012 - Thought Bubble 2025 Out-takes
What is the rulebook for a series that started off from a Speculative Design approach, and is now a speculative fiction anthology? I’m figuring this out as I go along!
Excerpts from a very busy weekend at the Thought Bubble Comics Convention
I wasn’t prepared for how busy Thought Bubble gets. Over 600 creators in 4 gigantic halls, with talks and panels in the background.
Here are some of my reflections on having taken Eliza publications to Thought Bubble 2025.
01
The entire UK indie comics industry (and a lot of the mainstream industry too) was present in Harrogate over the weekend. If there’s a comic creator in the UK, there’s a fair chance they’re present there.
02
It felt like I had arrived at the indie comics scene finally, seeing all the people I’d met over the years at one single place!
03
Karl Christian Krumpholz said to me that this was the biggest convention he did, because anything bigger wouldn’t be indie. The indie space is certainly where Eliza lies too.
04
I saw so much cosplay, and so much amazing cosplay too. Waves of intricately detailed clothes walking past my table all weekend!
05
600+ comic creators across 4 giant halls in the convention centre meant that many people were fully overwhelmed, and didn’t end up coming back to pick up a comic even when they liked it at the first glance, and wanted to come back for it.
06
I was tabling next to someone whose comic was inspired by and a reaction to mainstream comics, specifically a riff on Batman. It helped that I was going for something totally different whilst standing next to him, since we weren’t going for the same audiences anyway.
07
Comic Conventions have a flattening / horizontal nature: You’ve got a similar table space and attention from audiences as really established creators, people who focus on illustrated stickers and knick-knacks (not comics), and comic creators of all different genres.
08
There were people who sought the Complete Cartoon Collection for its layout and book design. This felt great.
09
The tiny free comic continues to be a great ‘in’, to start conversations with audiences.
10
Introducing Eliza through my ‘Chapter 0’ in the Complete Cartoon Collection had great success. People seem to like the concept almost immediately.
11
Having my books open on the table was useful.
12
The Eliza books are designed to be read and re-read. I deeply think about the validity, critique, and imagination in every element of the books: the stories and topics therein, book layouts, endpapers, cover design, choices like having a hardcover. This is all in service of making them beautiful artefacts to be owned, and be the opposite of disposable entertainment. I think this is paying off!
