Independent comic book specialists Wow Comix is teaming up with Stretford Mall to host the town’s first ‘Comic Fest’ in just a couple of weeks time.
Stretford Comic Fest will be taking over the central area of the popular shopping mall with a celebration of all things sci-fi and superhero-related, so fans of comic book pop culture can browse through a wide range of stalls showcasing comic book products and memorabilia.
There’ll be plenty of special guests appearing at the festival too, giving attendees the chance to hang out with some sci-fi stars for autograph sessions and pictures.
Visitors popping over to Stretford Mall for the first-of-its-kind festival in the town will be able to meet and greet Final Fantasy star Liam Mulvey, and the man behind cult-favourite Psycho Gran – a hugely-experienced comic illustrator who has worked for both Marvel UK and US, and many of the major UK publishing houses over the last 30 years.
Willie Coppen – who appeared in Star Wars: Return of the Jedi (Episode VI) – will also be dusting off his Ewok costume and greeting families and fans in Stretford next month.
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There’ll also be appearances from actor Nathan Head (Theatre of Fear and Exorcist Chronicles), and up-and-coming fantasy author Victoria Bates.
Independent comic book specialists Wow Comix is teaming up with Stretford Mall to host the town’s first ‘Comic Fest’ / Credit: Twitter (@StretfordMall)
Wow Comix – which started out as a ‘kitchen table business’ in 2014 – has developed a strong following thanks to its high-quality, rare and authentic collections of British and American comic books, including Marvel and DC comics, and all things superhero and sci-fi related.
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Owner John Webster and his team visited comic conventions and began building a steady following, before growing into a bricks and mortar operation in Sale.
John has organised comic festivals before – but this will be his first in Stretford.
“We’re excited to launch Stretford’s first Comic Festival next month [as] the Stretford community is fantastic [and] we’ve really enjoyed being part of it since last December,” John said.
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“We think they will really like our event as it’s a chance to find out a bit more about what we do and to interact with some exciting characters. The Comic Fest is designed to be totally inclusive, so even if you’re not a comic book enthusiast, it will be a fun day for families to come along and enjoy for free… and of course, chat to an Ewok.”
Fans of comic book pop culture can browse through a wide range of comic book products and memorabilia / Credit: piqsels | Max Pixel
Stretford Comic Fest will be taking place from 10am – 4pm on Saturday 9 October at Stretford Mall, and is free for all to attend.
Visitors are encouraged to come dressed as their favourite comic book character, superhero / villain, or any pop culture icon and a cosplay winner will be judged on the day, taking home the ‘Best Dressed Comic Fest’ crown, as well as some fantastic prizes.
Featured Image – Flickr
What's On
Manc music legends James announced MASSIVE hometown show
Danny Jones
Greater Manchester music legends James have just revealed a massive hometown show here in the city centre as part of a landmark domestic arena tour.
Daisy bucket hats at the ready.
James is arguably the epitome of what it is to be the understated, underdog British band; they’ve gone about the business of making quality music somewhat quietly for several decades now, but they’ve had a fresh wave of interest over the past year or so
Having opened up for the likes of Catfish and the Bottlemen’s comeback shows, not to mention playing multiple big festival slots in recent months alone, they’ve now announced a huge run of UK arena shows – and nowhere does a James crowd quite like us Mancs.
Details have been announced for our 2026 UK arena tour, and we’re delighted to be joined by very special guests @dovesmusicblog with tickets going on general sale this Friday at 9:30am. Access the ticket pre-sale on Wednesday via our official store: https://t.co/DwpGrAUESZ NBL x pic.twitter.com/A4CWVpCooL
Announced as part of the celebrations around their Nothing But Love ‘best of’ LP, which pulls tracks from James’ whopping 18 studio albums, the new run of UK arena shows in 2026 follows on from numerous noteworthy shows this calendar year.
In addition to the aforementioned outdoor gigs, like their stunning sold-out night at The Piece Hall in Halifax – not too far from frontman Tim Booth’s hometown in Yorkshire – the indie veterans also celebrated a huge landmark in 2025.
Surpassing the milestone of 40 years as a band, with a lineup that’s remained largely intact and only really grown in terms of live session players and touring bandmates.
The new “definitive” greatest hits record also includes two brand-new songs in ‘Wake Up Superman’ and ‘Hallelujah Anyhow’, both of which are produced by Leo Abrahams, who worked with the band on their long-awaited number one album Yummy in 2024 – a feat loooong overdue if you ask us.
As evidenced by the sheer amount of new material they continue to put out and the almost non-stop touring, they remain one of the most prolific artists in the country. FACT.
You can see the rest of James’ upcoming tour dates, including a healthy number of Northern stops in the likes of Liverpool, Leeds and more.
James UK arena tour dates 2026
Fri 2 Birmingham Utilita Arena
Sat 4 Leeds First Direct Bank Arena
Tues 7 Aberdeen P&J Live
Wed 8 Glasgow OVO Hydro
Fri 10 Newcastle Utilita Arena
Sat 11 Liverpool M&S Bank Arena
Mon 13 Cardiff Utilita Arena
Tues 14 Nottingham Motorpoint Arena
Fri 17 London The O2
Sat 18 Manchester Co-op Live
With James returning to Manchester for their Co-op Live arena debut next April, along with a sensational support slot from fellow local legends, Doves (I know, how lucky are you lot?!), you can bank on this one selling out quickly.
General admission goes on sale this Friday, 10 October at 9:30am, so you’d better be ready to grab yours in a flash.
You can find the ticket link HERE, and we’ll see you in the crowd for a good ol’ singalong.
Featured Images — Ehud Lazin/Press shots (supplied)
What's On
Electronic icons Kraftwerk announce first Manchester gig since 2017
Danny Jones
Pioneering German band Kraftwerk have announced their first UK tour since 2017, with fans having to wait almost a decade for another Manchester gig.
Thankfully, they’ll be heading back down the Autobahn and across the channel for a return to our shores soon enough with a long-awaited list of British and Irish live dates.
Kraftwerk remains one of the most groundbreaking groups in the electronic scene to this day, having paved the way for generations of new artists to keep experimenting with the genre in the 50+ years since their formation.
Heading back to Manchester early next year, die-hards will no doubt snap these tickets faster than you can say ‘Das Model’.
For anyone unaware of these veritable legends of electronica and the world of alternative/Euro-synth pop, Kraftwerk formed all the way back in 1970 and went on to shape the modern music industry, bridging the gap between music and the digital age.
Best known for tracks like ‘Computer Love’, ‘The Robots’, ‘Pocket Calculator’ and the aforementioned on named after the national motorway network, they spearheaded futurism in the musical landscape from the outset.
It seems only fitting, therefore, that their upcoming highly anticipated return to the UK comes as part of their ‘Multimedia’ tour.
While they have played a number of live shows all over the globe this year, including an extensive run in the US, next spring will be our domestic visit from Kraftwerk in nine long years.
Credit: Press shot (supplied)
You can see the full list of UK and Ireland tour dates – including a handful of Northern gigs – down below:
Spanning a total of 15 UK dates, as you can see, there will also be tickets to see Kraftwerk nearby in the likes of Liverpool and with our mates over in Sheffield.
Kraftwerk legend Ralf Hütter famously played a set inside our city’s velodrome at the National Cycling Centre for Manchester International Festival (MIF) back in 2009, and has collaborated with the event on multiple ocassions.
In fact, that very performance was seen as a turning point for MIF, so the Manc Kraftwerk connection speaks for itself; O2 members can obviously get pre-sale, but general admission tickets go live from 9am this Friday, 10 October.
Emily Sergeant -
21st September 2021 
