London: Queer As Comics

Exhibition

Queer As Comics
at Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration, the Coal Stores Gallery, 1 Myddelton Passage, London EC1R 1AG, UK
from 5th June until 4th October 2026.

Queer as Comics traces comics, strip cartoons, graphic novels and zines that have represented LGBTQIA+ perspectives since the 1940s. From the UK’s first published gay comic strip and the first gay Black superhero, to today’s self-publishing scenes and webcomics, this is an exhibition of trailblazers.

Highlights include drawings from Tove Jansson’s 1954 Moomin cartoon strip for the London Evening News and works by influential creators such as Kate Charlesworth, Rupert Kinnard and David Shenton.

Event: An Evening with Queer As Comics

8 July 2026 – 6:30-8:30PM.
runs for approximately two hours, including a short interval. Doors open 6PM. Talks start from 6:30PM
Venue: Deeney’s Cafe, Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration, 1 Myddelton Passage, London EC1R 1AG, UK

An evening of conversation celebrating the rich history and contemporary creativity of queer storytelling in comics. From early coded work to the underground comix of the 1960s and 1970s, the emergence of graphic novels to the expanding world of queer comics today, this event showcases the diverse ways of working, themes and genres that span the comic landscape, in two conversations with four innovative creators.

Bringing together ground breaking cartoonists Kate Charlesworth and David Shenton, who began cartooning in the early queer press of the 1970s and continue today, and contemporary creators Leo Fox and Ollie Hicks, in dialogue to discuss their comic work through the lens of fantasy, we explore queer comic storytelling past, present and future, from the perspectives of those who helped shape and continue to influence it.

This conversation accompanies Queer As Comics [exhibition], on display in the Coal Stores Gallery from 5th June until 4th October 2026.

Book a ticket for the talk and get free after-hours entry to Queer As Comics from 5:30PM before the talk starts. Early booking recommended as limited spots available.

Tickets
Adult: £15.00
Exhibition Entry + Talk: £15.00

Find out more: An evening with Queer As Comics