The Art of Storytelling.
2D is Northern Ireland's foremost comics festival, all our events are free and include Art Exhibitions, Art workshops, Sketching, Signings, Drawing Events, Panel Discussions, Comics Dealers and a lot more...
About the Festival
Theme: The Art of Storytelling.
Definition of Comics: 'Comics is a graphic medium in which images convey a sequential narrative.'
At the heart of the comics medium is a desire to tell a story. These stories can be told in countless ways as creators have found many approaches to combining words and pictures.
Writers and artists who choose to create comics can work commercially or simply as a form of creative expression. Sometimes they can manage to do both at the same time.
For the last four years the 2D Festival has been striving to support comics culture as well as promoting this meaningful artform which is commonly misunderstood. This has been very successful, as it has given comic creators and the public a series of events where there can be focused examinations of the medium and a genuine, inclusive and engaging celebration of comics.
The Verbal Arts Centre has long been encouraging and supporting communities and individuals to ‘Tell Your Story’, through a large range of projects. This year the work of the 2D Festival will reflect the core values of the centre to the largest extent yet.
History
2D, the Northern Ireland Comics Festival, was conceived as an exciting way of extending and promoting the comics related work that the Verbal Arts Centre has undertaken over the last five years. The Centre initially used some short comic workshops as a way of improving literacy skills in young males. Following the success of these sessions, the Centre decided to expand its range of projects and employ an artist-in-residence with knowledge of the comics industry in order to add to these workshops, provide illustrations for Centre projects and develop a comic festival that would bring some of the top creative talent in comics to the North West. This resulted in 2D - the Northern Ireland Comics Festival in April 2007. The festival has returned every June since, building on the success of 2007 with an expanded line-up of guests and an extended programme of quality events.
The 2D festival is different from most comic conventions as it is a completely free event offering free admission to workshops, panels, open day and all other related events. By making all parts of the event free of charge, the Centre is trying to make the festival as accessible and inclusive as possible, continuing its work in promoting comic book culture and celebrating the artform. The festival has become an important part of the North West’s cultural calendar and has been heavily featured in the city’s bid to become UK City of Culture 2013.
The centre has also expanded its comic-related work, with Verbal Publishing supporting comic creators in publishing their own work and also the recent addition of an in-house printing press, which is being used to print comics and graphic novels. The centre also developed its comic workshop programme into a longer accredited comic art course in partnership with a local college, which then led to the formation of the 2D Collective, a group of local comics writers and artists who last year contributed to the 2D Anthology ‘FEAR’.
Guests
GUEST OF HONOUR
Mick McMahon
Artist/Comics Legend - Judge Dredd, Sláine, ABC Warriors, The Last American.
GUEST OF HONOUR
Mark Chiarello
VP Art Direction & Design DC Comics/Artist- worked on Batman: Hush/Black & White/Houdini, Wednesday Comics, New Frontier, Star Wars, LOTR, Hellboy. Eisner/Harvey award winner.
GUEST OF HONOUR
Glenn Fabry
Artist- Preacher, Slaine, The Authority, The Dead, Lot 13
Mike Collins
Artist - Dr Who, Judge Dredd, Transformers , A Christmas Carol
David Hine
Writer/Artist - Strange Embrace. Writer - Spider-Man Noir, Daredevil, Bulletproof Coffin, Silent War, The Brave & The Bold, Arkham Asylum, Detective, Azrael, Spawn, FVZA, The Darkness.
Denise Mina
Writer - Hellblazer, A Sickness in the Family, Garnethill trilogy, The Field Of Blood (coming soon as major BBC drama)
Dave Taylor
Artist/Illustrator- Batman, 2000ad, Batman & Superman
Garry Leach
Artist - Dan Dare, Miracle Man, Warpsmiths, Judge Dredd, the VC's
Rufus Dayglo
Artist - Tank Girl, Judge Dredd, Metal Gear Solid, Gorillaz
D’Israeli
Artist - War of the Worlds, Scarlet Traces, Judge Dredd, Lazarus Churchyard, Stickleback, Leviathan, Nevermore: Murder in the Rue Morgue, Low Life
Rob Davis
Artist/Illustrator/Writer - Don Quixote, Doctor Who, Roy of the Rovers, Horrible Histories, The Guardian.
Gary Erskine
Artist - Star Wars, Dan Dare, Terminator, Hellblazer, JSA, The Filth, The Mask, Judge Dredd
Will Simpson
Artist - Batman, Aliens, Judge Dredd, Rogue Trooper, Film concept artist on Reign of Fire, City of Ember
Phil Winslade
Artist The Brave and the Bold, Legends of the Dark Knight, Judge Dredd, Spiderman/Daredevil, Jonah Hex, Goddess, Wonder Woman
Nick Roche
Artist/Writer - Transformers, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Phil Barrett
Artist - Matter, Black Shapes, A Crack in the Shell
Neill Cameron
Artist/Writer/Comic Art Educator - Transformers, Dr Who, Marvel Heroes, Mo-Bot High, DFC
Gary Northfield
Artist/Writer - Derek the Sheep (Beano), Horrible Histories, BeanoMax, National Geographic Kids, Dandy Extreme, DFC The Magical World Of Roald Dahl
Jim Medway
Artist/Comics Educator- Comical Animal, Crab Lane Crew, Paw Quality Comic
Davy Francis
NI Comics legend, Artist - Monster Fun, Oink, Electric Soup, Holy Cross
Trisha Deery
Artist/Writer/Illustrator/Art Educator - Miss Rosie Red(Dog Ears)
PJ Holden
Artist - Judge Dredd, Rogue Trooper, Fearless, the 86ers, Battlefields
Stephen Downey
Co-creator - Cancertown, Slaughterman’s Creed, Artist - Torchwood
Kevin Logue
Artist - Fear, If Stones Could Speak, Zombies Hi
Danny McLaughlin
Writer - Fear, If Stones Could Speak, Zombies Hi
Joe Campbell
Artist - Amelia Earhartt Graphic Novel, If Stones Could Speak
Bec Hill
Comedian/Writer/Presenter - Multi-Talented comedian and performer, a fixture at the Edinburgh Fringe, whose energetic shows have garnered a cult following
John Campbell
Artist/Inker/Writer - Fear, If Stones Could Speak, Zombies Hi
Rob Carey (Artist - The Indifference Engine, The Society for the Remarkable Suicide)
Wayne Simmons (Horror Writer - Drop Dead Gorgeous, Flu)
Malachy Coney (Writer/Artist - Holy Cross, The Darkness, Ouija Board Ouija Board)
Ger Hankey (Artist/Writer - Short Sharp Shocks)
Hibernia comics (Publisher - Tales from the Emerald Isle)
Longstone comics (Publishers - Longstone Comics Anthologies, Downpour, Surviving the Void, Superhilbo)
Dog Ears (Children’s Book Publishers - Miss Rosie Red)
Patrick Brown (Artist/Writer of The Ulster Cycle, Ness, The Cattle Raid of Cooley)
2D Collective
CoimicÍ Gael/Aidan Courtney (Publishers - Rira Irish Language comics)
Stephen Coffey (Writer - Rosemary Herb, Celtic Knights)
Programme
The festival will follow the same format as previous years with;
Thursday 2nd / Friday 3rd Daytime - Workshops
Friday 3rd / Saturday 4th Evenings - Panel Discussions
Saturday 4th - 2D Comics Fair
