A nice little surprise announcement this week: Comica – The London Comics Festival – is returning in a big way this March with a month-long series of talks at the swanky Century Club.

The season of seven talks – brought about in association with VIP Brands Ltd and Lakes International Comic Art Festival – will see familiar names and faces talk about all aspects of comics on the page and in related media. Some big names participating include Posy Simmonds, Dave McKean, Brian Bolland and Dave Gibbons. Tickets for each of the events will be £12 apiece and will quite likely sell out swiftly.

Comica described the thinking behind the events:

“Comics, cartoons, graphic novels, manga – whatever we call them, there’s no doubt they’re playing dynamic roles in our current cultural landscape, whether as unforgiving political caricatures, instantly recognisable global icons, acclaimed best-selling books or the sources of hit movies and TV series.

“Through March 2023, to mark the 20th Anniversary of London’s long-running Comica Festival, and in association with VIP Brands Ltd and The Lakes International Comic Art Festival, The Century Club invites some of today’s key creatives to reveal their influences, ideas, techniques and latest projects.”

Comica debuted in 2003 as a collaboration between comics expert Paul Gravett, and curator, co-conspirator, and comics-writer John Harris Dunning for the Institute of Contemporary Arts. There have been a number of Comica Festivals over the years – plus the beloved Comica Social Club which is still ticking along at the pub as a spinoff of London’s regular Comic Mart where pros and enthusiasts come to show off their haul or just shoot the breeze.

Among its many achievements, Comica instituted the annual Graphic Short Story Prize which has become an influential opportunity for budding graphic storytellers to show their chops and get a publishing contract for longer work. Gravett and Dunning were also initiators of the landmark Comics Unmasked: Art and Anarchy in the UK exhibition, where British comics took centre stage with a major exhibition at the British Library in 2014.

COMICA AT THE CENTURY CLUB SCHEDULE

THURSDAY MARCH 2 @ 7PM: THE GRAPHIC NOVEL – POSY SIMMONDS IN CONVERSATION WITH LIZZY STEWART

“Join Posy in conversation with graphic novelist Lizzy Stewart where they will discuss Posy’s life as an artist, writer and observer of the world, revealing aspects about her childhood, friendships and artists that most inspired her work. At the end of the evening, Posy will be presented with The International Award for Excellence in Comic Art for 2022.”

TUESDAY MARCH 7 @7PM: ON THE MONEY – THE LIFE AND TIMES OF CARTOON INVESTMENT BANKER ALEX MASTERLEY

Alex is the longest-running current daily British cartoon strip still produced by the original authors. It began life in 1987 as a satire on the short-lived social phenomenon of Yuppies (remember them?) in Robert Maxwell’s London Daily News. The newspaper itself proved to be equally short-lived, but the character of Alex Masterley, an egotistical, snobbish and materialistic banker struck a chord with the public. The cartoon transferred to the Independent, where it remained for five years, before Alex defected shamelessly to the Daily Telegraph, where he appears to this day. Over the years the strip has developed into a satire on the corporate world and middle-class professional lifestyles and has ridden out more boom and bust cycles than Alex cares to remember.

“In this illustrated talk Alex’s creators, Charles Peattie (artist and writer) and Russell Taylor (writer and luncher), will give the low-down on Britain’s favourite investment banker (well, it’s not like there’s much competition from any of the real-life ones).”

TUESDAY MARCH 14 @7PM: DESIGNING DYSTOPIA – AN EVENING WITH THE ARTISTS BEHIND JUDGE DREDD AND WATCHMEN

Fan favourite artists Dave Gibbons and Brian Bolland talk to comic book writer and critic Tim Pilcher about their lives and new autobiographies.

WEDNESDAY MARCH 22 @7PM: THEY SHOOT COMICS DON’T THEY: A PANEL DISCUSSION ABOUT TURNING GRAPHIC NOVELS INTO FILMS

“An exceptional panel of key film and TV creatives including producers Armando Iannucci (The Death of Stalin), Michael Lake (Violent Cases), Tim Searle (Dennis & Gnasher) and Patrick Walters (Heartstopper) discuss how they bring comics to the big and small screen”

THURSDAY MARCH 23 @7PM: TURNING YOUR LIFE INTO COMICS WITH LUCIE ARNOUX AND LUCY SULLIVAN

Lucy Sullivan, Barking (Unbound, 2020), and Lucie Arnoux, Je Ne Sais Quoi (Jonathan Cape, 2022), share their journeys from animation to comics and their approaches to putting their lives on the page – with live demonstrations.”

TUESDAY MARCH 28 @ 7PM: BUT IS IT ART? AI AND THE VISUAL MEDIA WITH DAVE MCKEAN AND IAIN SINCLAIR

“Countercultural writer Iain Sinclair and multi-media artist Dave McKean of ’Sandman’ fame consider the future of creativity and art amidst the rise of Artificial Intelligence”

MARCH 30 @ 7PM: GIVING OFFENCE: A TALK AND LIVE DRAW WITH CARTOONIST MARTIN ROWSON

“Award-winning Guardian cartoonist Martin Rowson takes us on a rambunctious, rollicking ride through his 40 years of ankle-biting, satirical-savaging attempts to hold the great and good to account – whilst depicting the nine prime ministers who have been in office during his career – using ketchup, mustard, mayo, peanut butter, toilet duck and various other household condiments.”