Judging the 2000 AD Script Competition

Thought Bubble Comic Art Festival is the UK’s biggest annual event focused exclusively on comic books, and it’s the one event most comic people professionals make a concerted effort to attend. I’ve really enjoyed every Thought Bubble I’ve been at, and I had already purchased my ticket for this year’s event… and then the pandemic swept across the globe.

This year Thought Bubble is entirely free and virtual, which isn’t the same, but is a different kind of exciting. You can watch their YouTube channel and see the entire programme – we may be in lockdown in Ireland, but this is one of the perks: being able to view every panel at a festival if we wish, an achievement most of us can never unlock!

Thanks to Mike Molcher at 2000 AD for asking me to be one of the judges (along with Rory McConville and Ian Edginton) at this year’s 2000 AD Script Competition, which you can watch today at 1.30pm. We recorded it earlier in the week, and we were all impressed with the level of talent and the quality of the ideas.

Unfortunately, we had to decide a winner, but I hope all the writer continue with their work and refine their ideas. Persistence is key.

Here’s the blurb for the event:

Two minutes, one goal – a Future Shock in 2000 AD! The 2000 AD writer talent search at Thought Bubble is back and not even the pandemic can stop us finding the next scripting star for the legendary British comic! Writers looking to follow in the footsteps of giants such as Alan Moore, Neil Gaiman, and Mark Millar have been sending in two-minute videos of their Future Shock pitches – join creators including Ian Edginton (Hinterkind), Rory McConville (Judge Dredd), and Maura McHugh (Anderson, Psi Division) as they watch and judge who should then get the chance to turn that into a strip for 2000 AD!