Comic Mart is the catchall term for a series of British comic book

trade fairs A trade fair, also known as trade show, trade exhibition, or trade exposition, is an exhibition organized so that companies in a specific industry can showcase and demonstrate their latest products and services, meet with industry partners and cu ...

which were held in the United Kingdom from 1972 until the early 1990s. The Comic Mart was one of the earliest recurring public comic events in the UK, predated only by the

British Comic Art Convention The British Comic Art Convention (usually known by the moniker Comicon) was an annual British comic book convention which was held between 1968 and 1981, usually in London. The earliest British fan convention devoted entirely to comics, it was als ...

. Comic Mart began in London, eventually expanding to Birmingham, Manchester, and Liverpool, among other locations. The first few Comic Marts were organized and produced by

Rob Barrow Comic Mart is the catchall term for a series of British comic book trade fairs which were held in the United Kingdom from 1972 until the early 1990s. The Comic Mart was one of the earliest recurring public comic events in the UK, predated only by ...

and

Nick Landau Nick Landau is a British media figure. He is co-owner of the Titan Entertainment Group, which publishes Titan Magazines and Titan Books, and owns the London Forbidden Planet store. In the 1970s, before starting up Titan Distributors, he publishe ...

; eventually they split up to produce competing versions of the event, and were joined by other regional organizers. Unlike

comic book conventions 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 co ...

, which typically featured publishers, creators, panel discussions, and other activities, Comic Marts (which were generally one-day affairs) were primarily organized around dealers selling comics to individual customers. The emphasis tended to be on hard-to-find American comics: Golden Age and Silver Age comics, as well as new titles, which were not distributed to the UK with any regularity in the early 1970s. As the marts became more popular, however, British comics professionals began to congregate and socialize at the shows and afterward in pubs nearby (such as The Westminster Arms).

History

Dobson's "Mini-con"

The first so-called London comic mart was held in 1970, organized by "Godfather of British fandom" and publisher of the

fanzine A fanzine (blend word, blend of ''fan (person), fan'' and ''magazine'' or ''-zine'') is a non-professional and non-official publication produced by fan (person), enthusiasts of a particular cultural phenomenon (such as a literary or musical genre) ...

Fantasy Advertiser ''Fantasy Advertiser'', later abbreviated to ''FA'', was a British fanzine focused on comic books, founded in 1965 by Frank Dobson, the "Godfather of British Fandom."Skinn, Dez"Early days of UK comics conventions and marts," DezSkinn.com. Access ...

'', Frank Dobson.Skinn, Dez
"Early days of UK comics conventions and marts,"
DezSkinn.com. Accessed Mar. 3, 2013. Dobson and a small group of fellow comics dealers rented out the upstairs room of The Eagle pub in

Clerkenwell Clerkenwell () is an area of central London, England. Clerkenwell was an ancient parish from the mediaeval period onwards, and now forms the south-western part of the London Borough of Islington. The well after which it was named was redisco ...

on a Saturday and called it a "Mini-con." Dobson emigrated to Australia soon afterward, bequeathing ''Fantasy Advertiser'' to 19-year-old fellow comics enthusiast

Dez Skinn Derek "Dez" Skinn (born 4 February 1951) Miller, John Jackson"Comics Industry Birthdays" ''Comics Buyer's Guide'', 10 June 2005. Accessed 14 August 2010WebCitation archive is a British comic and magazine editor, and author of a number of books o ...

Barrow and Landau

As inheritor of Dobson's interests, Skinn planned another mart for 9 December 1972 — dubbing it the "Christmas Comic Mart" — but discovered that

and

had already arranged one, scheduled one week earlier than Skinn's. (Landau had produced the 5th annual

— which originated comics conventions in the UK — earlier in the year; Barrow was publisher of the

''Comic Fandom Bulletin''.)DMR. "The Insider Strikes," ''Bemusing'' #4: Comic Mart Special (Feb. 1975), p. 6. Held on 2 December 1972, at Lyndhurst Hall, in

Camden Town Camden Town (), often shortened to Camden, is a district of northwest London, England, north of Charing Cross. Historically in Middlesex, it is the administrative centre of the London Borough of Camden, and identified in the London Plan as o ...

,Burton, Richard. "Meditorial," ''Comic Media News'' #29 (Jan./Feb. 1977). Landau and Barrow's event was the first "official" Comic Mart, attracting over 250 attendees. Volunteers and sponsors of the first Comic Mart included Skinn, Phil Clarke,

Mike Higgs Mike Higgs is a British comic book artist, writer, designer, and editor. He is the creator of the oddball humor strip ''The Cloak'' and the daily comic strip ''Moonbird''. In July 1964, Higgs created a pastiche of The Shadow called "The Shudder" ...

, Stan Nichols, Derek Stokes, Richard Burton, Alan Austin, Colin Campbell, Dave Gibbons,

Compendium Books Compendium Books was an independent bookstore in London specialising in experimental literary and theoretical publications, from 1968 until its closure in 2000. ''The Guardians John Williams described it as "Britain's pre-eminent radical book ...

, IT, Candida, Electric Cinema Club,

Better Books ''Better Books'' was an independent bookstore. It was founded by Tony Godwin and was located at 94 Charing Cross Road, London. The shop was a significant location in the 1960s counterculture movement in London. History It was founded by British ...

, and Virgin Records."The February Comic Mart," '' Comic Media & The Comic Reader UK Edition Newsletter'' #3 (Feb. 1973). Barrow and Landau's second London Comic Mart was held 24 February 1973, again at Lyndhurst Hall. Next up on the "convention schedule" was the

("Comicon"), scheduled for the weekend of 21–22 July, at London's Regent Centre Hotel. Comicon, however, was abruptly canceled shortly before it was scheduled, but was salvaged by Landau and Barrow, who managed to put on a one-day version of the show on 22 July at Comicon's usual location of London's Waverley Hotel. A November Comic Mart made it the second one of 1973. In 1974, Barrow and Landau expanded Comic Mart to become a more frequently held affair. The first Comic Mart of the year was held in January, followed by one on Saturday, 27 April, at Holborn Assembly Hall, John's Mews, in central London. The free show featured an evening fantasy film marathon, including showings of the serials '' Blackhawk'' and ''

Flash Gordon Flash Gordon is the protagonist of a space adventure comic strip created and originally drawn by Alex Raymond. First published January 7, 1934, the strip was inspired by, and created to compete with, the already established ''Buck Rogers'' adve ...

'', and the 1954 film '' Creature from the Black Lagoon''."Britain's Largest Comic Fan Gathering: Comic Mart," ''Comic Mart Magazine'' (Jan. 1974). The 1974 edition of Comicon, again organized by Barrow (on his own), was held 20–21 July at London's Regent Centre Hotel, and was jointly billed as the "Comic Mart Summer Special 1974." Denis Gifford, a key figure in British comics fandom, was the only "industry guest" at this combined Comicon/Comic Mart, providing the introductory presentation. (From that point, Barrow took on the responsibility for the British Comic Art Convention, organizing that show for at least the next four years.) Subsequent 1974 Comic Marts were held in September, October, and December, also taking place at Holborn Assembly Hall. Publisher/editor

Martin Lock Martin Lock (born 1950Willis, Russell"AN INTERVIEW WITH MARTIN LOCK (PART THREE , THE HARRIER COMICS YEARS),"''Under the Stairs'' (2013). Accessed Feb. 8, 2020. in the United Kingdom) is a British comic book critic, writer, and publisher. As pu ...

timed early issues of his

'' Bemusing Magazine'' (later known as ''BEM'') to coincide with Comic Mart, and sold each new issue to Comic Mart customers.Willis, Russell
"AN INTERVIEW WITH MARTIN LOCK (PART 1 , THE BEM YEARS),"
''Under the Stairs'' (2013). Retrieved Jan. 8, 2020. With Barrow focusing his energies on Comicon, in 1975 Landau continued the Comic Marts on his own.Sallis, Ed. "Fan-Things," ''Bemusing Magazine'' #10 (Aug. 1976), p. 7. That year he produced three editions — in June, August, and November — with the August event being a two-day affair, held at

Central Hall Westminster The Methodist Central Hall (also known as Central Hall Westminster) is a multi-purpose venue in the City of Westminster, London, serving primarily as a Methodist church and a conference centre. The building, which is a tourist attraction, also ho ...

The split: Comic Mart vs. Comicbook Marketplace

Landau staged two Comic Marts in 1976, in early October and late November, both at London's Regent Centre Hotel. For the 3 October Comic Mart, an admission charge of 10 pence was levied (largely to discourage petty thieves, who had been making a nuisance of themselves). The largest of the two events took up 6,700 square feet and featured 110 dealer tables. Meanwhile, Rob Barrow (using his corporate entity Fantasy Domain, established in 1972), returned to the "mart scene" in mid-November, organizing a separate "more intimate" mart, entitled "Rob Barrow's Comic Book Marketplace," at Lyndhurst Hall. Landau staged seven London Comic Marts in 1977, in such locations as the Regent Centre Hotel,

Old Town Hall Old or OLD may refer to: Places *Old, Baranya, Hungary *Old, Northamptonshire, England *Old Street station, a railway and tube station in London (station code OLD) *OLD, IATA code for Old Town Municipal Airport and Seaplane Base, Old Town, Mai ...

, and the Royal Horticultural Society's Old Hall in

Vincent Square Vincent Square is a grass-covered square in Westminster, London, England, covering 13 acres, lined with mature trees including London Planes. In among a network of backstreets, it chiefly provides playing fields for Westminster School, who own i ...

. Barrow, meanwhile, staged two of his name-branded marts, both at Lyndhurst Hall. In 1978, Landau left the mart business when he found a job in the editorial offices of IPC Magazines. He "bequeathed" the Comic Mart name to retailer Mike Conroy, who put on three editions of his "New Original Comic Mart" in 1978, all held at the Royal Horticultural Society's Old Hall. For his part, Barrow put on two London "Comicbook Marketplace" events in 1978, both at Lyndhurst Hall. 1979 belonged to Barrow, as Fantasy Domain put on seven Comicbook Marketplace events that year, all at his favorite venue, Lyndhurst Hall.Comicbook Marketplace Calendar for 1979," ''BEM'' #22 (Jan. 1979), p. 10. In late November 1979, however, Landau returned full-time back into the world of commerce; having left IPC Magazines, he and his company

Titan Distributors Titan Distributors was a British comic book distributor which existed from 1978 to 1993, when it was acquired by a larger U.S. distributor. Operated by Nick Landau, Mike Lake, and Mike Luckman, Titan Distributors supplied comics, science fiction, ...

took back Comic Mart from Conroy, staging one show at

."Comic Mart: Britain's Largest Comic Fan Gathering" advertisement, Comicon '79 program booklet. Landau/Titan Distributors and Barrow/Fantasy Domain basically alternated months in 1980, with Titan Distributors staging five Comic Marts — including the special April "convention" — at their favored location, Central Hall Westminster;"Comic Mart: Britain's Largest Comic Fan Gathering" advertisement, Comicon '79 program booklet. while Fantasy Domain staged seven Comicbook Marketplace events at Lyndhurst Hall."Comicbook Marketplace Calendar for 1980" advertisement, ''BEM'' #26 (Dec. 1979), p. 16. In 1981, bi-monthly Comic Marts were being held in Central Hall Westminster, with Barrow's Comicbook Marketplace taking the alternating months. Paul Gravett began his career managing the

Fast Fiction ''Fast Fiction'' was a market stall, magazine, mail order distributor and news sheet that played a key role in the history of British small press comics. It existed in its various forms from 1981 through to 1990 under the stewardship of Paul Grave ...

table at the bimonthly Comic Marts. Gravett invited artists to send him their homemade comics, which he would sell from the Fast Fiction table with all proceeds going to the creator. The Comic Mart Fast Fiction table lasted at least through the 1987 show. The Comic Mart of 16 October 1982, featured a "Teach-In and Work-In" sponsored by the

Society of Strip Illustration The Society of Strip Illustration (SSI), later known as the Comics Creators Guild, was a British network for all those involved in any stage of the creative process of comics production. The SSI, which was co-founded in 1977 by Denis Gifford, met ...

, with a number of creators from '' 2000 AD'' talking and presenting about their work.Comic Mart advertisement, ''The Comic Book Price Guide for Great Britain''
Archived at My Little Underground
blog. The 1983 London Comic Mart, held October 15"The Eagle Awards - Results: 1983,"
Eagle Awards website. Archived at the Wayback Machine. Accessed Jan. 27, 2020. again at Central Hall Westminster, was the host convention for the Eagle Awards, which were presented by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons."News From Hither and Yon: Eagles Return, New Dog Strip, EC Update, Computer Comics," ''The Comics Journal'' #84 (Sept. 1983), p. 22. (The

disappeared after the 1981 show, and 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), ...

didn't start up until 1985, so there were no actual comic book conventions being held in London during this time.) Comic Marts held in 1984 included the 2 June event; guests included John Ridgway, Gary Russell, and Richard Marson. The 8 December 1984, Comic Mart was billed as an "Ecape Event," and featured the creators of ''

Escape Escape or Escaping may refer to: Computing * Escape character, in computing and telecommunication, a character which signifies that what follows takes an alternative interpretation ** Escape sequence, a series of characters used to trigger some so ...

'' magazine, including Eddie Campbell,

Glenn Dakin Glenn Dakin (born 1960) is a British cartoonist and author of children's books. He is the author of the ''Candle Man'' book series, and he contributed to a number of British comics magazines including ''Escape'' and ''Deadline'', and was part of ...

, Phil Elliott,

Hunt Emerson Hunting is the human activity, human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, or killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to harvest food (i.e. meat) and useful animal products (fur/hide (skin), hide, ...

Rian Hughes Rian Hughes is a British graphic designer, illustrator, type designer, comics artist and novelist. Overviews Hughes has written and drawn comics for '' 2000 AD'', Vertigo CMYK and Batman: Black and White, and designed for DC Comics and Marvel ...

Ed Pinsent Ed Pinsent (born 1960, Liverpool, England) is a British cartoonist, artist, and writer. Biography Ed Pinsent is the son of the classical scholar John Pinsent and was brought up in the city of Liverpool. Pinsent has written and drawn his own sm ...

, and

Savage Pencil Edwin Pouncey (born June 1951), also known by the '' nom de plume'' Savage Pencil, is an English comics artist, musician, and music journalist. Biography As Savage Pencil and otherwise, Pouncey has contributed to magazines such as '' Sounds' ...

.Comic Mart vintage advertisement, ''The Comics Journal Special Edition'' vol. 3 (2003), p. 59. Both Titan Distributors and Fantasy Domain were still going strong in 1989, when they continued to host competing marts on alternating months. At some point before 1989, Barrow moved his Comicbook Marketplaces from Lyndhurst Hall to Camden Centre. They later moved to the

Royal National Hotel The Royal National Hotel is a 3-star hotel in Woburn Place, Bloomsbury, central 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 ...

Regional comic marts

In 1976, Barrow expanded his operation regionally, hosting a September 12 comic mart in Birmingham at the Imperial Centre Hotel. In 1977, he produced four marts in Birmingham and one in Kingston upon Hull (held at the Hull Centre Hotel on 26 February).Rob Barrow's Comic Book Marketplace advertisement, ''Bemusing Magazine'' #11 (Nov. 1976), p. 6. He returned to Birmingham in 1978, putting on two Comic Marts at the Birmingham Centre Hotel, held on 11 February and 20 May.Comicbook Marketplace advertisement, ''BEM'' #17 (Feb. 1978), p. 8. In 1979, Peter Lennon took over management of the Birmingham Comic Mart, which was held on 10 March of that year. Meanwhile, in 1977 in Liverpool, Zephyr Magazines produced two Liverpool Comic Marts, one held on 1 AugustComic Mart Liverpool advertisement, ''Bemusing Magazine'' #11 (Nov. 1976), p. 15. and one 8 October both at the

Bluecoat Chambers Built in 1716–17 as a charity school, Bluecoat Chambers in School Lane is the oldest surviving building in central Liverpool, England. Following the Liverpool Blue Coat School's move to another site in 1906, the building was rented from 1907 ...

concert hall. (The organizers claimed that this was their 10th year producing comic marts in Liverpool.) Zephyr produced three more Liverpool Comic Marts in 1978, on 19 August, 21 October, and 16 December, again all held at Bluecoat Chambers. In 1979, Peter Lennon took over management of the Birmingham Comic Mart, which was held on 10 March of that year. The Comic Mart phenomenon spread to Manchester in 1980, with Bob Smart and Graham Holt producing five events that year, all held at Piccadilly Plaza Exhibition Hall. These shows had no connection with previous Manchester comic marts. By the end of 1980, Smart was going it alone, adding Liverpool to the Comic Mart mix. In 1981, Smart produced six Comic Marts in Liverpool and five in Manchester. The city of Leeds joined the Comic Mart trend in 1981, with four marts being staged at the Griffin Hotel on

Boar Lane Boar Lane is a street in the city centre of Leeds, in England. History The street originated in the Mediaeval period, running between the town's manor house and the main street of Briggate, its name believed to be a corruption of the word "borough ...

. A Birmingham "Comic, Film & Fantasy Mart" was held at the New Imperial Hotel on 16 August 1986.Birmingham Comic Film & Fantasy Mart advertisement, ''Speakeasy'' #65 (Apr. 1986), p. 13. Two Leeds Comic Marts were held in 1988, on 30 July and 26 November, both at the Griffin Hotel. Six Birmingham "Comic Mart & Film Fair" events were held in 1989 at the New Imperial Hotel: on 18 February, 1 April, 3 June, 29 July, 23 September and 25 November. They were produced by Golden Orbit of York. That same year, Golden Orbit put on four Sheffield Comic Mart & Film Fair events: on 25 February, 27 May, 22 July, and 18 November, all held at

Sheffield Polytechnic Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) is a public research university in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The university is based on two sites; the City Campus is located in the city centre near Sheffield railway station, while the Collegiate Cr ...

.Birmingham Comic Mart advertisement, ''Speakeasy'' #95 (Feb. 1989), p. 53.

Later marts, controversy

By the mid-1990s, the London Comic Marts became overshadowed by the annual

, as well as the penetration of the Internet, which made it easier to buy old comics at more reasonable prices.

was sold in 1992, at which point the original "Comic Mart" faded away. Barrow continued to hold Comicbook Marketplaces sporadically, even up into 2011, but without the same fanfare. In 2012, Barrow was given a one-year prison sentence (suspended) for possession of child pornography.Johnston, Rich
"London Comic Mart Organiser Gets One Year Suspended Sentence For Collection Of One Million Paedophile Images,"
''Bleeding Cool'' (10 January 2012).

Locations and dates

London Comic Mart

Event originated by

and Rob Barrow, eventually becoming solely run by Landau/

. By the early 1980s, the events (which were generally held on a Saturday) became known as the Westminster Comic Marts.

Comicbook Marketplace (London)

These events, produced by Rob Barrow's corporate entity, Fantasy Domain, were for many years held at

Lyndhurst Hall, Kentish Town Lyndhurst Hall was an Victorian mission hall built by Hampstead's Lyndhurst Road Congregational Church. Located in Warden Road, Kentish Town, it was later sold on and used as a community hall, before being demolished in 2006 to make way for flat ...

; at some point they moved to Camden Centre on Bidborough Street in

. In 1976–1977 the events were titled "Rob Barrow's Comic Book Marketplace;" from that point forward they were titled simply "Comicbook Marketplace." As opposed to the Westminster Comic Marts, these events were usually held on a Sunday.

Northwest Comic Marts

Retailer/wholesaler Bob Smart's events in Manchester and Liverpool.

References

{{reflist

External links

Website of the current iteration of the London Comic Mart, organized by Showmasters, and generally held at the Royal National Hotel

* Miller, Glenn. ttps://g1rm.wordpress.com/2014/06/01/whatever-happened-to-the-london-comic-marts/ "Whatever happened to the London Comic Marts?" My Little Underground (June 1, 2014) British fan conventions Defunct comics conventions Recurring events established in 1972