MCM London, Shortbox Comic Fair Reviews | October Recap ššš
- Abs Bailey
- Oct 29
- 5 min read
October has passed in the blink of an eye. I'll be real - Between the day job and prepping for the autumn convention season, I haven't had a ton of spare time. But now that MCM is over, I'm ready to procrastinate packing for Thought Bubble and cleaning up the MASSIVE mess inhabiting my flat.
This month...
MCM London
I tabled at MCM London for the first time this weekend! What an utterly overwhelming but cool experience.
I knew MCM was big (we went as punters a few years ago) but I'm convinced we missed half of it back then, as this was on an epic scale. In the past, I've only really tabled at smaller indie/alt/comics orientated events until now, so went in with some doubts about where my work would fit in, but I was pleasantly surprised.
One of my biggest fears was not having enough fanart for people to be interested - Bringing some fairly obscure and unknown self-published work to stand up against the biggest IPs out there is terrifying. While I'd maybe whip up a fanart piece or two if I did another MCM-type event later on, it generally seems that the right people found their way to my booth. We had some awesome conversations about inspiration, comics, and Cats the Musical (turns out a LOT of indie comic creators have had secret Jellicle obsessions š). People were really into Comic Book Slumber Party: Escape from Bitch Mountain, which was awesome - A few people who picked it up said it was their first indie comic - One of the really early CBSP books introduced me to some of my favourite artists in the UK's indie scene, so I'm really excited that Bitch Mountain could do the same thing for them.
It was also great to meet a ton of new people, including some folks whose work I've loved but have never met IRL before - Including Nana and Shane. This was especially exciting as we worked together on a stamp rally (organised by Pigeon)! We also had the best table neighbours, Feefal, who had travelled all the way from Sweden!
Here's the stuff I picked up - A small but mighty haul! I went to look around but got scared of the crowds, so didn't see as much as I'd have liked to, but I'm really pleased with the bits I got.
I'm still debating wether I'll table at an MCM event again - But I'm cautiously confident about this type of convention now that I've done one. One thing I would love to do is try one of the more fine-arty illustration markets and compare which end of the scale my work fits more naturally into. Finding your place as a creative (especially when you seem to have every finger in a different pie) is scary and often humbling. Either way - I'm excited for Thought Bubble in a couple of weeks.
What I've been working on...
Not a whole ton, due to aforementioned convention prep - But here's a new piece I haven't shared on socials yet. I wanted to make something spooky but sort of pop-y, and was really inspired by some skull details on a medieval manuscript I saw while listening to a Halloween-y Alternative 80s compilation. Those things compounded into this little witch-y scene that came together surpirsingly quickly... Here's the origninal sketch on the right (spot the Twin Peaks doodle at the side too).
I've also been trying to nail down the plot for my next graphic novel so I can start prepping a pitch. I'm almost there, at that stage where I'm wrestling a bunch of loosely connected ideas in to a satisfying narrative. It's a fun push and pull between me and where the story wants to go - I'm hoping I'll have some more interesting visual development to show you soon!
What I read from the Shortbox Comics Fair
October is also Shortbox month! I've had to be somewhat conservative this time, but was able to grab a few comics I'm super excited about. At the time of posting this you'll have like, 2 days(?) left to grab stuff. GO DO IT!
Dead Horses by Freya JN: God, this is so GOOD. I can't wait to read it a second, third time (and read while I listen to the soundtrack in the back!). Visuals are full of texture and body, so cleverly laid out and considered. You can HEAR the comic in places, both the sounds and the silences are violently present here. Cryptic in a way where you can sense something is coming but can't place a finger on it, and the answer blindsides you but makes you say 'ah yes, of course' too.
Sharpie's Mission of Rage and Justice by BENNIZONE: Punchy, sexy, full of fast-paced, frantic fun. Tonally, this reminds me of a really specific type of early-2000s cartoons meets Comic Book Slumber Party. Visually, the pages (painted in acrylics) supports the pace and gives us some crunchy texture to chew on while we enjoy the plot rolling out in front of us a breakneck speed. You'll want to latch onto the characters immediately and will have a great time doing so.
Desert Orphan by Asimina Hollingworth: This comic is poetic, stream-of-consciousness-esque. The colours are bold and strong, utilising negative space and a simple style that gives you space to dwell on the narrative with room to take what you need from it while commanding your attention where needed. This comic felt like listening to a good song for the first time - I liked it a lot, and I'll probably like it even more the second time. This one should be read in a quiet environment. I'd love to hear someone read it aloud.
Dance it Off by Lin Visel: I'm always curious to see how visual artists handle drawing music - This comic might just be the closest thing I've read to the feeling of being in the crowd at a gig. I had a whale of a time reading this through and imagining how the song might sound - The excellent use of text and crowd scenes, lighting, and expressions help us experience exactly what Visel intends, and makes the black-and-white comic feel completely vibrant.
Let's Fail Art School Together by Zƶe Gray: I love the charming, doodle-y engergy of Gray's work, so was exited to see a comic from them at the fair. This story will resonate any shy kid studying the arts, and captures the pressure of education, social life, and the views you have of your own work, mixing bittersweet moments with well-timed humour and a fun cast of characters. The pacing across the comic gives the last act an unexpected, impactul, but hopeful energy that gives the comic a relateable tone and will make you want to follow the cast into their next adventures.
Obviously there were a ton of other works I'd have loved to pick up - I've really prioritised creators who live in a different part of the world to me as it's less likely I'll come across their work in the wild later. Hopefully I'll encounter some of the other comics on my wishlist at conventions/fairs in the future! (Like Sajan Rai's ALAS, which was in the SB fair in a previous year, but I grabbed at MCM this weekend!).
That's all I have for this month's round-up. I'm going to have a nap and play Pokemon Z-A until Thought Bubble!
Later!
Abs
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