Eden Court Theatre, Inverness, 27 – 28 March 2010

HI-EX!

THE BRAINCHILD of Highland-based artists Vicky Stonebridge and Richmond Clements, HI-EX! has gone from strength to strength in the last three years, becoming a major event in the UK comic calendar. This year’s Comic Expo was positively buzzing as hoards of zombies, storm troopers, monsters, superheros, Manga characters, exhibitors and comic fans descended on Eden Court for two days of events celebrating the art of comic creation.

Participants came from far and wide, including the HI-EX Hell Trekkers led by comic fan John Burdis. Starting their journey in the South of England, the Hell Trek minibus picked up comic enthusiasts all the way to the Inverness convention.

Dominant myths that comics are just for kids or that illustrative art is a lesser form, reinforced by a persistent and unnecessary divide between Fine and Applied Art disciplines in the UK, was gratifyingly challenged all weekend. It is impossible not to be inspired by the knowledge, enthusiasm and quality of work by HI-EX’s guest artists, and this professionalism presents the strongest argument for wider recognition and acceptance of the art form.

High attendance throughout the convention clearly demonstrates that there is an appetite and a need for a comic event of international scope in the Highlands. The vision of HI-EX’s co-creators in making the event a success year after year with very limited resources in support of both the local community and creative industries is to be wholly applauded.

It was wonderful to see a wealth of emerging young talent, especially amongst workshop participants. A Manga workshop led by artists Chi-Tan and Inko attracted over 50 participants of all ages, giving a great introduction to the process of character design and Manga style.

Building character visually and constructing our own list of imaginative triggers proved a liberating process and a lot of fun. Having contact with professional artists through portfolio sessions, talks and practical workshops is extremely encouraging in terms of industry awareness and development of the crafting of both image and text.

For aspiring comic artists in the Highlands the idea that a creative career on a global stage is indeed possible was graphically illustrated by this and other workshops over the weekend. Equally important is the opportunity for comic artists working largely in isolation in the UK and internationally to meet each other, network and potentially create new collaborative work.

The cross fertilisation between individuals working in the British, European, Asian and American comic industries is one of the most interesting dynamics of the event, together with consideration of the emergence of diverse and experimental comic work via the internet.

Some of the highlights of HI-EX! 2010 included panel discussions on a variety of themes including; Horror in Comics – What’s so good about being scared?, European Comics- Why are comics taken seriously in mainland Europe and not here? and Online Comics – Are they the future of the industry or just the latest fad?

Horror in Comics included panellists such as John Higgins (Watchmen, Judge Dredd, World Without End, Hellblazer, Razorjack), Jasper Bark (2000AD, Viz, The Beano, Way of the Barefoot Zombie), Al Ewing (2000AD, Judge Dredd Magazine, Solar Wind, FutureQuake, Dogbreath, Zarjaz and The End Is Nigh) and Charlie Adlard (The Waking Dead, 2000AD, Marvel, DC, The Crow, X-Files and Mars Attacks).

They discussed the exploration of taboos and archetypal storytelling in the horror genre, the differences between horror presented in comics, film and written text, and the real horrors of the modern world seen everyday in the media. Creating disturbance in the reader or viewer, not to simply conjure up horrors but to encourage people to actually look around them was a dominant theme, together with the symbolic function of monsters in the collective human mind and the influence of film franchises such as the Twilight series on perception of the genre.

Loss of identity and humanity due to the collapse of civilization was discussed as an essential agent of fear, with Julian Temple’s recent documentary Requiem For Detroit an illustration of the collapse of a real post industrial city. Resoundingly, it is what human beings do to each other that we fear most, and the power of comics to act as social commentary as well as entertain was highlighted by the discussion.

The Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre Company, performed by comedian, artist, writer and producer Kev F. Sutherland (The Beano, Bash St. Kids, Viz, Marvel 2000AD and Dr Who), was very entertaining and spontaneously interactive, running a gamut of humour from the toilet to the topical.

Kev’s sock’s took the audience through a history of film where Casablanca and the Seventh Seal were bizarrely but successfully entwined, provided musical musings on the Facebook phenomenon and delivered an absurd but hilarious rendition of Michael Jackson’s Earth Song. A show best appreciated by adults, the simple naive style of presentation worked well, allowing for an ever-expanding range of material.

HI-EX! continued its tradition of raising money in aid of Children First this year with a raffle and charity auction, including some stunning examples of original comic art and memorabilia. The third Highlands International Comic Expo was a resounding success, attracting participants of all ages and providing an entertaining and engaging programme to connect with whatever your age or level of interest in comic art.

© Georgina Coburn, 2010

Links

• HI-EX!
• HI-EX! 2010 image gallery