People & things
(THE THINGS ARE ALSO PEOPLE)
Everyone at CAPTION has either given us money, or is helping us out in some other way, which makes you all our guests. This is a fairly random and rather incomplete guide to some of the people you'll see on panels, behind stalls, or otherwise milling around the place: Network and enjoy!
Committee members
Adrian Cox, instigator of CAPTION, has succeeded in keeping its accounts straight every year. So far.
Andy Roberts, cartoonist, bassist, and bookseller, will also be stall-holding this year, at his one-stop graphic novel shop, borrowed for the day from his more usual workplace, Waterstone's.
Damian Cugley, programmer and designer. Visit his
CAPTION website from http://www.alleged.demon.co.uk/
Jenni Scott, former editor of Caption magazine and small press comics networker supreme.
Jeremy Dennis, communications executive by day, cartoonist and self-publisher by night. Needs more sleep.
Stall holders
Bug Powder Brumcab organiser Pete Ashton also runs Bug Powder, a busy distributor of small press zines and comics, which stocks over 300 titles. Buy comics and zines you never heard of before here!
Capricorn Comics Visit Howard Stangroom's stall for the rude, camp, and obscure end of comics. Also staffing the stall: Sina the queerziner. Buy your Jimmy Olson and Lois Lane comics here!
Slab-O-Concrete Run by Pete Pavement, a successful publisher of inventively designed comics, his stall also sells other people's titles from around the world. Also staffing the stall; Erica Smith editor of Girlfrenzy. Buy your missive devices here!
Also look out for Andy Robert's one-stop graphic novel shop and, of course, the CAPTION table, opposite reception, where you can leave your comics to be sold for just 10% of cover price.
Guests, mostly
Nick Abadzis, brilliant cartoonist best known for his cartoon Hugo Tate, which was published in Deadline.
Sean Bieri, main player in the Detroit small press scene, creator of Cool Jerk and Homo Gal, and editor of 5 O'clock Shadow where Matt Feazel's strips appear first.
Gavin Burrows, (Captain Courageous) is currently, thanks to Lottery funding, writing the Stars and Gutters series which showcases different artists every issue.
Reinder Dijkhuis, highly acclaimed creator of 'Tips for Lazy Buggers' as well as an autobiographical comic called 'Ik' ('I').
D'Emon D'Raughtsman D'Israeli aka Matt Brooker, inker, colourist, cartoonist and photographer, whose small press projects keep being put off by work for Dark Horse, Vertigo, etc., etc.
Paul Gravett, of the Cartoon Art Trust, has recently been immortalised as the 'Man at the Crossroads' in Eddie Campbell's account of his years in comics.
Ed 'Ilya' Hillyer, stylish cartoon creator of the fantastic End of the Century series -- which is definitely on the small press required reading list.
Rachael House, creator of fun-sexy bisexual comic Red Hanky Panky, will have a new edition out for CAPTION.
Jean-Paul Jennequin, the French queerzine and small-press maestro, also produces (among other things) his own comics series called Bulles Gaies.
Rich Johnston, creator of Dirtbag, and (hyper)active comics promoter, reporter and networker.
Andy Konky Kru, the creator of Konky Kru, is a networker, promoter and busy reviewer.
Dave McKinnon, co-creator and writer of the long-running and critically aclaimed Sleaze Castle.
Gary Spencer Millidge, successful creator of the acclaimed and popular small-press comic, Strangehaven.
Woodrow Phoenix, co-creator with Ian Carney of Sugar Buzz comic, combines sick storylines with stylish linework. He's currently involved in a collaboration with Skeleton Key's Andi Watson.
Marcel Ruijters produces comics in a fantastically grotesque style. His work can be seen in Formaline and Superstate Funnies, among other places.
Wasco sees childhood through the eyes of a surreal underground 'toonist. His comics feature living safety blankets, star-shaped aliens, and the Tsarina of Jupiter...
Andi Watson is a stylish artist, a talented writer and the creator of the ever-loveable and very successful Skeleton Key series.
Terry Wiley, cartoonist and illustrator, the co-creator of big small press success story Sleaze Castle and creator of girls' school series Surreal School Stories.
Special cases
Lee Brimmicombe-Wood, the lungs which drive our charity auction, is an illustrator, comics and cartoons artist currently working in the computer games industry.
Steve Whitaker, who runs our master class workshop at CAPTION, is a long-time comics teacher, colourist, cartoonist, artist and all-round master of line.
The National Theatre of Earth Prime, CAPTION's official dismemberers of main-stream comics classics, are the post-modern combination of Mark Boyes, Jason Stevens and Penny Heal.
CAPTION's Belgian Selection Following last year's standardised Eurocaption, our fame has spread -- at least a little bit -- and we are pleased once again to present an assortment of small pressers from across the channel, including, but not limited to, Peter Van Laarhoven, Ria Schulpen, Werner Claesens and Mark Horemans.
This is just a sample of the many fantastic people attending. Check the list at the back and the badges to see who else is here.