| United Kingdom Comic Art Convention | |
|---|---|
| Status | Defunct |
| Genre | Comic books |
| Venue | UCL Institute of Education |
| Location(s) | London (1985–1997) Manchester (1998) |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Inaugurated | 1985 |
| Most recent | 1998 |
| Attendance | 5,000 (1990)[1] |
| Organized by | Rusty Staples (1989–1998) |
| Filing status | Originally nonprofit; for-profit beginning in 1989[2] |
The United Kingdom Comic Art Convention (UKCAC) was a British comic book convention which was held between 1985 and 1998. As a complement to UKCAC, from 1990 to 1995 the organizers put on the Glasgow-based Glasgow Comic Art Convention (GlasCAC), generally held in the spring.[1]
The largest convention of its kind in the country during the period, the UKCAC and GlasCAC were the sites of annual comics award ceremonies from 1987 to 1998. The UKCAC was the site of the Eagle Awards presentation from 1987 to 1990; the UK Comic Art Awards were presented at one of the conventions — often GlasCAC — from 1991 to 1997; and the National Comics Awards were presented at the UKCAC in 1997–1998.
Most editions of the UKCAC took place in September,[2] over two days, usually on a Saturday and Sunday. The convention featured floorspace for exhibitors, including comic book dealers and collectibles merchants. Along with panels, seminars, and workshops with comic book professionals, one of the annual highlights (until 1989)[2] was the Saturday all-night film show, as well as regular events like quizzes, a fancy dress contest, and a charity auction.[2] The show included an autograph area, as well as a so-called "Artists' Alley" where comics artists signed autographs and sold or did free sketches.