working to make the UK the
best place in the world to create, publish and sell
comics and graphic novels.
Comic Book UK represents the interests of all parts of the UK comic industry.
Comic and graphic novel publishers.
Professional comic creators.
Comic enterprises – including retailers, event organisers and online platforms.
Comic Book UK ensures that the UK comic industry is recognised and supported as a vital part of the UK’s creative industries.
Our goal is to make UK comics a £500 million industry.
This means:
Multiple comic and graphic novel publishers growing revenue in an expanding domestic market, selling into all global markets and licensing properties into other media.
International comic companies investing in UK operations.
The UK comic industry
The UK comic industry has a unique set of advantages.
A rich heritage of comic titles and properties that enjoy high levels of global recognition.
A multi-generational pool of creative talent in high-demand by comic readers and publishers around the world.
A growing and diverse publishing ecosystem that covers everything from licensed titles to IP-led periodicals and creator-driven graphic novels.
A thriving community of comic readers and emerging creators.
We are building on these foundations to make the UK a global comics superpower.
How Comic Book UK works
Representation
We give the UK comic industry a collective voice among policymakers, making sure that the needs of the industry are understood and acted on at the highest levels across Westminster and Whitehall.
In effect, Comic Book UK is the chief lobbyist of the UK comic industry. Our immediate priority is to make the case for three specific policies that would benefit the industry:
1
An extension to comics publishers of the corporation tax relief already enjoyed by other parts of the creative industries.
2
Government investment into a targeted ‘start up and scale up fund’ that comic companies could apply for to support their early development and growth.
3
Export support for UK comic publishers, including comic companies being given places on international trade delegations and a lowering of barriers faced in exporting comics and graphic novels to international buyers.
1
An extension to comics publishers of the corporation tax relief already enjoyed by other parts of the creative industries.
2
Government investment into a targeted ‘start up and scale up fund’ that comic companies could apply for to support their early development and growth.
3
Export support for UK comic publishers, including comic companies being given places on international trade delegations and a lowering of barriers faced in exporting comics and graphic novels to international buyers.
Promotion
We provide the industry with a professional corporate communications function, securing coverage for UK comics across mainstream on and offline media and building the industry’s profile among strategically important stakeholders.
This makes us the PR and stakeholder relations arm of the UK comic industry. Our priorities are to:
1
Secure regular coverage of the UK comic industry in national and international mainstream media.
2
Engage directly on the industry’s behalf with the national and international business and investor communities.
3
Develop and run targeted campaigns that raise the profile of UK publishers, comics, comic retailers and creators in domestic and international markets.
1
Secure regular coverage of the UK comic industry in national and international mainstream media.
2
Engage directly on the industry’s behalf with the national and international business and investor communities.
3
Develop and run targeted campaigns that raise the profile of UK publishers, comics, comic retailers and creators in domestic and international markets.
Development
We help drive growth in the UK comic industry with practical support for businesses to get off the ground, become sustainable and get set for growth.
In doing so we act as the industry’s development agency. Our priorities in this function are to:
1
Enhance the business-critical knowledge base of the industry through providing spaces for knowledge-sharing; opportunities for knowledge-exchange with other industries; and, carrying out research to provide evidenced market insight and intelligence.
2
Work with leading UK business schools to provide UK comic businesses of all types and sizes with access to business planning and development support.
3
Develop a structured graduate development programme that will grow the pool of professionally-ready comic creators and other business professionals ready to be recruited by comic companies.
1
Enhance the business-critical knowledge base of the industry through providing spaces for knowledge-sharing; opportunities for knowledge-exchange with other industries; and, carrying out research to provide evidenced market insight and intelligence.
2
Work with leading UK business schools to provide UK comic businesses of all types and sizes with access to business planning and development support.
3
Develop a structured graduate development programme that will grow the pool of professionally-ready comic creators and other business professionals ready to be recruited by comic companies.
Join us
Comic Book UK has a vision for UK comics and a clear plan to achieve it but we need the industry to work with us to put it into action.
The long-term ambition is to be a mass-membership organisation, with every part of the UK comic industry joining and benefiting from the representation, promotion and development support that we provide.
As a step towards this we are seeking a set of founding partners that share an interest in the success and growth of the UK comic industry. These partners will play a key role in establishing Comic Book UK through our first year, helping to make our 2025 programme possible while contributing industry insight and knowledge to guide our long-term strategic direction.
We invite all that have an interest in the success of the UK comic industry to get in touch with our Chief Executive, Mark Fuller, to find out more.
