Comic book fans are set to travel from across the globe to St George’s Square this weekend for the final ever exhibition celebrating the life and work of a legendary artist from Luton.
Steve Dillon, who was raised in the town and went to Icknield High School, became one of the most acclaimed British comic artists of his generation, working on titles including Judge Dredd, Hellblazer, Preacher and The Punisher.
Now, 10 years after his death, dozens of original pieces of his work will be displayed at Luton Comic Con on Saturday and Sunday, September 26 and 27, as part of this year’s Heroes for Artists theme.
But Comic Con chairman Wade Wilson discovered a remarkable connection to Dillon completely by chance.
Wilson had been using Print Mill based in Luton’s Hightown for around a year, regularly visiting their offices to discuss Comic Con signage ahead of the fourth annual, free-to-enter extravaganza this weekend.
He had noticed the comic artwork covering the walls but had no idea whose work it was.
“I asked and was told: ‘This was Steve Dillon’s office’,” Wade said.
“So where I’d been sitting and chatting for best part of the year and talking to Colin [Kendell] about Comic Con, I didn’t realise that I was actually sat in the place where Steve Dillon was producing Marvel, DC, Judge Dredd, The Punisher, loads of different titles, right in that office, and then he would send them off to America.”
The discovery prompted Wade to get in touch with the team behind the Steve Dillon Experience – with the exhibition nearing the end of its run.
“They said that they were actually planning on ending the exhibition now because they’ve done it for quite a few years. It’s gone all over the UK and they just want it to come to an end and they thought that what better place to do it than in Steve Dillon’s hometown,” said Wilson.
The Luton Comic Con appearance will therefore be the final chance for comic book fans to see the exhibition of Dillon’s artwork on display.
“There’s 50 pieces,” said Wilson, adding: “We’ve dedicated a lot of table space for them, his artwork and some of the great titles that he worked. It’s going to be an experience.”
The exhibition will include work from some of Dillon’s most famous projects.
“All the Judge Dredd stuff’s going to be really cool because that was something quite integral to me when I was younger,” said Wilson, adding: “He also created a character called Preacher and there’s a TV show of it now. The artwork for that is beautiful.
“And The Punisher is there as well. His art, his style is just dark and gritty and The Punisher suits it perfectly. I can’t wait to see all that stuff in person.”
For Wilson, the exhibition is about more than just celebrating a famous artist. Dillon is someone whose career showed him what could be achieved from Luton.
Asked if the artist was a hero of his, he said: “Yeah, big time. He passed away in 2016 and he really left a legacy behind him in Luton, and that was when I started to find out about him.
“It really inspires me that somebody that comes from this town can go on to produce greatness like that.”
That sense of inspiring the next generation is at the heart of this year’s Comic Con, which is themed Heroes for Artists and young Lutonian artists, some in their teens, will be exhibiting their work alongside established professionals, like Laura Howell who is the first female artist in the history of the long-running Beano comic.
“We want to really show people that anything is possible, and we’ve got people as young as 16, 17, that are going to be trading this year, and they’re going to be right next to the Steve Dillon Exhibition. And I want them to see that and I want them to think, ‘I could do that’.”
The impact of the exhibition and its last hurrah is already being felt beyond Luton, with Wilson saying people from abroad have contacted his team specifically because of the Dillon display.
“This is the last one. So we’ve actually got people travelling from Europe and the United States to come and see Steve Dillon’s work because he’s an absolute legend in comic books,” said Wilson.
The Dillon Exhibition is just one part of what is set to be a packed weekend in the town centre.
Luton Comic Con is free to attend and runs from 11am to 6pm on Saturday and Sunday, centred around St George’s Square, with activities also taking place at Luton Central Library, Market Hill and The Red Lion pub.
Last year’s event attracted around 4,000 people, and it is expected to be even bigger this weekend. Wilson says the growth of Comic Con has been particularly significant given its unusual model.
“Every single person I spoke to told me it was impossible to do a Comic Con in St. George’s Square, and that it was impossible to run one for free. I had industry people telling me this that we couldn’t do it — and we did it. Not only did we do it, but it was so successful that we’re doing it again.
“We’re one of the only not-for-profit, free to attend Comic Cons in the country. We’re very proud of that.”
The event has also grown beyond the main weekend, with organisers running more than 40 free events in the town in the last year, including Pokémon Day, Star Wars Day, gaming tournaments, Pokémon trading sessions, introductions to Dungeons and Dragons, family board game clubs and cosplay workshops.
The aim, Wilson says, is to build a community rather than simply stage a single annual event. That community has also provided opportunities for people who initially attended as visitors to become volunteers and eventually run events themselves.
Visitors to this year’s Comic Con can expect gaming zones, creative workshops, a cosplay parade and activities, artist panels, traders, talks and live music and entertainment.
There will also be some particularly recognisable vehicles on display, including the actual Batmobile from Tim Burton’s 1989 Batman film that starred Michel Keaton, the Mystery Machine from Scooby-Doo and the furry Mutt Cutts van from classic Jim Carey comedy flick, Dumb and Dumber.
The guest line-up includes current Marvel and DC artist Sabine Rich, Beano artist Howell and Carl Newman, who was the movement double for Keaton in Batman.
Wilson said: “Sabine Rich is a current Marvel and DC artist. She’s flying in from Germany, which is absolutely insane. Their work is often featured in mainstream Marvel and DC material so it’s really cool to have her come.”
Music will also feature prominently on Saturday, with Luton country pop singer Olivia Lynn headlining the stage, fresh from her hometown crowd-pulling performance at Party in the Park.
“Olivia’s headlining for us. It’s not as glamorous as the stage that they had at Party in the Park,” Wilson said, adding: “She loves performing in Luton. Any time that Luton calls Olivia Lynn answers.”
There will also be performances from Luton’s own Just Jema, Mariam Daniel, Ryan Prazer. Lavz, The Blights and Missing The Ferry. And there will be an afterparty comedy headline set from Juliette Burton, bringing her Villain Era show from the Edinburgh Festival.
And while the Steve Dillon Exhibition may be the one of the most significant attraction for comic fans, Wilson hopes the wider event will encourage people who might never normally attend a Comic Con to come along. The result, he says, is an event that has become much bigger than organisers could have originally imagined.
“We had a couple of people from some larger Comic Cons, like MCM, come down last year and they were saying to us that we’ve got a bright future ahead of us and that we’re really building something that other Comic-Cons haven’t got, which is that we’ve created a community of people, rather than it just being an event.”
Luton Comic Con takes place at St George’s Square and other town centre locations on Saturday 26 and Sunday 27 September, from 11am to 6pm, and is free to attend. For timings off all the events and more information go to: https://www.lutoncomiccon.com/
And for a taste of what’s to come, here’s what went down at Luton Comic Con last year:
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