I always feel like a bit of an impostor at Caption.

Caption is a small press convention held in Oxford, England, every year. It's the only one of its kind in the UK, as far as I know, and is certainly the longest-lived extant comic convention over here.

Which is kind of ironic, considering its regular attendance is somewhere between 60 and 80 people.

No, that's not a typo. Sixty to eighty people.

And to further the irony, despite (or perhaps because of) its size, Caption is actually the closest thing to a 'proper' convention going - because almost all the people there are actively involved in creating comics. Just about everyone there either creates, distributes or reports on the small press, and a more dedicated bunch of 'comic people' you'd be hard pressed to find.

What is it about such an ultra-small convention that keeps people going back, year after year, and inspires such a strong sense of loyalty and commitment?

Well, over the last couple of years I've found out. I just returned from a day at Caption 2002, or "Caption Noir" as this year's theme had it, and I heartily recommend anyone even remotely interested in the comics small press to pay it a visit next time around.

Caption is very, very English, and this becomes apparent the moment you enter the site. It's held in the Oxford Union Society building, for a start (Home to a political debating society). There's a small picnic area outside, all very green and pleasant. The building itself is rather small, especially by 'normal' convention standards, with just two rooms and a bar.

The bar, of course, is another thing that perpetually reminds you that you aren't at a US convention. The bar is the heart and soul of Caption - it's where everyone meets, where people sit and chat, where you catch up with friends. It also doesn't hurt that it's pretty cheap. Which is enough to get the attention of almost all UK creators, in my experience.

So it's fair to describe Caption as 'cosy', but don't think that it's exclusive. It may be true that half of the people there are on first-name terms with the other half, but it's also extremely friendly; being such a small place, and especially one that most attendees are by now very familiar with, puts people at their ease. Manners are in evidence, to be sure, but everyone remains approachable.

And who are you likely to meet? Well, that depends on who you're looking for. Established pros with a soft spot for the small press? That would be D'Israeli (who I believe has attended every Caption since it started 11 years ago), Al Davison, Steve Marchant and French creator/publisher/translator Jean-Paul Jennequin, then. With the exception of Al Davison, all were at both this and last year's Caption - though last year Woodrow Phoenix was there (and ran a workshop), so it all evens out.

How about established UK small press creators from all over the country? Well, this year I spotted Terry Wiley (PETRA ETCETERA), the Goodman Brothers (PULP KITCHEN, BAHALA NA and far too much else to mention), Pete Ashton (Bugpowder Press), Jim McGee (SQUARE-EYED STORIES), and many more who I confess I either didn't recognise or don't know the names of.

Unsurprisingly, Caption also draws those dipping their feet into the murky waters of small press for the first time: Natalie Sandells and Andy Winter (DEVILCHILD), Alistair Pulling (ODDCASES), Ryan Richards (CARSON CITY) and Sean Azzopardi (3 IN A BED) were all seen this year.

Or perhaps you'd like to chat with some of the people who write about, distribute and generally support the British small press? Well, take your pick from Paul Gravett, Phil Hall, Mike Kidson, Shane Chebsey and others. If you know anything about small press in the UK, you'll know who these people are. Caption's your chance to talk and drink with all of them at once.

As you might expect, small press comics themselves are well-catered for at Caption; a large table outside the entrance to the bar (canny placing, that) is literally piled high with comics and flyers, from tiny Xeroxed minicomics to professionally printed self-publishing efforts. The table is available to anyone wanting to sell their wares; all they have to do is leave it on the table, and the Caption staff will sell it for you - leaving the creators free to enjoy the convention, rather than being stuck behind a booth all day.

So did we all sit about drinking and blabbering inanely till sundown? Well, no (tempting though it may be). For a start, every table in the bar is furnished with a large drawing pad and sharpie pens - anyone and everyone is encouraged to do whatever they want with them. At any time in the bar, at least one marker can always be heard scribbling across paper...

But mainly, what drew us away from our beer was the panels.

The first Saturday panel this year asked, "Who Killed The Small Press?" - a subject which in itself drew debate, with most present claiming to no-one's surprise that the small press wasn't dead to start with. Pretty much the entire convention sat basking in the English sun (due to the unusually fine weather, the panel was moved out of the stuffy rooms and into the picnic area), debating why the small press might be considered dead, whether it might be dying, how to avert it happening, and the best way of making sure everyone knows it's alive and well. The panel ran over its allotted time by nearly half an hour, but no-one cared; after all, panel starting times are normally announced by someone literally walking through the bar and telling everyone in turn. Overrunning time slots is not a difficult problem to solve at Caption.

The next event was sadly necessarily inside, as historian of the day Tony Hitchman presented a slideshow/lecture on the history of the small press, paying particular attention to the San Francisco underground. (I was too dry in the mouth to attend, but I'm assured by those who went that it was very good.)

Steve Marchant then hauled everyone back outside for The Mighty World Of Marchant, a sarcastic role-playing exercise in which members of the audience were asked to play 'choose your own adventure' with the fates of several comic characters, competing for the fabulous prize of... small plastic dinosaurs. At least, that's what I think they were. Audience participation is, no surprise, a big part of Caption, often producing the biggest laughs. TMWOM was no exception, especially the last item, "You Are Neil Gaiman..."

The last regular panel of the day was conducted by Jean-Paul Jennequin, asking UK creators to consider that, while most of their efforts may be directed toward being published in the USA, there's this country just a hop across the channel which publishes thousands of high-quality comics every year... Jennequin, a veteran of French bande dessinée and the small press (he recently translated FROM HELL for Delcourt, arguably France's largest publisher), was his usual affable self and dispensed much for the audience to think on.

As evening drew in, everyone settled into the bar - a captive audience for the annual art auction of pieces donated by the attendees. Remember, this is a convention with less than a hundred people, but this year's auction raised 500+ pounds for charity (including a jam comic put together on those drawing pads in the bar throughout the day). Not bad for an hour's work.

Finally, once everyone had had their fill of pizza (the con organises a takeout order from a local pizza restaurant, easily the largest single order I've ever seen) and spent a couple of hours unwinding, it was upstairs to the projector room again - this time for The National Theatre Of Earth Prime's rendition of CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS.

I didn't attend last year's TNTOEP production, and if it was as funny as this then I'm bloody annoyed. Down to just one member due to problems that I never quite heard beyond vagaries, this was a bluffer's - and piss-taker's - guide to the legendary sprawling DC crossover, with the aid of a projector and Microsoft PowerPoint. Yes, complete with flowcharts, bullet-point lists and all. It's pointless trying to repeat any of the jokes, but I was laughing pretty much all the way through, though sadly I never did learn why Jeb Stuart's tank was haunted. I did learn that I'm glad I've never read CRISIS, however...

Sadly that was it for me, though Caption itself continued through Sunday. The Sunday at Caption is usually dominated by a workshop in which everyone, whether normally a creator or not, is encouraged to participate on creating something based around the year's theme (Noir, remember? Don't worry, I'd almost forgotten by the end too). The results of some past workshops can be seen at Caption 's website, along with much more info on the convention itself.

Caption is unusual, perhaps even unique, among comic conventions. Even though I don't really fit in there with the dedicated small pressers - who frankly make me feel extremely lazy - it doesn't matter. Everyone is there because they really love comics - and if you do too, you should come along.

See you in Oxford.

Antony Johnston is the author of JULIUS, SPOOKED and THE LONG HAUL. His new ongoing series WASTELAND begins in July 2006.

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