Caption, the comics creator’s convention, returns in August

This summer, the East Oxford Community Centre is once again host to the comics festival ‘Caption’, Britain's longest continuously-running comics convention

Comic cons have been popping up left, right and centre like mushrooms recently with the larger London shows taking their cue from American cons like San Diego. But it's easy to forget that it was the UK that started the phenomenon and indeed it is Oxford that is proud to boast the longest running convention in the UK.

The festival established itself from the outset as the comics creator’s convention. The emphasis on workshops, panels and social interaction has meant that over the years some of the biggest names in the business have been drawn to Oxford to talk about their work, whilst at the same time new creators have been given a chance to be involved in the festival and rub shoulders with successful writers and artists.

All this has been happening under the very noses of Oxonians for years in the unpretentious surroundings of East Oxford Community Centre.

To quote Paul Cornell, a guest at Caption 2010: “It's good to have a comics event that feels right in a church hall with a tea urn!”

Creators from Oxford based comics companies 2000AD and The Phoenix will be in attendance, there will be fun workshops and activities for anyone who wants to get involved and a wide variety of comics will be available to buy from the Caption table.

(Don’t expect a dealer’s hall with endless merchandise and back issues - do expect fascinating panel discussions and excellent workshops all in an informal friendly environment).

Caption is proud to announce that guests include Rian Hughes (Dan Dare), Andrzej Klimowski (Stanisław Lem’s Robot…), Danusia Schebal (Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde graphic novel), Al Davison (Doctor Who comics), Paul Collicutt (Robot City Adventures), Karen Rubins (Victoria & Albert Museum comic artist in residence), Ian Rakoff (V & A comics lecturer, writer The Prisoner: Welcome to Harmony) and Charles Cutting ( artist for The Doings of Vincent John McKeown, Poet), with more to be announced in the weeks to come.

The convention will take place on 24th-25th of August and tickets are £6 per day or £10 for both days, so get yourself along! The EOCC bar will be open from noon to 5.00pm, for drinks and crisps as well, what more could you want?

• Caption, East Oxford Community Centre, 44 Princes St, Oxford OX4 1DD - 11am – 11pm Saturday 24th August / 11am – 5pm Sunday 25th August. More info at www.caption.org

SelfMadeHero gets set and goes with 'The Murder Mile'

Legendary athlete, Sir Roger Bannister runs for his life as a comic book hero in a new graphic novel from SelfMadeHero - The Murder Mile.

In 1954, the world-class runner took part in a number of heats prior to his historical victory at Ifley Road, Oxford in May where he broke the four-minute mile. His closest rivals in that earlier Arizona race were American Wes Santee and Australia’s John Landy, who both feature in the story too.

The real-life race forms the backdrop to Robot City creator Paul Collicutt’s fictional detective thriller, The Murder Mile, which combines his interests in art and athletics in his first graphic novel for adults.

It’s 1954, Arizona – Athlete Todd ‘The Phoenix Flyer’ Naylor is found dead in mysterious circumstances. P.I. Daniel Stone hopes for an open-and-shut case, but finds that Naylor’s death is part of a tangled web of conspiracies, cartels, and – worse still – Communists. Whilst Bannister, Landy and Santee edge closer to the four minute barrier, P.I. Stone faces his own race against time to track down Naylor’s killer before they too are eliminated. The price of victory has never been so deadly.

Brighton-based Collicutt is an award-winning children’s novelist as well as a keen athlete and qualified coach, who’s also on the board of Phoenix Athletics Club.

The book has an introduction by Olympic gold medallist, Steve Ovett who says “The four-minute mile is still today a standard that runners and the general public respect as the yardstick to measure success in the sporting filed of track and field athletics”.

Paul Collicutt studied illustration at Brighton College of Art, who has won the Parent’s Gold Choice Award in America for This Train. He's also a club runner, a qualified athletics coach and Chairman of the Phoenix Athletics Club.

SelfMadeHero is a publisher of the finest fiction, biography, history and humour in the graphic novel medium that showcases leading authors and artists from around the world: from the quirky and humorous to the political and profound.

The Murder Mile will be launched at Dave’s Comics bookshop in Brighton on 21st February, with a special signing session from Paul Collicutt, with copies sold there including an exclusive book plate.

• The Murder Mile ISBN 978-1-906838-62-1/ 128pp colour/ £14.99

• Paul's blog: http://paulcollicutt.blogspot.co.uk

• SelfMadeHero: www.selfmadehero.com

Comics @ Edinburgh International Science Festival

Edinburgh's many festivals often offer comics events but they do tend to happen during the Book Festival or the Film Festival so it is unusual to see something turn up at the Science Festival.

This year Paul Collicutt, author and artist of the children's graphic novel series Robot City Adventures, will be giving a talk and art workshop about his robots. The 1 hour event is suitable for ages 7 and above and will take place at 2pm on Tuesday 12 April 2011 at the Scottish Storytelling Centre on the city's Royal Mile. The cost of the event is a very reasonable £4.

There are more details of the event and how to purchase tickets on the Edinburgh International Science Festival website.

There are more details of the Robot City Adventures books on the Templar Publishing website

You can read an interview with Paul Collicutt on the Graphic Novel Reporter website.