The United Kingdom Comic Art Convention (UKCAC) 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 co ...
which was held between 1985 and 1998. As a complement to UKCAC, from 1990 to 1995 the organizers put on the
Glasgow
Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
-based Glasgow Comic Art Convention (GlasCAC), generally held in the spring.
The largest convention of its kind in the country during the period, the UKCAC and GlasCAC were the sites of annual comics award ceremonies from 1987 to 1998. The UKCAC was the site of the
Eagle Awards
The Eagle Awards were a series of awards for comic book titles and creators. They were awarded by UK fans voting for work produced during the previous year. Named after the UK's ''Eagle'' comic, they were launched in 1977 for comics released in ...
presentation from 1987 to 1990; the UK Comic Art Awards were presented at one of the conventions — often GlasCAC — from 1991 to 1997; and 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 ...
were presented at the UKCAC in 1997–1998.
Most editions of the UKCAC took place in September, over two days, usually on a Saturday and Sunday. The convention featured floorspace for exhibitors, including comic book dealers and
collectibles
A collectable (collectible or collector's item) is any object regarded as being of value or interest to a collector. Collectable items are not necessarily monetarily valuable or uncommon. There are numerous types of collectables and terms t ...
merchants. Along with panels, seminars, and workshops with comic book professionals, one of the annual highlights (until 1989) was the Saturday all-night film show, as well as regular events like quizzes, a
fancy dress
A costume party (American English) or fancy dress party (other varieties of English) is a type of party, common in contemporary Western culture, in which many of the guests are dressed in costume, usually depicting a fictional or stock char ...
contest, and a charity auction. The show included an autograph area, as well as a so-called "Artists' Alley" where comics artists signed autographs and sold or did free sketches.
History
UKCAC was a successor to 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 ...
(commonly known as "Comicon,") which ran, mostly in London, from 1968 to 1981. UKCAC was organised as a nonprofit convention "by the fans for the fans" starting in 1984. The original organizers were Frank Plowright, Hassan Yussuf, and Chris Savva (who actually organized the first convention). Many others contributed either for a few years or on the convention days themselves (most prominent was Richard Barker, between 1986 and 1990). The initial show, in September 1985, attracted more than 500 attendees.Sabin, Roger. "From to Bust," in ''Adult Comics: an Introduction'' (Taylor & Francis, 1993).
The 1988 convention featured more than 30 comics professionals, and had panels on
Harvey Kurtzman
Harvey Kurtzman (; October 3, 1924 – February 21, 1993) was an American cartoonist and editor. His best-known work includes writing and editing the parodic comic book '' Mad'' from 1952 until 1956, and writing the ''Little Ann ...
(in attendance), comic book printing, politics in comics, violence in comics, and technology. After four conventions, the annual UKCAC charity auction had raised over £15,000.
In 1989 organizers Plowright, Yusuf, and Barker converted the UKCAC to an event generating a salary (mostly as a way to keep the show running and fairly compensate them for the work of organizing it) under the name Rusty Staples. The 1989 UKCAC was co-sponsored by
Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...
Frank Bellamy
Frank Bellamy (21 May 1917Khoury, George. ''True Brit: Celebrating The Comic Book Artists Of England'' (TwoMorrows Publishing, 2004). – 5 July 1976) was a People of the United Kingdom, British comics artist, best known for his work on the ...
(an exhibit which had originated in The Basement Gallery in Brixton).Brooks, Brad! "International Spotlight: Frank Bellamy: ''Dan Dare'' Artist Exhibited at South London Gallery," ''The Comics Journal'' #131 (Sept. 1989), pp. 13–14.
The first Glasgow Comic Art Convention was held in Spring 1990 at
Glasgow City Chambers
The City Chambers or Municipal Buildings in Glasgow, Scotland, has functioned as the headquarters of Glasgow City Council since 1996, and of preceding forms of municipal government in the city since 1889. It is located on the eastern side of the ...
and featured the first presentation of the UK Comic Art Awards, a comics award voted on by British creators, editors, and retailers. The award was created by Rusty Staples and sponsored by
Penguin Books UK
Penguin Books is a British publishing, publishing house. It was co-founded in 1935 by Allen Lane with his brothers Richard and John, as a line of the publishers The Bodley Head, only becoming a separate company the following year.
The 1990 London show was co-sponsored by
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery.
DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...
among others; attendance was around 5,000 people.
As the years went by, Plowright and Yusuf became the main organizers.confirmed by Plowright April 2021 London became an increasingly expensive location to host the convention, and they had difficulty keeping costs down and attracting top-level guests. As a result, attendance declined. The UKCAC was held in
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, 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 dow ...
until 1997, and in
Manchester
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
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 ...
from 1999 to 2004; and then by
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 ...