Review: Thought Bubble 2009

This weekend saw the third annual Thought Bubble one day comic convention take place at Saviles Hall in Leeds. This year was my second time at the con and as I said last year, Thought Bubble is most definitely the premier comic con in the UK, surpassing other cons such as Bristol and Birmingham… Just ask some of the attending guests – there have been plenty of blog posts and tweets from artists, writers and creatives alike, since the con, all proclaiming this years event truly defined Thought Bubble as the “must-do” comic convention in the UK.

With plenty to see and do, from discussion panels to cosplay, from movies to workshops, and an (almost) all-night after party Thought Bubble had something for everyone. There was in fact so much I wanted to do that sadly I had to miss out on a few scheduled events that I really wish I didn’t have to – but that’s how a one day event works, and Thought Bubble is all the better for being a one-day event, who wants to attend the second day of a comic con with a blazing hangover after the party the night before? I really wish I could have seen the screenings of anime Afro Samurai and Mainstream Geek – a documentary short filmed at last years event, as well as attended the talk by Steve Wacker.

But what I did see was well worth it. The From Paper to Digital panel had some brilliant insights into the process of adapting comic books for the big screen – including some tidbits of information on the upcoming The Losers adaptation from writer Andy Diggle and artist Jock, plus Adi Granov shared his thoughts on the Iron Man movies and just how ridiculously the mind of a Hollywood exec works! You can read more about the snippets of information Diggle and Jock revealed about The Losers here.

That panel was followed almost immediately by yet another insightful (for all the wrong reasons) panel – Do Zombies Read Comic Books? What was intended to be a look at the rise in popularity of horror comics turned into an almost comedic look at how comic creators can work in a genre that they really don’t like! Sean Philips, whose most high profile work includes Marvel Zombies 1 and 2, actually revealed he doesn’t like horror in any form, be it movies, or comics and that he only took the gig because he got the chance to draw some of Marvel’s most iconic characters albeit in zombie form. Even Ben Templesmith, who worked on such horror comics as the classic vampire comic 30 Days of Night, International Horror Guild award winning zombie book Wormwood: Gentlemen Corpse and whose artwork screams horror, isn’t the biggest fan of the genre – for him, and Walking Dead artist Charlie Adlard, is all about the story and the challenge of producing something that betters the genre and themselves. Host Martin Grund managed to hold his own in the face of such genre-hating adversity, but only just!

The final panel of the day, for me, was Computer Games and Sequential Art, a look at the links between the comic and game industry. Hosted by games journalist turned comic writer Kieron Gillen, who was perfectly positioned to host such a discussion, the panel looked at how comics creators work with games companies in both creating games, as in the case of Antony Johnston and Dead Space and Dead Space: Extraction, and at adapting games for comics. It was interesting to hear just how tough it can be working on a title owned by a multi-national corporation when adapting a game – you had to feel for panelist Liam Sharp, as he regailed tales of his early woes on the Gears of War comic adaptation, and that was just from the fans! The real highlight of the panel though was 2000AD artist Peter Doherty, I never knew the man was such a comedy genius. The quips and retorts he came out with had both the panel and the audience in stitches! I don’t think I’ll look at Katamari Damacy the same way again… and if anyone ever decides to adapt that game into a comic, Peter Doherty MUST be involved…

After ducking out of the con with a group of friends to find food – which we did in Leeds’ best Japanese restaurant, Little Tokyo – we headed back to the Alea Casino next door to Saviles Hall for the infamous Thought Bubble after party… The less said about what went on the better, but what I will say is “Gordon’s Alive!” and 3.30am is no time to be going to bed when you want to be up for breakfast the next morning!

On Sunday it was the turn of the masterclass sessions, including events such as a portfolio critique with Barry Kitson, a digital colouring class with Peter Doherty, manga workshops with both Yishan Li and Emma Viecelli, and a writing masterclass with Andy Diggle. Now I originally planed on attending the Andy Diggle masterclass, however a bout of “illness” on Sunday (it wasn’t a hangover OK?!) meant I ducked out of that and headed home to sleep.

The event over, it’s time to reflect – and Thought Bubble yet again proved why it’s head and shoulders above other UK cons. For one, it’s incredibly well organised. Lisa and the team have, in the space of a mere three years, managed to turn the operation into a well oiled machine. Everyone you spoke to – guests, exhibitors and attendees alike – praised not only how well they were looked after but also how friendly everyone on the team was. And the friendliness spilled out to everyone at the con too. That’s another reason why for me Thought Bubble is hands down better than events such as Bristol and Birmingham. The friendly atmosphere that exudes from staff, guests, exhibitors, cosplayers, attendees and everyone at the event, really makes for a “family” feel and each year you feel even more like part of the Thought Bubble family. As long as the scale and scope of the event doesn’t outweigh this family feeling then for me Thought Bubble will be the one definite date in my convention calendar.