The Lakes International Comic Art Festival

Annual English comics art festival

The Lakes International Comic Art Festival

Status| Active
Genre| Comics, Comic art
Date(s)| mid-October
Frequency| Annual
Venue| Venue(s) Old Laundry Theatre, Windermere Jetty Museum
Location(s)| Bowness-on-Windermere, Cumbria
Country| England, United Kingdom
Inaugurated| 18 October 2013; 10 years ago (2013-10-18)
Founder| Julie Tait
Founder partners: The Brewery Arts Centre, Kendal College
Most recent| 14–16 October 2022
Next event| October 2023
Patrons| Charlie Adlard, Yomi Ayeni, Kate Charlesworth, Stephen L. Holland, Sean Phillips, Zoom Rockman, Bryan Talbot and Mary M. Talbot
Festival board: Chris Hogg, Maheen Murtaza, Dinah Rose, Peter Kessler and Gemma Sosnowsky
Website| https://www.comicartfestival.com/

The Lakes International Comic Art Festival, often referred to as LICAF, is an annual comics art festival. Established in 2013,[1] the not-for-profit festival takes place for a weekend in October each year. From 2013 until 2021 LICAF took place in Kendal, a market town on the edge of the English Lake District, United Kingdom. In 2022 LICAF moved to multiple venues in Bowness-on-Windermere for the tenth festival,[2] in South Lakeland, Cumbria.

## Comics Laureate[edit]

The Lakes International Comic Art Festival established the Comics Laureate in 2015.

Dave Gibbons, best known for his artwork on Watchmen as well as numerous projects for Marvel, DC Comics and 2000AD, was appointed as the inaugural Comics Laureate in February 2015.[3]

During the opening event at the Lakes International Comic Art Festival in October 2016, Charlie Adlard was announced as the second Comics Laureate.[4] Charlie Adlard is the artist behind The Walking Dead comic book series, now a TV series and video game. He has also worked on many other comic projects including 2000AD, Mars Attacks, the X-Files, Judge Dredd and X-Men.

Brighton-based comic artist Hannah Berry was named as the third Comic Laureate in 2018.[5]

In October 2020 Stephen L. Holland, co-owner and curator of Page 45 a comic book shop in Nottingham, was appointed the fourth Comics Laureate.[6]

## Beatrix Potter Reimagined[edit]

To celebrate the 200th Anniversary of Cumbrian author and illustrator Beatrix Potter in 2016, the festival launched a student competition Beatrix Potter Reimagined. International comic artists, including Luke McGarry, Duncan Fegredo, Hannah Berry and Charlie Adlard, also contributed artworks that interpreted Beatrix Potter’s tales with a modern comic art style.[7]

## The Sergio Aragonés International Award for Excellence in Comic Art[edit]

At the fifth festival in October 2017, cartoonist Sergio Aragonés launched a new accolade in the comic art industry, the “Sergio Aragonés International Award for Excellence in Comic Art”.[8]

Interview with Sergio Aragonés at the Lakes International Comic Art Festival 2017

The award was established as a partnership between the National Cartoonists Society and the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. The first award was presented by Sergio Aragonés to English artist Dave McKean.[9] In October 2018 Birmingham-based cartoonist Hunt Emerson became the second recipient of the Sergio Aragonés International Award for Excellence in Comic Art. [10]

In 2019 The Walking Dead artist Charlie Adlard won the Sergio Aragonés International Award For Excellence In Comic Art at the Reubens Awards at the inaugural NCSFest in Huntington Beach, California.[11]

French cartoonist Boulet became the fourth recipient of the Sergio Aragonés Award for Excellence in Comic Art during the opening gala of the Lakes International Comic Art Festival in Kendal, England in 2021.[12]

On Saturday 15 October 2022, cartoonist Posy Simmonds was announced as the fifth winner of the Sergio Aragonés International Award for Excellence in Comic Art at The Lakes International Comic Art Festival in Bowness-on-Windermere, Lake District, Cumbria, United Kingdom.[13]

## Traces of the Great War[edit]

The sixth Lakes International Comic Art Festival in 2018 saw the official launch of Traces of the Great War, an anthology of illustrated short stories featuring over twenty international comic book artists, graphic novelists and writers.[14] The publication was part of 14–18 NOW, the UK’s arts programme commemorating the World War I centenary.[15]

## NCSFest[edit]

In partnership with the Lakes International Comic Art Festival, the National Cartoonists Society hosted the inaugural NCSFest in downtown Huntington Beach, California, United States, from 17 to 19 May 2019.[16]

## External links[edit]

* Website

## References[edit]

1. ^ Sneddon, Laura. "Comic and graphic novel stars take over Kendal for new festival showcase". The Guardian (17 October, 2013). Retrieved 4 June 2018.
2. ^ Badham, Matt. "Panel show: For a decade now comic makers have descended on the Lake District for a weekend of creativity". Big Issue North (10 October, 2022). Retrieved 17 October 2022.
3. ^ "Dave Gibbons, first comics laureate: 'They're not just cheap, lurid entertainment'". The Guardian (20 October, 2014).
4. ^ "New comics laureate Charlie Adlard declares war on 'the graphic novel'". The Guardian (17 October, 2016).
5. ^ "Hannah Berry: New UK comics laureate to harness 'untapped' potential". BBC (12 October, 2018).
6. ^ Johnston, Rich. "Retailer Stephen L Holland Announced As New UK Comics Laureate". Bleeding Cool News (11 October, 2020).
7. ^ "Comic artists reimagine Beatrix Potter characters". BBC (22 September, 2016).
8. ^ "How the world changed around Sergio Aragones and Mad magazine". The Economist (20 November, 2017).
9. ^ "Comic art award launched at Lakes festival". BBC (15 October, 2017). Retrieved 4 June 2018.
10. ^ "Hunt Emerson Wins 2018 Sergio Aragonés International Award for Excellence in Comic Art at The Lakes". Bleeding Cool News (12 October 2018).
11. ^ Freeman, John. "Charlie Adlard wins Sergio Aragones International Award For Excellence In Comic Art". DownTheTubes (21 May 2019).
12. ^ Simons, Dean. "French cartoonist Boulet receives the Sergio Aragonés Award for Cartooning Excellence at LICAF 2021". Comics Beat (18 October 2021).
13. ^ Bruton, Richard. "Cartoonist Posy Simmonds Announced As 2022 Sergio Aragones Award Winner At Lakes International Comics Festival". Comicon.com (17 October 2022).
14. ^ "In Review: Traces of the Great War by Joe Gordon". Down the Tubes (November 20, 2018).
15. ^ Gordon, Joe (20 November 2018). "In Review: Traces of the Great War". downthetubes.net. Retrieved 18 January 2019.
16. ^ "National Cartoonists Society Launches 2019 Festival". Newsarama (12 December, 2018).

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Comic festivals and alternative comics conventions

Asia|

* Comifuro (Indonesia)
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Europe|

* Amadora BD (Portugal)
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USA|

* Cartoon Crossroads Columbus (Ohio)
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Defunct|

* Alternative Press Expo (United States)
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