A Fife comic book artist is launching the first ever Scottish Comic Book Day to celebrate local talent.
Colin Maxwell, a Dumfermline-based artist for Commando, has marked November 27 as the debut Scottish Comic Book Day. The day will be celebrated on the last Saturday of November each year.
He hopes people will use the event to celebrate the “significant” contribution of Scottish artists and companies in the industry.
Some big Scottish names have also agreed to mark the day with signings, promotions and events.
‘Gone on to do big things’
Colin, 50, said the idea sprung from social media posts for International Comic Day.
He said: “It made me think about why there’s not a Scottish Comic Book Day, as Scottish creators make a significant contribution to the industry.
“There’s a big independent comic community in Scotland, and some have gone on to do big things.
“Glasgow comic writer Mark Millar sold his comic publishing company Millarworld to Netflix for a reported $26m dollars.
“Some of the biggest names in comics include Scotland’s own Frank Quitely and Grant Morrison.”
The Commando artist hopes the day will celebrate the achievements of local talent, and also encourage newcomers into the field.
“Lots of people were keen on the idea, including people who run Comic Cons and shops,” said Colin.
“Several comic book shops also said they’ll participate in some way, like having writers or artists along for the day or doing a promotion on Scottish comic books.
“Both comic shops in my native Fife will be hosting comic creators on the day to sign copies of their books.
“We’re hoping to make it a yearly event and promote local creators and encourage newcomers into the community.”
‘Incredibly welcoming’
Colin said his experience of the industry in Scotland has been positive and encourages anyone interested to get involved.
He said: “There’s a really supportive community in Scotland.
“I’ve been making comics since 2014 and I went to my first convention a year later.
“Everyone I met was incredibly welcoming.
“I’ve made lots of friends over the years and seen people go on to great things.
“We send ideas to each other and help people out — it’s very collaborative.
Celebrate the cultural impact of #Scotland on the #comics industry. We have a burgeoning #indiecomics scene and a wealth of talent who have found great success in the industry. Let’s celebrate the diversity of our creations and showcase it far and wide. pic.twitter.com/fkiPmlKrqZ
— Scotcomicsday (@scotcomicsday) November 15, 2021
“Some community groups have sprung up around Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow.
“It would be lovely to have more face to face events going forward, but things are understandably cautious right now.”
Colin will be appearing at his local Little Shop of Heroes alongside fellow Commando artist Ian Kennedy.
Commando comic is now celebrating its 60th year and holds the record as Britain’s most published comic with over 5000 issues.
People can follow events for the Scottish Comic Book Day on Twitter and Facebook.
