Posted in: Comics | Tagged: Bryan Talbot, LGBTQ, london, melinda gebbie, sean phillips

Things To Do In London If You Like Comics In September 2026

Things To Do In London If You Like Comics In September 2026 — Melinda Gebbie, Alice Oseman, Bryan Talbot, inQ! Queer Comics Fair, and Sláine: The Horned God play

Things To Do In London If You Like Comics is stacked for September 2026. Melinda Gebbie talks underground comix with Robin Ince, Sean Phillips signs Criminal at Gosh, Doctors Bryan Talbot and Mary Talbot launch Lo! An Amazon!, inQ! takes over Blackfriars for a free queer comics weekend, there's a Slaine The Horned God one-man play, and Ambi Con fills Greenwich Borough Hall. Between those are Cartoon Museum workshops, Quentin Blake Centre drop-ins and courses, Alice Oseman at Conway Hall, Local Comic Shop Day, and the usual Troopers, Reads, Drink and Draw, OverBoard and Comica Social Club nights. Exhibitions still running include Queer as Comics, Does my head look BIG in this?, Madeline Horwath's Well Actually and Quentin Blake: Performance. Dates shift, so check the links before you travel…

Tuesday, 1st of September

• Call Me By Your Name: André Aciman and Sarah Maxwell with Barry Pierce, Foyles Auditorium, 107 Charing Cross Road, 7-8.30pm. Aciman and London-based comic artist Sarah Maxwell discuss Maxwell's graphic novel adaptation of the novel, followed by Q&A and signing.

Wednesday, 2nd of September

• Nightmares and Daydreams: A.C. 2020 by Mirko Ilić – The Coningsby Gallery, 30 Tottenham Street, Private View
• Little Owls Storytelling, Quentin Blake Centre Of Illustration, 1 Myddelton Passage, Clerkenwell, 1:45PM – 2:45PM. Free Drop In. Come along to enchanting storytelling sessions aimed at under 5s and their families. Led by Centre staff and volunteers, sessions include illustrated stories and a simple activity.
• Introduction to Illustration with Lily Kong, Quentin Blake Centre Of Illustration, 1 Myddelton Passage, Clerkenwell. Six Wednesday sessions to 7th of October. In-person course on building an illustration practice, from play and voice to briefs and portfolio work, with illustrator Lily Kong (Hermès, Montblanc, Tate).

Thursday, 3rd of September

• Troopers, Soho, from 6pm. Those who know, go
• The Art of Melinda Gebbie in conversation with Robin Ince, Cartoon Museum, Wells Street, Fitzrovia, 6.30pm. Knockabout and The Cartoon Museum invite you to immerse yourself in the underground comix artist behind Lost Girls and the retrospective Melinda Gebbie's Greatest Fits. Admission free, RSVP info@knockabout.com.

• The Worst Thing That Could Possibly Happen launch with Guy Bass and David Roberts, Gosh Comics, Berwick Street, Soho, 7-9pm. Author of Stitch Head and Carnegie-shortlisted illustrator of The Dunderheads launch their dark short-story collection from Little Tiger.
• MarkMakerz IRL: Alternative Life Drawing Q2, Proposition Studios – Studio 110, Bethnal Green – 6-8.30pm Wumi "Wumzum" Olaosebikan brings you life drawing, with a twist! Expect music, art tips and a creative experience, we want to build a fun, vibrant community, so don't expect your typical silent sketch session. Each session will be focused around a (clothed) Life Model who will feature a range of poses throughout. The idea is to upskill and focus on form. You can do this however you like, with from pens, paints, poscas, or procreate!

Friday, 4th of September

• Comic and Manga Creators Group London, 7.30-9pm, Meltdown London, 342 Caledonian Road, Islington
• Fighting Fantasy Fest 6 & You Are The Beer-o present: City Pub of Thieves, The Forester, Ealing, from 7pm. Charity pub quiz warm-up for Saturday's convention, raising money for Guide Dogs in memory of Fighting Fantasy artist Pete Knifton.

Saturday, 5th of September

• Sean Phillips signing Criminal and the Lights of Soho print, Gosh Comics, Berwick Street, Soho, 2-3pm. Eisner-winning artist of Criminal, Reckless and Fatale signs the newest Criminal tale Five Gears in Reverse, classic editions, and Gosh's 40th-anniversary print of Soho's 1960s underbelly.
• LGBTQIA+ Family Drop In, Quentin Blake Centre Of Illustration, 1 Myddelton Passage, Clerkenwell, 10.30 am-12.30 pm.
• Fighting Fantasy Fest 6, University of West London, Ealing, 9am-6pm. Not quite central London, but an easy District or Central line hop. Guests of Honour Sir Ian Livingstone and artist Karl Kopinski (Tomb of the Golden Skull), plus Malcolm Barter, Alan Langford, Tony Hough, Robert Ball, Geraldine Cooke, Marc Gascoigne, Jamie Thomson, Peter Darvill-Evans and Jonathan Green. Talks, signings, gaming and traders including Forbidden Planet. Pre-purchased tickets only.
• OverBoard London – games, films, comics & geek culture, The Thirsty Bear, Stamford Street, Southwark, 2-8pm

Sunday, 6th of September

• Anime Sip & Paint, Big Chill King's Cross, Pentonville Road, 2-4pm. Chill 'N' Paint workshop: pick a brush and canvas and paint an anime character step by step. No experience needed. Under 14s with a parent or guardian. Arrive 10 minutes early.

• London Radical Bookfair, Stanley Arts, 12 South Norwood Hill, South Norwood, 11am-5pm. Free. Organised by BookLove and Housmans for the Alliance of Radical Booksellers. Stalls of books, pamphlets, magazines and zines covering politics, feminism, anti-racism, climate justice, queer liberation and community organising. Brixton Buzz preview
• Anime Sip & Paint, Big Chill King's Cross, Pentonville Road, 2-4pm. Chill 'N' Paint workshop: pick a brush and canvas and paint an anime character step by step. No experience needed. Under 14s with a parent or guardian. Arrive 10 minutes early.

Wednesday, 9th of September

• Little Owls Storytelling, Quentin Blake Centre Of Illustration, 1 Myddelton Passage, Clerkenwell, 1:45PM – 2:45PM. Free Drop In. See listings above
• Creating Comics with Purpose with Cathy G Johnson, Quentin Blake Centre Of Illustration, 1 Myddelton Passage, Clerkenwell. Six Wednesday sessions to 14th of October. Purpose-led comics course covering sketchbooks, scripting, thumbnails, pencils and inks, ending with original comic pages.
• Introduction to Illustration with Lily Kong, Quentin Blake Centre Of Illustration, 1 Myddelton Passage, Clerkenwell.
• Reads, Gosh Comics monthly after-hours comics reading group, doing its Small Press Show And Tell special, Berwick Street, Soho, 7-9pm.

Thursday, 10th of September

• Christian Ward signing The Forever Home #1, Forbidden Planet, Shaftesbury Avenue, Covent Garden, 5.30-6.30pm. Oni Press sci-fi thriller written by Ward with art by Sami Kivelä, out this week. Infamous billionaire Henry D'mour builds an ark that slows time while the world ends outside. Then something wants in.

Friday, 11th of September

• Comic and Manga Creators Group London, 7.30-9pm, Meltdown London, 342 Caledonian Road, Islington

Saturday, 12th of September

• A Seat at the Table Community Festival, Quentin Blake Centre Of Illustration, 1 Myddelton Passage, Clerkenwell. Free festival of embroidered food-memory napkins by Islington refugees and migrants, co-produced with artist Aya Haidar, plus planting, zine-making and live music.
• Anthology Signing Event: Land Of Oz and Hopeless Romantic, Forbidden Planet, Shaftesbury Avenue, Covent Garden, 2-3pm. Multi-author signing at the London Megastore.
• OverBoard London – games, films, comics & geek culture, The Thirsty Bear, Stamford Street, Southwark, 2-8pm
• Anime Nxtion Dinner Meet Up: Vol 01, Uzumaki London, 107 Great Russell Street, 7-10pm. Community dinner at the anime restaurant. Ticket includes a starter, a main or ramen, a dessert, and a drink.

Sunday, 13th of September

• Open House Festival tours, Quentin Blake Centre Of Illustration, 1 Myddelton Passage, Clerkenwell. Free tours and talks on the Tim Ronalds Architects conversion of New River Head. Also Saturday 19th.

Wednesday, 16th of September

• Lo! An Amazon! book launch with Mary M. Talbot and Bryan Talbot, Cartoon Museum, Wells Street, Fitzrovia. Free but ticketed. Launch for the pair's sixth collaborative graphic biography, Lo! An Amazon! The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Mary Wollstonecraft, from SelfMadeHero.
• Little Owls Storytelling, Quentin Blake Centre Of Illustration, 1 Myddelton Passage, Clerkenwell, 1:45PM – 2:45PM. Free Drop In. See listings above
• Unexpected Encounters: Illustration and Public Art, Quentin Blake Centre Of Illustration, 1 Myddelton Passage, Clerkenwell, evening. London Design Festival conversation with Graphic Rewilding, MURUGIAH and Hannah Lim, chaired by Hanna Benihoud, plus Q&A.

Thursday, 17th of September

• Lo! An Amazon! with Mary and Bryan Talbot, Dr Johnson's House, 17 Gough Square, 6.30-8pm (doors 6pm). £27.50 including a drink and a look around the house. Limited capacity. The Talbots present their new graphic biography of Mary Wollstonecraft in the 18th-century house of the man who invented the dictionary.
• MarkMakerz IRL: Alternative Life Drawing Q2, Proposition Studios – Studio 110, Bethnal Green – 6-8.30pm

Friday, 18th of September

• Comic and Manga Creators Group London, 7.30-9pm, Meltdown London, 342 Caledonian Road, Islington

Saturday, 19th of September

• Alice Oseman in conversation, Conway Hall, 25 Red Lion Square, 8pm (doors 7.30pm). Waterstones event marking 10 years of Radio Silence. The Heartstopper author-illustrator in person. Book-and-ticket bundle includes the signed 10th-anniversary edition and an exclusive signed print for collection on the night.
• Woodland Festival: Comic Creation Workshop, Sydenham Hill Wood and Cox's Walk, meet Crescent Wood Tunnel, 12-1 pm. London Wildlife Trust workshop on telling stories from the non-human world, from bacteria to badgers. Open to all; under-18s need a parent/guardian form.
• Using Comics to Create Tabletop Roleplaying Games with Daniel Locke and David Blandy, Cartoon Museum, Wells Street, Fitzrovia, 2-4pm. Ages 16+. How comics creators can turn worlds, characters and artwork into playable tabletop games, with case studies and practical tools from the makers of Out of Nothing, Eco Mofos!!, Lone Aeons and the forthcoming Islands of Weirdhope. Limited capacity, arrive 10-15 minutes early.
• Open House Festival tours, Quentin Blake Centre Of Illustration, 1 Myddelton Passage, Clerkenwell. See Sunday 13th.
• OverBoard London – games, films, comics & geek culture, The Thirsty Bear, Stamford Street, Southwark, 2-8pm

Wednesday, 22nd of September

• Sláine: The Horned God with Jason Buck, Canal Cafe Theatre, Little Venice. Authorised one-man storytelling version of the Pat Mills / Angie Kincaid / Simon Bisley 2000 AD epic. Ages 12+. About 120 minutes including interval.
• Creating Comics with Purpose with Cathy G Johnson, Quentin Blake Centre Of Illustration, 1 Myddelton Passage, Clerkenwell. Six Wednesday sessions to 14th of October. Purpose-led comics course covering sketchbooks, scripting, thumbnails, pencils and inks, ending with original comic pages.
• Introduction to Illustration with Lily Kong, Quentin Blake Centre Of Illustration, 1 Myddelton Passage, Clerkenwell.

Wednesday, 23rd of September

• Little Owls Storytelling, Quentin Blake Centre Of Illustration, 1 Myddelton Passage, Clerkenwell, 1:45PM – 2:45PM. Free Drop In. See listings above

Thursday, 24th of September

• Does my head look BIG in this? panel with Dave Brown, Nicola Jennings and Wilfrid Wood, Cartoon Museum, Wells Street, Fitzrovia, 6.30-7.30pm. Museum Director Beth Bryan chairs three artists from the portrait caricature exhibition: former Independent cartoonist Dave Brown, Guardian cartoonist and exhibition curator Nicola Jennings, and former Spitting Image headbuilder Wilfrid Wood.
• Wilomina: The Land of Dreams and Nightmares launch with John Chalmers and Sandra Marrs, Gosh Comics, Berwick Street, Soho, 7-9pm. Metaphrog launch their new full-colour children's graphic novel from Scholastic. Studio Ghibli meets Wednesday: Wilomina boards a mysterious train, meets a talking cat called Mephisto, and tumbles into Nocturna, where the nightmares are taking over.

Friday, 25th of September

• Drink and Draw, Gosh Comics/Royal George, Soho, from 7pm. Check Gosh closer to the date; the monthly session with Broken Frontier and resident cartoonist Mark Stafford usually lands on a late-month Friday.
• Comic and Manga Creators Group London, 7.30-9pm, Meltdown London, 342 Caledonian Road, Islington

Saturday, 26th of September

• inQ! London's Queer Comics Fair, London LGBTQ+ Community Centre, 60-62 Hopton Street, Blackfriars, free, family friendly. Weekend fair for LGBTQIA+ comic and zine creators.
• Ambi Con, Greenwich Borough Hall, Royal Hill, 11am-7pm. Non-profit anime convention with artist alley, live manga panel drawing by Khem.T, Geeky Beats orchestra, lantern workshop, manga swap table and after party.
• Manga Workshop with Chie Kutsuwada, North Kensington Library, 108 Ladbroke Grove, 2-4 pm. Draw-along bust-up and original character design for ages 10+. Materials provided. Currently listed as sold out; cancel if you cannot attend so a place can be freed.
• OverBoard London – games, films, comics & geek culture, The Thirsty Bear, Stamford Street, Southwark, 2-8pm

Sunday, 27th of September

• inQ! London's Queer Comics Fair, London LGBTQ+ Community Centre, 60-62 Hopton Street, Blackfriars, free, family friendly. Second day. See Saturday 26th.

Saturday, 26th of September

• Local Comic Shop Day. ComicsPRO's 2026 date is Saturday 29th. Expect exclusives, early releases and in-store extras at participating shops. Check Gosh Comics, Forbidden Planet Shaftesbury Avenue and Forbidden Planet Camden on the day.
• OverBoard London – games, films, comics & geek culture, The Thirsty Bear, Stamford Street, Southwark, 2-8pm

Monday, 28th of September

• An Evening With Rachel Harrison, London Film School, 24 Shelton Street, Covent Garden, 7-9pm. Forbidden Planet and Titan Books host Harrison for Kiss Slay Replay. Horror novel event, not a comic signing.

Wednesday, 30th of September

• Comica Social Club, The Lion and Unicorn pub inside Waterloo Station, 6pm onwards
  "Our monthly meetup is all about informality and fun. You can chat, greet, gossip, and network with like-minded folks. Share your latest creations, grand plans, or impressive wants lists (but we might run away!) or explore what's new in the reading nook. If you know no one, look for the Man in the Orange Fez, and he will introduce you to new friends."
• Creating Comics with Purpose with Cathy G Johnson, Quentin Blake Centre Of Illustration, 1 Myddelton Passage, Clerkenwell. Six Wednesday sessions to 14th of October. Purpose-led comics course covering sketchbooks, scripting, thumbnails, pencils and inks, ending with original comic pages.
• Introduction to Illustration with Lily Kong, Quentin Blake Centre Of Illustration, 1 Myddelton Passage, Clerkenwell.
• Little Owls Storytelling, Quentin Blake Centre Of Illustration, 1 Myddelton Passage, Clerkenwell, 1:45PM – 2:45PM. Free Drop In. See listings above

Ongoing Exhibitions And Events

• Nightmares and Daydreams: A.C. 2020 by Mirko Ilić – The Coningsby Gallery, 30 Tottenham Street, 1st Sept – Mon 7th Sept 10.30 am – 6.30 pm, closed Sunday.
  In 2020, as his city and the world shut down around him, the acclaimed New York-based artist and graphic designer Mirko Ilić returned to his first love: drawing comics. With unprecedented time on his hands, he crafted a sequence of single-page stories to reflect the mood of those times – eventually naming his accumulated series in memory of 2020 AD – or rather (as a quite different sort of "AC Comic") "A.C. 2020". Those initials stand for "After Covid", because Ilić continued to create his intense visual essays even as the lockdowns slowly began to lift, channelling his inner anxieties and minute daily observations into a set of starkly surreal images that combine his unique personal imagination with the distilled inspiration of a lifetime's influence – from Magritte to Moebius, Marshall McLuhan to Winsor McCay, Robert Crumb to Leonard Cohen. Topped and tailed here by new appreciations from the legendary Steven Heller and Dave McKean
• Death Note The Musical, until 12th of September, Barbican Theatre, Silk Street, Barbican. Evenings 7.30pm, Thursday and Saturday matinees 2.30pm. Stage version of the Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata manga, with Xander Pang as Light and Colin Ryan as L. Age guidance 12+.
• Library display: Sophy Hollington, Quentin Blake Centre Of Illustration, 1 Myddelton Passage, Clerkenwell, until 31st of December. Free rotating library display of linocuts drawing on alchemy manuscripts, folktale and Old English poetry.

• Does my head look BIG in this? The art of portrait caricature until 1st of November, Cartoon Museum, Wells Street, Fitzrovia.
  Provocative, insightful, and rude, the caricaturist hilariously reflects the society we live in, who we choose to vote for, and the personalities we celebrate. Visitors are invited to celebrate the art of portrait caricature from its origins in Renaissance Italy to its outrageous Golden Age in 18th century England and into its popularity in the present day. This exhibition is made possible by The National Lottery Heritage Fund and National Lottery players.
• Exhibit: Well Actually: An Accurate Enough Collection until 4th of October, Cartoon Museum, Wells Street, Fitzrovia.
  A collection of comics that Madeline Horwath did the research for! From Medieval poetry to Medieval diseases to Medieval art, this expansive collection of topics will have no survivors! Madeline 'Mads' Horwath is a cartoonist and humorist who sold their first cartoon to The New Yorker in 2019. They use their dark sense of humor to make comics about history. Since they've begun cartooning, they became a regular with The New Yorker, LA Times, and Chicago Reader before focusing their full attention to becoming a regular cartoonist for The Guardian in 2025. Having made a few cartoons go massively viral, they are able to balance out making personal work and freelance work for institutions like The Wellcome Trust in England. Currently, Madeline is working on a humorous art history book set to come out in 2027.
• Quentin Blake: Performance, Quentin Blake Centre Of Illustration, 1 Myddelton Passage, Clerkenwell, until 1st of April 2027.
  Over a hundred original and rarely-seen drawings in the exhibition, showcasing the theatrical influences of the illustrator, best known for illustrating the works of Roald Dahl and David Walliams. One of Quentin's most recent illustration projects will be on public display for the first time: nearly 40 depictions of Macbeth characters as birds.
• Queer as Comics, Quentin Blake Centre Of Illustration, 1 Myddelton Passage, Clerkenwell, until 4th of October.
  The first major exhibition on queer comic-making in the UK, depicting stories of fantasy, identity and resistance told across time by queer comic-makers. Spanning the 1940s to the present day, this first major exhibition of LGBTQIA+ comic-making in the UK will feature rarely displayed original artwork from comics, strip cartoons, graphic novels and zines. Most artworks are on display for the first time ever, with over 60 artists featured, ranging from underground creators to influential icons. It has been created by guest curator Paul Gravett and supported by an Advisory Board panel.
• MURUGIAH: Ever Feel Like… at the Quentin Blake Centre Of Illustration, 1 Myddelton Passage, Clerkenwell until 4th of October
  .A kaleidoscopic exploration of identity through vibrant prints, paintings and sketches inspired by Hollywood film, sci-fi and 2000s era pop-punk and will immerse visitors into the British-Sri Lankan illustrator and designer's world. MURUGIAH: Ever Feel Like… is supported using public funding by The National Lottery through Arts Council England, with major support by the Bagri Foundation, and sponsored by Procreate.

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