Convention attendances

Comics 2001, Bristol.

We had been to the Bristol comics festival two years before as visitors, but had little idea of what to expect from a stallholders point of view. Armed with our new comics (anxiously printed the week before) we drove overnight to the festival and arrived bleary eyed at the marriot royal hotel. After hours of getting lost in the building we met the hyperactive but very helpful Kev Sutherland who gave us a great spot in between two windows that opened out onto a balcony. Throughout the Saturday we had sold more comics than we had expected (more than 1 each would've been a surprise) and met some really helpful people.

On the Sunday we had no stall, but took this time to look around and got some great advice of of people such as Gary Spencer Millidge (Strangehaven) and Sandra and John from Metaphrog (Strange weather lately/Louis). We also sold copies of our comics to people such as Simon from Forbidden Planet, Bristol, and pipe dre@ms, wilts, who have both continued to be of great help ever since.

Comics 2002, Bristol.

We took the more sensible option this year of driving down the day before the festival. This helped as it meant we got a full nights sleep, and so didn't fall asleep on the stall, dribbling over the comic books. Our first impressions of the new venue (a few miles away from the last) was that we had entered war torn europe, as the area was like a ghost town. Our doubts were misplaced however, as the event was far more successful for us than last year, and we met some great comics people who proved to us that it wasn't just us that were insane enough to print small press comics. Some of those like us, that clearly belonged in a padded room singing songs about goblins were, out and out nice bloke Darren Worrow (Toonadelic Times/Rat arsed and Shit Faced) and the eccentric to the point of dangerous, Anna and Karen Rubins (Dark). Faces from last year were also there, and although we didn't speak to him, we knew Kev Sutherland was about as we saw some blonde hair whizzing around the hall.
All in all, a great festival. We owe a lot to comics 2002.

Comics 2002 web site; www.sitsvac.org

Catch us at Comics 2003...