COLOURFUL CAPERS were in the frame as a major international comic book event kicked off in Dundee yesterday.

The Biff! Bam! Crikey!!! comics conference, which concludes today, celebrates the history of comics in Dundee and explores the relationship between British and American comics, comics as literature and art, topical and controversial storylines, and the influence of comics on other media.

“Comics are an important and vital part of popular culture, shaping the early reading experiences of many children, as well as commanding an increasing number of adult readers,” said conference organiser Dr Chris Murray of Dundee University.

“They can offer slapstick fun or serious literary themes and have spread into every imaginable genre with huge influence.”

The conference represents an opportunity for Dundee to celebrate its long history at the forefront of comic production in the UK.

Leading comic historians Paul Gravett and Roger Sabin will present talks on the origins and importance of comics in Britain, while other sessions will explore the contribution of D. C. Thomson and the work of contemporary British comics writers and artists.

A new exhibition at Dundee University, staged to coincide with the conference, will also give an insight into the creation of a modern comic, while looking back to the earliest days of Dundee’s proud comic history.

The main focus of the exhibition is See New Worlds, a comic about Dundee specially commissioned for the Six Cities Design Festival.

Three Dundee artists—Lyall Bruce, Victoria Baker and Stuart Fallon—have created the comic, and the exhibition charts its development through design, sketches and proofs.

The conference is open to anyone with an interest in comics and is free.

For more information contact Dundee University on 01382 383000.