Papercuts Comics Festival

Papercuts Comics Festival A celebration of comics and graphic novels held biennially in Adelaide, South Australia, since 2019. Papercuts events take place at several different venues.

Papercuts Comics Festival is a celebration of comics and graphic novels in Adelaide, South Australia. It has been held biennially since 2019, with the next festival to be held in September 2023. It aims to promote awareness of comics and graphic novels as an artistic and literary medium, showcase members of the local creative community, connect creators with one another, and help creators reach ne

w audiences. Papercuts was born of a passion not only for comics but for Adelaide. The festival co-directors aim to create an event that celebrates Adelaide’s cultural reputation and develops partnerships among the creative community. We know that Adelaide has a rich and diverse community of practising comics professionals, emerging creators and keen amateurs. Adelaide also has a strong history of arts and writers festivals. Just as comics bring both art and writing together, Papercuts Comics Festival aims to create connections between those who love comics and new audiences who don’t yet know that they do. The festival events have been carefully designed to showcase many different facets of what comics can offer and to appeal to readers, writers and artists alike. Additionally, all events are free entry to the public as part of our mission to promote comics to new audiences and remove barriers to entry. All venues are non-smoking and wheelchair accessible. The Papercuts Comics Festival co-directors are Georgina Chadderton and Owen Heitmann. From June 2013 to December 2021, they jointly co-organised Comics with Friends and Strangers, a monthly meeting for current and aspiring comic creators. Georgina also co-organises the irregularly scheduled zine fair Zina Warrior Print Fest (which has been held in 2017, 2020, 2021 and 2022).

18/09/2025

That’s a wrap on Papercuts 2025! THANK YOU for making it a success! The two of us are going to catch up on some much needed sleep. If you attended any of this year's Papercuts events, please help us out by filling out this short survey (just six multiple-choice questions): https://forms.fillout.com/t/hWRnRy9tbwus

Last but not least for CREATORS IN CONVERSATION is Panel 5: ICONS with Louie Joyce (Louie Joyce . illustrator), Nicola S...
11/09/2025

Last but not least for CREATORS IN CONVERSATION is Panel 5: ICONS with Louie Joyce (Louie Joyce . illustrator), Nicola Scott (Nicola Scott Art) and Paul Mason (Dr. Paul Mason), chaired by Jana Hoffmann (Art by Jana Hoffmann)! 3:45-4:45pm at Adelaide City Library (Adelaide City Libraries) this Saturday 13 September, presented by CDW Studios.

Wonder Woman! Godzilla! The Phantom! Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles! Batman! What happens when Australian creators tackle these globally recognised characters? And how do they get the opportunity? We’ll talk to three award-winning comics-makers about their behind-the-scenes journeys and unmask the highlights and headaches of working with such storied icons. Discover how it feels to work on a character you grew up being a fan of, what it takes to get your foot in the door with companies such as DC, Frew and IDW, and how the experience is different from working on a creator-owned title.

https://www.papercutscomicsfestival.com/2025-creators-in-conversation-5-icons/

Made possible with support from Creative Australia, CreateSA, and City of Adelaide!

Not long now! CREATORS IN CONVERSATION Panel 4 is TEXT-TILES with Claire Murphy, Elizabeth Marruffo (Elizabeth Marruffo ...
11/09/2025

Not long now! CREATORS IN CONVERSATION Panel 4 is TEXT-TILES with Claire Murphy, Elizabeth Marruffo (Elizabeth Marruffo Art) and Samuel Luke Beatty (Samuel Luke Art), chaired by Carly Snoswell! 2:30-3:30pm at Adelaide City Library (Adelaide City Libraries) this Saturday 13 September, presented by CDW Studios.

Is making comics with fabric as hard as it seams? Find out from three comics artists who’ve gone the extra yard and taken to textiles as their medium! It’s sew and tell time with these panellists discussing their craft, inspirations, and challenges. We’ll unravel why our guests have chosen a needle rather than a pen, yarn about their creative process, and find out whether there’s a common thread to their diverse works. With these creators’ comics appearing in art galleries, on clothing, and in internationally published books, weave got a lot of material to cover!

https://www.papercutscomicsfestival.com/2025-creators-in-conversation-4-text-tiles/

Made possible with support from Creative Australia, CreateSA, and City of Adelaide!

Merch alert! While our main focus is always comics, we’ll have limited stock of these Papercuts tote bags and stickers f...
10/09/2025

Merch alert! While our main focus is always comics, we’ll have limited stock of these Papercuts tote bags and stickers for sale on the weekend. (Sorry: adorable model not for sale! But he is a very good boy. Yes he is! Yes he is!)

CREATORS IN CONVERSATION Panel 3 is IRL with Jess Harwood (Jess Harwood Art and Illustration), Mirranda Burton (Mirranda...
09/09/2025

CREATORS IN CONVERSATION Panel 3 is IRL with Jess Harwood (Jess Harwood Art and Illustration), Mirranda Burton (Mirranda Burton Artist) and Sam Wallman (Sam Wallman), chaired by Eleri Harris! 1:15-2:15pm at Adelaide City Library (Adelaide City Libraries) this Saturday 13 September, presented by CDW Studios.

Comics can do anything – and that includes documenting true stories! From the tale of Australian resistance to conscription during the Vietnam War through to coverage of the current climate crisis and a firsthand account of working in an Amazon warehouse, our guests have found their inspiration in real life. No “alternative facts” here! In this panel, three of Australia’s leading comics journalists, essayists, and chroniclers of creative nonfiction will delve into their process, why they’re drawn to comics as the medium for their reportage, and the challenges of converting real life events into sequential art.

https://www.papercutscomicsfestival.com/2025-creators-in-conversation-3-irl/

Made possible with support from Creative Australia, CreateSA, and City of Adelaide!

Thanks to The Post for this excellent interview with Papercuts co-director Georgina Chadderton, in which she talks about...
09/09/2025

Thanks to The Post for this excellent interview with Papercuts co-director Georgina Chadderton, in which she talks about this weekend's festival and her forthcoming graphic novel, Oh Brother. (You can get a taste of Oh Brother at the Papercuts Comics Festival Market Day 2025 this Sunday, where Gina will be selling a sampler containing the first chapter!)

Read the full article here: https://thepostsa.au/events/2025/09/09/why-sas-graphic-novel-scene-is-growing-and-going-global/

CREATORS IN CONVERSATION Panel 2 is DRAWING LOCAL with Campbell Whyte, Molly Hunt and Queenie Chan - Writer/Artist, chai...
08/09/2025

CREATORS IN CONVERSATION Panel 2 is DRAWING LOCAL with Campbell Whyte, Molly Hunt and Queenie Chan - Writer/Artist, chaired by Owen Heitmann! 11:30am-12:30pm at Adelaide City Library (Adelaide City Libraries) this Saturday 13 September, presented by CDW Studios.

How do comics-makers and graphic novelists represent Australia on the page? Do they draw from photos or memories? And does a local setting help or hinder in connecting with an international audience? Get ready to be inspired by three talented creators who’ve brought magical girls to Perth, an alien invasion to the Kimberley, and manga readers to a haunted boarding school in the NSW bush. We’ll discuss visual clichés to avoid, how to capture a sunburnt country in black and white, and whether an authentic sense of place is pivotal or peripheral to their stories.

Read more about each guest here: https://www.papercutscomicsfestival.com/2025-creators-in-conversation-2-drawing-local/

Made possible with support from Creative Australia, CreateSA, and City of Adelaide!

Papercuts Access InformationWith a weekend of wonderful free comics events less than a week away, we wanted to draw your...
08/09/2025

Papercuts Access Information

With a weekend of wonderful free comics events less than a week away, we wanted to draw your attention to some of the festival’s access info:

⭐ All venues have step-free entrances and wheelchair accessible toilets.

⭐ Auslan interpretation and Hearing Loop equipment will be provided at Talking Pictures and Creators in Conversation.

⭐ A Quiet Room will be available at Creators in Conversation and the Market Day, with additional support by headspace Adelaide in the Quiet Room at the Market Day.

Our aim is to remove as many barriers to participation in the comics community and industry as possible. Although we know there is always more for us to learn and improve on, we hope that all people feel welcome at Papercuts.

For more detailed access information about each of the Papercuts venues, please see https://www.papercutscomicsfestival.com/venue-access-information/


Creators in Conversation (Papercuts Comics Festival 2025) features five discussion panels at Adelaide City Library (Adel...
08/09/2025

Creators in Conversation (Papercuts Comics Festival 2025) features five discussion panels at Adelaide City Library (Adelaide City Libraries) this Saturday 13 September, presented by CDW Studios. Panel 1 (10:15am) is SLASHIES, with Alyssa Bermudez (Bermudezbahama), Evie "YEEVZ" Hilliar and Tim Mcburnie (Tim Mcburnie - The Drawing Codex), chaired by Jake Holmes.

In the world of comics, it’s common for a creator to wear multiple hats – but if being writer-slash-penciller-slash-inker-slash-colourist wasn’t enough, our guests for this panel pursue many different avenues of work! Hear the pros and cons from three multi-disciplinarian comics makers / teachers / animators / art directors / concept designers / photo-retouchers! Is being a ‘slashie’ a necessity for them or a choice? These panellists will discuss the different branches of their careers and how they balance competing demands for their time and focus. Not to mention the big question: are comics a side hustle or their main gig?

Read more about each guest here: https://www.papercutscomicsfestival.com/2025-creators-in-conversation-1-slashies/

Made possible with support from Creative Australia, CreateSA, and City of Adelaide!

So, how DO we run a three-day arts festival in Adelaide and keep all events free entry for punters, offer stallholders p...
07/09/2025

So, how DO we run a three-day arts festival in Adelaide and keep all events free entry for punters, offer stallholders places at the Market Day at no cost, AND pay our guests Australian Society of Authors and National Association for the Visual Arts rates? I'm glad you asked! It's all thanks to grants from Creative Australia, CreateSA, and City of Adelaide, plus extra support from CDW Studios, University of South Australia and its Illustration and Animation Program, and the fine folks at Jeffries Printing Services! We doff our caps to them, one and all. Thank you!

The Papercuts Comics Festival Market Day 2025 is nearly here! Next weekend, more than 120 stallholders from every state ...
07/09/2025

The Papercuts Comics Festival Market Day 2025 is nearly here! Next weekend, more than 120 stallholders from every state and territory of Australia are gathering for you to sample their comics and graphic novels! From DC superhero creators to radical activist comics distros, from creators as young as 8 years old to grizzled veterans, there’ll be something for all readers. Join the fun at Adelaide Town Hall from 11am to 5pm. And entry is FREE!

Made possible with support from Creative Australia, CreateSA and City of Adelaide.

Meet the last (but not least) of this year's TALKING PICTURES presenters: LUNA DE LARA!Luna is a Cuban-Australian illust...
04/09/2025

Meet the last (but not least) of this year's TALKING PICTURES presenters: LUNA DE LARA!

Luna is a Cuban-Australian illustrator, writer, and 2D animator who focuses on storytelling. They’ve worked at Monkeystack on a variety of projects, including YOLO: RAINBOW TRINITY and YOLO: SILVER DESTINY, specialising in character and FX animation. Luna was an exhibitor in the 2025 Squish Squash exhibition ‘This is All Human Made’, and a short film they animated with RongYe Zhang won 3rd place in Adelaide Festival Centre’s 2023 Moving Image Program. Luna is inspired by nature, magic, and their multicultural, q***r, and neurodivergent experience.

TALKING PICTURES IS a FREE evening of visual storytelling at the Allan Scott Auditorium (UniSA's City West Campus, 55 North Tce, Adelaide), supported by University of South Australia and its Illustration and Animation Program! BOOK NOW: https://events.humanitix.com/talking-pictures-papercuts-comics-festival-2025

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