of

Thought Bubble, and you could wind up winning paid work at 2000 AD! Join previous winners Tom Foster, Daniel Dwyer, Will Morris, and Joe Palmer, who have all gone on to appear in their pages! The six best efforts chosen will then go before the searing eyes of some of the Galaxy’s Greatest Comic’s greatest talents at a panel on the Sunday, with the art droids doling out advice to budding artists before choosing their favourite to win! Please note: you’ll need a valid Thought Bubble Comic Con ticket to enter, and places will be allocated on a first-come-first-served basis. The art challenge is open only to pages based on the script provided. Full details on the venue and timings of the competition can be found as part of the full programme below.

5 / Live Event / 2000 AD Writing Competition 2017 / Deadline 23 Sept Competition Entries must be presented in person at Thought Bubble’s Convention, Sat 23 Sept, 11:30-12:20, Carriageworks Studio Theatre (fifth floor), LS2 3AD. So you want to write for 2000 AD? Bravo, Earthlet – but dare you put your idea to the test in the Theatre of Thrills? Future Shocks have not only been a staple of 2000 AD since 1977 but have forged some of its greatest writing talents, including Alan Moore and Grant Morrison! Writers are being invited to pitch their ideas for a brand new Future Shock to a panel of our top script droids on the Saturday at Thought Bubble – but they have just two minutes to make their case! Can you condense your idea, plot, and characters for a selfcontained, four-page short story with a twist ending down into just 120 seconds? And in front of an audience? And convince some of our best writers that it’s a winner? Only the bold shall be victorious! The clock is ticking! Can you make your pitch and write your way into a job with 2000 AD? Get writing and make sure you’re first in line to appear – it’s first come, first served! Only our panel can decide whether your idea is worthy of the Mighty Tharg’s attention – the prize is getting paid to have your winning script turned into a Future Shock in the pages of the Galaxy’s Greatest Comic, like last year’s winner Rory McConville! Full details on the venue and timings of the competition can be found as part of the full programme below.

Festival fringe Events WEDNESDAY 13TH SEPTEMBER

FRIDAY 15TH SEPTEMBER

6 / Workshop / Community Comics Power Workshop for Refugees and Asylum Seekers

7 / Workshop / Light Night & Thought Bubble Present... The Lost Forest of Leeds

Weds 13 Sept, One Community Centre, Cromwell St, Leeds, LS9 7SG, 10:00-15:00, 18+, Free Community Comics Power UK facilitate workshops to teach groups how to use comic strips to tell their stories, often for the first time. The process is very cathartic and enables the participant, who may have never shared their experience before, to become the star of their own story. The comics created at these workshops are then exhibited in public spaces to promote discussion, debate and social change. The original idea was developed by Sharad Sharma who set up World Comics India. Community Comics Power UK are the sister organisation. They use the medium of the comic strip as a powerful way of getting a message across which is recognised the world over. This is a free two-day workshop for asylum seekers, refugees and immigrants to make a comic on the theme of immigration and religious tolerance. All materials, lunch and £5 travel costs will be provided for attendees each day. Attendees will be given free entry to all events during the Thought Bubble Comic Art Festival. The comics made will be displayed at Leeds City Museum on 23rd and 24th September during the festival. To book a place please contact info@leedsrefugeeforum.org.uk. Places will be offered on a first come-first served basis.

Fri 15 Sept, Chapeltown Library, 10:00-12:00 & 13:00-15:00, Selected Schools Only, Free A portal to a lost and forgotten world has opened up, right here in Leeds! At this year’s Light Night Festival on 5th and 6th October, local artist Jack Fallows and Thought Bubble will be creating a magical world in the Town Hall crypts. Ahead of the event, Jack will be holding workshops with selected local school groups, to devise characters and stories set against the backdrop of this world.

Sat 16 Sept, City Library, 9 Aldermanbury, Centenary Square, Bradford BD1 1SD, 11:00-16:30, All ages, Free ...combination of words and pictures in a sequential visual format is otherwise known as a Comic Book. This one-day course combines different techniques, devices and tools used throughout the world of professional Comic Book artists and writers. At the end of the session you will have been guided through a well-practiced sequence of events which will enable you, as a young creative, to produce your very own page of finished Comic Book styled artwork. Plus a FREE comic!

MONDAY 18TH SEPTEMBER SATURDAY 16TH SEPTEMBER 8 / Live Event / Create a Superhero at the Merrion Centre Sat 16 Sept, Merrion Centre, Leeds, LS2 8NG, 11:00-16:00, All ages, Free Dress up and join in with Thought Bubble C o m i c Art Festival at the Merrion Centre! Come dressed as your favourite superhero and have a go at drawing your own comic! Create a new character, draw them in an awesome costume and tell us all about their super powers! We can’t wait to see how your superhero will save the world on this exciting day of comic-themed fun!

9 / Workshop / Doctor Simpo Presents...1 Day Luxury Spa Treatment Styled Around Creating Your Very Own Character, Story And World...

10 / Exhibition / Thought Bubble Comic Art Competition Entries 2017 Mon 18 Sept – Sun 24 Sept, Room 700, Leeds Central Library, Calverley Street, LS1 3AB, opening times vary, All ages, Free Pop by Leeds Central Library to view all the wonderful entries from the Thought Bubble Comic Art Competition in a brand new exhibition! Winners of the competition will be announced at the Thought Bubble comic convention on Sunday 24th September, and will have their work featured in 2018’s Thought Bubble Anthology, but you can preview all the stories we’ve received before the judges present their final decision! For full details of this year’s entries and how to get involved with 2018’s competition, go to thought bubblefestival. com/events/ comicart competition/

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11 / Workshop / Doctor Simpo Presents...1 Day Luxury Spa Treatment Styled Around Creating Your Very Own Character, Story And World... Mon 18 Sept, Pudsey Library, 10:00-14:30, Selected Schools Only ...combination of words and pictures in a sequential visual format is otherwise known as a Comic Book. This one-day course combines different techniques, devices and tools used throughout the world of professional Comic Book artists and writers. At the end of the session you will have been guided through a well-practiced sequence of events which will enable you, as a young creative, to produce your very own page of finished Comic Book styled artwork. Plus a FREE comic!

12 / Exhibition / Leeds Arts University Presents...Best of British Poster Show Mon 18 Sept - Sat 30 Sept, Travelling Man, 32 Central Road, Leeds, LS1 6DE, 10:00-18:00 Monday to Sunday (11:00 - 17:00 Sundays), All ages, Free An exhibition of fan art posters hung at Travelling Man comic shop, in the city centre. The posters have been made by the ’s third year Illustration students in response to their favourite British TV, comics and film. The posters will be on display for the duration of the festival and available to buy in store. Presented in association with Travelling Man

13 / Live Event / Leeds Arts University Presents... Best of British Poster Show Exhibition Launch Party Mon 18 Sept, Travelling Man, 32 Central Road, Leeds, LS1 6DE, 18:00-19:00, All ages, Free Join us at Travelling Man Leeds from 6pm for the launch of this

wonderful poster show by students at Leeds Arts University

TUESDAY 19TH SEPTEMBER 14 / Live Event / I Am a Hero with Team Muhafiz Tues 19 Sept, Room 700 at Leeds Central Library, 10:00-12:00 and 13:0015:00, Selected Schools Only, Free Team Muhafiz is a Pakistani comic series that brings together 10 multi-ethnic, interfaith adolescent heroes at a local ‘youth centre’. Together, they combat villains that embody present-day, locallevel injustices, radicalism, and key social, economic and development challenges. I Am a Hero is an interactive classbased session workshop where participants create their own heroes with positive sets of values, identify grass-root challenges in their communities and develop ways to tackle these challenges with the help of their very own created heroes. Elements from selected stories are then integrated into comic books and are also adopted into theatre performances. Participants are also encouraged to identify real-life unsung heroes from their communities or from the neighboring localities.

15 / Live Event / The Rainbow Age: LGBTQIA* Comic-book Club Tues 19 Sept, The Portal at Leeds Central Library, 17:00-19:00, 16+, Free Join us for a celebration of LGBTQIA* comics & creators with an informal book club evening! Bring along your favourite LGBTQIA* comics, or come and discover something new from our collection, kindly supplied by Travelling Man. Meet like-minded fans and make new friends over comics. After our previous Rainbow Age events, Travelling Man donated all the books to Leeds Libraries

to create a completely unique collection for the whole of Leeds to enjoy; the first of its kind in the country. This year, they’ll be adding to the collection with some incredible new LGBTQIA* comics from 2017. All are welcome, so come along for a relaxed atmosphere and to read some amazing, lifechanging comics! Presented in association with Travelling Man.

WEDNESDAY 20TH SEPTEMBER 16 / Live Event / I Am a Hero with Team Muhafiz Weds 20 Sept, Manningham Library, Carlisle Road, Manningham, Bradford, BD8 8BB, 09:30-11:30, Selected Schools Only, Free Team Muhafiz is a Pakistani comic series that brings together 10 multiethnic, interfaith adolescent heroes at a local ‘youth centre’. Together, they combat villains that embody present-day, local-level injustices, radicalism, and key social, economic and development challenges. I Am a Hero is an interactive classbased session workshop where participants create their own heroes with positive sets of values, identify grass-root challenges in their communities and develop ways to tackle these challenges with the help of their very own created heroes. Elements from selected stories are then integrated into comic books and are also adopted into theatre performances. Participants are also encouraged to identify real-life unsung heroes from their communities or from the neighboring localities.

17 / Workshop / A Day In The Life - Comics as Life Writing Weds 20 Sept, Room 2 at The Carriageworks Theatre, The Electric Press, 3 Millennium Square, Leeds, LS2 3AD, 18:00-20:30, Ages 14+, Free A workshop with comics artist and writer Una, author of On Sanity: One Day In Two Lives and Becoming/Unbecoming. Draw out a sequential story from your own life in this friendly workshop, suitable for all abilities. With a focus on mental well-being this session aims to help you invent a simple character and let it talk through one day in your life. What makes you feel good (or at least a little better)? Going for a walk? Taking a long bath? Playing your favourite music?

Basic drawing materials provided. In partnership with Arts and Minds Leeds. This event is aimed at adults and young adults aged 14+. To book a place, please go to this link http://bit.ly/2v0CQAk In partnership with Arts and Minds Leeds.

18 / Workshop / Community Comics Power Workshop for Refugees and Asylum Seekers Weds 20th Sept, One Community Centre, Cromwell St, Leeds, LS9 7SG, 10:00-15:00, 18+, Free Community Comics Power UK facilitate workshops to teach groups how to use comic strips to tell their stories, often for the first time. The process is very cathartic and enables the participant, who may have never shared their experience before, to become the star of their own story. The comics created at these workshops are then exhibited in public spaces to promote discussion, debate and social change. The original idea was developed by Sharad Sharma who set up World Comics India. Community Comics Power UK are the sister organisation. They use the medium of the comic strip as a powerful way of getting a message across which is recognised the world over. This is a free two-day workshop for asylum seekers, refugees and immigrants to make a comic on the theme of immigration and religious tolerance. All materials, lunch and £5 travel costs will be provided for attendees each day. Attendees will be given free entry to all events during the Thought Bubble Comic Art Festival. The comics made will be displayed at Leeds City Museum on 23rd and 24th September during the festival. To book a place please contact info@leedsrefugeeforum.org.uk. Places will be offered on a first come-first served basis.

THURSDAY 21ST SEPTEMBER

FRIDAY 22ND SEPTEMBER

19 / Live Event / Comics Forum Academic Conference Day 1

21 / Live Event / Comics Forum Academic Conference Day 2

Thur 21 Sept, Room 700, Leeds Central Library, Calverley Street, LS1 3AB, 09:00-16:45, recommended for 16+ (some talks unsuitable for under 18s) The ninth annual Comics Forum academic conference will feature a fantastic lineup of top academics and other great speakers, talking about the ways space works in comics, and how comics can make spaces in culture. Check out comicsforum.org/comicsforum-2017 for the details as they’re announced! Tickets are priced as follows: • 1 day (21st or 22nd September): £12 • 2 days (21st & 22nd September): £24 • 4 days (2 day Comics Forum pass + 2 day Thought Bubble pass): £48 (this is a saving of £5 on the cost of Thought Bubble tickets if bought separately) Please visit comicsforum.org for full details and to book tickets.

Fri 22 Sept, Room 700, Leeds Central Library, Calverley Street, LS1 3AB, 09:00-16:45, recommended for 16+ (some talks unsuitable for under 18s) The ninth annual Comics Forum academic conference will feature a fantastic lineup of top academics and other great speakers, talking about the ways space works in comics, and how comics can make spaces in culture. Check out comicsforum.org/comicsforum-2017 for the details as they’re announced! Tickets are priced as follows: • 1 day (21st or 22nd September): £12 • 2 days (21st & 22nd September): £24 • 4 days (2 day Comics Forum pass + 2 day Thought Bubble pass): £48 (this is a saving of £5 on the cost of Thought Bubble tickets if bought separately) Please visit comicsforum.org for full details and to book tickets.

22 / Live Event / Thought Bubble Book Crossing 2017

20 / Live Event / Travelling Man and Leeds University Comic Book Society Present...Pints and Pencils Thur 21 Sept, The Social, 21 Merrion Street, Leeds, LS2 8JG, 19:30-late, 18+ (please bring a valid form of photo ID), Free Proudly presented by the team at Travelling Man and the Leeds University Comic Book Society, Pints and Pencils is the social drawing competition featuring plenty of prizes, laughs and beverages. Artistic ability is not required to win top prizes and drawing equipment will be provided!

Fri 22 Sept, Various libraries across Yorkshire (please see below for details), from 10:00, All ages, Free Thought Bubble is once again teaming up with Diamond Comics, Travelling Man, and Viz Media to give away free all-ages graphic novels and comics to everyone! Just pop into one on the libraries listed below on Friday 22nd September, and help us to achieve our aim to get everyone reading more! Libraries taking part are: Armley, Baildon, Bingley, Burley, City Bradford, Clayton, Eccleshill, Ilkley, Keighley, Laisterdyke, Leeds Central, Manningham, Moor Allerton, Pudsey, Shipley, Wibsey and Wyke. Just pop along to any of the libraries participating, and pick-up some great comics for free, to take home and read, or give to a friend! Presented in association with Diamond Comics and Travelling Man.

A platform to showcase the world-class events, organisations & people in Leeds. - welcometoleeds.co.uk

23 / Live Event / Travelling Man Signing Tour: Charlie Adlard in Manchester

25 / Workshop / Design Your Own… with Gary Erskine

27 / Workshop / Design Your Own… with Gary Erskine

Fri 22nd Sept, 4 Dale St, Manchester M1 1JW, 12.30-14.30, All ages, Free Continuing the 2017 Travelling Man signing tour, bringing Thought Bubble guests to a store near you, ahead of their appearance at this year’s convention. Travelling Man are a proud sponsor of Thought Bubble 2017, and are celebrating their 26th year as the North of England’s premiere comics shops Charlie is one of the grooviest gentlemen in comics and the magnificent artist on The Walking Dead, which continues to absorb and astound thousands of comics fans.

Fri 22 Sept, Moor Allerton Library, 13:30-15:00, Selected Schools only, Free Join Marvel and DC Comics artist Gary Erskine for a Design Your Own... workshop. The single session will give you the tips and creative building blocks needed to design your own character during the class and beyond! Is it going to be a hero or villain? Monster or alien? Or the Next Big Comic Movie character? Discover what your imagination can create with just a few short lessons and only a pen and paper. Who knows where it will lead? Work with friends to create your own stories and characters and be part of a larger world!

Fri 22 Sept, Moor Allerton Library, 15:3016:30, Drop-in after school workshop everyone welcome, Free Join Marvel and DC Comics artist Gary Erskine for a Design Your Own... workshop. The single session will give you the tips and creative building blocks needed to design your own character during the class and beyond! Is it going to be a hero or villain? Monster or alien? Or the Next Big Comic Movie character? Discover what your imagination can create with just a few short lessons and only a pen and paper. Who knows where it will lead? Work with friends to create your own stories and characters and be part of a larger world!

28 / Live Event / Travelling Man Signing Tour : Brian K. Vaughan in York

24 / Workshop / How To Draw Wookiees and Droids with JAKe Fri 22 Sept, Bradford City Library, 13:1514:45, Selected Schools Only, Free Fresh from sold out appearances at Bath, Oxford, Cambridge, Newcastle, and Star Wars Celebration, Lucasfilm artist and author JAKe ( How To Speak Wookiee, How To Speak Droid) shows you how to draw your favourite characters from the Star Wars universe including Droids, Wookiees, Bounty Hunters and more. JAKe shows you simple techniques so you can draw Star Wars at home. All ages welcome.

26 / Workshop / Creating Facial Expressions with Al Davison

Fri 22nd Sept, 74 Goodramgate, York YO1 7LF, 16:30-18:00, All ages, Free Now in its 26th year, Travelling Man has firmly established itself as the place to go in the North of England for all kinds of comics goodness with its awesome vibe and friendly staff. As a proud sponsor of Thought Bubble from its inception, each year we host amazing events with some of the greatest names in comics. This year is no exception! Everyone knows that BKV has revolutionised comics since the seminal Saga. Come say hi to a master of the medium.

Fri 22 Sept, The Ruth Gorse Academy, 13.4514.45, Selected Schools Only, Free Al Davison: A.K.A. The Astral Gypsy, will be showing you how to create convincing facial expressions and providing tips on drawing and storytelling for comics.

29 / Live Event / Thought Bubble + Gosh! Comics Present...James Stokoe and Marley Zarcone Signing Fri 22 Sept, Gosh! Comics, Berwick Street, Soho, London, W1F 0DR, 18:00-19:00. All ages, Free Join your friends at Gosh! Comics in Soho, London, for a signing with

the super talented creators James Stokoe (Aliens: Dead Orbit, Orc Stain) and Marley Zarcone (Shade the Changing Girl).

30 / Live Event / Travelling Man Signing Tour: Katie Skelly in Leeds Fri 22nd Sept, 32 Central Road, Leeds LS1 6DE, 18:00-20:00, All ages, Free Continuing the 2017 Travelling Man signing tour, bringing Thought Bubble guests to a store near you, ahead of their appearance at this year’s convention. Travelling Man are a proud sponsor of Thought Bubble 2017, and are celebrating their 26th year as the North of England’s premiere comics shops. My Pretty Vampire is a helterskelter trip through the altered states/tastes of vampiric hunger and desire. Combining stark, unsettling colours and an elegant shojo style, it’s without doubt one of our books of the year. Join us for the My Pretty Vampire signing at Travelling Man Leeds with Katie Skelly. Exclusive Bookplate available!

Throughout September, Vice Press present a truly staggering display of original tribute art and limited edition prints from the finest art droids to grace the pages of 2000 AD. Not only that, but the exhibition will feature the rare opportunity to witness some of contemporary comics’ biggest names deliver their own takes on classic 2000 AD characters. A must for posters and graphic art collectors, all the unique work on display will be available to add to your collection. Ahead of the two-day Thought Bubble Comic Convention, Vice Press and 2000 AD will be hosting a special Thought Bubble Exhibition Event at The Gallery at Munro House which will be attended by the cream of the participating artists and will include a bar as well as a few memorable surprises and highly exclusive releases. Vice Press Presents: Zarjaz! An Art Tribute to 40 Years of 2000 AD will be on display at The Gallery at Munro House on Duke Street, Leeds from September 1st to September 30th 2017. Vice Press are a U.K based print house co-founded by artist Matt Ferguson, specialising in limited edition, licensed art prints. For more information visit Vice-Press.com.

31 / Live Event / Vice Press Presents Zarjaz! An Art Tribute to 40 Years of 2000 AD Fri 22 Sept, The Gallery at Munro House, Corner of York St/Duke Street, Leeds, LS9 8AG, From 19:00, All ages, Free

32 / Live Event / Thought Bubble Pre-Convention Reception at Fire Lake Grill House and Cocktail Bar, Radisson Blu Leeds Fri 22 Sept, Radisson Blu, 1 The Light, The Headrow, Leeds, LS1 8TL, 19:00 until late, Free, 18+, Fire Lake Grill House will be serving food from 18:00-22:00 A chance for guests, exhibitors and attendees to relax and chat in the lovely surroundings of the Radisson Blu before our huge comic convention starts on Saturday Anyone dining at the Fire Lake Grill House can quote ‘Thought Bubble’ to get 20% off their bill!

33 / Live Event / 2000AD Presents… Juve Cube Fri 22 Sept, Belgrave Music Hall, Leeds, LS2 8JP, 20:00 until late, £4.99, 18+, please bring a valid form of photo ID and your online ticket to gain entry The official after-party of the opening of Vice Press Presents: Zarjaz! An Art Tribute to 40 Years of 2000 AD! The 2000 AD Juve Cube is a riotous night of celebration featuring live music, DJs, live art and special guests. For 2000 AD fans, it’s the perfect way to kick off the UK’s finest comic and sequential arts convention weekend! The party runs from 8:30pm to late at Belgrave Music Hall & Canteen in Leeds City Centre and is supported by the Leeds Arts University Students Union Tickets are extremely limited, for over 18s only, and attendees to the 2000 AD Juve Cube will receive an exclusive Vice Press mini-print upon presenting their Juve Cube ticket at Zarjaz! An Art Tribute to 40 Years of 2000 AD. Tickets available from shop.2000ad.com

Convention Events p r o u d ly s p o n s o r e d by

sat u r d ay 2 3 r d / s u n d ay 2 4 th se p te m ber Entry to convention events included in the price of the convention pass £18 per day, or £29 for a weekend pass; under 12s enter for free with an accompanying ticket holding parent/guardian. Over 65s free with a valid form of photo ID Please note that all events taking place in Leeds City Museum and Leeds Arts University are free of charge and do not require a wristband 34 / Live Event / ComiXology Reading Room Sat 23 & Sun 24 Sept, Millennium Square, LS1 1UR, Sat 10:00-18:00, Sun 10:00-17:00, All ages, Free Take a load off and read some comics for FREE at the comiXology Reading Room! With a great selection of comics, graphic novels, manga & BD from our over 100,000 strong library of digital comics - the reading room offers weary Thought Bubble attendees a place to get off their feet and experience digital comics in all their glory. Comfy chairs, many tablets, free comics - it’s everything you ever wanted! Located next to the comiXology Marquee on Millennium Square during the show! More about comiXology can be found at www.comixology.co.uk

35 / Live Event / Comics Central Sat 23 & Sun 24 Sept, comiXology Marquee, Cookridge Street Marquee, Town Hall Marquee, Victoria Hall and across the festival village, Sat 10:00-18:00, Sun 10:00-17:00, All ages, Free This summer we were delighted to be awarded funding from Arts Council England to give hundreds of young people the chance to participate in free workshops in some of Leeds’ most iconic venues! From Leeds City Museum, Leeds Town Hall, Hyde Park Picture House and Leeds Corn Exchange children created comic book-inspired artworks which have been blown up in scale and used to dress the entire festival site!

We also invited six international creators to make a single panel of comic book artwork that will be exhibited alongside the workshop creations! These artists are: Warwick Johnson-Cadwell, James Stokoe, Ricardo Bessa, Katie Skelly, Rachael Smith, and Abby Bulmer. Each artist has been selected especially to inspire young participants with various comics techniques and they can all be found at the Thought Bubble Convention – which is free to attend for under 12s – so budding c o m i c artists can come along and meet the c re a t o rs t h a t inspired them!

36 / Live Event / Cosplay Sat 23 & Sun 24 Sept, comiXology Marquee, Cookridge Street Marquee, Town Hall Marquee, Victoria Hall and across the festival village, Sat 10:0018:00, Sun 10:00-17:00, All ages, Free As the festival and convention grows, so too does our cosplay programme, making it bigger and better than ever! We’ll have reduced price convention entry for all attending in cosplay, with tickets available for pre-booking from our website. There’s even a changing room and cloakroom in Room 1 on Millennium Square at the Carriageworks Theatre, and Heroes Alliance return for another year to host a cosplay masquerade in Leeds City Museum with some excellent prizes up for grabs!

Find out more information on cosplaying at Thought Bubble and how to sign up for the competition at thoughtbubblefestival.com/ cosplay

37 / Live Event / Thought Bubble Book Launches 2017 Sat 23 & Sun 24 Sept, comiXology Marquee, Cookridge Street Marquee, Town Hall Marquee, Victoria Hall, 10:00-17:00, All ages, prices vary depending on publication 2016’s Thought Bubble convention saw over 100 books making their debut, and this year we’re hoping to see even more! Scan this picture with your smartphone for info on titles making their debut at this year’s Thought Bubble Comic Con, or visit www. thoughtbubblefestival.com/ debuting-books

38 / Live Event / Surgeon X Sat 23 Sept, Cohen Room, Leeds Town Hall. LS1 3AD, 10:00-18:00 Sat, Over 12s, Free with Saturday/ Weekend convention pass, Over 65s free with a valid form of photo ID. Step into the storyworld of Surgeon X comic, set in 2036 in the midst of an antibiotic apocalypse. This photo by Steve Barowik

Thought Bubble Overview pl e a se see li st in g s fo r m o r e d etails FESTIVAL DURATION EVENTS 1 / Live Event / Thought Bubble 2017 Anthology 2 / Exhibition / Unstable Molecules by Gramsch 3 / Exhibition / Zarjaz! An Art Tribute to 40 Years of 2000 AD 4 / Live Event / 2000 AD Art Challenge 2017 5 / Live Event / 2000 AD Writing Competition 2017

festival FRINGE EVENTS WEDNESDAY 13TH SEPTEMBER 6 / Workshop / Community Comics Power Workshop for Refugees and Asylum Seekers

FRIDAY 15TH SEPTEMBER 7 / Workshop / Light Night & Thought Bubble Present...The Lost Forest of Leeds

SATURDAY 16TH SEPTEMBER 8 / Live Event / Create a Superhero at the Merrion Centre 9 / Workshop / Doctor Simpo Presents...1 Day Luxury Spa Treatment Styled Around Creating Your Very Own Character, Story And World...

MONDAY 18TH SEPTEMBER 10 / Exhibition / Thought Bubble Comic Art Competition Entries 2017 11 / Workshop / Doctor Simpo Presents...1 Day Luxury Spa Treatment Styled Around Creating Your Very Own Character, Story And World... 12 / Exhibition / Leeds Arts University Presents...Best of British Poster Show 13 / Live Event / Leeds Arts University Presents...Best of British Poster Show Exhibition Launch Party

TUESDAY 19TH SEPTEMBER 14 / Live Event / I Am a Hero with Team Muhafiz 15 / Live Event / The Rainbow Age: LGBTQ* Comic-book Club

WEDNESDAY 20TH SEPTEMBER 16 / Live Event / I Am a Hero with Team Muhafiz 17 / Workshop / A Day In The Life - Comics as Life Writing

18 / Workshop / Community Comics Power Workshop for Refugees and Asylum Seekers

THURSDAY 21ST SEPTEMBER 19 / Live Event / Comics Forum Academic Conference Day 1 20 / Live Event / Travelling Man and Leeds University Comic Book Society Present... Pints and Pencils

FRIDAY 22ND SEPTEMBER 21 / Live Event / Comics Forum Academic Conference Day 2 22 / Live Event / Thought Bubble Book Crossing 2017 23 / Live Event / Travelling Man Signing Tour : Charlie Adlard in Manchester 24 / Workshop / How To Draw Wookiees and Droids with JAKe

free events

young peoples activities

40 / Live Event / Team Ketchup Present… Drop In and Draw 41 / Live Event / Bub’s Lounge 42 / Live Event / Doctor Simpo’s Joke Shop 43 / Live Event / Toybox 44 / Live Event / Thought Bubble Young People’s Comic Awards 45 / Live Event / Travelling Man Comics and Games Library at Leeds City Museum

Saturday 23rd September Only Convention Events 46 / Exhibition / Forwards Always Exhibition by Matthew the Horse 47 / Live Event / Young Creatives at Leeds Arts University

25 / Workshop / Design Your Own… with Gary Erskine

48 / Live Event / Monster Mask Making Workshop at Leeds Arts University

26 / Workshop / Creating Facial Expressions with Al Davison

49 / Live Event / Portfolio Reviews with Shelly Bond

27 / Workshop / Design Your Own… with Gary Erskine

50 / Panel / Gosh! Comics presents… The Best Thing I’ve Read All Year

28 / Live Event / Travelling Man Signing Tour : Brian K. Vaughan in York 29 / Live Event / Thought Bubble + Gosh! Comics Present...James Stokoe and Marley Zarcone Signing 30 / Live Event / Travelling Man Signing Tour: Katie Skelly in Leeds 31 / Live Event / Vice Press Presents Zarjaz! An Art Tribute to 40 Years of 2000 AD 32 / Live Event / Thought Bubble Pre-Convention Reception at Fire Lake Grill House and Cocktail Bar, Radisson Blu Leeds

51 / Live Event / 2000 AD Writing Competition 2017 52 / Live Event / BookmarkMaking with Lighthouse School 53 / Panel / Travelling Man Presents… The Rainbow Age 54 / Panel / So What’s Your Other Job? 55 / Live Event / Fairy Tales and Comics with Metaphrog 56 / Live Event / Comics in Conversation: Brian K. Vaughan 57 / Live Event / Comic Jam with Team Ketchup

33 / Live Event / 2000AD Presents… Juve Cube

58 / Live Event / SILENCE! To Astonish

SATURDAY 23RD & SUNDAY 24TH SEPTEMBER CONVENTION DURATION EVENTS

59 / Live Event / I Am a Hero with Team Muhafiz

34 / Live Event / ComiXology Reading Room

61 / Live Event / Comics in Conversation: Katie Skelly

35 / Live Event / Comics Central

62 / Live Event / Sketching Spotlight

36 / Live Event / Cosplay

63 / Workshop / How To Draw Wookiees and Droids with JAKe

37 / Live Event / Thought Bubble Book Launches 2017 38 / Live Event / Surgeon X 39 / Live Event / Community Comics Power Exhibition

60 / Panel / Black Crown The Ruling Class

64 / Panel / 40 Years of 2000 AD 65 / Panel / Creating comics from Historical Stories with Hamish Steele and Luke Healy.

comic con events Included with the price of a con ticket

66 / Live Event / Myths, Maps and Monsters with Joe Todd-Stanton 67 / Panel / Young Animal x Thought Bubble 68 / Live Event / COMIXOLOGY’s 10th ANNIVERSARY MID-CON PARTY

Sunday 24th September Only Convention events 69 / Live Event / TB Comic Art Competition Prize-Giving Ceremony 70 / Panel / SelfMadeHero: A Decade of Graphic Novels 71 / Panel / Strip Panel Naked 72 / Panel / From Stands to Screen 73 / Workshop / Creating Facial Expressions with Al Davison 74 / Panel / Creating Worlds 75 / Live Event / 2000 AD Portfolio Competition Judging 76 / Live Event / I Am a Hero with Team Muhafiz 77 / Live Event / Kickstarter and Comics: A Crash Course 78 / Live Event / Portfolio Reviews with Shelly Bond 79 / Panel / Comics for EVERYONE! 80 / Live Event / Comic Jam with Team Ketchup 81 / Live Event / Sketching Spotlight 82 / Panel / Thesis to Print: Exploring the journey of creating the graphic novel How To Survive In The North by The Center for Cartoon Studies (CCS) graduate Luke Healy. 83 / Live Event / Cosplay Masquerade 84 / Panel / The New Age of Comics Criticism 85 / Panel / Comics in Conversation: Gerard Way 86 / Live Event / The Legend of Willy the Kid; The Best of Baxendale 87 / Live Event / Gosh! Comics Presents… Process with Joëlle Jones 88 / Live Event / Travelling Man Signing Tour : The Redlands and Savage Town tour

5th & 6th October 89 / Live Event / Light Night & Thought Bubble Present…. The Lost Forest of Leeds

C o r r e c t at t i m e o f g o i n g to p r i n t . f o r u p - to - dat e i n f o r m at i o n , p l e a s e v i s i t t h o u g h t b u b b l e f e s t i va l . c o m

FA S H I O N A B LY D E P LY O Y E D

Proud to be the ofďŹ cial Thought Bubble tee for 2017

E X C L U S I V E I L L U S T R AT I O N

THE I L L U S T R AT E D M I N D

the_ill__mind theill_mind theillustratedmind .com

is a world where surgeon Rosa Scott and her microbiologist twin sister Martha are battling to save lives. In this space, art and science collide to help you explore a vision of the future we hope will never come to pass. We’ll take you on a journey through one of the scenes in the comic, with the help of real life microbiologist Dr Adam Roberts from Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine. You’ll get to find out more about the characters in the comic and also how microbiologists are working to solve the problem of antibiotic resistance. This event was made possible by a grant from the Microbiology Society. Surgeon X was written by Sara Kenney, artwork by the brilliant John Watkiss and edited by Karen Berger. For more information visit surgeonx.co.uk.

39 / Live Event / Community Comics Power Exhibition Sat 23 & Sun 24 Sept, Brodrick Hall, Leeds City Museum, Millennium Square, Leeds LS2 8BH, 11:0017:00 Sat, 11:00-14:30 Sun, All ages, Free. Community Comics Power UK are a small organisation who work with people who traditionally haven’t “got a voice”. They facilitate workshops where they teach groups how to use comic strips to tell their stories, often for the first time. This process is very cathartic and it enables the participant to become the star of their own story and to therefore become more visible. Attendees may have never shared their story before and there’s a lot of respect felt during this process. This is an exhibition of the work created in these workshops, and is intended to promote discussion, debate and social change.

41 / Live Event / Bub’s Lounge Sat 23 & Sun 24 Sept, Thoresby & Denny Rooms, Lower Ground Floor, Leeds City Museum, Millennium Square, Leeds LS2 8BH, 11:00-17:00 Sat, 11:00-17:00 Sun, All ages, Free.

40 / Live Event / Team Ketchup Present… Drop In and Draw Sat 23 & Sun 24 Sept, Tables 3842, comiXology Marquee, 10:0018:00 Sat, 10:00-17:00 Sun, All ages, Free for under 12s but an accompanying ticket-holding adult must be present, Over 65s free with a valid form of photo ID Team Ketchup started out as a reading group for the British Comic Awards Young People’s Choice, and are based at and supported by Skipton Library. The team were so inspired by Sarah McIntyre at their first trip to the awards in Leeds that they were determined to selfpublish an anthology and exhibit at Thought Bubble themselves the following year. They put in successful funding bids, and in 2014 Volume 1 of Pink Fluffy Ketchup Covered Flower Ponies was ready to go, with 15 contributing kids, volunteer editor Jody Lawson, and some pretty exhausted parents! The team have gone from strength to strength, running workshops for hundreds of people in Skipton, sometimes with professional creators like Neill Cameron and Dan White, or run by the 32 Ketchups themselves! Now in their 4th appearance at Thought Bubble, and with community awards trophies and 7 issues under their belt, Team Ketchup are proud to present the Drop in and Draw at Thought Bubble 2017. Whatever your style, be it stick men or expert artist, come along and Drop in and Draw at the family area in the comiXology Marquee throughout the weekend. Everyone welcome, young and old!

Graphic novel overload? Superhero fatigue? With Thought Bubble getting bigger every year, we created Bub’s Lounge - a quiet, calm area to escape the crowds and take some time away from the bustling convention halls. Bub’s Lounge is a space where you can do absolutely nothing if you want to - just kick back in a comfy beanbag and soak up the atmosphere or maybe pick up some pens and do some drawing yourself. Stop by and relax a while. As ever, we’ve teamed up with Specialist Autism Services to make the space really exceptional. They will also be exhibiting under the name ‘Aut Bubble’ in Brodrick Hall, Leeds City Museum. The amazing folk at Sensory Leeds are providing us with Thought Bubble’s first ever sensory zone to make Bub’s Lounge extra special this year. Thanks so much to them for bringing along this incredible multi-sensory experience.

42 / Live Event / Doctor Simpo’s Joke Shop Sat 23 & Sun 24 Sept, Victoria Gardens, The Headrow, LS1 3AA, 10:0018:00 Sat, 10:00-17:00 Sun, All ages, Free. Come along and enter the slightly strange and eye popping bonkers world of the creative mind of an unsung hero of underground kids comix; Doctor Simpo. Pick-up a copy of his new joke shop inspired adventure story along with a goody bag of classic joke items.

He has hunted far and wide to locate joke shop items of yesteryear, so if you yourself or a loved one remember the 60s, 70s and 80s boom of the classic seaside joke and trick shop then it is most definitely worth a trip down memory lane and come experience a vintage seaside joke shop curio right slap bang in the centre of Leeds.

December 2017. Thank you so much to this year’s judges - Woodrow Phoenix, Nadia Shireen, Tom Oldham, Abby Bulmer and David Monteith. The shortlist will be available for visitors to read over the Thought Bubble convention weekend.

43 / Live Event / Toybox Sat 23 & Sun 24 Sept, Victoria Gardens, The Headrow, LS1 3AA, 10:00-18:00 Sat, 10:00-17:00 Sun, All ages, Free. Visit the Toybox, a magical toy collecting shipping container, to share memories of your beloved toys and take part in playful toy themed activities. Throughout the weekend there’ll be the chance to bring your toys to life with stop motion animation, immortalise them in our Photo Booth and reimagine them on paper with help from our in house illustrator! Visit the glowing Toy Memory Cabinet and re-live your childhood with retro toys. Toybox has been supported by a R&D grant from Leeds 2023 Capital of Culture Bid and funding from Leeds Inspired. It is Playful Anywhere’s second refurbished shipping container joining Playbox01. www.playfulanywhere.com

45 / Live Event / Travelling Man Comics and Games Library at Leeds City Museum Sat 23 & Sun 24, Brodrick Hall, Leeds City Museum, 11:00-17:00 Sat, 11:00-14:30 Sun, All ages, Free Throughout the Thought Bubble comic con weekend, come to Leeds City Museum to read some of the amazing comics on offer from Travelling Man Comics, and play some of their incredible board games too!

46 / Exhibition / Forwards Always Exhibition by Matthew the Horse

Sat 23 & Sun 24, Brodrick Hall, Leeds City Museum, 11:00-17:00 Sat, 11:00-14:30 Sun, All ages, Free The Thought Bubble Young People’s Comic Awards were set up to find the year’s best new comics and graphic novels aimed at a young audience. After a month of open submissions, the entries were sent to our panel of judges who chose their favourites. These will be sent on to schools across Leeds, who will choose the final winner, the announcement taking place in

47 / Live Event / Young Creatives at Leeds Arts University Sat 23 Sept, Leeds Arts University, Vernon Street, LS2 8PH, 10:0016:00, Ages 7-18, Free Leeds Arts University’s Young Creatives programme for children will be running free 30 minute taster sessions for young people between 7 to 18 years old, giving a taste of illustration and printmaking in an art school environment. To book visit: www.leeds-art.ac.uk/ thoughtbubble2017

48 / Live Event / Monster Mask Making Workshop at Leeds Arts University

Saturday 23rd September Only Convention Events 44 / Live Event / Thought Bubble Young People’s Comic Awards

Matthew’s advocacy for nature, storytelling and optimism!

Sat 23 Sept, Leeds Arts University, Vernon Street, LS2 8PH, 10:0016:00, All ages, Free Forwards Always is a collection of new work by illustrator, poet and graphic artist Matthew the Horse, showcasing Matthew’s recently published collection of nonsense poetry. The book is a toy, a script, a game and a puzzle - activated through performance and play! Alongside the book, he will also be exhibiting a series of large scale, printed fabric banners which champion

Sat 23 Sept, Leeds Arts University, Vernon Street, LS2 8PH, 10:00-16:00, All ages, Free Join some friendly students from the Leeds Arts University Illustration degree to make your own magical monster mask. Come along to this free drop-in event to create monster masks that will scare even your bravest friends! Materials will be provided. Suitable for children of all ages.

49 / Live Event / Portfolio Reviews with Shelly Bond Sat 23 Sept, Venue TBC, 11:0013:00, All ages, Free with Saturday/Weekend convention pass, free for under-12s, but an accompanying ticket-holding adult must be present, Over 65s free with a valid form of photo ID This year we are delighted to announce that Former Executive of DC/Vertigo Shelly Bond will be reviewing portfolios at Thought Bubble! Because of time constraints, the format for reviews will be as follows: your pitch must be emailed in advance, and if you’re selected, you’ll be called back for a full review. Please submit your portfolio to portfolioreviews@ thoughtbubblefestival.com by 5pm, Friday 8th September. If you’re selected for a full review then a time slot and venue location will be emailed to you prior to the convention.

Leeds Arts University is proud to be involved in this year’s Thought Bubble festival. We have a number of free events running during the festival, suitable for comic art fans of all ages. Forwards Always Forwards Always is a collection of new work by illustrator, poet and graphic artist Matthew the Horse, showcasing Matthew’s recently published collection of nonsense poetry. The book is a toy, a script, a game and a puzzle- activated through performance and play! Alongside the book, he will also be exhibiting a series of large scale, printed fabric banners which champion Matthew’s advocacy for nature, storytelling and optimism! Saturday 23 Sep, 10-4pm Leeds Arts University, Vernon Street Young Creatives Our Young Creatives programme for children will be running free 30 minute taster sessions for young people between 7 to 18 year olds, giving a taste of illustration and printmaking in an art school environment. To book:

Best of British Poster show Exhibition of fan art posters hung at Travelling Man Comics, in the city centre. The posters have been made by our third year illustration students in response to their favourite British TV, comics and film. The posters will be on display for the duration of the festival and available to buy in store. 18-30 Sep, Private View 18 Sep, 6pm Travelling Man Comics, Leeds BA (Hons) Illustration table Our illustration students have a table of books, art and ideas for sale in the Millennium Square marquee, come and say hello! Saturday 23 -Sunday 24 Sep Comic Con, Millennium Square, Leeds

www.leeds-art.ac.uk/thoughtbubble2017

Saturday 23 Sep, 10-4pm Leeds Arts University, Vernon Street Monster mask making workshop Join some friendly students from the Leeds Arts University Illustration degree to make your own magical monster mask. Come along to this free drop in event to create monster masks that will scare even your bravest friends! Materials will be provided. Suitable for children of all ages. Saturday 23 Sep, 10-4pm Leeds Arts University, Vernon Street

Image: Matthew the Horse

50 / Panel / Gosh! Comics presents… The Best Thing I’ve Read All Year Sat 23 Sept, Carriageworks Main Auditorium, LS2 3AD, 11:00-11:50, Free entry with Saturday/Weekend convention pass, All ages, but please note: Thought Bubble does not control panel content Join our panel to discover the hidden gems and best of the year’s comics that you should be reading, then head into the convention hall to track them down! With speakers: Hannah Chapman, Kelly Kanayama, Andy Oliver, Katie Skelly, Spike Trotman, and Marley Zarcone. Hosted by: Tom Oldham of Gosh! Comics / Breakdown Press.

51 / Live Event / 2000 AD Writing Competition 2017 Sat 23 Sept, Carriageworks Studio Theatre (fifth floor), LS2 3AD, 11:30-12:20, Free entry with Saturday/Weekend convention pass, All ages, but please note: Thought Bubble does not control panel content So you want to write for 2000 AD? Bravo, Earthlet – but dare you put your idea to the test in the Theatre of Thrills? Future Shocks have not only been a staple of 2000 AD since 1977 but have forged some of its greatest writing talents, including Alan Moore and Grant Morrison! Writers are being invited to pitch their ideas for a brand new Future Shock to a panel of our top script droids on the Saturday at Thought Bubble – but they have just two minutes to make their case! Can you condense your idea, plot, and characters for a self-contained, four-page short story with a twist ending down into just 120 seconds? And in front of an audience? And

convince some of our best writers that it’s a winner? Only the bold shall be victorious! The clock is ticking! Can you make your pitch and write your way into a job with 2000 AD? Get writing and make sure you’re first in line to appear – it’s first come, first served! Only our panel can decide whether your idea is worthy of the Mighty Tharg’s attention – the prize is getting paid to have your winning script turned into a Future Shock in the pages of the Galaxy’s Greatest Comic! Please note: pitches will only be accepted for the Future Shocks story series.

52 / Live Event / Bookmark-Making with Lighthouse School Sat 23 Sept, Brodrick Hall, Leeds City Museum, Millennium Square, Leeds LS2 8BH, 11:30-12:30, All ages, Free Lighthouse school is a specialist school for pupils on the Autistic spectrum, the pupils are all talented and as part of their enterprise sessions have been making products for sale at thought bubble, all monies raised will go to Lighthouse school PTA and the Lighthouse futures trust which help fund our school. Join the pupils from Lighthouse to make and colour anime and geeky bookmarks, then come and browse the Lighthouse stall.

54 / Panel / So What’s Your Other Job? Sat 23 Sept, Carriageworks Studio Theatre (fifth floor), LS2 3AD Theatre, 12:30-13:20, Free entry with Saturday/Weekend convention pass, All ages, but please note: Thought Bubble does not control panel content How do you make money being a graphic novelist? Short of the sixfigure advance, family trust fund, supportive partner, Arts Council grant or giving up drink, let’s hear it up for all the other jobs that make up our income… and maybe what we can do to change the scene so that we can start to make money creating graphic novels. Five cartoonists, with a range of experiences between them, talk about their day jobs, how they began to make money out of their cartooning, and what they think needs to happen in the future: Darryl Cunningham, Ottilie Hainsworth, Paula Knight, Nicola Streeten and Una talk to Myriad Editions graphic novel commissioning editor Corinne Pearlman.

55 / Live Event / Fairy Tales and Comics with Metaphrog 53 / Panel / Travelling Man Presents… The Rainbow Age Sat 23 Sept, Carriageworks Main Auditorium, LS2 3AD, 12:00-12:50, Free entry with Saturday/Weekend convention pass, All ages, but please note: Thought Bubble does not control panel content LGBTQIA* comics have never been more vibrant than they are today, as the comics community demands more material that speaks to them and represents the genuine diversity in which we all live. Join us for a lively discussion, as we delve into the importance of representation on the page and within the industry, the art and business of comics, and the complexities of LGBTQIA* identity. Hosted by Jack Fallows.

Sat 23 Sept, Brodrick Hall, Leeds City Museum, Millennium Square, Leeds LS2 8BH, 12:30-13:30, All ages, Free Join award-winning duo Metaphrog on a journey to the lands of fairy tales and comics! John and Sandra will reveal some top tips for creating great characters and stories, and show how they turned classic fairy tales The Red Shoes and The Little Mermaid into graphic novels. Participants will even get a chance to make their own characters!

56 / Live Event / Comics in Conversation: Brian K. Vaughan Sat 23 Sept, Carriageworks Main Auditorium, LS2 3AD, 13:00-13:50, Free entry with Saturday/Weekend convention pass, All ages, but please note: Thought Bubble does not control panel content This year we are absolutely delighted to be welcoming the Eisner awardwinning writer of Saga, Paper Girls, Y The Last Man, Ex Machina (and many, many more brilliant comics series) to Thought Bubble, and are very pleased to present this special Comics in Conversation event, where Brian K. Vaughan will be discussing his career with journalist and PR-Coordinator for Rebellion Mike Molcher.

57 / Live Event / Comic Jam with Team Ketchup Sat 23 Sept, Brodrick Hall, Leeds City Museum, Millennium Square, Leeds LS2 8BH, 13:30-14:30, All ages, Free Ready to have a go at collaborative storytelling? Team Ketchup’s biggest comic jam was with 300 people. Join the team in a comic jam and see where the story goes, you can never predict the ending! Just grab a pencil and paper and they’ll show you how.

(House to Astonish) inflict an hour of daft questions, false beards, halfbaked impressions, gobsmacking party games and cruel and unusual singing on a panel of glittering superstars including James Stokoe (Orc Stain) and Marley Zarcone (Shade the Changing Girl).

61 / Live Event / Comics in Conversation: Katie Skelly

59 / Live Event / I Am a Hero with Team Muhafiz Sat 23 Sept, Brodrick Hall, Leeds City Museum, Millennium Square, Leeds LS2 8BH, 14:30-15:30, All ages, Free Team Muhafiz is a Pakistani comic series that brings together 10 multi-ethnic, interfaith adolescent heroes at a local ‘youth centre’. Together, they combat villains that embody present-day, locallevel injustices, radicalism, and key social, economic and development challenges. I Am a Hero is an interactive classbased session workshop where participants create their own heroes with positive sets of values, identify grass-root challenges in their communities and develop ways to tackle these challenges with the help of their very own created heroes. Elements from selected stories are then integrated into comic books and are also adopted into theatre performances. Participants are also encouraged to identify real-life unsung heroes from their communities or from the neighboring localities.

58 / Live Event / SILENCE! To Astonish Sat 23 Sept, Carriageworks Studio Theatre (fifth floor), LS2 3AD, 13:30-14:20, Free entry with Saturday/Weekend convention pass, All ages, but please note: Thought Bubble does not control panel content SILENCE! to Astonish returns for its 50th hit year as legendary podcast hosts Gary Lactus and The Beast Must Die (SILENCE!) with Al Kennedy

secrets about IDW Publishing’s new curation operation. Meet David Barnett and Martin Simmonds, the creative team behind the new ongoing series PUNKS NOT DEAD, as well as the warped denizens of the BLACK CROWN QUARTERLY, led by proprietor Rob Davis, CUD bandmates/ co-writers Will Potter and Carl Puttnam and Jamie Coe. Plus: Special surprise guests including house letterer Aditya Bidikar!

60 / Panel / Black Crown The Ruling Class Sat 23 Sept, Carriageworks Main Auditorium, LS2 3AD, 14:00-14:50, Free entry with Saturday/Weekend convention pass, All ages, but please note: Thought Bubble does not control panel content Join curator/editor Shelly Bond and a coterie of miscreants as they spill

Sat 23 Sept, Carriageworks Studio Theatre (fifth floor), LS2 3AD Theatre, 14:30-15:20, Free entry with Saturday/Weekend convention pass, All ages, but please note: Thought Bubble does not control panel content We are very pleased to be welcoming the wonderful artist Katie Skelly, creator of Nurse Nurse, Operation Margarine, Agent 8, and her new title My Pretty Vampire, to 2017’s Thought Bubble, and invite you all to join us as she discusses her work with comics editor of Women Write About Comics, Claire Napier.

62 / Live Event / Sketching Spotlight Sat 23 Sept, Carriageworks Main Auditorium, LS2 3AD,, 15:00-16:30, Free entry with Saturday/Weekend convention pass, All ages, but please note: Thought Bubble does not control panel content Come along to our sketching spotlight to see some of the finest artists currently working in the industry drawing live on stage and taking you through their creative process in this informal panel event. All sketches produced will be auctioned off for the Barnardo’s charity after the festival. Featuring guest artists: Charlie Adlard, Sara Pichelli, James Stokoe, and Gabriel H. Walta. Hosted by Peter Doherty.

Over the last 170 years, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve built an international reputation as one of the UKâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leading independent art colleges. Our transition to Leeds Arts University in 2017 sees us become the only specialist arts university in the North of England.

Undergraduate Courses BA (Hons) Animation BA (Hons) Comic & Concept Art BA (Hons) Creative Advertising BA (Hons) Fashion Branding with Communication BA (Hons) Fashion Design BA (Hons) Fashion Photography BA (Hons) Filmmaking BA (Hons) Fine Art BA (Hons) Graphic Design BA (Hons) Illustration BA (Hons) Photography BMus (Hons) Popular Music Performance BA (Hons) Printed Textiles & Surface Pattern Design BA (Hons) Visual Communication

Postgraduate Courses MA Creative Practice MA Curation Practices

To find out more about our range of creative courses visit www.leeds-art.ac.uk

Image: Aghnia Mardiyah BA (Hons) Illustration

63 / Workshop / How To Draw Wookiees and Droids with JAKe Sat 23 Sept, Brodrick Hall, Leeds City Museum, Millennium Square, Leeds LS2 8BH, 15:30-16:15, All ages, Free Fresh from sold out appearances at Bath, Oxford, Cambridge, Newcastle, and Star Wars Celebration, Lucasfilm artist and author JAKe (How To Speak Wookiee, How To Speak Droid) shows you how to draw your favourite characters from the Star Wars universe including Droids, Wookiees, Bounty Hunters and more. JAKe shows you simple techniques so you can draw Star Wars at home. All ages welcome.

64 / Panel / 40 Years of 2000 AD Sat 23 Sept, Carriageworks Studio Theatre (fifth floor), LS2 3AD, 15:30-16:20, Free entry with Saturday/Weekend convention pass, All ages, but please note: Thought Bubble does not control panel content Come along and celebrate the past year of the galaxy’s greatest comic with some of the mighty Tharg’s best art and script droids, as well as a look ahead to what the future has in store, as we wish the British comics institution a happy 40th Birthday. Guaranteed to be zarjaz! Hosted by Iz McAuliffe and Stacey Whittle.

65 / Panel / Creating comics from Historical Stories with Hamish Steele and Luke Healy. Sat 23 Sept, Carriageworks Studio Theatre (fifth floor), LS2 3AD Theatre, 16:30-17:20, Free entry with Saturday/Weekend convention pass, All ages, but please note: Thought Bubble does not control panel content Join author/ illustrators Hamish Steele and Luke Healy as they discuss adapting tales from the past for comic fiction, whether retelling the Egyptian Myths in all their anarchic glory or the trials of

true-life Arctic expeditions. Hamish Steele is the creator of Pantheon and web-comic Deadendia. He also works as an Animation Director. Luke Healy’s book How to Survive in the North is out now. Both are published by Nobrow.

Joe Todd-Stanton is the creator of the Brownstone’s Mythical Collection series for Flying Eye Books: Arthur and the Golden Rope is available now and his brand new book Marcy and the Riddle of the Sphinx will be out in October.

67 / Panel / Young Animal x Thought Bubble

66 / Live Event / Myths, Maps and Monsters with Joe Todd-Stanton Sat 23 Sept, Brodrick Hall, Leeds City Museum, Millennium Square, Leeds LS2 8BH, 16:15-17:00, All ages, Free Travel back in time through myths from around the world to meet magical beasts, powerful gods and brave adventurers - then create some of your very own, in this hands-on workshop with author/ illustrator Joe Todd-Stanton. Suitable for children aged 5+.

Sat 23 Sept, Carriageworks Main Auditorium, LS2 3AD, 17:00-18:00, Free entry with Saturday/Weekend convention pass, All ages, but please note: Thought Bubble does not control panel content We’re delighted to be welcoming the creative masterminds behind DC’s Young Animal to Leeds on this, the imprint’s first birthday, and want to invite you to this very special panel! Find out what’s in store for the future, and help celebrate this first anniversary in style at this informal panel discussion between the comics’ creators, editor, and Young Animal’s curator Gerard Way.

With Speakers: Cecil Castellucci, Nick Derington, Tommy Lee Edwards, Jody Houser, Jon Rivera, Gerard Way, Marley Zarcone. Hosted by Vertigo Group Editor, Jamie S. Rich.

68 / Live Event / COMIXOLOGy 10th ANNIVERSARY party at trinity kitchen Sat 23rd Sept, Trinity Kitchen, Trinity Leeds, 27 Albion St, Leeds LS1 5ER, from 19:00-01:00, strictly 18+, FREE, please bring a valid form of photo ID to gain entry. Free entry with yellow weekend wristband. Thanks to a sponsorship from our amazing pals at digital comics service comiXology, and to celebrate their 10th anniversary, this year’s mid-con party will be free entry for all Thought Bubble attendees! Taking place at the awesome Trinity Kitchen, it’s the perfect way to unwind after a hectic day on the con floor. There’ll be a wide range of gourmet and street food vendors to choose from, and we’ll have the drinks and music flowing until late. So join us and comiXology as we celebrate another Thought Bubble in style, with special guest DJs spinning tunes until the early hours (and some surprises too!). Space is strictly limited and you’ll need your yellow weekend wristband, exhibitor wristband, or guest pass to gain entry. We expect it will be super busy, so come early. Entry will be on a first-come-first-served basis and there may be queues.. It’s also important to note that this event is strictly over 18s only, so please remember to bring photo ID with you along with your wristband/pass. www.comixology.co.uk

Sunday 24th Sept. Only Convention events

With speakers Andy Diggle, Duncan Fegredo, Tommy Lee Edwards, and Antony Johnston. Hosted by Chris Hewitt, News Editor at Empire Magazine.

69 / Live Event / TB Comic Art Competition PrizeGiving Ceremony Sun 24 Sept, Victoria Hall Stage, Leeds Town Hall, LS1 3AD 10:30-10:50, Free entry with Sunday/Weekend convention pass, All ages, but please note: Thought Bubble does not control panel content This year saw the eighth Thought Bubble Comic Art Competition take place in association with Travelling Man Comic Shops. Entry was open to creators from the UK, who were asked to produce a single-page A3 story, with work accepted in two categories – 12-17 year olds and over-18s. We’ll be announcing the winners live on stage – and they’ll get to see their work published in 2018’s Thought Bubble Anthology from Image Comics!

71 / Panel / Strip Panel Naked Sun 24 Sept, Victoria Hall Stage, Leeds Town Hall, LS1 3AD 11:0011:50, Free entry with Sunday/ Weekend convention pass, All ages, but please note: Thought Bubble does not control panel content Ever wanted to analyse how the creative team behind a comic layer meaning and story into the visuals of the page? Strip Panel Naked is a weekly YouTube show that takes a deep-dive into exactly that. Think Every Frame a Painting but for comics. Join us for a live edition of the show, where we’ll talk to creators about how they went about the writing, art, colours and lettering across a few pages of their work, and how those choices end up affecting the reader. With Speakers: Declan Shalvey, Jordie Bellaire, Aditya Bidikar, Christian Ward. Hosted by Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou.

73 / Workshop / Creating Facial Expressions with Al Davison Sun 24 Sept, Brodrick Hall, Leeds City Museum, Millennium Square, Leeds LS2 8BH, 11:30-12:30, All ages, Free Al Davison: A.K.A. The Astral Gypsy, will be showing you how to create convincing facial expressions and providing tips on drawing and storytelling for comics

70 / Panel / SelfMadeHero: A Decade of Graphic Novels Sun 24 Sept, Carriageworks Studio Theatre (fifth floor), LS2 3AD, 10:30-11:20, Free entry with Sunday/Weekend convention pass, All ages, but please note: Thought Bubble does not control panel content 2017 marks graphic novel publisher SelfMadeHero’s 10th anniversary. A list that began with the Manga Shakespeare series has, over the last decade, developed into a collection of books that are a testament to the richness and diversity of today’s graphic novel landscape. Artist I.N.J. Culbard and writers John Reppion, Ian Edginton and Leah Moore join SelfMadeHero’s Sam Humphrey to discuss the evolution of a list that now encompasses everything from fiction to film criticism, sci-fi to biography. They will explore the relationship between creator and publisher, and they’ll consider how the two can work together to ensure the graphic novel remains an increasingly vital and visible part of our culture.

74 / Panel / Creating Worlds

72 / Panel / From Stands to Screen Sun 24 Sept, Carriageworks Studio Theatre (fifth floor), LS2 3AD Theatre, 11:30-12:20, Free entry with Sunday/Weekend convention pass, All ages, but please note: Thought Bubble does not control panel content Our annual talk on the transition of comics to the big & small screens, with the creators who have worked on transferring stories from paper to celluloid, or vice versa! An engaging discussion on the ongoing evolution of comics onscreen, and the titles (and creators) that have inspired this revolution.

Sun 24 Sept, Victoria Hall Stage, Leeds Town Hall, LS1 3AD 12:0012:50, Free entry with Sunday/ Weekend convention pass, All ages, but please note: Thought Bubble does not control panel content This year we’ve brought some of the best creators in comics to Leeds, so please join us for what’s sure to be a fascinating panel talk on the reality of inventing worlds for creator owned projects, as well as inhabiting those of comics’ hottest licensed properties. With speakers Sara Kenney, Ariela Kristantina, Alison Sampson, Si Spurrier, James Stokoe, and Brian K Vaughan. Hosted by Steve Morris of CBR and Comics MNT.

75 / Live Event / 2000AD Portfolio Competition Judging Sun 24 Sept, Carriageworks Studio Theatre (fifth floor), LS2 3AD, 12:3013:20, Free entry with Sunday/ Weekend convention pass, All ages, but please note: Thought Bubble does not control panel content Many have tried to make it into the hallowed pages of the Galaxy’s Greatest comic, most have failed, but the winner of this year’s 2000 AD portfolio competition will be joining the likes of Dave Gibbons, Jock, Mick McMahon, Brian Bolland and Mark Buckingham! This year we have the ultimate prize – the winner of the portfolio session will get the chance to illustrate a Future Shock in 2000 AD! Join the ranks of the biggest names in British comic books by getting a paid strip from Tharg the Mighty! Come along and see which of the portfolio review entries wins this amazing prize as Tharg’s art droids provide live critique on the best of the comics submitted!

76 / Live Event / I Am a Hero with Team Muhafiz Sun 24 Sept, Brodrick Hall, Leeds City Museum, Millennium Square, Leeds LS2 8BH, 12:30-13:30, All ages, Free Team Muhafiz is a Pakistani comic series that brings together 10 multi-ethnic, interfaith adolescent heroes at a local ‘youth centre’. Together, they combat villains that embody present-day, locallevel injustices, radicalism, and key social, economic and development challenges. I Am a Hero is an interactive classbased session workshop where participants create their own heroes with positive sets of values, identify grass-root challenges in their communities and develop ways to tackle these challenges with the help of their very own created heroes. Elements from selected stories are then integrated into comic books and are also adopted into theatre performances. Participants are also encouraged to identify real-life unsung heroes from their communities or from the neighboring localities.

77 / Live Event / Kickstarter and Comics: A Crash Course Sun 24 Sept, Victoria Hall Stage, Leeds Town Hall, LS1 3AD 13.00 13.50, Free entry with Sunday/ Weekend convention pass, All ages, but please note: Thought Bubble does not control panel content C. Spike Trotman, founder of Iron Circus Comics, has successfully run and funded 13-for-13 Kickstarters to the tune of over $750,000 and is an official Kickstarter Thought Leader. She’s set the standards for KS’ed comics best practices, and after 9 years of experiments, mistakes, triumphs and regrets, she has a LOT of advice to share! Drop in for an hour of Kickstarter postmortems, practical help, warnings, and gossip.

78 / Live Event / Portfolio Reviews with Shelly Bond Sun 24 Sept, Venue TBC, 13:0015:00, Free with Sunday/Weekend convention pass, free for under-12s, but an accompanying ticket-holding adult must be present, All ages This year we are delighted to announce that Former Executive of DC/Vertigo Shelly Bond will be reviewing portfolios at Thought Bubble! Because of time constraints, the format for reviews will be as follows: your pitch must be emailed in advance, and if you’re selected, you’ll be called back for a full review. Please submit your portfolio to portfolioreviews@ thoughtbubblefestival.com by 5pm, Friday 8th September. If you’re selected for a full review then a time slot and venue location will be emailed to you prior to the convention.

79 / Panel / Comics for EVERYONE! Sun 24 Sept, Carriageworks Studio Theatre (fifth floor), LS2 3AD Theatre, 13:30-14:20, Free entry with Sunday/Weekend convention pass, All ages, but please note: Thought Bubble does not control panel content We here at Thought Bubble believe that comics should be enjoyed by everyone, regardless of their age, and that great kids comics should be read by everyone! So if you’re a young comic fan, or one who never grew up, and want to hear about some great stories to read, please come along and get the low-down from some of the best creators out there! With speakers Cecil Castellucci, John Chalmers and Sandra Marrs of Metaphrog, Gary Northfield, Joe Todd-Stanton, and Caspar Wijngaard. Hosted by Dan White of Mindless Ones, and creator of Cindy and Biscuit.

80 / Live Event / Comic Jam with Team Ketchup Sun 24 Sept, Brodrick Hall, Leeds City Museum, Millennium Square, Leeds LS2 8BH, 13:3014:30, All ages, Free Ready to have a go at collaborative storytelling? Team Ketchup’s biggest comic jam was with 300 people. Join the team in a comic jam and see where the story goes, you can never predict the ending! Just grab a pencil and paper and they’ll show you how.

kapow

a in your taste buds.

New flavours every 8 weeks from around the world at Trinity Kitchen. trinityleeds.com

81 / Live Event / Sketching Spotlight Sun 24 Sept, Victoria Hall Stage, Leeds Town Hall, LS1 3AD 14:0015:30, Free entry with Sunday/ Weekend convention pass, All ages, but please note: Thought Bubble does not control panel content Come along to our sketching spotlight to see some of the finest artists currently working in the industry drawing live on stage and taking you through their creative process in this informal panel event. All sketches produced will be auctioned off for the Barnardo’s charity after the festival. Featuring guest artists: Nick Derington, Joëlle Jones, Sean Phillips, Marley Zarcone Hosted by Peter Doherty.

Costumes must be handmade, or altered by at least 50% to have a chance of winning the competition, but all cosplayers are welcome to attend the masquerade.

84 / Panel / The New Age of Comics Criticism

North was named one of the best books of 2016 by Publishers Weekly. He once walked from Mexico to Canada! www.lukewhealy.com About The Center for Cartoon Studies (CCS): Fiercely dedicated students from throughout the world earn degrees studying comics with esteemed professionals in a small, vibrant Vermont village. CCS offers Master of Fine Arts degree, One- and Two-Year Certificates, Low Residency 2nd Year Option, new Applied Cartooning track, and Summer Workshops. www. cartoonstudies.org

Sun 24 Sept, Carriageworks Studio Theatre (fifth floor), LS2 3AD Theatre, 15:30-16:20, Free entry with Sunday/Weekend convention pass, All ages, but please note: Thought Bubble does not control panel content As outlets for quality comics journalism seem to be decreasing every year, many comics critics are turning to crowd-sourced and selfpublished avenues to discuss the medium. In this panel, some of the best comic critics in the UK chat about the ever-shifting landscape of comics criticism, balancing commercial concerns with creative freedom and making the transition from critic to creator. With speakers Kieran Shiach (The Guardian), Claire Napier (Women Write About Comics), Kelly Kanayama (Nerdist), Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou (PanelxPanel) and Steve Morris (The MNT).

85 / Panel / Comics in Conversation: Gerard Way

83 / Live Event / Cosplay Masquerade

82 / Panel / Thesis to Print: Exploring the journey of creating the graphic novel How To Survive In The North by The Center for Cartoon Studies (CCS) graduate Luke Healy. Sun 24 Sept, Carriageworks Studio Theatre (fifth floor), LS2 3AD, 14:30-15:20, Free entry with Sunday/Weekend convention pass, All ages, but please note: Thought Bubble does not control panel content A presentation featuring original work, demo of process and workflow, followed by Q & A. Luke Healy was born and raised in Dublin, Ireland. Luke has MFA in Cartooning from The Center for Cartoon Studies in White River Junction, Vermont. His comics work has been published in anthologies and has received several awards. His book How to Survive in the

Sun 24 Sept, Brodrick Hall, Leeds City Museum, Millennium Square, Leeds LS2 8BH, 14:45-16:45, All ages but please note: Thought Bubble does not control panel content, Free Thought Bubble’s massive cosplay event is back! Whether you’re in costume or not, come along and experience a cavalcade of crazy characters as we decide who’s best dressed enough to impress our judges! Prizes will be awarded for Best in Show (Adult), Best Under 16, Best Beginner/First Cosplay, Best Group, Best Tailoring/Sewn Costume (Adult), Best Armour/Non Sewing Based (Adult)

Sun 24 Sept, Victoria Hall Stage, Leeds Town Hall, LS1 3AD 16:0016:50, Free entry with Sunday/ Weekend convention pass, All ages, but please note: Thought Bubble does not control panel content For our return to Leeds City Centre, we’re thrilled to be welcoming Gerard Way, writer of Umbrella Academy, True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys, and curator of DC’s smash-hit Young Animal line of comics, for his Thought Bubble debut. To celebrate this, we’d like to invite you to take part in this special Comics in Conversation event, where he’ll be discussing his work with podcaster and journalist Alex Fitch.

photo by Steve Barowik

86 / Live Event / The Legend of Willy the Kid; The Best of Baxendale

88 / Live Event / Travelling Man Signing Tour: The Redlands and Savage Town tour

Sun 24 Sept, Carriageworks Studio Theatre (fifth floor), LS2 3AD, 16:30-17:00, Free entry with Sunday/Weekend convention pass, All ages, but please note: Thought Bubble does not control panel content A talk by Doctor Simpo, who writes: “A decade ago, I wrote my thesis, which focused on the grotesque within children’s humour comics. A certain Leo Baxendale was kind enough to answer a few questions for me, and following his sad passing a few months ago, I’d like to invite you to come along and celebrate some of his lesser known later works. There will also be the chance to find out some more information about a new degree course in comic books to be offered as an officially accredited programme of study at the Leeds Arts University. THIS IS EXCITING, SO DON’T MISS OUT!”

Various venues and dates, All ages, Free 30 Sept, Travelling Man Manchester, 4 Dale St, Manchester, M1 1JW, 12:00-14:00 30 Sept, Travelling Man Leeds, 32 Central Road, LS1 6DE, 16:00-18:00 1 Oct, Travelling Man Newcastle, 43 Grainger St, NE1 5JE, 12:0014:00 1 Oct, Travelling Man York, 74 Goodramgate, York, YO1 7LF, 16:00-18:00 With Declan Shalvey, Jordie Bellaire, Vanesa R. Del Rey and Philip Barrett We are super-excited to host these magnificent creators who have delivered two epics for Image Comics. Redlands is a beautiful horror tale centred around three witches settling some scores in the Florida back-waters and Savage Town is a wee tale about a gangster set in a Limerick City with a blood stain on every page!

87 / Live Event / Gosh! Comics Presents… Process with Joëlle Jones Tues 26 Sept, Gosh! Comics, Berwick Street, Soho, London, W1F 0DR, 19:30-21:00, All ages, Free Hosted by Ramsey Hassan, learn about Joëlle Jones’ comics-making process in this panel discussion and audience Q+A.

5th & 6th October 89 / Live Event / Light Night & Thought Bubble Present…. The Lost Forest of Leeds Thurs 5 & Fri 6 October, Leeds Town Hall Crypts, The Headrow, Leeds, LS1 3AD, 18:00-23:00 (both days), All ages, Free A portal to a lost and forgotten world has opened up, right here in Leeds! As its strange secrets come to life around you, use a special flashlight and explorer’s map to help local artist Jack Fallows solve the cryptic messages of the mysterious forest before the portal closes up again! Jack has worked with young people across Leeds to create characters and stories set against the backdrop of this hidden world. For more information, please visit whatson.leeds.gov.uk/lightnight

the 2017 thought bubble anthology

featuring stories and artwork by Jason Aaron Jen Bartel Cecil Castellucci Brandon Graham Jody Houser Jason Latour Emi Lenox Simon Roy Marley Zarcone and many more! proceeds benefit

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