Dublin 2029 volunteers at Comic Con.

By James Bacon: Dublin 2029 were at Dublin Comic Con last weekend (August 8-9, 2026), initiating their free book outreach campaign for attendees. The books were in demand by many hundreds of fans, with over a dozen boxes of books given away across the two days. 

Co-chair Marguerite Smith was in the vanguard of the action and noted:

“We know that we have to reach out to local fans to let them know that Dublin is bidding for a Worldcon, in order to engage their enthusiasm as volunteers for the bid and to encourage them to join from 2027, all going well. The many fans we encountered can be easily split between those who already know of Worldcon from 2019, and those who are not yet aware but were excited to hear about our plans. Dublin Comic Con attracts a very broad demographic so we have a whole new set of fans who are now looking forward to what might be their first Worldcon.  

“We know that promoting a Worldcon is really hard work, but if we look at the success of Glasgow and of Dublin 2019, the promotional strategies and tactics worked well. Both conventions had great success with pre-supports and subsequently had strong memberships, but it’s a constant multi-leveled effort. This is an important piece of local outreach, and we need to combine it with additional efforts across the island and around the world.” 

Dublin Comic Con sold out and the youthfulness of those attending as well as those being recognized and invited as guests and those in the artists alley is clear to see.  There has been a wave of Irish artists successfully entering the professional scene working for DC, Marvel and Image comics this decade and the way DCC celebrate them is noticeable.  Entering the industry is a key part and it was amazing to see Ricky Purdin, Director & Talent Relations at Marvel Comics as a guest, engaging with so many fans who aspire to write or draw, and he was so generous with his time during these one to one conversations.

The spotlight on Ireland and the 2026 Marvel Art Atelier programme was a real insight into how Marvel brings in new artists and helps build and develop them. 

Donegal-based artist Reese Hannigan was selected by Marvel Comics to participate in Marvel Art Atelier, a training and mentorship programme for rising comic book artists, hosted at Disneyland Paris in March of this year. Reese, Rickey Purdin and Humberto Ramos spoke with Seamus Kavanagh of Irish comic collective Limit Break Comics.

The Dublin 2029 bidders know that Irish fandom has a long history of developing writers through fan activities, leading to professional publication. There have been many Science Fiction workshops, publications and activities helping to develop writers in Ireland, both with their writing as well as learning from established industry professionals about the processes. 

Marguerite added:

“Dublin 2029 needs to look at how we harness the enthusiasm and how we bring fans and professionals across the variety of media that we celebrate: art, writing, music, game design and gaming, comics, and more. Just one of the many things we hope we can develop.” 

Ellie Wright

MONTHLY MEETUPS. On Monday night the first Dublin 2029 Monthly Meetup took place, which this month combined with an in person meet up for the Irish National SF Con, Octocon – www.octocon.com

Co-chair Brian Nisbet noted that: “There was a good crowd along and it was amazing to see fans who are getting involved with cons for the first time as well as those involved since the 1980s.” 

“The plan is to gather together in Dublin on the second Monday of every month for a chat, a bit of craic, and the chance to meet others from the community. Our venue is currently Tapped on Nassau St on the second Monday from 6pm, but we’ll also share details of each meeting on our social media and newsletters.” added Brian. 

The bid continues to build their pre-supports and asks readers to please consider supporting the bid: https://www.dublin2029.ie/