Start a Comics Meetup: A Guide for Comic Creators
by Letty Wilson
Table of contents
- Intro
- Find your community
- In-person or online?
- Venues
- How to hold a discussion, or, do you even want to be a discussion group?
- The structure of a meetup
- Safety and inclusion
- Letting people know
- Resources
Intro
We comics people are strange creatures. We spend hours making comics, usually alone, and then (if we’re lucky enough to be able) throng into crowded rooms a handful of times a year to sell our books and hurriedly say hi to friends we only see at these events. One of the most frequent things I hear when doing my own scramble round the convention hall is “I wish we had time to actually talk, I’ve barely gotten away from the table today!” While events like this are energising, inspiring celebrations of our shared artform, a lot of comic creators feel starved for opportunities to discuss comics in a more relaxed environment, where we can actually think about how to do comics instead of mostly being focused on selling them.
A local comics discussion group is only one possible answer to this issue, but in my experience it’s a really powerful one. In my local comic creators group, Comic Cocoon, I’ve had a chance to feel part of a creative community with fresh and diverse ideas about the practice of comics creation, as well as a wealth of knowledge and experience to share - I’ve learned so much from cocoon meetings that isn’t in any university course or book about “how to break into comics.” More than anything it’s reinforced that I have a community with whom I can share in the joys and struggles of creative work.This guide is intended to help you start your own group - not necessarily the same as Comic Cocoon, but with the same aims:
- Building a local comic creator community.
- Giving a space for creators to talk about their craft and share ideas.
There are an increasing number of great resources to help comics creators with all aspects of their work, including collective efforts such as the cartoonist coop, and mentorships for early career creators such as those offered by CHIP collective. I’ll include links to many of these resources at the end of this guide, But as a general purpose way to build a local community support structure, groups like Cocoon are an unrivalled tool! It can be difficult to know where to start with this kind of work, especially in a modern age of isolation and fragmented online and physical spaces, but it is worth it, and hopefully this guide will give you some pointers so it feels less daunting!
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Find your community
Oh yeah no problem, right? Just find your community. Easy. I thought we were starting this group in order to find a community? Yes, you’re right, imaginary person reading over my shoulder. but it’s good to get an idea of what kind of creators are in your reach before you start. Depending on where you are in the world, you might have a good idea that other people make comics nearby, or you might be pretty sure that none do. If you live in a fairly remote or isolated area, an online group might be a good way to find like-minded creators without the barrier of geography to worry about. If you live in or near a larger town or city, it’s worth looking out for local venues that might already have comic-related events. If you’re thinking more of an online group, think of ways to foster community - are you interested in a particular kind of comic? Are you looking to unite creators from a certain marginalised experience, such as working parents, trans creators, or muslim creators? I’ll link some directories in the resources section that might help you look for creators you weren’t aware of - or weren’t aware lived near you!
Note: Always be respectful when contacting people to ask if they would be interested in your group. It's great to ask for help if people seem interested in participating, but be clear in what you’re asking of them, and don’t try to rope people into helping if you’ve just met - be aware of the demands you’re making on people’s time. We’ll have more on getting the word out about your group later, but when doing research on your community, remember that people
Good ways to find your community:
- Go to local comics and arts events - book signings, gallery openings, zine workshops, craft fairs, and of course, any local comic cons! in the UK, small press day is often an opportunity for local book and comics shops to host local artists for events - consider approaching your LCBS about starting events if you have one?
- Volunteer at community arts organisations if you have them - if you have a local zine library they may well need volunteers!
- Join discord groups for comics, small press and zinemaking.
- Use directories such as the cartoonists of colour database (the URL is down at the minute!) to find new artists and follow them.
- If you’re currently studying in higher or further education, this is a great way to meet other people who love comics! There may already be clubs or societies dedicated to comics, art, or other related media, and you will likely find other people interested in comics there.
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In-person or online?
I’ve touched on this already, but depending on where you’re based, a physical meetup might be difficult. I’m lucky enough to live in a big city with easy transport links to nearby places. But I grew up in the scottish highlands, so I know the struggle of finding other people to talk about comics with when it feels like nobody near you even knows they exist! It’s still worth looking into your local artistic community, as it may surprise you, but it’s also worth considering online communities.
Here’s a quick comparison of some key points where online and in-person meetups differ:
Digital:
- Accessibility: while it’s worth considering that not everyone has equal access to the internet, generally speaking there is a low barrier to entry for online meetups and groups. They can also be much more accessible for people with disabilities, or who are immunocompromised and would be at risk if they took part in in-person meetups. There's also the fact that with a digital group, you are not confined to a geographical area - you can have participants around the world!
- Engagement: some people find it harder to feel connected to others online. With voice and video calls there are ways to make meetups feel more “real,” but it is also common for online communities to go through periods of waxing and waning activity. You’ll need to consider ways to keep your community engaged and active. This said, because online discussions can be ongoing over days or weeks, rather than being scheduled at a time that might be hard for people to make, they can be ideal for members in different timezones!
- Practicality: not having to find a physical venue, or schedule meetings that will work with your own and others’ lives will make it much easier to get going. The cost of an online meetup is also likely to be much lower. It may require a more spread-out effort than in-person meetups in moderation, however, as discussions can get sprawling and making sure people are safe and respectful, as well as that people have a chance to speak up and take part, can be a big job! It’s also worth bearing in mind that online spaces are often unstable, and can change drastically or vanish completely if bought up by a new company, or if regulations change.
In-person:
- Accessibility: this should be a major concern when you are looking for a venue, and it can be difficult to find a space that is easy and welcoming for people to use, regardless of disability, gender presentation, ethnicity and financial situation. You are likely to have to accept a compromise of some kind. Even if you found a perfect space, in-person meetings will still be too physically or mentally taxing for some people to manage.
- Engagement: for many people, meeting face to face and talking together is a very engaging way to have a discussion. Speaking to people in person can be a really valuable way for many people who experience isolation and marginalisation to feel less alone. The UK comics community has a proportionally high number of neurodivergent, working class, disabled, queer and poc artists, and all of these groups are likely to face isolation that meeting in person can really help with.
- Practicality: in-person meetups are obviously valuable, but can be harder to set up - both in finding a suitable venue, and in scheduling meetups in a way that will work with your time and that of the participants.
Hopefully this gives an idea of the strengths of both options - you may already be leaning towards one or the other. Remember you can also have a combination of both - a forum where you can discuss things in a more relaxed way, share resources, and even have online-only meetups that include those that can’t make it to regular in-person meetups, which offer a more tangible sense of engagement with your community.
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Venues
These are just my suggestions for finding a good venue - you will know the needs of your meetup best. For online meetups in particular, the internet landscape changes so rapidly that it is worth doing your own research into what might be best for you.
Online venues:
Make yourself a website! Services like carrd and neocities offer free hosting for small websites, and the value of having a dedicated space online where people can go to find details of your group is invaluable! Whether your meetups are online only or in person, or a mix, it is well worth taking the time to make a website outside of another platform where you have the details of when, where and what the meetups entail, and some records of past meetups, both so people can see what to expect, and to keep an archive of useful stuff you talked about that participants might need to look up. There are resources for building a site in the resources section.
For the digital meetups themselves, I’d recommend discord, or a similar forum-based platform, that will let you keep track of multiple discussions. You might also wish to include voice or video calls, in which case discord is (currently) a good all-in-one platform.
In-person venues:
Depending on where you are, this might be a tricky thing to find. A venue that is relatively accessible, friendly to a discussion group, and free or cheap enough to be practical can be hard to find. Here's short list of places to try.
- Libraries - this is top of the list for a reason! Your local library is likely to have room for a small group on a fairly regular basis, will be warm, fairly disability friendly, have free wifi and bathroom facilities, and is likely to be cheap or even free to use. if you want to include a reading group of some kind, they will likely even be able to order in multiple copies of relevant books for you!
- Community centres, cultural centres, village halls - these are all spaces designed for community use, and if you have them, will usually be very happy to have your group. They may require a small booking fee, but many will be free or have a reduced price for groups that benefit the local community.
- Local independent bookstores, art supply stores, art galleries etc - most indie bookshops are keen to have events, both to mark themselves out from the big chain stores, and to bring in interest and custom from the community. They might be limited in space, so try to come to the venue once you have a clear idea of your needs and expectations. You’d be surprised which shops have an event space - even some large supermarkets have spaces for local groups to meet!
- Cafes and bars - Comic Cocoon is currently held in the event space of a local queer cafe, who very generously give them the space for free. Queer and arts-focused cafes can be great venues if they have the space, and will often have a low fee, or just give you the space in return for participants buying a coffee or pastry when they come. I’ve also put bars in this category, but be mindful of participants who may not feel comfortable in spaces where alcohol is served, or who may have trouble following a discussion in a space with music and loud conversation all around.
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How to hold a discussion, or, do you even want to be a discussion group?
Comic Cocoon, the group I’m familiar with, is structured around discussion. Each month we talk about a different comic-related subject, with a few questions to use as jumping-off points for discussion. It’s a really great way to give everyone a basis for discussion, and to tackle subjects that are interesting and important to us as creators. It’s only one way to have a comic creators group, though!
For a start, look at the community you’ve got - this is where your research comes in useful. Is your community made up of comic artists, writers, colourists, or editors? Are there lots of early-career creators, or more seasoned professionals? Do they work in small press, for big publishers, or are they independent artists? Think about what you are interested in doing as a group, and maybe ask some prospective participants their feelings. It's also fine to vary your group activities week by week!
Some things you could do:
- Creative meetups - these are meetups focused on making creative work together. They may involve drawing together - zine making, creative writing, or workshopping ongoing work.
- Reading groups - what about a comics book group? You don’t have to have a single set text for each meeting - you could also meet to discuss things you have read around a set theme, or these could be a variant of creative meetups, where you read each other’s work and offer thoughts or critique, or even your own creative responses.
- Discussion groups - as I laid out above, these tend to work by choosing a topic beforehand and using questions as a starting point for discussing the subject.
- Development meetups - these are more critique focused - participants bring their work in progress and talk about their process, and discuss their thoughts, seeking solutions to points of difficulty, as well as being a positive environment where people can be excited for each other’s work and offer collaboration and support.
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The structure of a meetup
Arrivals and introductions:
Have a clear time when the meetup begins, but leave some leeway for people arriving late or needing time to get settled. If possible when you advertise the session, you could ask people to RSVP to indicate they intend to come, so you know roughly how many to expect.
Once you’re ready to begin, it’s worth taking a moment to set expectations and let people introduce themselves. You can lay out what the meetup will cover and any ground rules you have, and any housekeeping things, such as the location of the nearest bathroom, or if you have a time you all need to be out of the space by. If your meeting is digitally hosted you can save time and space by having the rules you’d like people to bear in mind pinned, and having a separate space from the main discussion for people to post introductions.
The main discussion:
Whatever you plan to do at your meetup, be open to the contributions everyone attending can offer. It’s worth being flexible in discussion topics, activities and pacing, especially in the outset, as you find out what different attendees are most interested in, and the advice and experience they have to share. That said, your job as the organiser is to help keep people on-track enough that the point of the meetup isn’t lost, and try and make sure everyone has a chance to contribute. Simple prompts like asking if anyone has anything more to say on that subject before you move to the next question, or soliciting opinions on what has been said, can open up the discussion or give a cue to move on before you get too sidetracked.
Wrapping up:
In a physical space, you’ll likely have a time you agreed to finish up by - try and keep to that as best you can, and ask participants to help make sure you leave the space neat and tidy when you’re done - a good venue is hard to find, and especially if it is a community space, you want to make sure it stays a good venue for everyone using it!
At the end of a meetup you might want to go over some of the things you talked about and ask people who shared resources or examples to share them in an online format of one kind or another, so everyone can check them out. If you know when the next meetup is planned, remember to let people know, and if you haven’t yet got it planned, tell them where they can find out when it is announced!
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Safety and inclusion
Artists, and particularly comic creators, have a higher proportion of marginalised people than the general public. That means more of us are people of colour, are from ethnic and religious minorities, are queer or trans, have a disability or chronic illness, are neurodivergent, have mental health problems, are working class or impoverished, than you might expect. This diversity is a huge strength, and directly informs the vivid and unique stories and art we are able to make, especially when we can talk together about that art and the process of making it. So it makes sense that you should try and make your comics meetups a space where people are able to feel safe and welcome, and to take part without feeling like their particular circumstances are excluding them.
I’ve already touched on several things to think about when making your events inclusive to everyone, but here’s a rundown of the key things:
- Venue: if it’s a physical space, is it accessible to someone with a disability - remember that doesn’t only mean people who use wheelchairs. Does it have a bathroom that’s easy to get to? Is it very noisy or brightly lit?
- Cost: most people making comics aren’t rich! How much does your venue charge to use it, and how will that work out if you spread it among attendees? Is it accessible via public transport? If you’re using an online service such as zoom, does it charge people to sign up?
- Clear information: not knowing what an event will entail or the details of where and when it is can be a huge barrier for people who may already be uncertain if they’ll fit in. Try to publicise your events early and clearly. Always include details of when, where, and what will be happening, anything they should bring with them or expect, and have a means for them to ask questions if they have them! It’s a really good idea to have a website where this information is clearly displayed, not just to rely on social media posts, which you can’t count on people seeing.
- Welcoming: consider having a clearly stated inclusion or “safer spaces” policy - you don’t have to read it out at every meeting, but you can put it on your website, and have something to refer to if issues arise. Allowing people to introduce themselves and state their pronouns (if they want) and perhaps a little about the kind of comics they make at the start sets a good expectation and makes it easy for people to refer to each other respectfully throughout the discussion. Gently asking people who have yet to take part if they have anything to add, while making it clear that if they don’t, that’s fine, can help people who have trouble speaking up among unfamiliar people join in.
If problems do come up:
Taking the steps above, and being thoughtful in general about how you put your event together, will likely head off any major issues before they occur, but it’s worth thinking about how you will handle issues of unacceptable behaviour if they do come up.
- What do you consider unacceptable behaviour?
- How will you handle people forgetting the rules, or just being rude?
- Is there a way for participants to alert you in confidence if there is an issue?
- Is there a way for you to have help if you feel an issue is not something you can deal with alone?
In the UK, the comics community is small, and it is easy for systemic issues to go undiscussed, because when everyone knows everyone, people can be scared that trying to point out bad behaviour will have professional repercussions they can’t afford. Bear this in mind in how you deal with issues that might come up. Calling people out online or demanding receipts might be cathartic, but isn’t always the most productive way to deal with an issue and can blow things out of proportion quickly, and make your meetup seem far from a welcoming space. Listen carefully if someone comes to you with a problem, and consider offering a way for people to give anonymous feedback and suggestions. If you aren’t sure what to do, it’s a good idea to enlist the help of other people you trust, but remember not to share personal information about people without permission.
Generally speaking, your most likely issues will be people who are not being hateful so much as a bit rude - talking over others, not listening, or wandering off topic. Most of the time behaviour like this can be gently challenged, for example:
- “I think x had something to say, how about they go first and then we can hear your thoughts?”
- “It’s great you guys are excited but please don’t start another discussion while x is talking, thanks.”
- “It’s interesting that you say that. Does anyone have any thoughts on how it connects to [the initial question]?”
If people are repeatedly having these issues, it might be worth asking them privately if they are getting what they expected from the meetups, and restating what the group expectations are. It might be that they weren’t clear on some aspect of the ground rules, or there was some misunderstanding about how the meetups worked that can be easily cleared up, or it might turn out that these meetups just aren’t really for them.
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Letting people know
It’s so exciting putting together an event, it can be really hard to hold back from telling everyone before you have the details ironed out! But try your best - people will lose interest in an event that seems disorganised, or where they can’t tell if it’s going to be for them because there are no details available.
Key information:
- What is the event? Give it a name, so people can talk about it easily!
- What will happen? You don’t have to be super detailed, but give an idea of what the meetups are for.
- Who is it for? Is it aimed at comic creators only, or can fans, or people who write about comics in a critical or academic capacity come too? Is it for artists only, or writers and editors and other comics professionals? Do you have to consider yourself a “pro?”
- When is it? What time and date, and is it a regular event?
- Where is it? If it is a physical venue, be as clear and specific as you can. If it is an online discussion, provide a link that takes people straight to where they can sign up, join the chat, register for tickets, whatever process you have.
- Where can they get more information? Again, get a website! Put all the information on the website! Link to it liberally!
- What do they need to bring with them? Is there a cost? Should they bring work in progress or book recommendations? Are there set discussion questions they can read and think about beforehand? If you want people to respond to say if they plan on coming, make that clear anywhere you post about it.
Social media are a turbulent and constantly collapsing landscape, but they are handy for things like this. Pick a couple of sites where the comics people in your community are most active and post about your meetups there, encouraging them to share the information - you want to make sure it gets to people you haven’t found out about already - that’s how you build a community broader than just your close friends!
Consider local places you can advertise as well - there are many places that will publicise local community events for free. Again, your local library is a good bet, but also look for anywhere that has a public noticeboard, and get in touch with local arts venues that might put up a flyer for you. And of course if you have a physical venue, they will likely want to advertise, so provide them with the relevant information as soon as you can!
Thanks for reading, and good luck with your comics meetups!
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Resources
- CCIC’s Accessibility checklist for event organisers
- Queer comics database
- Cartoonists of Colour database
- The comic cocoon website, which includes previous discussion topics and questions!
- Small Press Day website
- Neocities - free website hosting for small websites (like this one!)
- Carrd - another option for a free small website