Reflections on Small Press Day and indie comics in 2025 with some cool recommendations

Last week I visited the Small Press Day event in Edinburgh. The local branch of Forbidden Planet, a shop which I have been visiting for decades in its various forms, was sponsoring it which was wonderful to see.

What was just as wonderful was to see that there are still a lot of creators who are putting work together and getting out to sell it. There were rough and ready photocopied zines and highly polished, professional and commercial work. There were distros and publishers. There was a good variety of styles and approaches. 

Because these days it seems to be a tough job. Pre-covid we had a boom of kickstarters. Creators were able to build their audience and enough comics fans were willing to take a punt on a new book to meet the funding. Platforms like Twitter enabled writers and artists to build a network. It was a ready built marketing platform to publicise new books, con appearances and of course to have dumb arguments (who remembers ‘which is more important the writer or the artist?’, sheesh.) There were a wide variety of events and cons to attend.

A few years later and the scene looks a bit different. Twitter and the other social networks like Instagram became more interested in monetizing through ads and blue ticks. A simple algorithm change and suddenly no-one sees your post. Some kickstarters became non-starters. The old internet of the commons has been suffocated nearly to death by the metas and googles of this world. New platforms like BlueSky operate the same business model and will likely end the same way or perish themselves. I hope that we can return to the roots of the internet with our own spaces and websites and by encouraging de-centralised and federated alternatives like Mastodon and Pixelfed (you can join me on both by the way!) These spaces are the zines of the internet and soon we will need to have a truly independent place to gather.

People will always create art, regardless of money, AI technology or anything else

Here in Scotland we have seen some of the big cons, like the Edinburgh and Glasgow cons vanish or change substantially. I get the sense, and I could be wrong, that many creators have taken a step back from cons where they make little money in exchange for a lot of effort. People will always create art, regardless of money, AI technology or anything else. But a tough economy means skint and exhausted creators. Are there fewer new faces or are they choosing different venues for creativity? 

However, the darker the night, the brighter the star. We have a fantastic comics scene in Scotland and can be rightly proud of the amazing work that has come from our wee country. It was great to hear about some of the upcoming campaigns and events. Check them out below and support local comic creators!

Gustaffo Vargas is collecting his amazing Peruvian cyberpunk books. ALTIPLANO, a Peruvian Cyberpunk Saga will collect the previously published trilogy MANU, PUNO & PILCUYO into a graphic novel format and will also bring a brand new story connected to the trilogy: PUERTO MALDONADO. You can back the Kickstarter now!

Steven Ingram has been a fantastic supporter of the comics scene in Scotland through the distro and publisher Third Bear Press and especially anthology magazine Boxes. He even let me write something so he must be a smart guy! The latest issue – volume 4 – is now funding on Kickstarter. BOXES Vol. 4 features comics from J W Murray & Aimee Lockwood, Lucy Freeman, Pictii, Mike Armstrong, Jules Valera, Emilia McKenzie, Faye Stacey, Eleanor Sikorski, Enrico Ariis, Michelle Freeman & Will Hudson, with an article by Dominique Duong.

Quindrie press have been another shining light in the comics scene. Over the last few years they have released some amazing books which have rightly won awards and plaudits. They have a new collection for 2025 which is Kickstarting now. Either get each book separately or get the bundle. There is a love and relationships theme with books including Estrela d’Oeste by Ashling Larkin, Ways to Kill My Mother’s Lover (With Limited Pocket Money and Minimal Mess) by Judy Powell – got to love that title! I Let Love Destroy Me and All I Got Was This Stupid Comic by Hel Mel.

Don’t Fold Press is a new publisher and they have put together a cool looking anthology Something Alien which you can back on Kickstarter here.

Finally the team behind the Tags Festival have formed Small Press Scotland to support creators with events and workshops in the face of the funding cuts and economic squeezes I mention above. More to come about this initiative from people who already give so much to keep comics comicking!