Posted in: Comics | Tagged: king o the cats, paul tonner, thought bubble

Paul Tonner Brings His King O' The Cats To Harrogate This Weekend

Published Wed, 09 Nov 2022 01:57:10 -0600

Comic book creator Paul Tonner will be debuting his new folktale-inspired comic, The King O' The Cats at Thought Bubble in Harrogate this weekend. He tells me "The King o' the Cats' is a traditional British folktale about a strange encounter with a mysterious talking cat. Early versions date as far back as 500 years ago and though there are regional differences, most follow a similar plot to the one represented here."

This illustrated retelling by Paul Tonner was originally conceived in English but it seemed to Tonner like a perfect candidate for translation into Scots. After applying for, and being awarded the Scots Publication Grant 2022, Paul worked with Dr. Michael Dempster, one of the leading Scots language experts in the country. Together they have created an entertaining, spooky and enthralling illustrated story, suitable for all ages. Or so he says, take a look for yourself…

Paul Tonner is an award-nominated writer and illustrator from Falkirk, Scotland. His previous comic, a modern fable called 'Death & the Bear', was shortlisted for Best Writer and Best Artist in the 2019 Scottish Independent Comic Book Awards (SICBAs). Paul will be releasing 'The King o' the Cats' nationally at the Thought Bubble Comic Convention in Harrogate in November and making guest appearances for Scottish Comic Book Day on 26th November 2022. The comic is available from www.paultonner.co.uk. Funded by the Scottish Government and administered by Scottish Book Trust, the Scots Language Publication Grant was created by the Scots Language Resource Network to support Scottish publishers and writers to publish and promote work written in Scots. This includes publishing new work and translating and printing existing historical or culturally significant work.

Thought Bubble is the UK's largest comic art festival; a week-long celebration of comics, illustration, animation, and more that culminates in this weekend's comic convention. Focused on those who create comic books, specifically the artists, and the writers, it is especially supportive of small press. The festival was founded in 2007 by Yorkshire artist, Lisa Wood, also known as Tula Lotay, and was organised as part of the Leeds International Film Festival to raise the profile of comics in the area. The first Thought Bubble was held on Saturday, 10 November 2007 in the basement of Leeds Town Hall and was attended by a couple of hundred people, but has grown a little since then. The convention originally ran throughout Leeds but, in 2019, due to issues with Leeds City Council and the need for more space, the convention moved to nearby Harrogate. And earlier this year, Lisa Wood stepped down from the role of director to be taken by Travelling Man's Nabil Homsi. This week's events are already underway and the convention begins on Saturday the 12th of November until Sunday the 13th of November. Bleeding Cool will be reporting from the show all weekend long. Do feel free to say hi!

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