The Bristol International Comic & Small Press Expo, commonly known as Comic Expo or BCE, was an annual
comic book convention
A comic book convention or comic con is a fan convention emphasizing comic books and comic book culture, in which comic book Fan (person), fans gather to meet creators, experts, and each other. Commonly, comic conventions are multi-day events h ...
held in the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
from 2004 to 2013. The show was held once a year in
Bristol
Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...
in the spring. The organiser was
Mike Allwood, formerly of Area 51,
a comic shop based in Bristol.
The convention featured floorspace for exhibitors, including comic book dealers and collectibles merchants. Along with panels, seminars, and workshops with comic book professionals, one of the highlights of Comic Expo was the
Orang Utan Comics film night, which was a staple of the show since 2007. The charity event "Draw the World Together" was an annual part of the show.
BCE included a separate "Small Press Expo,"
an autograph area, as well as a so-called "Artists' Alley" where comics artists signed autographs and sold or offered free sketches. Publishers such as
Rebellion Publishing
Rebellion Developments Limited is a British video game developer based in Oxford. Founded by Jason and Chris Kingsley in December 1992, the company is best known for ''Sniper Elite'' and multiple games in the '' Alien vs. Predator'' series. Sis ...
,
Panini Comics
Panini Comics is an Italian comic book publisher. A division of Panini Group, which also produces collectible stickers, it is headquartered in Modena, Italy. The company publishes comic books in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, France, Germany, Hungary ...
,
Markosia, Reed Full Circle, and
SelfMadeHero
SelfMadeHero is an independent publishing house which specialises in adapting works of literature, as well as producing ground-breaking original fiction in the graphic novel medium.
SelfMadeHero's books are distributed in the UK by Abrams & Ch ...
often had presences as well.
From 2004 to 2008, Comic Expo was the host of the
Eagle Awards
The Eagle Awards were a series of British awards for comic book titles and creators. They were awarded by UK fans voting for work produced during the previous year. Named after the UK's seminal boys' comic ''Eagle'', the awards were launched in ...
.
History
BCE replaced a previous Bristol-based UK convention, the
Comic Festival
Comic Festival (also known as Comics Festival UK) was a British comic book convention which was held annually in Bristol between 1999 and 2004. It was devised and produced by Kev F. Sutherland with the help of Mike Allwood of Area 51 Comics. ...
; retailer Mike Allwood had been involved with managing Comic Festival as well. (Comic Festival itself had been preceded as an annual UK comic book convention by the
United Kingdom Comic Art Convention
The United Kingdom Comic Art Convention (UKCAC) was a British comic book convention which was held between 1985 and 1998. As a complement to UKCAC, from 1990 to 1995 the organizers put on the Glasgow-based Glasgow Comic Art Convention (GlasCAC) ...
).
[Gordon, Joe]
"For the Love of Comics: A Conversation with Mike Allwood,"
''Forbidden Planet International'' (Aug. 14, 2009).
The first Comic Expo was held in Bristol on 6–7 November 2004, at the Ramada City Inn. (A so-called "Pro-Con" was held in the same space on 5 November.) Guests included
Simon Furman
Simon Christopher Francis Furman (born 22 March 1961) is a British comic book writer who is best known for his work on Hasbro's ''Transformers'' franchise, starting with writing Marvel Comics's initial comic book to promote the toyline worl ...
,
Mike Carey, and
Mike Collins. This was very much a trial run by all concerned. Although not very well attended, it established how future events in Bristol would work.
The next BCE, held in May 2005, was a success, with guests such as
J. Michael Straczynski
Joseph Michael Straczynski, known as J. Michael Straczynski (; born July 17, 1954) is an American filmmaker and comic book writer. He is the founder of Synthetic Worlds Ltd. and Studio JMS and is known as the creator of the science fiction televi ...
,
Michael Avon Oeming
Michael Avon Oeming is an American comic book creator, both as an artist and writer.
Career
Oeming is a fan of ancient mythology, having written or drawn several projects centering on the Norse gods. He frequently collaborates with long-time f ...
,
Gary Frank,
Dave Gibbons
David Chester Gibbons (born 14 April 1949) is an English comics artist, writer and sometimes letterer. He is best known for his collaborations with writer Alan Moore, which include the miniseries ''Watchmen'' and the Superman story " For the M ...
,
Alan Davis
Alan Davis (born 18 June 1956) is an English comic book writer and artist, known for his work on ''Captain Britain'', ''The Uncanny X-Men'', ''The ClanDestine, ClanDestine'', ''Detective Comics'', ''Excalibur (comic book), Excalibur'', ''JLA: ...
,
Brian Bolland
Brian Bolland (; born 26 March 1951)Salisbury, Mark, ''Artists on Comic Art'' (Titan Books, 2000) , p. 11 is a British comics artist. Best known in the United Kingdom as one of the Judge Dredd artists for British comics anthology ''2000 AD (comi ...
,
["Heroes Swoop In To Comic Expo,"]
''Games Industry International'' (21 April 2005) Mike Ploog
Michael G. Ploog (; born July 13, 1940 or 1942) is an American storyboard and comic book artist, and a visual designer for films.
In comics, Ploog is best known for his work on Marvel Comics' 1970s ''Man-Thing'' and '' The Monster of Frankenstein ...
and
Simon Bisley
Simon Bisley is a British comic book artist best known for his 1990s in comics, 1990s work on ''ABC Warriors'', ''Lobo (DC Comics), Lobo'' and ''Sláine (comics), Sláine''.
Early life
Simon Bisley began drawing when he was six years old. He is ...
; as well as over 2,000 attendees. The
Just 1 Page
Just 1 Page (J1P) was charity comic linked to the United Kingdom's Comic Festival and Comic Expo comic book conventions in Bristol, SW England. Single-page contributions were donated by a range of professional and amateur artists and writers, in ...
charity comic was produced at Comic Expo 2005 and again in 2006 (continuing on from its origins at
Comic Festival
Comic Festival (also known as Comics Festival UK) was a British comic book convention which was held annually in Bristol between 1999 and 2004. It was devised and produced by Kev F. Sutherland with the help of Mike Allwood of Area 51 Comics. ...
).
The November 2005 Brighton Comic Expo was held at the prestigious Metropole Hilton, the largest conference hotel in South England. Guests included
Mark Millar
Mark Millar (; born 24 December 1969) is a Scottish comic book writer who first came to prominence with a run on the superhero series ''The Authority (comics), The Authority'', published by DC Comics' Wildstorm imprint. Millar has written ext ...
,
Gilbert Shelton
Gilbert Shelton (born May 31, 1940) is an American cartoonist and a key member of the underground comix movement. He is the creator of the iconic underground characters '' The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers'', '' Fat Freddy's Cat'', and '' Wonder ...
,
Dave Gibbons
David Chester Gibbons (born 14 April 1949) is an English comics artist, writer and sometimes letterer. He is best known for his collaborations with writer Alan Moore, which include the miniseries ''Watchmen'' and the Superman story " For the M ...
,
Sydney Jordan
Sydney Jordan (born Dundee, Scotland, 1928) is a comics artist best known for his daily science fiction strip '' Jeff Hawke'', which ran in the ''Daily Express'' from 1955 to 1974.
Career
He studied aeronautical engineering at Miles Aircraft' ...
, and
Harry Harrison. This was again successful and, with the exception of a few minor criticisms, proved immensely popular with those attending.
Comic Expo Bristol 2006 was a success, with early figures suggesting around 2,000 attendees, as well as the presentation of the
Eagle Awards
The Eagle Awards were a series of British awards for comic book titles and creators. They were awarded by UK fans voting for work produced during the previous year. Named after the UK's seminal boys' comic ''Eagle'', the awards were launched in ...
.
The 2008 show was the best attended one so far, with more than 4,000 ticket buyers.
The
Eagle Awards
The Eagle Awards were a series of British awards for comic book titles and creators. They were awarded by UK fans voting for work produced during the previous year. Named after the UK's seminal boys' comic ''Eagle'', the awards were launched in ...
ceremony was held on Saturday, May 10, presented by comedian
Fraser Ayres
Fraser Stuart Ayres (born 1980) is an English actor, best known for his role as Clint in the BBC comedy series '' The Smoking Room''.
Ayres first joined the youth core at the Haymarket Theatre in Leicester and has done other television includin ...
.
The
Great Recession
The Great Recession was a period of market decline in economies around the world that occurred from late 2007 to mid-2009. hit the 2009 show hard, as only 650 fans attended.
The 2012 show attracted only 300 attendees, with many exhibitors reporting losses. Because of this, there was speculation the show might not survive, but attendance increased for the 2013 show.
Nonetheless, the final BCE was held in 2014.
Locations and dates
References
External links
*{{official website, http://www.fantasyevents.org/bristolcomicexpo/
Hypotheticals 2008 panel website
Defunct comics conventions
British comics
Fan conventions in the United Kingdom
Recurring events established in 2004