Meanwhile in Coventry - a splendid show

 Here's me and my table at this weekend's Meanwhile comic festival in Coventry, and an absolute treat it was. I did no classes, no talks, just stood behind my table and sold comics all day, then went out and talked nonsense with smashing people all night. 

Friday night was drinks at a place called Commonground, an artists studio in a creative quarter called Fargo Village. You'll see me there next to Alan Holloway, whose table I adjoined all weekend, and Tony Lee, with whom I spent the most time. Tony has the most life-changing advice for all writers, and that is to write procedural crime novels. He seem to suggests they don't need to be very good and you'll make a fortune. Well, I'm inspired enough to give it a go.

Hev and I were staying in a lovely serviced apartment (aka Hire-It House, that term is copyright Hev) which was perfect for our stay, and a convenient distance from the venue, though I must say carrying boxfulls of comics from there for just 10 minutes can still take its toll on my weedy arms.

The venue was a novelty in itself, a marque in the grounds of the ruins of Coventry Cathedral for which, I guess, we should thank the Luftwaffe. Of course the marquee got hot in the sunlight and noisy in the rain, but it was a good and light place to be, and a good few people breezed through, slightly more on Sunday than on Saturday. 

Most importantly, thanks I'm sure to my newly made point of sale displays, combined with my showman-like salesmanship I sold comics. I fear I didn't keep a good record of the cash sales, or books that I gave away or swapped, but I can tell you that my Zettle sales were £98.99 Saturday and £128.98 Sunday, the most popular book being Midsummer Nights Dream Team (12), Prince Of Denmark Street (9), and Findlay Macbeth (6), plus a couple of Socks Superheroes and Hot Rod Cows. I sold more of all of these with cash. Sadly I only took a full stock check on Sunday, but I can say I brought two boxes full and went away with only one box. So, that many. Plus three pages of original art, at £25 each. These totals weren't enough to cover the cost of the hire-it house, but I truly felt it was worth it. I made a few contacts who seem interested in classes, I got my books into the hands of a wider public, and I had a great time. The best of which was feeling accepted by the comics community again.

Here are four of the superstars of the comics world, into whose company I was delighted to be welcomed, and all of whom have done my Comic Cuts podcast and with whom I joined in the Drink & Draw at Coventry Cathedral on Saturday night. They are Sonia Leong, Rachael Smith, Laura Howell and Hannah Berry, and I wish I could be as good as any one of them. Photo by Tony Lee.

Coventry has proven itself for the second time in a month, to be a city full of treats and surprises (only a few weeks ago we enjoyed the Two Tone exhibition and the Coventry Music Museum, which I realise I haven't even mentioned in my blog), and the Meanwhile festival has been a delight. It's much smaller than, say, the Bristol cons of old, but is all the better for that, because a small group of us gets to mingle and socialise. I look forward to seeing how the Lakes in October and Thought Bubble in November compare.

Kev F Sutherland, as well as writing and drawing for The Beano, Marvel, Doctor Who, and graphic novels adapted from Shakespeare, runs Comic Art Masterclasses in schools, libraries and art centres - email for details, and follow him on Facebook and Twitter. He is the host of the podcast Comic Cuts The Panel Show.