Last weekend saw the debut of the London Comic & Small Press Expo, though in fairness it was picking up where the long-running London-based UK Web & Mini Comix Thing left off. It’s tempting for both exhibitors and attendees alike to assume that this sort of baton-passing will work out well for everybody, with possibly even some improvements thrown in due to the fresh eyes of the incoming organisers.

Except, not so much.

It’s not the best start to the day when even exhibitors can’t find the place. Especially when the host building is clearly visible as soon as you walk straight out of the tube station - there’s a level of frustration that you get when you can see where you’re supposed to be going, but can’t get there, that’s difficult to express. Somehow, Tim and I then wasted ten minutes walking around the campus before heading to reception, on the assumption that might be helpful. It wasn’t, but it did lead us to other equally lost and annoyed people, so we followed them. Arriving late to our table, we hastily set up and waited for the crowds.

Again, not so much.

There’s a problem starting an event at ten o’clock on a Saturday morning in London. People who need to travel to attend don’t bother - with good reason - to wake at the crack of dawn to do so. People who live in London don’t wake at the crack of dawn either, because it is an ungodly thing to be doing, especially on a weekend, and when the event runs all day. As an exhibitor, it is frustrating to start early, travel up on the train and tube with shoulder bags full of comics to sell, only to sit on your arse for almost two hours with few sales. Not as frustrating as the hall closing - quite definitively - at five, even though the event has plainly only just got started.  

Easily solved problems - proper signage (maybe even a steward or two strategically situated outside and on the main road) and adjusted opening times. Organisers Fallen Angel - who picked up a similarly dropped baton in 2009 when the Bristol Comic Expo downscaled to such a degree that almost the entire British small press seemed about to lose out on one of its best selling events - have been excellent at listening and responding to feedback. Their Bristol Comic & Small Press Expo has benefitted from this approach greatly, even in the two short years they’ve been involved. I have little doubt they’ll make something similarly impressive with the London Comic & Small Press Expo, once these unfortunate rough edges are smoothed out.

The venue itself was impressively large, with the same sort of room exhibitors have enjoyed at the Bristol event - it’s easy to cram the tables in every which way, but little thought is often given to room between and behind tables so that exhibitors can move their chairs back, stand comfortable and even pace a little, and to have somewhere to place their boxes and bags that isn’t under the table. Little thoughts like this make an event so much more pleasant. The adjacent cafe was likewise appreciated - reasonably priced food and drink also goes a long way to improving the experience.

As to the day itself - ironically, despite the grumbles, we did very well. In fact, we covered our table cost, train fare, as well as our meals and a pint in the pub after. Can’t say fairer than that. Our thanks to everyone who came by our table and bought a book or a comic, or asked for a sketch. It’s all very encouraging, and very much appreciated.

Despite promising myself - as I do every time - that I would peruse and buy some of the new comics by people I don’t already know, I again failed to do so. There’s so much excellent, interesting, charming material out there, it’s not possible to keep on top of it all, even if you weren’t so scatterbrained and easily distracted as I am. Suffice to say, if you click on any of the following names from whom I got comics this year, I can guarantee quality reading from: Warwick Johnson Cadwell, Chris Doherty, Douglas Noble, Simon M, Nick Soucek, Howard Hardiman, Nige Lowrey, and Richard Cowdry’s The Comix Reader - and special mention to German publisher Zwerchfell, who were introducing English language versions of their work at excellent prices (I bought a beautiful black and white zombie comic for a quid, and got a full colour sampler issue thrown in - which, as they say, you cannot beat with a stick).

Also out of the event came a couple of interesting collaborations that I hope to reveal as soon as I have something more concrete to report. Tim and I normally come back from comic conventions enthused and reinvigorated, ready to crack on with renewed vigour with whatever project we’re working on - this year was no exception.