Community hub
Recent from talks
Knowledge base stats:
Talk channels stats:
Members stats:
Comic Mart
Comic Mart is the catchall term for a series of British comic book trade fairs which were held in the United Kingdom from 1972 until the early 1990s. The Comic Mart was one of the earliest recurring public comic events in the UK, predated only by the British Comic Art Convention. Comic Mart began in London, eventually expanding to Birmingham, Manchester, and Liverpool, among other locations. The first few Comic Marts were organized and produced by Rob Barrow and Nick Landau; eventually they split up to produce competing versions of the event, and were joined by other regional organizers.
Unlike comic book conventions, which typically featured publishers, creators, panel discussions, and other activities, Comic Marts (which were generally one-day affairs) were primarily organized around dealers selling comics to individual customers. The emphasis tended to be on hard-to-find American comics: Golden Age and Silver Age comics, as well as new titles, which were not distributed to the UK with any regularity in the early 1970s. As the marts became more popular, however, British comics professionals began to congregate and socialize at the shows and afterward in pubs nearby (such as The Westminster Arms).
The first so-called London comic mart was held in 1970, organized by "Godfather of British fandom" and publisher of the fanzine Fantasy Advertiser, Frank Dobson. Dobson and a small group of fellow comics dealers rented out the upstairs room of The Eagle pub in Clerkenwell on a Saturday and called it a "Mini-con." Dobson emigrated to Australia soon afterward, bequeathing Fantasy Advertiser to 19-year-old fellow comics enthusiast Dez Skinn.
As inheritor of Dobson's interests, Skinn planned another mart for 9 December 1972 — dubbing it the "Christmas Comic Mart" — but discovered that Rob Barrow and Nick Landau had already arranged one, scheduled one week earlier than Skinn's. (Landau had produced the 5th annual British Comic Art Convention — which originated comics conventions in the UK — earlier in the year; Barrow was publisher of the fanzine Comic Fandom Bulletin.) Held on 2 December 1972, at Lyndhurst Hall, in Camden Town, Landau and Barrow's event was the first "official" Comic Mart, attracting over 250 attendees. Volunteers and sponsors of the first Comic Mart included Skinn, Phil Clarke, Mike Higgs, Stan Nichols, Derek Stokes, Richard Burton, Alan Austin, Colin Campbell, Dave Gibbons, Compendium Books, IT, Candida, Electric Cinema Club, Better Books, and Virgin Records.
Barrow and Landau's second London Comic Mart was held 24 February 1973, again at Lyndhurst Hall. Next up on the "convention schedule" was the British Comic Art Convention ("Comicon"), scheduled for the weekend of 21–22 July, at London's Regent Centre Hotel. Comicon, however, was abruptly canceled shortly before it was scheduled, but was salvaged by Landau and Barrow, who managed to put on a one-day version of the show on 22 July at Comicon's usual location of London's Waverley Hotel. A November Comic Mart made it the second one of 1973.
In 1974, Barrow and Landau expanded Comic Mart to become a more frequently held affair. The first Comic Mart of the year was held in January, followed by one on Saturday, 27 April, at Holborn Assembly Hall, John's Mews, in central London. The free show featured an evening fantasy film marathon, including showings of the serials Blackhawk and Flash Gordon, and the 1954 film Creature from the Black Lagoon. The 1974 edition of Comicon, again organized by Barrow (on his own), was held 20–21 July at London's Regent Centre Hotel, and was jointly billed as the "Comic Mart Summer Special 1974." Denis Gifford, a key figure in British comics fandom, was the only "industry guest" at this combined Comicon/Comic Mart, providing the introductory presentation. (From that point, Barrow took on the responsibility for the British Comic Art Convention, organizing that show for at least the next four years.) Subsequent 1974 Comic Marts were held in September, October, and December, also taking place at Holborn Assembly Hall.
Publisher/editor Martin Lock timed early issues of his fanzine Bemusing Magazine (later known as BEM) to coincide with Comic Mart, and sold each new issue to Comic Mart customers.
With Barrow focusing his energies on Comicon, in 1975 Landau continued the Comic Marts on his own. That year he produced three editions — in June, August, and November — with the August event being a two-day affair, held at Central Hall Westminster.
Hub AI
Comic Mart AI simulator
(@Comic Mart_simulator)
Comic Mart
Comic Mart is the catchall term for a series of British comic book trade fairs which were held in the United Kingdom from 1972 until the early 1990s. The Comic Mart was one of the earliest recurring public comic events in the UK, predated only by the British Comic Art Convention. Comic Mart began in London, eventually expanding to Birmingham, Manchester, and Liverpool, among other locations. The first few Comic Marts were organized and produced by Rob Barrow and Nick Landau; eventually they split up to produce competing versions of the event, and were joined by other regional organizers.
Unlike comic book conventions, which typically featured publishers, creators, panel discussions, and other activities, Comic Marts (which were generally one-day affairs) were primarily organized around dealers selling comics to individual customers. The emphasis tended to be on hard-to-find American comics: Golden Age and Silver Age comics, as well as new titles, which were not distributed to the UK with any regularity in the early 1970s. As the marts became more popular, however, British comics professionals began to congregate and socialize at the shows and afterward in pubs nearby (such as The Westminster Arms).
The first so-called London comic mart was held in 1970, organized by "Godfather of British fandom" and publisher of the fanzine Fantasy Advertiser, Frank Dobson. Dobson and a small group of fellow comics dealers rented out the upstairs room of The Eagle pub in Clerkenwell on a Saturday and called it a "Mini-con." Dobson emigrated to Australia soon afterward, bequeathing Fantasy Advertiser to 19-year-old fellow comics enthusiast Dez Skinn.
As inheritor of Dobson's interests, Skinn planned another mart for 9 December 1972 — dubbing it the "Christmas Comic Mart" — but discovered that Rob Barrow and Nick Landau had already arranged one, scheduled one week earlier than Skinn's. (Landau had produced the 5th annual British Comic Art Convention — which originated comics conventions in the UK — earlier in the year; Barrow was publisher of the fanzine Comic Fandom Bulletin.) Held on 2 December 1972, at Lyndhurst Hall, in Camden Town, Landau and Barrow's event was the first "official" Comic Mart, attracting over 250 attendees. Volunteers and sponsors of the first Comic Mart included Skinn, Phil Clarke, Mike Higgs, Stan Nichols, Derek Stokes, Richard Burton, Alan Austin, Colin Campbell, Dave Gibbons, Compendium Books, IT, Candida, Electric Cinema Club, Better Books, and Virgin Records.
Barrow and Landau's second London Comic Mart was held 24 February 1973, again at Lyndhurst Hall. Next up on the "convention schedule" was the British Comic Art Convention ("Comicon"), scheduled for the weekend of 21–22 July, at London's Regent Centre Hotel. Comicon, however, was abruptly canceled shortly before it was scheduled, but was salvaged by Landau and Barrow, who managed to put on a one-day version of the show on 22 July at Comicon's usual location of London's Waverley Hotel. A November Comic Mart made it the second one of 1973.
In 1974, Barrow and Landau expanded Comic Mart to become a more frequently held affair. The first Comic Mart of the year was held in January, followed by one on Saturday, 27 April, at Holborn Assembly Hall, John's Mews, in central London. The free show featured an evening fantasy film marathon, including showings of the serials Blackhawk and Flash Gordon, and the 1954 film Creature from the Black Lagoon. The 1974 edition of Comicon, again organized by Barrow (on his own), was held 20–21 July at London's Regent Centre Hotel, and was jointly billed as the "Comic Mart Summer Special 1974." Denis Gifford, a key figure in British comics fandom, was the only "industry guest" at this combined Comicon/Comic Mart, providing the introductory presentation. (From that point, Barrow took on the responsibility for the British Comic Art Convention, organizing that show for at least the next four years.) Subsequent 1974 Comic Marts were held in September, October, and December, also taking place at Holborn Assembly Hall.
Publisher/editor Martin Lock timed early issues of his fanzine Bemusing Magazine (later known as BEM) to coincide with Comic Mart, and sold each new issue to Comic Mart customers.
With Barrow focusing his energies on Comicon, in 1975 Landau continued the Comic Marts on his own. That year he produced three editions — in June, August, and November — with the August event being a two-day affair, held at Central Hall Westminster.