CAPTION was an annual comics convention specialising in British small press comics. It was first held in

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

in January 1992, subsequently being held in summer each year. Loosely based on a theme, each year's event offered panels and workshops related to small press comics along with the opportunity to buy and sell them. CAPTION was last held in 2017, the 25th anniversary of the show. CAPTION differed from other conventions by breaking down the distinction between named guests and other attendees, avoiding segregation or special treatment of guests. In addition, it prioritized the social interaction of attendees by encouraging comics creators to place their publications on the CAPTION stall, managed by a rota of volunteers.

History

CAPTION was founded in 1992 by Adrian Cox, Damian Cugley, Jeremy Dennis, and Jenni Scott. Between

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and

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CAPTION took place in the Oxford Union Society.

Ed Pinsent Ed Pinsent (born 1960, Liverpool, England) is a British cartoonist, artist, and writer. Biography Ed Pinsent is the son of the classical scholar John Pinsent and was brought up in the city of Liverpool. Pinsent has written and drawn his own sm ...

was an early star of CAPTION conventions, selling his

Fast Fiction ''Fast Fiction'' was a market stall, magazine, mail order distributor and news sheet that played a key role in the history of British small press comics. It existed in its various forms from 1981 through to 1990 under the stewardship of Paul Grave ...

on his stall. In 1993 Andy Roberts moved to Oxford, and was able to lend his considerable experience in art and design to the convention. In 1994

Peter Pavement Slab-O-Concrete Productions was a British mail order distributor and publisher, founded by Peter Pavement, Dave Hanna, Emma Copsey, and Chris Tappenden; operating mostly in Brighton and Hove during the 1990s. Initially selling British small press ...

started selling zines from around the world as well as repackaging other small press comics, and his zine ''Pavement Pizza'' became ''Ground Level''. CAPTION moved venues to Wolfson College for

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...

and

2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...

. From 2006 to 2013 it was held at the East Oxford Community Centre. CAPTION skipped a year in 2014. It had been planned to be held in Brighton, but a scheduling conflict with the

University of Brighton The University of Brighton is a public university based on four campuses in Brighton and Eastbourne on the south coast of England. Its roots can be traced back to 1858 when the Brighton School of Art was opened in the Royal Pavilion. It achieve ...

forced the show to be canceled."Caption skip year,"
CAPTION blog (28 March 2014). At that point, the show announced its intention to mount future shows in a different British city each year. CAPTION also skipped a year in 2016 before returning in December 2017 for the convention's 25th-anniversary show. There has not been a CAPTION show since 2017.

Dates, themes, and special guests

* January 1992: no specific theme * 17–18 July 1993: ''Comics: Art or Trash?'' — debating the status of comics within culture * Summer 1994: ''Sex & Drugs & Rock'n'Roll'' — guests include

Hunt Emerson Hunting is the human activity, human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, or killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to harvest food (i.e. meat) and useful animal products (fur/hide (skin), hide, ...

Pete Loveday Pete Loveday is a British underground cartoonist. He is best known for his series of comics charting the adventures of hippie character Russell, including ''Big Bang Comics'', ''Big Trip Travel Agency'' and ''Plain Rapper Comix'' printed by AK ...

, and

Bryan Talbot Bryan Talbot (born 24 February 1952) is a British comics artist and writer, best known as the creator of ''The Adventures of Luther Arkwright'' and its sequel '' Heart of Empire'', as well as the ''Grandville'' series of books. He collaborated ...

* Summer 1995: * Summer 1996: ''Lazy CAPTION'' * Summer 1997: ''EuroCAPTION'' — guests include

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

David B David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...

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's Max, and the

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' Maaike Hartjes * Summer 1998: ''The Death of CAPTION'' * Summer 1999: ''SpaceCAPTION1999'' — guests include

* 12–13 August 2000: ''You cannot kill that which is already dead'' * 18–19 August 2001: ''Love is ... CAPTION 2001'' * 17–18 August 2002: ''CAPTION Noir'' * August 2003:Allass, Marcia
"Lovely Bristols,"
''Sequential Tart'' vol. 6, issue #6 (June 2003). ''CyberCAPTION'' — guests include

Carla Speed McNeil Carla Speed McNeil is an American science fiction writer, cartoonist, and illustrator of comics, best known for the science fiction comic book series '' Finder''. Career McNeil's chief work is the ongoing science fiction comic series '' Finder'', ...

* 14–15 August 2004: ''CAPTION is History'' — guests include

Al Davison Al Davison is an English comic book writer and artist from Newcastle, England. He now resides in Coventry, where he runs The Astral Gypsy, his studio and comic shop in Fargo Village, Far Gosford Street, with his wife Maggie. He is most famous for ...

and Pat Mills * 30–31 July 2005: ''Bargain Basement CAPTION'' * 5–6 August 2006: ''CAPTION Remix''Badham, Matthew
"CAPTION Revealed,"
'' Judge Dredd Megazine'' (2006). * 11–12 August 2007: ''Dreams and Nightmares'' * 9–10 August 2008: ''Timewarp CAPTION'' * 15–16 August 2009: ''CAPTION is away with the fairies'' * 31 July to 1 August 2010: ''Mad Science'' * 6–7 August 2011: ''Austerity'' * 18–19 August 2012: ''CAPTION Summer Special'' * 24–25 August 2013 * 10–11 October 2015 * 1–2 December 2017: 25th anniversary show

References

External links

*
Alleged Literature by CAPTION co-founder Jeremy DennisCAPTION co-founder Jeremy Dennis' CleanskiesFlickr site archiving photos from CAPTION conventions past and present
{{DEFAULTSORT:Caption (Comics Convention) British small press comics British fan conventions Defunct comics conventions Recurring events established in 1992