Comic Mart

Comic Mart is the catchall term for a series of British comic book trade fairs which were held in the United Kingdom from 1972 until the early 1990s. The Comic Mart was one of the earliest recurring public comic events in the U.K., predated only by the British Comic Art Convention. Comic Mart began in London, eventually expanding to Birmingham, Manchester, and Liverpool, among other locations. The first few Comic Marts were organized and produced by Rob Barrow and Nick Landau; eventually they split off to produce their own versions of the event, and were joined by other regional organizers.

Comic Mart
Status	Defunct
Genre	Comic books
Venue	Comic Mart: Central Hall Westminster Comicbook Marketplace: Lyndhurst Hall, Kentish Town
Location(s)	London; offshoots in Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, and other cities
Country	United Kingdom
Inaugurated	1972
Most recent	c. 1998
Organized by	Rob Barrow & Nick Landau (1972–1974) Nick Landau/Titan Distributors (1975–1977, 1979–1992) Rob Barrow/Fantasy Domain (1976–2011)

Comic Marts, which were generally one-day affairs, were organized around dealers selling comics to individual customers, unlike comic book conventions, with their focus on publishers, creators, panel discussions, and other activities. The emphasis tended to be on hard-to-find American comics: Golden Age and Silver Age comics as well as new titles, which were not distributed to the U.K. with any regularity during this period. As the marts became more popular, however, British comics professionals tended to congregate and socialize at the shows and afterward in pubs nearby[1][2][3] (such as The Westminster Arms).

History

Dobson's "Mini-con"

The first so-called London comic mart was held in 1970, organized by "Godfather of British fandom" and publisher of the fanzine Fantasy Advertiser, Frank Dobson.[4] Dobson and a small group of fellow comics dealers rented out the upstairs room of The Eagle pub in Clerkenwell on a Saturday and called it a "Mini-con."[4] Dobson emigrated to Australia soon afterward, bequeathing Fantasy Advertiser to 19-year-old fellow comics enthusiast Dez Skinn.[4]

Barrow and Landau

As inheritor of Dobson's interests, Skinn planned another mart for December 9, 1972 — dubbing it the "Christmas Comic Mart"[4] — but discovered that Rob Barrow and Nick Landau had already arranged one, scheduled one week earlier than Skinn's. (Landau had produced the 5th annual British Comic Art Convention — which originated comics conventions in the U.K. — earlier in the year; Barrow was publisher of the fanzine Comic Fandom Bulletin.)[5] Held on December 2, 1972, at Lyndhurst Hall, in Camden Town,[6] Landau and Barrow's event was the first "official" Comic Mart, attracting over 250 attendees. Volunteers and sponsors of the first Comic Mart included Skinn, Phil Clarke, Mike Higgs, Stan Nichols, Derek Stokes, Richard Burton, Alan Austin, Colin Campbell, Dave Gibbons, Compendium Books, IT, Candida, Electric Cinema Club, Better Books, and Virgin Records.[7]

Barrow and Landau's second London Comic Mart was held February 24, 1973, again at Lyndhurst Hall.[7] Next up on the "convention schedule" was the British Comic Art Convention ("Comicon"), scheduled for the weekend of 21–22 July, at London's Regent Centre Hotel.[8] Comicon, however, was abruptly canceled shortly before it was scheduled, but was salvaged by Landau and Barrow, who managed to put on a one-day version of the show on 22 July at Comicon's usual location of London's Waverley Hotel.[4] A November Comic Mart made it the second one of 1973.

In 1974, Barrow and Landau expanded Comic Mart to become a more frequently held affair. The first Comic Mart of the year was held in January, followed by one on Saturday, April 27, at Holborn Assembly Hall, John's Mews, in central London. The free show featured an evening fantasy film marathon, including showings of the serials Blackhawk and Flash Gordon, and the 1954 film Creature from the Black Lagoon.[9] The 1974 edition of Comicon, again organized by Barrow (on his own), was held 20–21 July at London's Regent Centre Hotel, and was jointly billed as the "Comic Mart Summer Special 1974."[4] Denis Gifford, a key figure in British comics fandom, was the only "industry guest" at this combined Comicon/Comic Mart, providing the introductory presentation.[10][4] (From that point, Barrow took on the responsibility for the British Comic Art Convention, organizing that show for at least the next four years.) Subsequent 1974 Comic Marts were held in September, October, and December, also taking place at Holborn Assembly Hall.[9]

Publisher/editor Martin Lock timed early issues of his fanzine Bemusing Magazine (later known as BEM) to coincide with Comic Mart, and sold each new issue to Comic Mart customers.[11]

With Barrow focusing his energies on Comicon, in 1975 Landau continued the Comic Marts on his own.[12] That year he produced three editions — in June, August, and November — with the August event being a two-day affair, held at Central Hall Westminster.

The split: Comic Mart vs. Comicbook Marketplace

Landau staged two Comic Marts in 1976, in early October and late November, both at London's Regent Centre Hotel.[12] For the October 3 Comic Mart, an admission charge of 10 pence was levied (largely to discourage petty thieves, who had been making a nuisance of themselves).[12] The largest of the two events took up 6,700 square feet and featured 110 dealer tables.[6] Meanwhile, Rob Barrow (using his corporate entity Fantasy Domain, established in 1972), returned to the "mart scene" in mid-November, organizing a separate "more intimate" mart,[5] entitled "Rob Barrow's Comic Book Marketplace," at Lyndhurst Hall.[13]

Landau staged seven London Comic Marts in 1977, in such locations as the Regent Centre Hotel, Old Town Hall, and the Royal Horticultural Society's Old Hall in Vincent Square. Barrow, meanwhile, staged two of his name-branded marts, both at Lyndhurst Hall.

In 1978, Landau left the mart business when he found a job in the editorial offices of IPC Magazines.[14] He "bequeathed" the Comic Mart name to retailer Mike Conroy,[15] who put on three editions of his "New Original Comic Mart" in 1978, all held at the Royal Horticultural Society's Old Hall. For his part, Barrow put on two London "Comicbook Marketplace" events in 1978, both at Lyndhurst Hall.

1979 belonged to Barrow, as Fantasy Domain put on seven Comicbook Marketplace events that year, all at his favorite venue, Lyndhurst Hall.[16] In late November 1979, however, Landau returned full-time back into the world of commerce; having left IPC Magazines, he and his company Titan Distributors took back Comic Mart from Conroy, staging one show at Central Hall Westminster.[17]

Landau/Titan Distributors and Barrow/Fantasy Domain basically alternated months in 1980, with Titan Distributors staging five Comic Marts — including the special April "convention" — at their favored location, Central Hall Westminster;[17] while Fantasy Domain staged seven Comicbook Marketplace events at Lyndhurst Hall.[18]

In 1981, bi-monthly Comic Marts were being held in Central Hall Westminster,[17] with Barrow's Comicbook Marketplace taking the alternating months. Paul Gravett began his career managing the Fast Fiction table at the bimonthly Comic Marts. Gravett invited artists to send him their homemade comics, which he would sell from the Fast Fiction table with all proceeds going to the creator. The Comic Mart Fast Fiction table lasted at least through the 1987 show.[19]

The Comic Mart of October 16, 1982, featured a "Teach-In and Work-In" sponsored by the Society of Strip Illustration, with a number of creators from 2000 AD talking and presenting about their work.[20]

The 1983 London Comic Mart, held October[21] 15[22] again at Central Hall Westminster, was the host convention for the Eagle Awards, which were presented by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons.[23] (The British Comic Art Convention disappeared after the 1981 show, and the United Kingdom Comic Art Convention didn't start up until 1985, so there were no actual comic book conventions being held in London during this time.)

Comic Marts held in 1984 included the event of June 2; guests included John Ridgway, Gary Russell, and Richard Marson. The December 8, 1984, Comic Mart was billed as an "Ecape Event," and featured the creators of Escape magazine, including Eddie Campbell, Glenn Dakin, Phil Elliott, Hunt Emerson, Rian Hughes, Ed Pinsent, and Savage Pencil.[24]

Both Titan Distributors and Fantasy Domain were still going strong in 1989, when they continued to host competing marts on alternating months. At some point before 1989, Barrow moved his Comicbook Marketplaces from Lyndhurst Hall to Camden Centre. They later moved to the Royal National Hotel.

Regional comic marts

In 1976, Barrow expanded his operation regionally, hosting a September 12 comic mart in Birmingham at the Imperial Centre Hotel.[25] In 1977, he produced four marts in Birmingham[26] and one in Kingston upon Hull (held at the Hull Centre Hotel on February 26).[13] He returned to Birmingham in 1978, putting on two Comic Marts at the Birmingham Centre Hotel, held on February 11 and May 20.[27] In 1979, Peter Lennon took over management of the Birmingham Comic Mart, which was held on March 10 of that year.[28]

Meanwhile, in 1977 in Liverpool, Zephyr Magazines produced two Liverpool Comic Marts, one held on August 1[29] and one October 8, both at the Bluecoat Chambers concert hall.[30] (The organizers claimed that this was their 10th year producing comic marts in Liverpool.)[29] Zephyr produced three more Liverpool Comic Marts in 1978, on August 19, October 21, and December 16, again all held at Bluecoat Chambers.[31]

In 1979, Peter Lennon took over management of the Birmingham Comic Mart, which was held on March 10 of that year.[32]

The Comic Mart phenomenon spread to Manchester in 1980, with Bob Smart and Graham Holt producing five events that year, all held at Piccadilly Plaza Exhibition Hall. These shows had no connection with previous Manchester comic marts.[33] By the end of 1980, Smart was going it alone, adding Liverpool to the Comic Mart mix. In 1981, Smart produced six Comic Marts in Liverpool and five in Manchester.[34][35]

The city of Leeds joined the Comic Mart trend in 1981, with four marts being staged at the Griffin Hotel on Boar Lane.[36]

A Birmingham "Comic, Film & Fantasy Mart" was held at the New Imperial Hotel on August 16, 1986.[37]

Two Leeds Comic Marts were held in 1988, on July 30[38] and November 26, both at the Griffin Hotel.[39]

Six Birmingham "Comic Mart & Film Fair" events were held in 1989 at the New Imperial Hotel: on February 18, April 1, June 3, July 29, September 23, and November 25. They were produced by Golden Orbit of York. That same year, Golden Orbit put on four Sheffield Comic Mart & Film Fair events: on February 25, May 27, July 22, and November 18, all held at Sheffield Polytechnic.[40]

Later marts, controversy

By the mid-1990s, the London Comic Marts became overshadowed by the annual United Kingdom Comic Art Convention, as well as the penetration of the Internet, which made it easier to buy old comics at more reasonable prices. Titan Distributors was sold in 1992, at which point the original "Comic Mart" faded away. Barrow continued to hold Comicbook Marketplaces sporadically, even up into 2011,[41] but without the same fanfare.

In 2012, Barrow was given a one-year prison sentence (suspended) for possession of child pornography.[41]

Locations and dates

London Comic Mart

Event originated by Nick Landau and Rob Barrow, eventually becoming solely run by Landau/Titan Distributors. By the early 1980s, the events (which were generally held on a Saturday) became known as the Westminster Comic Marts.

Year	Date(s)	Show title	Organizer(s)	Venue	Notes	Source
1970	"A Saturday"	Mini-con	Frank Dobson	The Eagle pub	A small group of comics dealers rented out the upstairs room	[4]
1972	December 2	Comic Mart	Rob Barrow & Nick Landau	Lyndhurst Hall, Kentish Town	Over 250 attendees	[6]
1973	February 24	Comic Mart	Barrow & Landau	Lyndhurst Hall		[7]
	November 17
1974	Jan.	Comic Mart	Barrow & Landau			[42]
	April 27			Holborn Assembly Hall	Evening fantasy film marathon	[9]
	July 20–21	Comicon/Comic Mart Summer Special 1974	Barrow	Regent Centre Hotel	Combined convention; Denis Gifford the only "industry guest"	[4]
	September	Comic Mart	Barrow & Landau	Holborn Assembly Hall		[43]
	October 5					[9]
	December 14					[9]
1975	June	Comic Mart	Landau			[44]
	August			Central Hall Westminster	Two-day event
	November 8			Lyndhurst Hall, Kentish Town		[45]
1976	October 3	Comic Mart	Landau	Regent Centre Hotel		[12]
	November 28	Comic Mart	Landau	Regent Centre Hotel		[12]
1977	January 16	Comic Mart	Landau	Regent Centre Hotel		[12]
	March 26			Old Town Hall, Kensington		[46]
	May 14					[46]
	June 8			Royal Horticultural Society's Old Hall		[47]
	July 31					[47]
	October 2					[47]
	November 2					[26]
1978	January 22	New Original Comic Mart	Mike Conroy	Royal Horticultural Society's Old Hall		[15]
	June 10					[27]
	September 10					[48]
	November 5					[48]
1979	November 3	Comic Mart	Landau/Titan Distributors	Central Hall Westminster		[17]
1980	January 19	Comic Mart	Titan Distributors	Central Hall Westminster		[17]
	April 19				"Convention"	[49][17]
	July 12					[17]
	October 18					[17]
	December 13					[17]
1981	February 7	Comic Mart	Titan Distributors	Central Hall Westminster		[17]
	April				"Convention"	[17]
	June 6					[17]
	August 6					[17]
	October 17					[17]
	December 12					[17]
1982	October 16	Comic Mart	Titan Distributors	Central Hall Westminster	"Teach-In and Work-In" hosted by Society of Strip Illustration	[20]
	December 11					[20]
1983	February 5	Comic Mart	Titan Distributors	Central Hall Westminster		[20]
	October 15				Host convention for the Eagle Awards, presented by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons	[23]
	December 10
1984	February 4	Comic Mart	Titan Distributors	Central Hall Westminster
	April 4				Guests: "Marvel Bullpen"
	June 2				Guests include John Ridgway, Gary Russell, and Richard Marson	[50]
	December 8				"Escape Event," featuring Eddie Campbell, Glenn Dakin, Phil Elliott, Hunt Emerson, Rian Hughes, Ed Pinsent, and Savage Pencil	[24]
1988	August 6	Comic Mart	Titan Distributors	Central Hall Westminster		[38]
	October				John Higgins, John Ridgway, Lee Sullivan, and Doug Braithwaite	[39]
1989	February 4	Comic Mart	Titan Distributors	Central Hall Westminster		[51]
	April 8					[51]
	June 10					[51]

Comicbook Marketplace (London)

These events, produced by Rob Barrow's corporate entity, Fantasy Domain, were for many years held at Lyndhurst Hall, Kentish Town; at some point they moved to Camden Centre on Bidborough Street in Camden Town. In 1976–1977 the events were titled "Rob Barrow's Comic Book Marketplace;" from that point forward they were titled simply "Comicbook Marketplace." As opposed to the Westminster Comic Marts, these events were usually held on a Sunday.

Year	Date(s)	Venue	Notes	Source
1976	November 13	Lyndhurst Hall, Kentish Town	Titled "Rob Barrow's Comic Book Marketplace"	[13]
1977	October 15	Lyndhurst Hall	Titled "Rob Barrow's Comic Book Marketplace"	[26]
	December 10			[52]
1978	March 4	Lyndhurst Hall		[27]
	June 10			[27]
	October 14		Film showing of Black Belt Jones	[53][54]
	December 16		Film showing of Blazing Saddles	[54]
1979	February 17	Lyndhurst Hall	Free film shows; free admission	[16]
	March 24			[16]
	May 5			[16]
	June 9			[16]
	August 4			[16]
	October 6			[16]
	December 8			[16]
1980	February 9	Lyndhurst Hall	Free admission	[18]
	March 8			[18]
	May 10			[18]
	June 7			[18]
	August 9			[18]
	September 13			[55]
	November 8			[18]
1981	January 3	Lyndhurst Hall		[56]
	February 28			[56]
	May 2			[56]
	July 25			[56]
1988	July 17	Camden Centre		[38]
1989	March 5	Camden Centre	Free admission	[57]
	May 7			[57]
	July 16			[57]
	September 3			[57]
	November 5			[57]
2001	November 25	T.U.C. (Trade Union Centre) Congress Centre
2015	September 6	Royal National Hotel		[58]
	October 4			[58]

Northwest Comic Marts

Retailer/wholesaler Bob Smart's events in Manchester and Liverpool.

Year	Date(s)	Show title	Organizer(s)	Venue	Notes	Source
1980	January 5	Manchester Comic Mart	Bob Smart and Graham Holt	Piccadilly Plaza Exhibition Hall		[59]
	March 22					[60]
	May 31					[61]
	August 2					[61]
	September 27					[61]
	November 29				20 pence admission charge (includes free raffle ticket)	[61]
	December 6	Liverpool Comic Mart	Bob Smart	Bluecoat Concert Hall	20 pence admission charge (includes free raffle ticket)	[34]
1981	January 31	Liverpool Comic Mart	Bob Smart	Bluecoat Concert Hall	20 pence admission charge (includes free raffle ticket)	[34]
	February 28	Manchester Comic Mart		Piccadilly Plaza Exhibition Hall		[34]
	March 14	Liverpool Comic Mart		Bluecoat Concert Hall		[34]
	April 18	Manchester Comic Mart		Piccadilly Plaza Exhibition Hall		[34]
	May 30	Liverpool Comic Mart		Bluecoat Concert Hall		[34]
	June 27	Manchester Comic Mart		Piccadilly Plaza Exhibition Hall		[35]
	July 25	Liverpool Comic Mart		Bluecoat Concert Hall		[34]
	August 22	Manchester Comic Mart		Piccadilly Plaza Exhibition Hall		[35]
	September 19	Liverpool Comic Mart		Bluecoat Concert Hall		[34]
	November 7	Manchester Comic Mart		Piccadilly Plaza Exhibition Hall		[35]
	December 5	Liverpool Comic Mart		Bluecoat Concert Hall		[34]
1988	November 12	Manchester Comic Mart		Picadilly Plaza Exhibition Hall		[39]

References

1. Plowright, Frank. "Kevin O'Neill," The Comics Journal #122 (June 1988), p. 96.
2. Yang, Sam (October 1991). "A Loaf of Bread, A Jug of Wine and Eddie Campbell". The Comics Journal. 1 (145): 62.
3. Spurgeon, Tom. "James Robinson: Rising Star," The Comics Journal #199 (Oct. 1997), p. 65.
4. Skinn, Dez. "Early days of UK comics conventions and marts," Archived 2012-02-01 at the Wayback Machine DezSkinn.com. Accessed Mar. 3, 2013.
5. DMR. "The Insider Strikes," Bemusing #4: Comic Mart Special (Feb. 1975), p. 6.
6. Burton, Richard. "Meditorial," Comic Media News #29 (Jan./Feb. 1977).
7. "The February Comic Mart," Comic Media & The Comic Reader UK Edition Newsletter #3 (Feb. 1973).
8. Roberts, Peter (21 October 1972). "6th British Comicon". Checkpoint (25). Retrieved 2008-09-08.
9. "Britain's Largest Comic Fan Gathering: Comic Mart," Comic Mart Magazine (Jan. 1974).
10. "Comic Mart Summer Special 1974 poster". Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 18 February 2012.
11. Willis, Russell. "AN INTERVIEW WITH MARTIN LOCK (PART 1 | THE BEM YEARS)," Under the Stairs (2013). Retrieved Jan. 8, 2020.
12. Sallis, Ed. "Fan-Things," Bemusing Magazine #10 (Aug. 1976), p. 7.
13. Rob Barrow's Comic Book Marketplace advertisement, Bemusing Magazine #11 (Nov. 1976), p. 6.
14. Bishop, David. Thrill Power Overload (Rebellion Developments, February 2007) (ISBN 1-905437-22-6), p. 36.
15. Sallis, Ted. "Fan-Things," BEM #17 (Feb. 1978), p. 5.
16. Comicbook Marketplace Calendar for 1979," BEM #22 (Jan. 1979), p. 10.
17. "Comic Mart: Britain's Largest Comic Fan Gathering" advertisement, Comicon '79 program booklet.
18. "Comicbook Marketplace Calendar for 1980" advertisement, BEM #26 (Dec. 1979), p. 16.
19. "The Best Comics of 2005: Paul Gravett," The Comics Journal #275 (Apr. 2006), p. 62.
20. Comic Mart advertisement, The Comic Book Price Guide for Great Britain. Archived at My Little Underground blog.
21. Green, Steve. "This Month," The Birmingham Science Fiction Group #147 (Nov. 1983), p. 2.
22. "The Eagle Awards - Results: 1983," Eagle Awards website. Archived at the Wayback Machine. Accessed Jan. 27, 2020.
23. "News From Hither and Yon: Eagles Return, New Dog Strip, EC Update, Computer Comics," The Comics Journal #84 (Sept. 1983), p. 22.
24. Comic Mart vintage advertisement, The Comics Journal Special Edition vol. 3 (2003), p. 59.
25. Birmingham Comic Mart advertisement, Comicon '76 program booklet, p. 23.
26. Sallis, Ed. "Fan-Things," Bemusing Magazine #13 (May 1977), p. 14.
27. Comicbook Marketplace advertisement, BEM #17 (Feb. 1978), p. 8.
28. Lock, Martin. "News at BEM," BEM #22 (Jan. 1979), p. 2.
29. Comic Mart Liverpool advertisement, Bemusing Magazine #11 (Nov. 1976), p. 15.
30. Comic Mart Liverpool advertisement, BEM #15 (Sept. 1977), p. 6.
31. Comic Mart Liverpool advertisement, Comicon '78 program booklet, p. 66.
32. Lock, Martin. "News at BEM," BEM #22 (Jan. 1979), p. 2.
33. Manchester Comic Mart advertisement, BEM #28 (May 1980), p. 24.
34. "Bob Smart Presents the Northwest Comic Marts" advertisement, BEM #30 (Nov. 1980), p. 30.
35. Northwest Comic Mart advertisement, BEM #33 (Apr. 1981), p. 40.
36. Leeds Comic Mart advertisement, BEM #31 (1981), p. 30.
37. Birmingham Comic Film & Fantasy Mart advertisement, Speakeasy #65 (Apr. 1986), p. 13.
38. Doctor Who Magazine #139 (Aug. 1988).
39. Doctor Who Magazine #143 (Dec. 1988).
40. Birmingham Comic Mart advertisement, Speakeasy #95 (Feb. 1989), p. 53.
41. Johnston, Rich. "London Comic Mart Organiser Gets One Year Suspended Sentence For Collection Of One Million Paedophile Images," Bleeding Cool (January 10, 2012).
42. Korock, Jim. "The BEM Story — So Far," Bemusing Magazine #10 (Aug. 1976), p. 18: "Although originally scheduled for the Jan '74 mart..."
43. Korock, Jim. "The BEM Story — So Far," Bemusing Magazine #10 (Aug. 1976), p. 18: "Specially for the September [1974] mart..."
44. Stangroom, Howard. "Reaction," Bemusing #6: Comic Mart Special (June 1975), p. 2.
45. Sallis, Ed. "Fan-Things," Bemusing #7 (Oct. 1975), p. 7.
46. Sallis, Ed M. "Fan-Things," Bemusing Magazine #12 (Feb. 1977), p. 22.
47. Sallis, Ed. "Fan-Things," Bemusing Magazine #14 (July 1977), p. 16.
48. New Original Comic Mart advertisement, BEM Comic News #20 (Aug. 1978), p. 6.
49. Curtis, I. G. S. "Aardvark Comment," Cerebus the Aardvark #33 (Aardvark-Vanaheim, Dec. 1981).
50. Doctor Who Magazine Summer Special 1984 (Summer 1984).
51. Comic Mart advertisement, Speakeasy #95 (Feb. 1989), p. 39.
52. Lock, Martin. "Fan-Things," BEM #16 (Dec. 1977), p. 11.
53. Lock, Martin. "News at BEM," BEM Comic News #20 (Aug. 1978), p. 2.
54. Sallis, Ed. "Fan-Things," BEM Comic News #20 (Aug. 1978), p. 3.
55. Sallis, Ed. "Fan-Things," BEM #28 (May 1980), p. 35.
56. Comicbook Marketplace advertisement, BEM #31 (Dec. 1980), p. 14.
57. "Bigger & Better Than Ever: Comicbook Marketplace" advertisement, Speakeasy #95 (Feb. 1989), p. 41.
58. Esmond, Antony. "'A Survivor in the Cosplay Age': the London Comic Mart," DownTheTubes.net (Aug. 2, 2015).
59. Manchester Comic Mart advertisement, BEM #26 (Dec. 1979), p. 34.
60. Manchester Comic Mart advertisement, BEM #27 (Mar. 1980), p. 34.
61. Manchester Comic Mart advertisement, BEM #28 (May 1980), p. 24.

External links

• Website of the current iteration of the London Comic Mart, organized by Showmasters, and generally held at the Royal National Hotel
• Excerpts from a 1988 article on the Westminster Comic Mart from the 2000 AD Sci-Fi Special
• Miller, Glenn. "Whatever happened to the London Comic Marts?", My Little Underground (June 1, 2014)