University campus to host world famous comic artists

Top comic artists will kick off Barrow Does Comics this Friday, launching Barrow’s brand new event from The Lakes International Comic Arts Festival and Barrow BID, which takes place on Saturday 18th April.

The University of Cumbria Barrow Campus, based on Buccleuch Dock Road, will welcome Charlie Adlard, Sean Phillips and Michael Lark for “Drawn to The Screen”, an intimate live drawing event hosted by Keli Lark.

These top artists will be drawing live to iconic music from TV and film, with insights, stories and a Q&A session from the host. The event will start the Barrow Does Comics weekend, with artists hosting workshops, panels and signings in town centre venues on Saturday. 

Charlie Adlard, best known for his work on The Walking Dead, has also contributed to major titles including Batman, Superman and The X-Files, among many others. Michael Lark has worked in the comics industry for nearly 30 years, illustrating iconic characters such as Spider-Man, Captain America and Batman. Sean Phillips has been drawing professionally since the age of 15 and has worked on titles including Batman, X-Men and Stephen King’s The Dark Tower. His latest project, Criminal, is soon to be released as a television series for Amazon Prime.

These leading figures from the world of comics will draw on their extensive experience to give audiences an insight into their creative process, showing how characters are developed from initial concept through to finished artwork. With all three having worked on Batman, they will also discuss their individual approaches, techniques and artistic styles.

Julie Tait, director of The Lakes International Comic Arts Festival, said “This is a unique opportunity to experience the incredible talent of three of the biggest global names in comic art all in one captivating and entertaining evening at the new University of Cumbria campus in Barrow.”

The event will showcase the University of Cumbria’s brand new campus here in Barrow, utilising its state of the art facilities and technology. Guests will be collected from The Meeting Place on Duke Street and transported to the campus on a vintage bus, taking in the views over the dock along the way.

Rob Wilson, University of Cumbria Barrow campus manager, said “We are delighted to be hosting such an exciting and unique event at our new Barrow campus. Bringing together artists of this calibre offers a fantastic opportunity for our community to experience live comic art in a new and engaging way, and we are proud to support events that celebrate creativity and storytelling.”

Guests will be taken back to The Meeting Place following the live draw, where they will enjoy free entry to an evening of live music and entertainment to round off the event.

This exclusive event is free to attend, but tickets are required.

Book your free tickets here.