Libreture
For five years the ShortBox Comics Fair has featured amazing comic artists from all over the world. Selling their never-seen-before digital comics in DRM-free formats for an entire month.
The fair takes place annually every October. It opens at 8am (UK time) October 1st and closes at 8pm (UK time) October 31st. Our comics are available on our website only during this time.
Browse the fantastic selection of comics and start filling your basket today!
The digital comics are available to buy in PDF format, and to download immediately.
"The fair only has permission to distribute the participating artists comics for the duration of the fair. All comics are creator-owned and all rights reserved by the artists: the fair does not have access/permission to distribute the artists comics beyond October."
So remember to back them up! I always pop mine straight into my library to keep safe and track my reading.
Pace yourself!
I get very excited for the Shortbox Fair every October.
I try and make sure I've got some money put aside for buying as many comics as possible. There's such a range of styles, genres, and artists. You'll want to fill your basket with a good selection of different books.
Trust me, the ShortBox Comics Fair is the only digital shop where you'll be glad there's no 'Add All to Basket' button!
New-to-you Artists
As the founder, Zainab Akhtar, highlights, the aim of the fair is to:
serve as a creative impetus for artists to make something new; to provide a platform for fresh and unique independent comics, all gathered in one place; and to connect readers with an array of work diverse in style and approach.
That's why the fair is such a great way to discover comic artists you may never have heard of before.
Afte the fair ends, you may find the books available to buy somewhere else, often direct from the artist. But it's the fair that drives these new works, often providing the opportunity for artists to change tack, try something new, and push their creative envelope.
For five years, Zainab has created, curated, and promoted a digital platform for comic artists to really shine. I believe the 2023 Fair generated over $400,000 in total for the artists involved. In an environment of readers demanding free and the continued devaluation of art, especially digital, it's heartening to see a month-long fair generate such income. Proving that readers are willing to pay.
Get reading
Don't hang around.
The ShortBox Comics Fair only runs until the 31st of October. Take a look, but some book... come back another day to buy some more... before you know it, you've bought almost everything available... so why not go for the lot...
Have a great ShortBox Comics Fair, and happy reading!