Things to do in London in January 2020… if you like comics, of course. And live in, or can get to, that there London. Exhibitions followed by events… let us know if we missed any.

Exhibitions:

Comic Creators: The Famous and the Forgotten. Special exhibition explores and celebrates the world of comics – from Aly Sloper and Dennis the Menace to Finnbar Saunders and Judge Dredd. Curated by Comics curator Steve Marchant and with the grateful assistance of the National Lottery Heritage Fund. Cartoon Museum, Wells St. Until January 15th.

The Cartoon Museum – Drawing Life. A new display showcasing the very best of the Cartoon Museums collection of cartoon art, curated by Cartoonist and Cartoon Museum Trustee Steve Bell. Until December 31st, Cartoon Museum, Wells St. Until January 15th.

Gosh Comics January Sale. 50% off back issues, tube table will be transformed into our annual Aladdin's cave of reduced graphic novels, trade paperbacks and children's books, with up to 80% knocked off the retail price. Until January 12th. Gosh Comics, Berwick Street.

Hogarth: Place And Progress, Hogarth: Place and Progress will unite all of the paintings and engravings in Hogarth's series for the first time. The Museum's own Rake's Progress and An Election will be joined by Marriage A-la-Mode from the National Gallery, the Four Times of Day from the National Trust and a private collection, as well as the three surviving paintings of The Happy Marriage from Tate and the Royal Cornwall Museum. The exhibition will also include engraved series lent by Andrew Edmunds prints such as The Four Stages of Cruelty, Industry and Idleness and Gin Lane and Beer Street. Sir John Soane's Museum, 3 Lincoln's Inn Fields, until January 5th.

Events:

Tuesday, January 7th

London Comic Book Club – Last Days of an Immortal by Paul Morrissey, Fabien Vehlmann and Gwen de Bonneval, The Sheaf, 24 Southwark Street, 7-9pm.

Islington Comic Forum, North Library, Manor Gdns, 6.30pm

Shoe Lane Comic Forum, Shoe Lane Library, Little New Street. 5.30-7pm

Thursday, January 9th

Troopers, Guests only.

Ladeez Do Comics London. With guests Michi Mathias, and queer comics readings from Fredrik Andersson, Steven Appleby, Meg-John Barker, Stacy Bias, Holly Casio, Rachael House, Jacob V Joyce, Natasha Natarajan, Pops. 6-8pm, The Cartoon Museum, 63 Wells Street, Fitzrovia.

Magic & Politics in Alan Moore's Lovecraft, I will be discussing some of the less obvious ways in which Lovecraft has been deployed by one of Britain's most prolific contemporary magicians – Matthew Green is Associate Professor in English Literature, Faculty of Arts at The University of Nottingham. The Miskatonic Institute of Horror Studies, Swedenborg Hall, Bloomsbury Way, 7-10pm. £12

Saturday, January 11th

WIP (Work In Progress Comics), kick things off around midday with a short drawing exercise to get our creative juices flowing, followed by a roundtable show-and-tell where those who want to can share their work and give a progress update or seek any advice they're after. Also, expect lots of general chat and gossip and comics talk. Royal Festival Hall, South Bank, 11.30am-3.30pm

Monday, January 13th

Brompton Library Graphic Novel Reading Group, Upstairs in the Brompton Library Learning Space, 210 Old Brompton Rd, London, 6.30-7.30pm.

Church Street Library Graphic Novel Club, Church Street Library, 67 Church St, Marylebone, 6.30-8pm.

My Story in Pictures – 8 week course, Learn how to create cartoons and comics by looking at how to use text and image together. There will be an emphasis on the therapeutic role of writing and drawing. No drawing or writing skills necessary, only a willingness to experiment. Students will be encouraged and supported to try out new ideas and techniques. The sessions are set in a supportive environment, suitable for complete beginners and those who would like to build on their existing skills. The course runs from 13th January to 9th March, with Half Term 17th February. The 8-week course costs £80. We offer a concession rate of £40 for individuals that are unemployed and claiming benefits. We also offer a limited number of funded spaces through the City & Hackney Wellbeing Network. The Centre for Better Health, 1A Darnley Road, 1.30-3.30pm.

Thursday, January 16th

Bitch Lit: Gemma Bovary by Posy Simmonds, monthly book club devoted to new feminist writing and cult classics by women. Join us for wine and irreverent, fun discussion led by literary critic Lucy Scholes. Originally published as a serial in The Guardian, it tells the tragicomic story of the life and death of an English expatriate in Normandy, drawing metatextual parallels to Gustave Flaubert's Madame Bovary with characteristic wit and charm. Waterstones Gower Street, £6/£8pm.

Barbican Comic Forum, An informal group dedicated to the understanding and enjoyment of the multifaceted medium of comic books and graphic novels. Make friends, converse, get recommendations and choose from a wide selection of books to borrow and take home. From novices to fanatics: open to all. Question of the month: What's your idea of a perfect adventure? Barbican Library, Silk Street, London. 5.30-7pm.

Friday, January 17th

Book launch for Airport Love Theme with Contact series artists and writers, Contact is a new series of books commissioned from open call, guest edited by Hannah Black and published by Book Works. Doomsday Gossip by Momtaza Mehri and Bad Practice by Derica Shields are forthcoming in 2020. PEER, 97-99 Hoxton Street, Hoxton, 7-9pm.

Saturday, January 18th

Make A Manga Comic at the British Museum, Discover the secret design language and storytelling techniques of manga and make a story using your own photos. Free, Samsung Centre, British Museum, Great Russell Street.

Sunday, January 19th

Closing date for Design Cartoon Museum Tote Bag Competition. Cartoon Museum, Wells Street.

Monday, January 20th

My Story in Pictures – 8 week course, Learn how to create cartoons and comics by looking at how to use text and image together. There will be an emphasis on the therapeutic role of writing and drawing. No drawing or writing skills necessary, only a willingness to experiment. Students will be encouraged and supported to try out new ideas and techniques. The sessions are set in a supportive environment, suitable for complete beginners and those who would like to build on their existing skills. The course runs from 13th January to 9th March, with Half Term 17th February. The 8-week course costs £80. We offer a concession rate of £40 for individuals that are unemployed and claiming benefits. We also offer a limited number of funded spaces through the City & Hackney Wellbeing Network. The Centre for Better Health, 1A Darnley Road, 1.30-3.30pm.

Thursday, January 23rd

Dan Abnett signing Lord of the Dark Millennium, Forbidden Planet Megastore, Shaftesbury Avenue, 6-7pm.

Comics Creators Workshop, bi-monthly meet up for anyone that creates Comics, Graphic Novels and Comic Strips. Whether you're an absolute beginner, looking to improve, or gain new skills, this is the place to be. Run by Comic Book Artist and Writer, Chris Geary, the sessions will include lessons on everything to do with comics, including Writing, Inking and Lettering. Belsize Community Library, Antrim Grove, London, NW3 4XP 7pm – 9pm £10

Friday, January 24th

Saturday, January 25th

Magical You: Cartoon Strips and Characters – Celebrate your identity through cartoons and characters at the first of three family workshops with illustrator Ben Connors. Why is it good to be you? Celebrate the things that make you unique through visual storytelling and creative character creation at our first family workshop of the year. Ben Connors and his daughter Nila are our first ever Family Illustrators in Residence. From January to March, they'll be running a series of three connected workshops for 5-12 year olds and their parents or carers, all around the theme of celebrating who you are. House Of Illustration, 2 Granary Square, King's Cross, London, N1C 4BH 2-4pm.

Sunday, January 26th

Big Ol' Marvel Pub Quiz, Themed Rounds, Themed Prizes and extra special spot rounds promise you that this will be the quiz of the [Marvel] Universe. Hosted by AndrewSilverwood and Pickle_Jar_Bob. The Birds, 692 High Road, Leytonstone. 7.30-10.30pm, £3.50.

Monday, January 27th

Dalston Comic (creators) Club, Dalston CLR James Library, Dalston Lane, 6:30 – 7:30pm

My Story in Pictures – 8 week course, Learn how to create cartoons and comics by looking at how to use text and image together. There will be an emphasis on the therapeutic role of writing and drawing. No drawing or writing skills necessary, only a willingness to experiment. Students will be encouraged and supported to try out new ideas and techniques. The sessions are set in a supportive environment, suitable for complete beginners and those who would like to build on their existing skills. The course runs from 13th January to 9th March, with Half Term 17th February. The 8-week course costs £80. We offer a concession rate of £40 for individuals that are unemployed and claiming benefits. We also offer a limited number of funded spaces through the City & Hackney Wellbeing Network. The Centre for Better Health, 1A Darnley Road, 1.30-3.30pm.

Thursday, January 30th

Drink and Draw January 2020, Drink and Draw returns for the new year this Thursday 30th January 2020. Come join us, and as always our friends over at Broken Frontier, for some sipping and some sketching as we welcome the wonderful James Albon, Peony Gent, and Lindsay Pollock. Drink and Draw is a monthly event hosted by Broken Frontier and Gosh! Comics. We invite our guest artists to the local pub where they'll each curate a drawing session over a few pints! Entry is free and everyone is welcome. Drink and Draw will start at the store on Berwick Street at 6.30pm with an opportunity to buy work from the featured creators. We will then migrate over to The Kings Arms on Poland Street at 7pm for a drawing session lead by the artists. So prepare those coasters and pack your pencils, we look forward to seeing you there! Gosh Comics, 6:30pm – 9pm

Bob Layton signing, Gosh Comics, 6-7pm.