Posted in: Comics | Tagged: Alistair Pulling, Andy Luke, Bruce Dickinson, caption, kieron gillen, oxford

Kieron Gillen & Alistair Pulling: Creator Speed Dating At Caption 2026

Kieron Gillen and Alistair Pulling's Comic Book Creator Speed Dating at Caption Comics And Small Press Festival 2026 in Video

I am currently writing from my shed in Oxford, ahead of the second day of Caption 2026, the small press comic book art festival in the suburb of Botley. Small press comics, workshops and panels with a phenomenal guest list, it's as much about creating comics as it is buying them. And it also saw Kieron Gillen team up with his old friend and colleague Alistair Pulling to run a Creator Speed Dating workshop, in which writers pitch ideas and artists see if they might like to draw them. And I just sit there with my iPad, recording parts of the proceedings as a series of videos. Watch one, watch all, maybe get in touch with the writers who didn't find a partner in case you want to draw, or publish Loan Shards, Pets Vs Monsters, or All Fairy Cops Are Bastards.

And here's a look at some of the comic books that were on display. I also did my panel on Comics Journalism without exploding in irony. I also saw the power of the panel in practice, as straight after the Broken Frontier Six Creators To Watch panel, the Very Hungry Women comic by Daisy Crouch immediately sold out at the small press table.

Here is the panel breakdown for the weekend:

• SATURDAY 8th August
• 10:00-12:00 Cutlass Comics Workshop: Holly Raidl
• 11:30: Six To Watch Panel: Jua OK!, Daisy Crouch, Francis Todd, Shri Gunasekara and Yu-
• Ching Chiu, chair Andy Oliver
• 12:00-5:00 All Hands On Deck! Workshop by ILYA
• 12:30 Fifteens: ILYA, Pete Trainor, Alistair, Holly
• 1:30 Trans Narratives Panel: Jua OK!, Alex Taylor, Ky Lawrence, Aruudlay. Chair: Mollusc
• Dimension (aka Squid)
  2:30 Comics Journalism: Lydia Turner, Holly Raidl, Rich Johnston, Andy Oliver, chair: Andrew Luke
• 3:30 The Rickard Sisters illustrated talk
• 4:30 Writer/Artist Speed Dating: Kieron Gillen
• 6:00 Pub Quiz: Tony Hitchman
• 7:15 Auction
• 8:00 Close down (for volunteer clear out by 9pm)

• SUNDAY 9th August
• Unpack 12:30pm / Open 13:00, Close at 17:00 (18:30)
• 1-2 Well-Being Panel: Sophie and Scarlett Rickard, Debasmita Dasgupta, Shri Gunasekara, Al Davidson
• 2-3 Panel on AI: Pete Trainor, Hannah Berry, Karrie Fransman, Kitsuneart chair: Amy Letts
• 3-4 "Can comics change the world?" – The Politics Panel: Rich Johnson, The Rickard Sisters, Hannah Berry, Myfanwy Tristam, Chair: Shaun Picken
• 4-5 Discussion: Ethical Piracy?! Chair: Rich Johnston
• 5:30 Closedown

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