Comic Festival (also known as Comics Festival UK) was a British

comic book convention A comic book convention or comic-con is an event with a primary focus on comic books and comic book culture, in which comic book fans gather to meet creators, experts, and each other. Commonly, comic conventions are multi-day events hosted at con ...

which was held annually in

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

between 1999 and 2004. It was devised and produced by

Kev F Sutherland Kev F. Sutherland (born 18 October 1961) is a Scottish comedian and comic strip creator. He has drawn for a variety of publications, including ''The Beano''. He has produced several shows at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, including The Sitcom ...

with the help of

Mike Allwood The Bristol International Comic & Small Press Expo, commonly known as Comic Expo or BCE, was an annual comic book convention held in the United Kingdom from 2004 to 2013. The show was held once a year in Bristol in the spring. The organiser was M ...

of Area 51 Comics. The presentation of the

National Comics Awards The National Comics Awards was a series of awards for comic book titles and creators given out on an annual basis from 1997 to 2003 (with the exception of the year 2000) for comics published in the United Kingdom the previous year. The votes wer ...

was a regular feature of Comic Festival from 1999 to 2003 (except for the year 2000, when the

Eagle Awards The Eagle Awards were a series of awards for comic book titles and creators. They were awarded by United Kingdom, UK fans voting for work produced during the previous year. Named after the UK's ''Eagle (British comics), Eagle'' comic, they were l ...

were presented there). Charity auctions were held every year at the festival, first for

Comic Relief Comic relief is the inclusion of a humorous character, scene, or witty dialogue in an otherwise serious work, often to relieve tension. Definition Comic relief usually means a releasing of emotional or other tension resulting from a comic episo ...

and then for the benefit of ChildLine.

History

Comic Festival was preceded as an annual British comic convention by the

United Kingdom Comic Art Convention The United Kingdom Comic Art Convention (UKCAC) was a British comic book convention which was held between 1985 and 1998. As a complement to UKCAC, from 1990 to 1995 the organizers put on the Glasgow-based Glasgow Comic Art Convention (GlasCAC), ...

, held annually (usually in London) from 1985 to 1998. By 1999, the comics audience in the UK was in decline; Comic Festival's aim was to reach non-comic readers, children, and families, and to enable them to enter the event at the cheapest possible prices. Once inside the convention, the audience would then be exposed to the widest range of comics material, thus building the readership of the future. The festival began under the name Comics 99. In addition to the annual Bristol-based Comic Festival, secondary events were held in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

in the fall of 2003 and 2004. Comic Festival was succeeded as an annual convention by the Bristol-based

Comic Expo The Bristol International Comic & Small Press Expo, commonly known as Comic Expo or BCE, was an annual comic book convention held in the United Kingdom from 2004 to 2013. The show was held once a year in Bristol in the spring. The organiser was Mi ...

, which began in 2004 and lasted until 2014.

Charity auctions

For Comics 99, Sutherland produced ''The World's Biggest Comic'', which featured the work of 100 of the world's leading comic artists, auctioned to raise money for the British charity

. Subsequent projects, for the benefit of ChildLine, included the Charity Deck of Cards which, in 2001, raised over £10,000 through the auctioning of the original art and sales of the limited edition decks. The

Just 1 Page Just 1 Page (J1P) was charity comic linked to the United Kingdom's Comic Festival and Comic Expo comic book conventions in Bristol, SW England. Single-page contributions were donated by a range of professional and amateur artists and writers, ...

charity comic was produced at Comic Festival, beginning in 2001 (and then continuing on at

Locations and dates

London Comic Festival locations and dates

References

Footnotes

Sources consulted

* *

External links

* 1999 establishments in England 2004 disestablishments in England British fan conventions Defunct comics conventions Comics conventions Recurring events established in 1999 {{UK-comics-stub