Jumping Off the Page is a comic book festival for children and young people featuring a wealth of Irish and UK talent. Speakers include the creators of the bestselling Milly McCarthy series, Leona Forde and Karen Harte, plus UK award-winner, Gary Northfield, creator of the Mighty Mega Pets series and illustrator for the Beano comic.
The festival is run by award-winning children’s bookshop, Halfway up the Stairs in Greystones (former holder of the An Post Bookshop of the Year Award), and is funded by the Arts Council and Wicklow County Council and Arts Office.
The events will take place in the bookshop, in The Whale Theatre in Greystones and in Greystones Library. There will be a special afternoon for young makers of comic books where they can show the artists their own work, plus schools’ events and events for families. There is also a new competition for budding comic book makers. Plus an event for adults who would like to find out more about making comic books and about brilliant titles for children to read.
Sarah Webb, Events Manager at Halfway up the Stairs who programs the festival says: ‘Comics have never been more popular in Ireland, with children all over the country reading them. Jumping off the Page aims to entertain and inspire children to read comic books and illustrated books, and to help them to create their own comic books.’
Why are Comic Books So Popular Right Now?
Trish Hennessy, owner of Halfway up the Stairs says ‘Children love comic books as they are fun, easy to read and attractive. This year has seen Irish comic books becoming increasingly popular, with Sarah Bowie and Sheena Dempsey’s books hitting the top 10 in both Ireland and the UK. Comics also teach visual literacy which is hugely important given how information is processed these days, plus they keep children reading and away from screens.’
Irish Comic Books for Children
‘It is such an exciting time to be a part of the Irish comics community!’ says Karen Harte, author/illustrator of Effie is Offline. ‘I think part of the reason we are seeing a huge boom in popularity, especially for children and YA audiences, stems from a cultural shift in how we process information. We live in a highly visual world where text and image hybrids are everywhere. Added to that is the move of the “comic book” from a niche genre to a format in its own right, offering more choice than ever before: comedy, sports, slice of life, nonfiction, historical, memoir, horror, sci-fi, romance and more. We have a huge amount of talent in Ireland and the support from readers, publishers, booksellers, librarians and schools has allowed this medium to really flourish – I can’t wait to see where it goes in the next 10 years!’
Highlights of Jumping Off the Page include a Giant Window Painting and Signing Bonanza – with special guest artists: Gary Northfield, Sarah Bowie, Alan Nolan, Leona Forde and Karen Harte;
Squid Squad and Other Stories – A Relaxed Family Event with Aoife Dooley for children and parents who like a quieter event with Aoife Dooley; Amelia Cheeseheart and Friends Comic Book Workshop with Nene Lonergan in Greystones Library.
More Details of the Festival
Jumping Off the Page takes place on 2nd and 3rd October in Greystones, Co. Wicklow. Full information on all the events, including booking details available here.
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