The Lakes International Comic Art Festival

The Lakes International Comic Art Festival, often referred to as LICAF, is an annual comics art festival held in Kendal, a market town on the edge of the English Lake District, United Kingdom. Established in 2013,[1] the not-for-profit festival takes place for a weekend in October each year.

The Lakes International Comic Art Festival
StatusActive
GenreComics, Comic art
Date(s)mid-October
FrequencyAnnual
VenueVenue(s) Brewery Arts Centre, Kendal Town Hall
Location(s)Kendal, Cumbria
CountryEngland, United Kingdom
InauguratedOctober 18, 2013 (2013-10-18)
FounderJulie Tait
Founder partners: The Brewery Arts Centre, Kendal College
Most recentOctober 11-13, 2019
Next eventOctober 9-11, 2020
PatronsSean Phillips, Bryan Talbot, Mary M. Talbot, Zoom Rockman and Stephen L. Holland
Websitehttps://www.comicartfestival.com/

Comics Laureate

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.[2]

During the opening event at the Lakes International Comic Art Festival in October 2016, Charlie Adlard was announced as the second Comics Laureate.[3] 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.[4]

Beatrix Potter Reimagined

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.[5]

The Sergio Aragonés International Award for Excellence in Comic Art

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”.[6]

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.[7] In October 2018 Birmingham-based cartoonist Hunt Emerson became the second recipient of the Sergio Aragonés International Award for Excellence in Comic Art. [8]

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

Traces of the Great War

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.[9] The publication was part of 14-18 NOW, the UK’s arts programme commemorating the World War I centenary.[10]

NCSFest

In partnership with the Lakes International Comic Art Festival, the National Cartoonists Society hosted the inaugural NCSFest in downtown Huntington Beach, California, United States, on May 17–19, 2019.[11]

References
  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. "Dave Gibbons, first comics laureate: 'They're not just cheap, lurid entertainment'". The Guardian (20 October, 2014).
  3. "New comics laureate Charlie Adlard declares war on 'the graphic novel'". The Guardian (17 October, 2016).
  4. "Hannah Berry: New UK comics laureate to harness 'untapped' potential". BBC (12 October, 2018).
  5. "Comic artists reimagine Beatrix Potter characters". BBC (22 September, 2016).
  6. "How the world changed around Sergio Aragones and Mad magazine". The Economist (20 November, 2017).
  7. "Comic art award launched at Lakes festival". BBC (15 October, 2017). Retrieved 4 June 2018.
  8. "Hunt Emerson Wins 2018 Sergio Aragonés International Award for Excellence in Comic Art at The Lakes". Bleeding Cool News (12 October, 2018).
  9. "In Review: Traces of the Great War by Joe Gordon". Down the Tubes (November 20, 2018).
  10. Gordon, Joe (20 November 2018). "In Review: Traces of the Great War". downthetubes.net. Retrieved 18 January 2019.
  11. "National Cartoonists Society Launches 2019 Festival". Newsarama (12 December, 2018).
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