The Wednesday Waffle: No small thing...

Yes, we're a day (and some months) late. What can we say? We've been busy...

Small Press Day 2025

"Perfection is no small thing, but it is made up of small things."

Michelangelo

Except of course Michelangelo wouldn't have said it in English...

He was right though, which is why we love Small Press Day so much. Regie, our current boss, has been a stalwart fan of the British Small Press Comics Movement since he attended his first comics convention back in the mid-nineties.

That was the weekend he discovered the surreal world Sleaze Castle, the anarchic punk aesthetic of Vogarth, the glorious artwork of David Hitchcock and so much more.

But what is the Small Press? What are Small Press Comics? And why do they get a day to themselves?

We're glad you asked.

If you give him the chance* Regie will explain at length about why the Small Press is the purest expression of the medium of comics. He will tell you that this is because they prove that comics are the most democratic, most accessible creative medium humanity has yet devised.

"Small Press" comics are comics that people have made themselves. Comics that exist because somebody (or several somebodies) had an idea, sat down, wrote it, drew it and got it out there, all by themselves. No publishers, often not even a professional printer. Just paper, pens** and an idea.

Small Press creators are people who make comics for the love of making comics. People with day jobs. People who understand that not only are they not going to get rich, but that they have gotten themselves involved in a hobby that is going to be expensive in terms of both money and time.

There are exceptions, of course. Back in 1979 a couple of brothers from called Chris and Simon Donald got together with their mate Jim to make comics that made them laugh. From their bedroom in the town of Jesmond they drew a series of hilariously low brow strips filled with knob gags and scatological humour.

You might have heard of it - it was called Viz, and by the mid-eighties it was the best selling comic in the UK. We could point at Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird, who had similar low key beginnings with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles before hitting the big time of Hollywood and Saturday morning cartoon shows.

Such examples are the exception, however - anyone getting into the Small Press scene for the purposes of achieving fame and fortune is likely to be disappointed, and that's not why most Small pressers do it. No, they do it for the sheer joy of storytelling - and in doing so they have become the heart and soul of the UK comics scene.

That's no small thing.

So what is Small Press Day?

We're glad you asked.

Since 2016 Small Press Day has been exactly what it sounds like. A day for comic stores and comics readers to focus their attention on this incredibly important aspect of the UK comics scene. It's a day for inviting small Press creators into your shop and showcasing their work. It's a day for workshops and taster sessions to encourage everyone to have a go at making their own comics.

The first Small Press Day roughly coincided with Regie taking over Desties and Destination Venus has always participated enthusiastically with small press creators coming in to show off their work. This year though, with massive regret, we've had to step back a little bit and will not be doing anything specific to mark this tenth iteration of Small Press Day.

There all kinds of reasons for this, but mostly it is to do with time. While we have had very positive intentions we just haven't been able to take the time to get anything organised. But we're an optimistic, positive thinking bunch here at Desties, so we're choosing to take a positive view of this. Because Small Press Day is not just about things that happen in comics stores.

For a start, #SmallPressDay has always been a very active hashtag, making online participation pretty easy. Back in the old days #SmallPressDay would hang out on the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. Obviously these days it can be found on Bluesky because "it's so much nicer there". So if you're a Desties customer - or indeed somebody who does not have easy access to a real world comic store - you can just head to Bluesky and join in the fun there.

A really good reason to do this is the fact that you will come across a whole horde of enthusiastic, talented, creative people who you might want to follow and take some inspiration from. You'll also just meet some incredibly nice people because of course Small Press Day is not just about comics, it is also about community.

The UK Small Press scene produces a dazzling array of amazing comics. Creators like Matt Garvey, Bevis Musson, Rachael Smith, Sarah Millman and so many more***. Whether you are able to get to a Small Press Day event or not you could seek out their work online - we absolutely guarantee that if you go looking you will absolutely find some small press comics that you will love, whatever your tastes and preferences.

And of course, you could just come and see us at Desties on Small Press Day, or any other day. Just because we are not hosting an event this year does not mean that we will not have an array of great independently produced comics for you to check out. We always have a range of Small Press comics, and we are always looking to expand that range - the small press is for every day, not just Small Press Day.

But do, please, check it out. There will be Small Press Day events at comics stores across the UK - Check out the Small Press Day Website and their social media feeds for more info. And even if you can't get to one there is absolutely nothing to stop you making your own comic and participating that way. If you're thinking "but I have no idea how to do that" don't worry, we'll be back next week with some advice to help you with that...

*We recommend not giving him the chance unless you really do have hours...

**Oh, alright, these days computers, tablets and Kickstarter are often involved, but the point is that they don't need to be.

***Clearly we are not even beginning to scratch the surface here. There is so much incredible stuff out there that would absolutely blow your mind if you were to read it. Massive apologies to all of the amazing creators we didn't mention - we'll be coming back to them at some point.