David Baillie joins the team
Portsmouth Comic Con – International Festival of Comics is delighted to welcome Scottish comic book artist and writer, David Baillie, to the team as Programme Consultant for the popular and expanding convention held annually at Portsmouth Guildhall.
With his latest creations including the critically acclaimed Glasgow-set dark fantasy series, Red Thorn, for Vertigo/DC Comics and graphic novel, Chopper: Wandering Soul with Brendan (Mad Max) McCarthy, Baillie’s work regularly appears in the legendary British weekly 2000AD, as well as stories for DC Comics, Judge Dredd Megazine and Heavy Metal.
David has also helped devise TV projects for Gaumont, BBC and Ragdoll Productions, and his screenwriting has been nominated for the Red Planet Prize, the BBC Scotland Writes Award and a BAFTA Rocliffe.
Having attended Comic Cons across the world as a guest and visitor over the last 20 years, this will be the first time that David has been involved in organising one. Looking forward to the challenge David said, “As a guest you occasionally hang out afterwards with the organisers, and they sometimes, out of sheer naivety I suppose ask us comics pros what we’d change about their event. After a few years of politely saying nothing, more recently I’ve become a fount of often unsolicited advice. I love comics so much, and conventions by extension, that I always have a million ideas and now it’s time to put my money where my mouth is!”
As a big fan of Portsmouth Comic Con, David got involved via his friends at Tripwire Magazine, who had performed a similar role for the Con in its early years. For the event taking place on Saturday 7th and Sunday 8th May 2022, David will be working with the team at The Guildhall Trust to deliver the carried over Con which features a stellar artists alley line-up, panels, exhibitions, cosplay, steampunk, gaming, a comic city full of merch and special features, She-Quential Saturday – A Celebration of Female Superheroes and A World of Witchcraft & Wizardry!
For the future, David thinks Portsmouth could become a British cross between San Diego and Angoulême – a festival and celebration of the medium, drawing fans from all over the globe, “With its gorgeous coastal location and fabulous history, Portsmouth Comic Con has a fantastic atmosphere which gathers together a really passionate group of fans, and I can’t wait to work with the team on my ideas around the event’s ethos, guests, events, workshops and more”
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Tickets are available now at www.portsmouthcomiccon.com with a range of day session tickets and fantastic value full weekend tickets available. With many sessions a sell-out each year, visitors are advised to book now to avoid disappointment.