Celebrating Comic Book Culture.
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...
2D Festival Programme 3rd to 5th of June
2D WORKSHOPS
11am Thursday - Manga Artist Ilya - Manga Workshop draw your own Manga characters
3pm Thursday - 'Digital Art' Workshop with artist Gary Erskine ( 13yrs+ )
12pm Friday - Rufus Dayglo - Animation presentation - from Warner Bros to the Gorillaz and all the way in between" ( 13yrs+ )
2.30 - 4.15pm Friday - All Star Comic Workshop - how to create a comic page - understand the process and get a chance to create a comic page from the script onwards. ( 13yrs+ )
4.15 - 5.15pm Friday - 'Titan Talent Search' Q & A with Steve White - approaching publishers and monthy comic book production ( 13yrs+ )
2D Panels at Sandino's Bar
7pm Friday - 'Breaking into the comics industry' with Steve White (Titan Books) and Barry Renshaw (Eagle Initiative)
8.15pm- 9.15pm Friday - 'Everyone's a Critic' - a selection of comics professionals and commentators will debate the pros and cons of blogs, podcasts and social networking in regards to the comics medium.
7pm Saturday - Comics as Social Commentary' - panel of top creators discuss this subject
8.15pm - 9.15pm Saturday Ð 2000ad panel Ð top pros discuss the classic comic.
2D Open Day Ð Saturday 5th June
Presentations at Saturday Open Day at Verbal Arts Centre
12.45pm Ð 1.45pm - Bec Hill childrens comic workshop
Titan Talent Search portfolio submission at reception at Verbal Arts Centre by 2pm
2pm - Pat Mills - Requiem talk
3.15pm Ð 4pm - Gary Erskine 'creating comic art' presentation
4pm Ð 5pm - Titan Talent Search
Other Activities
Bec Hill childrens comic workshop
Artists sketching & signing comics
Comic creators & dealers selling comics
Star Wars Emerald Garrison Ð Costuming group in attendance
Monster Drawing Wall Ð draw monsters and win spot prizes
Monster Me booths Ð get sketched as a Monster by a top artist
Guests
Pat Mills
(UK Comics legend, one of the founding fathers of 2000ad, creator of Slaìne, ABC Warriors, Nemesis The Warlock, Charley's War and Requiem.)
Garry Leach
(artist - Dan Dare, Miracle Man, Warpsmiths, Judge Dredd, the VC's)
Leigh Gallagher
(artist - The Witching, Justice League Unlimited, 2000 AD's Defoe )
Rufus Dayglo
(artist - Tank Girl, Judge Dredd, Metal Gear Solid, Gorillaz)
Phil Barrett
(artist - Matter, Black Shapes, A Crack in the Shell)
Bridgeen Gillespie
(artist - Mr Maximo and Rabbit)
Gary Erskine
(artist - Star Wars, Dan Dare, Terminator, Hellblazer, JSA, The Filth, The Mask, Judge Dredd)
Colin McNeil
(artist - Judge Dredd, Batman, Strontium Dog, Conan, Chopper, Predator)
Ilya
(artist/editor - Mammoth Book of Manga, artist - Manga Shakespeare: King Lear, )
Will Simpson
(artist - Batman, Aliens, Judge Dredd, Rogue Trooper, Film concept artist on Reign of Fire, City of Ember)
Emma Vieceli
(artist - Manga adaptation - Much Ado About Nothing, Comic Book Tattoo, Violet)
Nick Roche
(artist - Transformers, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles)
Stephen Mooney
(artist - Angel, CSI, Strangeland)
Davy Francis
(NI Comics legend, artist - Monster Fun, Oink, Electric Soup, Holy Cross )
Maeve Clancy
(Illustrator/animator/Production Designer for Film and Video, creator of 'Flatmates' graphic novel)
Glenn Fabry
in association with Berserker Comics (artist- Preacher, Slaine, The Authority, The Dead)
Stephen Downey
(artist - Cancertown)
Joe Campbell
(artist - Amelia Earhartt Graphic Novel )
2D Collective
(Creators of 'FEAR' and 'If Stones Could Speak' graphic novels)
Mark Stafford
(artist - Cherubs, cartoonist-in-residence at Bloomsbury Cartoon Museum )
Links
Accommodation
Travel
Misc
About the Festival
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 four 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 returned in June 2008 and 2009, 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 will be 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’.
