And here we are with another monthly look at what we’ve been up to behind the scenes at Broken Frontier. This time around things are going to be a little briefer because the workload is especially heavy right now, we hit an unexpected bump in the road that means rescheduling and probably having to bring Small Press Day forward (with all the extra work that entails), and there’s a number of other pressing off-site initiatives to work on right now as well. Details on all that soon.
But first, some words of gratitude to all the messages that came in following last month’s edition; many of which I still haven’t found the time to respond to! Thank you to everyone who offered help, time or encouragement. It was genuinely very much appreciated. Despite some preconceptions, Broken Frontier is actually a very tiny operation, forever trying to keep its head above water, and it’s reassuring to know that what we do is valued. I am very grateful to our (rapidly growing) team for everything they do to bring the very best of the comics universe to you.
Comics socials
The Gosh! Comics and Broken Frontier Drink and Draw IN-PERSON returned this past month with not one but two sessions in The Royal George, Soho in February. Alongside our cartoonist-in-residence Mark Stafford we had guest artists Matthew Dooley (Aristotle’s Cuttlefish) and Dix (The Idris File) on hand. And two other special guests as well. One of the coolest things about the Drink and Draw (and I’ve been co-hosting it since 2015) is that it gives a chance to showcase our Broken Frontier ‘Six to Watch’ artists. Mid-February that meant that Rein Lee (My Taxidermy Angel) – one of the most exciting prospects in UK indie comics – got their moment in the spotlight, and last week it was the turn of one of the newest Six, 2026’s Skai Campbell (Hog Hog: A Hedgehog Anthology). Creating opportunities for emerging creators is at the very heart of what we’re about here so getting them involved with events is always rewarding.
Andy and Skai Campbell at last week’s Drink and Draw
With that in mind I already have one ‘Six to Watch’ panel pencilled in at a festival later this year. We have a pool of 70-plus creators to choose from here so hit me up if you would like a BF panel at your event and I’ll see what we can do. Last year, for example, I chatted with Cara Brown, Mike Armstrong, Dominique Duong and Shane Melisse at Caption about their practice, building a profile in comics, and routes into publishing. We have some of the most exciting emerging talents ready to grab the opp so let us know!
Coming soon at Broken Frontier…
Last month I promised some insights into what we have coming up in terms of our coverage events on the site. Firstly, we can promise that our annual Pride Month will be back for June with something LGBTQ+ going up every posting day that month as per the last few years. At BF, as you are all aware, queer comics content goes up all year round but it’s also rewarding to make an effort above and beyond that in June. This year we are hoping to shake things up with a focus on interviews with creators making comics about their own lived experiences. Let us know in advance if that appeals to you as we will be working quite far ahead on this.
And in July, if all goes to plan, we’ll be celebrating Fantagraphics at 50 all month, with something Fanta-related going up each posting day. We’re very excited about that as our previous publisher-centric events have always gone down well. We have other things planned through 2026 too and we’ll let you know more as and when we have the info.
New Broken Frontier resource lists
As part of our commitment to tagging and creating comics resource lists on socially relevant work we have two new work-in-progress lists here. The first is a list on comics dealing with Indigenous Peoples. As we’ve said on the page itself: “Work exploring the stories of indigenous peoples with an emphasis on comics created by people from those communities detailing their lived experiences.”
Secondly we have a new list on Generative AI and AI “Art”. I just about resisted the temptation to call this one AI “Art”, Plagiarism and Theft-tech. But it was a close thing. Both of these lists are… shall we say… nascent. So suggestions for additions are very much welcomed.
As I said at the top, a shorter foray into the nooks and crannies of Broken Frontier Towers this month. Next month we will hopefully have some delayed intros to our new team members ready for you. Until then keep exploring the comics universe…
Andy
