Burnley Comics Festival returns to Burnley Library for its second year. Come along for author/illustration workshops, discussion panels, academic talks, gaming tournaments, music workshops, STEM activities, cosplay competitions and local artist stalls. Events do not require booking and are free to attend.
Workshops include:
- World-Building with local author Ben Kilgallon – 10:00 – 11:00 Local fantasy author Ben Kilgallon will be hosting a world-building workshop based on his book Fulminia: the Making of a Hero.
- Reading Heroes Illustration Workshop – 10:00 – 11:00 Lancashire Libraries Reading Heroes Illustrator Heather Smith will be guiding you through creating your own character to invent a new superhero or villain. There will also be activities to complete the reading challenge tasks.
- UCLAN The Science of Superheroes Workshop – 12:30 – 14:30 University of Central Lancashire will be hosting a workshop putting together gadgets worthy of the greatest superheroes
Talks and Panels include:
- Make Ours Marvel with Dr. Martin Flanagan – 12:00 – 13:00 Dr. Martin Flanagan, co-author of The Marvel Studios Phenomenon, will explore the history of Marvel Comics and the personalised connection formed with their readers and fans.
- Reclaim Women in Nerd Culture Panel – 13:00 – 14:30 Activists from Reclaim Blackpool, a grassroots movement for women’s safety, will be joined by female-identifying gamers, cosplayers, and all-round nerds to chat about how women are represented and treated in nerd culture.
- UCLAN The Science of Superheroes Talk – 15:30 – 16:00 University of Central Lancashire will host an accompanying talk to the Science of Superheroes workshop to reveal the scientific realities behind famous comic book legends and blockbusting movie icons.
Activities include:
- CULTPLEX Gaming Tournament – 10:00 – 16:30 Manchester-based cinema and events organisation CULTPLEX will be hosting a family-friendly gaming tournament with games including Mario Kart.
- Code Your Own Bots STEM Activity – 09:30 – 11:30 Try your hand at coding various different bots to make them do commands! A beginners look at the different ways to use coding for fun.
- LMS Digital Music Composition Activity – 10:00 – 12:00 Lancashire Music Service will be hosting a digital music composition activity using iPads to create video game style musical masterpieces.
- Local Creatives Merchandise Stalls – 09:30 – 16:30 Local artists, craft-makers, authors, and more will be selling their nerdy wares on stalls throughout the library.
- Cosplay Competition – 09:30 – 16:30 Attend as your favourite pop culture character and be in with a chance of winning a prize.
- CULTPLEX MAGL Tournament – 18:00 – 20:00 Manchester-based cinema and events organisation CULTPLEX will be hosting the Manchester Amateur Gaming League – test your competition nature with this gaming showdown! This session requires pre-booking – see more
