ARTISTS from across Australia will be pitching up at this year's Lakes International Comic Art Festival with the Caravan of Comics visiting the UK this autumn.

READ MORE: Full Comic Art Festival 2017 programme revealed

Several comic creators have joined this year's line-up of both British and international guests for its weekend-long event, taking place in Kendal from Friday October 13th to Sunday 15.

Launched in 2012, the Caravan project has visited numerous festivals and comics retailers throughout the United States and Canada since its inception, showcasing some of the best Australian comics and building relations between other creators across the globe. This is the first time it has travelled to the UK.


Returning to the festival after several well-received appearances will be Bruce Mutard, joined by some of the best and up-and-coming artists and writers from down under, including another returning comics creator and educator, Stuart Medley, as well as Rachel Ang, Leonie Brialey, Sarah Firth, Chris Gooch and 2000AD artist Mark Sexton.

Festival director Julie Tait says: "We've wanted to bring more Australian creators to the Lakes International Comic Art Festival for ages, and thanks to Australia Council for the Arts and behind the scenes campaigning by Bruce and Stuart, we're delighted so many talented artists and writers are heading to the Lake District to join us in Kendal this October."


Rachel Ang's projects include the role of art director for Pencilled In, a new magazine devoted to publishing and promoting the work of Asian-Australian writers and artists, while fellow Melbourne-based artist Leonie Brialey, is a cartoonist and writer who is interested in graphic medicine and cartooning as a way of distilling thought and emotion through the body.

Sarah Firth is currently working on her debut graphic novel that explores personal narratives woven together with philosophy, psychology, science and theory, and it will be a great time to meet Chris Gooch this year in Kendal, as his first book, Bottled, comes out with Top Shelf comics in September.

No stranger to the Lakes festival, comic creator and educator Stuart Medley has presented his character design workshops in the UK, Europe and Australia, and has run comics study tours to Japan, France and Belgium.

Another of the Australian creators with new work will be Bruce Mutard, whose latest graphic novels, Bully Me will debut at the Lakes International Comic Art Festival.

Rounding off the Caravan of Comics is Mark Sexton, who's currently fulfilling a childhood dream of working for 2000AD, providing art for the famous Judge Dredd, as well as other stories in the landmark 2000th issue, which was published at the end of 2016. He is also developing four graphic novel projects, and working for Marvel Studios on a number of their hugely successful superhero films.

The full programme of events is now live on the festival's website, along with details about its new Weekend Pass. For more information, visit www.comicartfestival.com