The all new, celebrity backed Kapow Comic festival comes to Central London next month and whilst it promises to be an orgy of comic book superhero signings backed by TV celebs, so far it seems to leave non superhero fans and my fellow small press publishers a little non-plused and cynical. The highest table prices; the heavy emphasis on the superhero genre combined with a heavy dosage of celebrity hype perhaps leave us all a little cynical of the trend for TV comedians debuting on the UK comic scene with their eyes perhaps, on the lucrative movie rights that talented starry eyed artists and writers might lead them to: but then, what’s wrong with that?
I have only been on the comic scene these last few years but I’m quite convinced there is a major need for change if this fantastic medium is going to prosper in future years. Jonathan Ross, Frankie Boyle, Jimmy Carr and co might combine fantastically well with the efforts of Mark Miller & Clint to shake up the perceptions of ‘comics’ as the great British public sees them. The aforementioned all have a passion for movies and entertainment; all have a track record of working successfully with the media and reaching people far beyond the range of comics, which in the UK Europe and the States.
Kapow might not be to the taste of many small press creators and publishers, but I do think it may be of benefit to us all for it to be a big success.
Details for the Kapow festival can be found here.
