The Alternative to Love

Two-thousand and fifteen is looking to be my busiest year for conventions yet.

In February, I tabled at the inaugural True Believers Comic Festival in my former home, Cheltenham. It was an event predominantly geared towards the pop culture element in comics and couldn't be described as one of my most successful of convention experiences - nevertheless, I enjoyed catching up with old Cheltonian pals and treating a rather jaded girlfriend to the Robert Brown Early Adulthood History Tour. During my trip, I was pleasantly surprised by The Wilson, "Cheltenham's newly extended Art Gallery & Museum" - the somewhat folksy local history museum is now augmented with an agreeably designed gallery of their art collection. Therein, I was particularly beguiled by John Piper's Cheltenham Fantasia. After our visit, we ate chimichangas.

The Artist as a Fatigued Mess (at True Believers Festival - by Laura Scott)

In March, I experienced my first not-explicitly-for-comics fair, the Sheffield Zine Fest. As hoped, it was an interesting event and provided me with a fresh perspective on alternative publishing. The ever-productive Rob Jackson also had a table, and I made an acquaintanceship with Russell Stearman, the creator of Insurrection.

Next up, on 9 May, I'll be taking off to the Metropolis for Takeover 2015, a collaboration between Alternative Press & London Radical Bookfair. I'll also be hoping to squeeze in another event before my my annual last-minute scribbling rush to complete the fourth issue of Killjoy before the ever-brilliant Thought Bubble Festival in November. (Hereafter, I'll be updating my rather self-important Events page with convention plans.)