Geek Syndicate Issue 4 | Page 91

THOUGHT BUBBLE 2012 - About Thought Bubble Geek Syndicate ble will take place in November 2012 at locations around Yorkshire, with a centre-piece two day convention at Saviles and Royal Armouries Halls – Leeds’ largest conference venues. In darkest November, 2008, Geek Syndicate founders and editors-in-chief, Barry Nugent and David Monteith ventured on an epic journey. With barely the clothes on their back, they travelled to the unknown hinterlands of “up North” in a Volvo saloon with fellow two Syndicate members, Amy and Antony. The purpose of this quest? to explore the Leeds Docks area and specifically to attend that year’s Thought Bubble Festival. The convention was then in it’s second year and the comic convention portion of the Festival lasted only a day, with one of the best after party’s of any UK comic convention. Since that first year, Geek Syndicate has had a presence at the festival every year, a presence that this writer in particular looks forward to as it also means the now traditional “pre-Thought Bubble” gathering on the Friday evening. This year, for the second year running, the festival’s comic convention takes place over two days, with a party planned for the Saturday night. What can readers expect from the convention? The following is an introduction to the event by the organisers themselves (indeed, the words are taken from the Thought Bubble website). The Thought Bubble Festival is the UK’s largest event of its kind – an annual celebration of sequential art in all its forms, including everything from comics to animation, and beyond. We run a programme of friendly, welcoming events each year, designed to be as accessible to the general public as possible. Now in its 6th year, the festival has been extended over seven days with a jam-packed programme of events at a variety of venues across the city. Our aim is to cater to both long-time comic book fans and those who have never picked up a graphic novel before! The sixth Thought Bub- 2012’s festival will include free art and writing based workshops for young people and adults, talks and masterclasses lead by industry professionals, and a programme of sequential art related film screenings. Our special two day convention includes an incredible line up of leading artists and writers, and over 300 tables showcasing the best sequential art has to offer. The weekend will also feature portfolio viewings and competitions, as well as a huge cosplay parade. This promises to be one of the best events of its kind in the UK, so come along and join in the fun! The following pages provide an overview of the convention - panel listings, floor-plans for the two convention halls and the exhibitors that visitors may find useful. Following this information, we present an interview with the festival organisers. Antony McGarry-Thickitt (Quoted text taken from TB website.) 91