Limit Break Comics is a comic collective and publisher from Ireland, best known for its myth anthologies.
The LB Bulletin - August 2026
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It’s time for another issue of the LB Bulletin! Before we jump in, here's a reminder of who we are!
Let’s dive right in! We have lots to include in this one on the back of Dublin Comic Con! Project UpdatesBump in the NightBump in the Night is back and live on Zoop! We have new creators joining the project, some of whom have already been added to the public roster, with more to be announced. The big difference between Zoop and Kickstarter for us is that Zoop will be handling the fulfillment of North American pledges! This means cheaper shipping rates for those backers. Here's a quick reminder of the extra rewards: If you can afford to and are so inclined, please back the campaign and/or help spread the word about it. Every little bit helps, and we'd love to finally bring this book to life. EventsWe have more events confirmed for 2026, and we're already starting with 2027 bookings. October 2026
November 2026
January 2027
Dublin Comic ConWe have a lot to report from the convention. All in all, we're thrilled with how the weekend went. It was definitely one of our most successful and enjoyable weekends. Seamus did a couple of write-ups on panels, too! Before we get there, table photos! John didn't take one photo of his table, so you get two instead! We didn't plan on getting lots of new banners for the convention, but needs must! Guests!Part of the fun of DCC is meeting the guests. Aside from when we were on panels with them (or in Gary's case, sitting among them!), we also got to meet some of the media guests who were at the convention. Panels!Before we get onto Seamus's write-ups, we also have quick photos from the other two panels we were part of. James also did a big write-up on the convention here: https://downthetubes.net/dublin-comic-con-summer-edition-2026-proved-sizzling-despite-some-rain/ And now, Seamus's DCC adventures! With gaming royalty David Hayter (Solid Snake from the Metal Gear Solid series) as a guest for August 2026 Dublin Comic Con, along with voice actors from Baldur’s Gate III, we took the opportunity to host a panel on the theme of Retro Video Games and Comic Books: A Perfect Fit? on Saturday 8th August 2026. This panel featured professional comic book artist Colm Griffin, Irish cartoonist Eoin Barclay and Seamus Kavanagh (me!) from Limit Break Comics, who launched his latest comic book Old Game Plus #2 at the show. Colm Griffin kicked things off by showcasing his recent collection of arcade cabinet style variant covers for Valiant Press. This series of covers had a retro games theme, with each cover designed like an arcade video game cabinet and the screens featuring different artwork respective to the series but with different retro game features. Valiant characters such as Bloodshot, X-O Manowar, Harbinger, and Shadowman appeared with pixelated artforms, with some mimicking character select screen from popular game series such as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Comic book variant covers with a retro game style are not a new feature but the theme of encasing each within an arcade cabinet was a fresh take by Colm and they certainly looked very sleek when showcased together. Colm was also able to speak about his variant cover for Street Fighter vs Valiant Universe, which became a San Diego Comic Con exclusive cover. This cover featured the Street Fighter characters Cammy White and Dhalsim fighting Valiant characters Bloodshot and Ninjak, against a pixelated backdrop similar to what you’d find in a Street Fighter videogame. This particular cover for the book by Colm Griffin had a limited print run and Colm had less than a handful of these limited run comics to display on his table at the show. Irish cartoonist Eoin Barclay is a prolific illustrator, with an Instagram account regularly featuring popular video game characters drawn with his own signature style. Eoin spoke about his influences, or as he termed it “Capcom and (Akira) Toriyama’s fault,” across the years. Characters from Capcom published video games, other series such as Dragon Quest and manga series such as Dragon Ball inspired Eoin to pick up a pencil and find joy in drawing his favourite characters. Maintaining the video game theme, Eoin showcased a lot of his Street Fighter character work, highlighting the aspects he enjoys most and the elements which have influenced his own style and illustration identity over the years. Eoin closed his section by highlighting the development of his art across the years, encouraging those interested in creating their own artwork to keep drawing everyday and that each new piece will contribute to one’s own development. Following a successful Kickstarter campaign, Limit Break Comics Writer Seamus Kavanagh launched Old Game Plus #2 at the August 2026 show, a collection of 6 short comics, all inspired by the early 2000s era of video games. Seamus briefly spoke through the titles of each of the comics and their inspiration sources, before focusing on the Hip Fire and Revenge of the Greek Hero comics, detailing a little more on the context of each story and his choice for story direction. Hip Fire was a merging of the desire to have a comic featuring a military World War II setting and his past efforts teaching children how to play games such as Fortnite while the Greek Hero story was a challenge at making a softer but fun version of violent games such as God of War which took inspiration from Greek mythology. With a 5pm time slot, the crew zipped through a 25 minute panel and hosted a quick Q & A before retuning back behind this tables for the final 20 minutes of the show. Pictured below are 9 of the 14 creatives who comprised the team behind Old Game Plus #2. Old Game Plus #3? Might be in the works… Our panel on Sunday 9th August 2026 at DCC was a rare opportunity to celebrate a great success story within Irish comics. Reese Hannigan took part with the 2026 Marvel Art Atelier programme in Paris in March 2026. The August show featured not only Reese as a Guest, but also Rickey Purdin (Director, Talent Relations at Marvel Comics and head of the Art Atelier programme) and Humberto Ramos (Artist with Marvel Comics and Mentor at Marvel Art Atelier). All three took to the stage at 2pm on the Sunday speak about the experience, hosted by Seamus Kavanagh of Limit Break Comics (me!). The Marvel Art Atelier is a training and mentorship programme for rising comic book artists, hosted at Disneyland Paris each March. Only 5 artists globally are invited by Marvel to take part with this programme and Donegal-based artist Reese Hannigan was selected by Marvel Comics to participate with the 2026 programme. Reese’s fellow mentees for 2026 were from Brazil, Italy, Spain and United States of America, making Reese’s section and representation of Ireland and Irish comics a wonderful achievement. The panel spoke about how the event was a 4-day programme, structured with morning masterclass sessions by different Marvel Artists and an afternoon of assignments for the 5 mentees. Mentors on the programme included Elena Casagrande covering fundamentals, Humberto Ramos on storytelling, Iban Coello on character design and finally Adi Granov on cover artwork. Reese spoke about his efforts to be on Marvel’s radar for consideration with such a programme, highlighting his travel to seek out Marvel Editors at different shows such as New York Comic Con in 2025, where Reese had opportunity to speak with Rickey Purdin in-person and go through his artwork. Acknowledging the financial commitment with such a venture, Humberto commented that such efforts can be difficult but through a long-term lens, could be better regarded as investments toward building one’s future career. There is no shortage of talented individuals seeking to work with comic book publishers and seeking out opportunities is certainly a key method to propel one forward. As part of the March programme, the mentees developed a short 5-page comic about the Disney Hotel New York at Disneyland Paris. Each of the Mentees was responsible for a page each and below we have an image of Reese’s contribution (page 1) of that short comic. The comic produced was distributed through the hotel in Paris as part of its fifth anniversary and was limited in number. Rickey had a single copy with him and was given to an audience member as part of the Q & A session. Reese’s selection by Marvel to be a part of the 2026 Art Atelier programme is a tremendous success for Irish comics and acts as a great reflection on the calibre of comics talent on this small island. Indeed, the comics guest section of August Dublin Comic Con included 9 Irish Guests with professional credits to their name, all very active within the industry today. In closing, we will highlight Humberto’s comments about, or rather guidance to, future generations of artists taking the helm of the marvel characters; while it can be difficult work, do not forget to take a step by and allow yourself to feel the joy of working in this universe and with these characters. Working in comics is hard. It is difficult, labour intensive and requires continuous amount of administration and promotion. Yes still, those in work in comics found joy in the pages of comic books through the stories, the heroes and the artwork in their early lives. To be making comics in any way is indeed a joyful achievement and all of us, small press to professional, should take some time every now and again to appreciate what we’ve been able to create. James Bacon Can't Be StoppedAnd we're all very proud of him. Shortly before DCC, James gave a talk at the National Library of Ireland about the banned comics now available to read in the archive. This comes on the back of the publication of his new book A Sensual Cesspool of Iniquity, a title no one likes to try say out loud. There's some news and reviews about his book linked to on the Limit Break website, but very quickly we have:
James was also interviewed by TASQ for their Creator in Conversation podcast: (If the video doesn't play, click here to watch on YouTube) Comics and ResilienceOn the back of the Writing for Comics panel at Dublin Comic Con, Paul wrote a post for his Ko-fi entitled Comics and Resilience. It's as close to a write-up of the panel as we've got! *** We'll be back at the end of August, ahead of a month with no events Until next time! |
Limit Break Comics
Limit Break Comics is a comic collective and publisher from Ireland, best known for its myth anthologies.
It’s time for another LB Bulletin, the newsletter for Limit Break Comics. The team have found themselves busy in every aspect of their lives, but that doesn’t stop the comic wheel turning. If you need a reminder of who we are: Paul Carroll - writer, EP3 participant Gareth Luby - artist, cover designs and comic interiors Gary Moloney - writer, law-talking guy Seamus Kavanagh - writer, runs panels on making comics In this issue of the LB Bulletin, we’re going to look at our last events for the...
We’re back with the LB Bulletin, the newsletter for Limit Break Comics. This past month, we’ve been up and down the country for conventions, editing some video, preparing a book for publication, and landing a pretty sweet gig. If you need a reminder of who we are: Paul Carroll - one of the writers Gareth Luby - artist, cover designs and comic interiors Gary Moloney - writer, law-talking guy, resident Cork Comic Creator Seamus Kavanagh - writer, runs panels on making comics In this issue of...
It’s time for another LB Bulletin, the newsletter for Limit Break Comics. This past month, we’ve busied ourselves with the start of a six-month string of events, some new releases and some longer-term planning for future titles to fall under Limit Break. If you need a reminder of who we are: Paul Carroll - writer, runs a lot of the operations for the group (including this newsletter) Gareth Luby - artist, cover designs and comic interiors Gary Moloney - writer, law-talking guy Seamus Kavanagh...