010 - Lakes International Comic Arts Festival (LICAF) out-takes.
Excerpts from a weekend of conversations with comic book creators, publishers, and audiences at Lakes International Comic Arts Festival 2025, in the beautiful Bowness-on-Windermere.
Subject Matter / Sci-Fi / Futures
“Eliza is particularly relevant today, with the technological state of the world, and what is happening in America.”
“Eliza has a great knack for starting conversations.”
“The concept is great and transcends your personal experiences of you as the author in an abstract way.”
“I like the vibe. Is it too technical?”
“These machines need explaining don’t they?”
“What will your next book look like?”
“Technology isn’t all doom and gloom, you know?”
“What is Eliza then? An alien? An actual ghost?” “It’s an allegorical figure!”
Art and Design
The creators all hated social media, and the rat race it puts us in. The effort for social media is besides the point of the effort for making comic art.
Eliza got compared to the artwork of Manu Larcenet.
“So who publishes your comics right now?”
“The books have a finished, fully “real” quality to them as if a publisher has published them.”
“Looks like a nice finished product, you’ve come so far for a first timer”.
“Your art is suitable for children, but subject matter is more adult.” — That’s the point, I think. :) The Ligne Claire style is exactly the kind of thing that is good for conveying complex stuff easily.
Everyone says comics are hard work. Be in it for the long game.
“It’s been my dream to make a hardback one day.”
“This hardback looks really great. You should be proud.”
Many other artists asked about the costs for producing the hardback.
“You’re clearly a designer. So much thought has gone into these!”
Stuff kids said to me
“This is the tiniest comic I have ever seen.”
A kid gave me a drawing because I gave her a free tiny comic.
Jules explaining a 5 year old about Eliza: “[2 sentences about technology] These comics are about life!”. The kid says, “I don’t care about life.”
Publishing and Comic Conventions
“So who publishes your comics right now?”
I think learning French seriously will be useful (as was my hunch). So many French language publishers and comic book shops.
“When properly marketed, this could be really big.”
“American publishers are more interested and mature when it comes to comic books as art.” - don’t know if I believe this.
Handing out a free pocket comic was a great in – that’s how I started conversations!
“Maybe find a UK publisher before you find an international one?” OR “find any publisher from any country really. Get it out there.