Things to do in London in January 2019… if you like comics, of course. Exhibitions followed by events… let us know if we missed any.

Exhibitions:

Then & Now – Erica Henderson Exhibition at Orbital Comics, January 5th to 31st, of original artwork taking a look back through her work to date, and some glimpses into what's next. Limited edition prints and some original pages will be available for sale. Erica will open the exhibition on Saturday 5th of January, 7pm for celebratory opening night, free, with refreshments provided.

Britain's Best Political Cartoons 2018, Putney Cartoon Gallery. An exhibition of original cartoons covering the major events of 2018 by Britain's leading national newspaper cartoonists such as Steve Bell, Peter Brookes, Gerald Scarfe, Christian Adams, Dave Brown, Chris Riddell, Morten Morland, Steve Bright, Peter Schrank, Ian Knox, Ben Jennings and Patrick Blower amongst many others. until March 2019.

100 Figures: The Unseen Art of Quentin Blake, House Of Illustration, Until 27 January 2019

Journeys Drawn: Illustration from the Refugee Crisis, An exhibition telling refugee stories, both observed and experienced first-hand, Multi-media work by 12 contemporary illustrators will include Olivier Kugler's portraits from Calais and George Butler's reportage from Syria, animation by Majid Adin and manga by Asia Alfasi. House Of Illustration, 9th November to 10th March 2019.

Events:

Saturday, 5th January

Erica Henderson opening Then & Now Exhibition at Orbital Comics. Featuring original artwork taking a look back through her work to date, and some glimpses into what's next. Limited edition prints and some original pages will be available for sale. 7pm opening night, free, with refreshments provided.

Marc Ellerby signing at Rick & Morty Vol 8 at Forbidden Planet, 1-2pm.

Monday 7th January

Church Street Library Graphic Novel Club, Church Street Library, Marylebone, 6:30 – 8pm

Brompton Library Graphic Novel Reading Group, Upstairs in the Brompton Library Learning Space, 6:30 – 7.30pm

Tuesday 8th January

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

Islington Comic Forum, North Library, Manor Gardens. 6.30-7.30pm.

Peckham Library Graphic Novel Book Group, Peckham Hill Street, 6pm to 7.30pm

London Comic Book Club discusses The Death Of Stalin, The Sheaf, Southwark 7pm

Wednesday 9th January

Reads January 2019: Black Bolt TP Vol 01 Hard Time 7–9pm, Gosh Comics

Thursday, 10th January

Troopers, Guests Only, Location available to guests.

Saturday, 12th January

WIP (Work In Progress Comics), Royal Festival Hall, South Bank, 11.30am

Laydeez Do Comics Professional Development Workshops: Funding Your Project with Dr Nicola Streeten, John Harvard Library, 11-1.30pm. Do you have a brilliant idea that you think should be funded but don't know where to start? Bring your project outline to this practical workshop; a laptop or ipad to work on if you have one, or paper and something to write with. Nicola Streeten will guide you through a series of simple and entertaining exercises in order to refine your plan and translate it into a funding application. You will then work to construct example budgets and timelines that you can then use as templates for your own project. The workshop will allow you time to ask questions and develop a confidence in your approach to realising your idea.

Laydeez Do Comics Professional Development Workshops: How to run a successful Kickstarter Campaign with Gemma Seltzer, John Harvard Library, 2-4pm. Join Kickstarter's Gemma Seltzer, UK Lead for Kickstarter, for a primer on how to bring a Kickstarter project to life. At the heart of every Kickstarter campaign is a great story. We'll work together to explore how you can develop, describe and share your creative ideas. We'll take a look at some successful comics, illustration and publishing projects from across the site and explore what kind of rewards work best along with other helpful tips. We'll acknowledge how hard it can be to promote your own work, sharing ideas on how to spread the word about your project and build confidence as artists. We'll also talk about Quickstarter, a creative prompt from Kickstarter to inspire small projects—the kind you do mostly for fun. Simple and imaginative projects with a funding goal under £1,000.

Monday, 14th January

Laydeez Do Comics London, 6:30pm, The Koppel Project Hive. Speakers, Karrie Fransman of The House That Groaned, Over, Under, Sideways, Down and Death of the Artist, and Rebecca K. Jones of Lazy Sunday, Boomerang and Silent Disco. Free, and cake.

Thursday, 17th January

Barbican Comics Forum, Barbican. 5.30pm-7pm. A fun and informal book group dedicated to the understanding and enjoyment of the multifaceted medium of comic books and graphic novels.

Friday, 18th January

Collecting Cats 7-9pm, Gosh Comics, Award-winning children's book author Lorna Scobie will be here on Friday the 18th January, 7-9pm, to celebrate the launch of her new book from Scholastic, Collecting Cats!

Saturday, 19th January

Launch of new fanzine, Fan Fiction Illustrated, features ambitious projects from talented creators, premiering with a Doctor Who issue. Guests Andrew Cartmel, Matthew Toffolo, H. Christian Vangand Joe Lidster will be in-store signing copies of the independently produced title from 5-6pm. Orbital Comics.

Laydeez Do Comics Professional Development Workshops: The Why of Making Comics with Simone Lia, John Harvard Library, 11-1.30pm. Will be a practical workshop that will aid creators to explore and re-connect their motivation for making art. During the session we will explore how knowing your why can help you smash through a creative crisis and how this can be the foundation for building a successful creative career.

Laydeez Do Comics Professional Development Workshops: How to Promote and Sell Your Book with Hannah Berry, John Harvard Library, 2-4pm. Do you hate having to promote your own work? Of course you do; you're not a psychopath. Hannah Berry is the author of three graphic novels that have all needed selling, and she has burnt very few bridges in doing so. Come and join in a workshop exploring the various promotional avenues open to you – and you'd be surprised how many there are – and work out a plan of action that will let you carry out this grubby task with your self-respect intact.

Sunday, 20th January

Sunday Comic Studies, 11am – 1pm, 5th Floor Foyer/Bar of the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre

The Cartoon Loss Workshop by Rachael Ball, Bonnington Cafe. 4-6.30pm. £16.31. Come and create visual stories inspired by personal experiences of loss in a relaxed and supportive environment. The loss could be of a person, a place or an experience. Creating visual stories from personal experiences is creative, cathartic and at times fun experience!

Wednesday, 23rd January

Comica Social Club, The Central Bar, Royal Festival Hall, Belvedere Road, London

Friday, 25th January

Catsuits & Rayguns: Life Drawing Class with the Art Model Collective. Five years of collaborative life drawing events with the Art Model Collective revisits their first themed show we hosted: Catsuits & Rayguns. With 2 professional life models and loads of sci-fi looking rayguns, the 2 hour session will be hosted by Jason Atomic. Tickets for this class are £20.

Saturday, 26th January

Owen Michael Johnson launches his debut graphic novel, Reel Love: The Complete Collection. Orbital Comics, 5-7pm. Reception follows.

Laydeez Do Comics Professional Development Workshops: Online marketing & using social media with Amber Zeppellin, John Harvard Library, 11-1.30pm. This workshop will be a friendly open forum to hear the inside tricks and tips that I have learnt and harnessed along my social media journey from oblivion to sustainable income. I will share my story, pitfalls and traps to avoid, how to feel the love and enjoy sharing your passion on social media without feeling overwhelmed and burnt out. Social media is an uber powerful tool for reaching a global audience with zero financial outlay, for networking into your desired industry, achieving recognition you never dreamt of and monetising your work so you can earn the payback you deserve. Everything is possible! We will also workshop out some personalised action plans for you to rocket-launch your own ideas

Laydeez Do Comics Professional Development Workshops: How to Pitch your Comics and Graphic Novels to Editors & Publishers with Karrie Fransman, John Harvard Library 2-4pm. Join professional comiker Karrie Fransman to look at how to get your graphic novel or comic project out the door and in front of editors and publishers. Through a mixture of talks and practical exercises, you'll learn how to ensure your story connects with an audience, and how to create a brief for a project and pitch it to industry professionals.

Comic creation workshop for Parents and Children + Comic book launch of the 10yo autor with Vadim Turcanu, St Luke's & Christ Church, 1.30-3.45pm, £20. If your child is 8+, loves drawing or telling stories, this event will be a benefit as you will learn how to create a legacy for him with much less effort than you thought it requires. You will be able to learn and understand how you can create a comic or children book for your child.

Monday, 28th January

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