A COMIC convention that was the brainchild of an Ilkley artist is about to be staged for the ninth year – and it getting bigger than ever.

Thought Bubble, which takes place at the Royal Armouries museum in Leeds from November 9 to 15, attracts guests and fans from across the world.

It was set up by Ilkley’s Lisa Wood because she wanted there to be a northern comic convention to rival the ones in London and the US.

Although the first one was a relatively modest affair held in the basement of Leeds Town Hall in 2007, interest still outweighed Lisa’s expectations. And from the 500 people who attended the first event, there are now more than 10,000 who visit Thought Bubble every year.

Guests this year include writers and artists who have worked on some of the major comics characters, from the likes of Marvel, DC and 2000AD, including the Avengers, Batman, Spider-Man and Doctor Who.

And the festival has gained a worldwide reputation thanks to Lisa’s own growing fame as a comics artist in her own right.

Under the pen-name Tula Lotay, Lisa provides art and covers for a range of top publishers, and is a regular collaborator with comics writer Warren Ellis.

That job takes her across the world, and at the recent massive Comic-Con event in San Diego, attended by the cream of the comics and movies industry, she was stopped by big names wanting to get on the bill for Thought Bubble.

And at a major event to launch the new titles for Image Comics, one of the publishers Lisa works for, a huge cheer went up when she was introduced as the brains behind Thought Bubble.

Lisa said: “It’s amazing people from all over the world have not only heard of it, but want to get involved as well.”

In fact, Thought Bubble has grown so big Lisa and her team have had to consider moving it out of Leeds altogether.

She said: “We had to consider going to larger venues, maybe in Manchester or somewhere, but in the end we knew our hearts were in keeping the festival in West Yorkshire. As well as all the events for comics fans, we do a lot of work with community groups in Leeds and Bradford and make sure comics are accessible for everyone, no matter where they’re from or what their backgrounds are. To continue with that, we knew we had to stay in Leeds.”

Visit thoughtbubblefestival.com for more details and to book tickets.