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#ComicsAtDCC 2017

The biggest weekend for Irish comics is here: Dublin Comic Con. Thanks to Declan Shalvey, the hashtag #ComicsAtDCC began on Twitter, making the job of easily identifying what’ll be available that little bit easier. I’ve gathered a bunch of titles here from what I know about and what I could pick up info about online.

All Ages Comics

Going by my own experiences attending Dublin Comic Con in the past, the All-Ages titles are few and far between. I’ve collected the few that I know about here, to make things easier for readers with kids to find something age-appropriate for them.

Fate by Anthea West. Click here for our review.
Freya, Written by Tracy Sayers, Art by Trisha O’Reilly
Wren #13, Written by Paul Carroll and Jason Browne, Art by Jason Browne, Lettered by Phil Roe
Rabbit and Paul Cover
Rabbit and Paul, by Seán Hogan. Click here for our review.

Small Press

The remainder of the Irish small press, as far as I know, is not quite as suitable for children as the above comics. While some titles may be – it’s a judgement call by parents – there are some that might traumatise kids.

The Guards
The Guards, Written by Shane Ormond, Art by Kevin Keane
Chuck, Written by Paul Carroll, Art by Conor Carroll
100-times-cover
100 Times, by Katie Fleming Deluxe Edition launches at Dublin Comic Con with additional material. Click here for our original review.
Brain Fetish Cover
Brain Fetish by Kinga Korska. Click here for our review.
Carrie & Rufus, by Ben Hennessy
The Broker, Written by Wayne Talbot. Massive creative team listed in review
Will Sinister, Written by Hugo Boylan, Art by John Quigley. Check out our review here.
Clone, by Hugo Boylan, Tara Ferguson, Rebecca Reynolds and Kerrie Smith. Check out our review here.
Hoda Machine, by Leeann Hamilton
Red Sands, Written by Ciaran Marcantonio, Art by Cormac Hughes, Colours by Triona Farrell
How to Live With Your Cat, Written by Paul Carroll, Art by Gareth Luby
Meouch, Written by Paul Carroll, Art by Gareth Luby
The Waves That Breaks, by Aaron Lotsy
Frozen Waste, Written by Aaron Fever, Art by Clare Foley
The Fort Night Comic Project, Written by Dave Hendrick, Art by Peter Marry, Colours by Dee Cunniffe
solstice-1-winter-cover
Solstice, Written by Danny McLaughlin, Art by Nathan Donnell. Books 3 launches at Dublin Comic Con. (As far as we are aware!)
project-crossroads-cover
Project Crossroads, Art by Seán Hogan, Stories by Hugo Boylan, JP Jordan and Adlai McCook, Colours by Stephanie Reville and Dearbhla Kelly, Letters by Kerrie Smith, Flats by Louise Fitzpatrick. Check out our review here.
Solo-Q by Jeklly Draws

Special Mentions

Sometimes, writers and artists work on things that aren’t comics. Launching at DCC, or just released this year, are:

Maelstrom, by Paddy Lennon – Book 3 of the Flare Series
A Little Book of the Coen Brothers, a Sketchbook by Brian Burke

A Death in the Family, by Paul Carroll, launched at K-Con earlier this year

Guests

As well as all of that, attendees will also be treated to the presence of a few of Ireland’s greatest comic creators, including Will Sliney, Declan Shalvey, Stephen Mooney, John Cullen, Triona Farrell, and Robert Carey. Anthea West and Leeann Hamilton, whose books can be seen in the list above, are also on the billing.

It’s going to be a busy weekend. There’s a lot to look at it, so many books worth reading, and so many artists and other creators whose work cries out to be picked up.

I’ll be in attendance as a vendor this year, but I had the utmost pleasure of getting to review a lot of the upcoming books for this year’s event. For those who don’t know, I’m Paul Carroll – just breaking into comics, hence the plethora of new books. Because Comix Ireland is a one-man show, you won’t find reviews of anything (or by anyone) I’m involved in (with) here, which includes anything by Gareth Luby, Tracy Sayers, or Jason Browne of Buttonpress. There’s objectivity, and then there’s bias, and the line gets a little bit finer the closer you get to a book. As for every other book on the list, you’ll likely see reviews popping up ahead of other events. I personally can’t wait to see what these amazing creators, and the ones who aren’t on this list, have to offer in the years to come.

Web Series

Commerce | CO/MIX Episode 4

It’s all fun and games until there’s money to be made. The business of comic books takes some probing to fully understand, and a summer’s worth of conventions to understand. From the point of view of independent artists, small publishers, and one of Ireland’s leading mainstream book publishers, the business of comic books is full of competition, statistical awareness, and the need to fit into the plans of Ireland’s retailers.

Robert Glick / ComicBooks.ie (featured)
Robert Glick is an American comic book broker and grader, living in Ireland. He operates ComicBooks.ie, and runs the monthly Geek-Mart event.
http://www.comicbooks.ie/

Will Sliney
Will Sliney is a Cork based artist currently working on Marvel Comics’ ‘Spider¬Man 2099’ with Peter David. He has previously worked on ‘Fearless Defenders’ (Marvel) and ‘Star Wars: The Clone Wars’ (Egmont/Titan). He published his debut graphic novel, ‘Celtic Warrior’, with The O’Brien Press in 2013.
http://sliney.blogspot.ie/

Emma Byrne / O’Brien Press
Emma is a graphic designer and illustrator working within The O’Brien Press as Design Manager and Art Director. She designs the covers for the company’s books, and works with the writers and artists of the company’s graphic novels.
http://www.obrien.ie/emma-byrne

Eoin McAuley / Lightning Strike
Eoin is the owner and publisher of Lightning Strike Comic Books, one of Ireland’s leading independent publishers. Based in Dublin, they produce an anthology comic book, ‘Lightning Strike Presents’, among a growing range of titles, including ‘Afterworld’ and ‘The Life and Adventures of Sherlock Holmes’ (with Dublin Comic Con).
http://lscomics.com/

Paddy Lynch / Cardboard Press
Paddy is an illustrator and sequential artist based in Dublin. He hosts the Dublin Comic Jam, and co¬founded the Comic Labs. He illustrated ‘Big Jim’ (The O’Brien Press) and is co-¬owner of The Cardboard Press.
http://www.patrickl.net/

Anthea West
Anthea is a sequential artist and cartoonist from Dublin. Her debut graphic novel, ‘The Earthbound God’, was published in 2013. She is currently producing ‘Fate’.
http://dustbunny-studios.com/

Triona ‘Tree’ Farrell
Tree is a sequential artist and freelance illustrator from Dublin. She is a former member of the Superhero Help Desk, and has produced two comic books; ‘Swords & Sisters’, and ‘Azure Capricorn’.
http://treedesigns.portfoliobox.me/
CO/MIX was produced as part of the M.Sc. in Multimedia in DCU, 2014-2015, by Matthew Ashe, Paul Carroll, Darragh O’Riordan, and Ciarán Byrne.

Matt: Matt is a Fine Art graduate from IADT, experienced in video exhibitions, visual effects and 3D animation. He worked as Director of CO/MIX. He runs The VR Agency as its lead producer and editor.
https://ie.linkedin.com/pub/matthew-ashe/70/769/970
http://www.thevragency.co/

Paul: Paul is an English graduate from Mater Dei, and a freelance writer and multimedia producer. He worked as Producer of CO/MIX. He runs Comix Ireland, and assists in the organisation of the Geek-Mart.
https://ie.linkedin.com/in/paulcarroll1
http://paulcarrollwriter.com
http://comixireland.com

Darragh: Darragh is a Marketing graduate from DIT, and worked as web developer in Javascript on the CO/MIX project.
https://ie.linkedin.com/in/darragh11

Ciarán: Ciarán is an experienced graphic designer and sound designer. He led the sound engineering and graphic elements of CO/MIX.
https://ie.linkedin.com/in/mrciaranbyrne
http://soundcloud.com/adeyhawke

Article

CO/MIX: Understanding Comic Book Culture in Ireland

COMIX Logo

Taking a look at comic book culture in Ireland, CO/MIX is a web-documentary – soon to be web-series – produced by the production group at Blivet.co as part of DCU’s M.Sc. in Multimedia.

The series, which launches on June 1st, explores four core concepts: Convergence, Connection, Community, and Commerce. Through interviews with some of Ireland’s leading figures in the community and industry, and attendance at over half a dozen events covering the spectrum of what’s on offer in Ireland, CO/MIX provides a glance into the world of comic books from the point of view of four relative strangers to the community.

Interviewees include Will Sliney (Marvel), Anthea West (Dustbunny Studios), Emma Byrne (O’Brien Press), Eoin McAuley (Lightning Strike Comics) Stephen Lynch & Tina Branigan (Widdle Wade and Cyanide Kisses) and Paddy Lynch (Cardboard Press).

Directed by Matthew Ashe, and Produced by Paul Carroll, with Web Developer and Marketing Manager Darragh O’Riordan, and Designer and Composer Ciarán Byrne, CO/MIX is a launch pad for understanding the community and industry in Ireland, from the publishing, convention, artistry and fandom perspectives.

Subscribe Comix Ireland’s newsletter or to Blivet on YouTube to keep up with the series.