The very first comics convention in Britain was held in Birmingham in 1968 so it seems right that fans and creators alike descended on the city en masse last weekend for the latest addition to the industry calendar - the Birmingham International Comics Show.

In case you hadn't heard, this was the first of what is intended to be annual event, and was organised by James Hodgkins, Andy Baker, Paul Birch and Smallzone's Shane Chebsey. The guests included talents such as Duncan Fegredo, Sean Phillips, Esad Ribic and Lew Stringer, but was perhaps slightly depleted due to a scheduling conflict with a new comics show in Lille, which snaffled a number of UK comics creators. There were also a few no-shows from within the advertised list like US guest Skottie Young and local writer Andy Diggle.

The con was held in The Custard Factory, which was a very fun venue, a healthy walk away from centre of town, and further from the recommended hotels than convention-goers are used to. (To be fair, this is due to many fans being spoiled by the Bristol Comics Expo where, once you step off the train, you're already there). Consisting of a cluster of factories originally built by the inventor of custard over a century ago, it is now a hive of artists' workshops, studio space, theatres, cafes and bars, as well as a being a regular destination for local party people.

The exhibition halls were both large enough without being cavernous and the aisles spacious. Exhibitors were provided with a light blue sheet to cover their table which eliminated the 'car boot sale' feel that sometimes threatens to prevail at these events. The organisers are also to be commended for not falling into the trap of ghettoising the small press. Self-publishers generate a substantial portion of the revenue by hiring tables and have occasionally been rewarded by being hidden away far from the 'main space'. For example, I shared a table with smallpress superstars Dan Goodbrey and Douglas Noble, and we were on the same row of tables as Michael Lark, Jon Haward and Andi Watson.

The two halls were separated by a 'lake' (that's what it said on the map anyway - it was more of a pond), which helped make this one of the most pleasant convention spaces I have encountered. The 'lake' was surrounded by workshops and galleries (one, at least temporarily, inhabited by Hunt Emerson exhibiting and selling original artwork).

There was also a large curved white board in this outside area where artists were encouraged to daub their own depiction of the classic character The Phantom. This would have undoubtedly have been completely covered far sooner had the weather been more pleasant. Drenched punters were a regular sight in both the exhibition halls.

The passing trade was fairly constant if not overwhelming. I'd say it was good for a first show, but I think most would agree that numbers need to increase somewhat next year. I learned from speaking to exhibitors that sales were better than last year's Brighton show (which wasn't by any means disastrous, at least for me) but not as good as the annual Bristol event.

A common grumble was that the posters and advertising all looked great, but should have been around the city where non-comics regulars would be more likely to see them. The only event being visibly promoted in the centre of town was an open day at the local catering college, which began its blurb with 'No matter what you have planned this weekend, cancel and come see us'. I doubt that the show lost much custom to the catering college, but something similar would have been nice.

The panels were a great success, taking place in an actual lecture theatre adding an element of professionalism that can sometimes be hard to generate in an empty hall. The celebration of Alex Toth's life and work, featuring his son as guest speaker, was generally proclaimed as the best of the bunch. Also very popular with the punters was The Kryptonite Factor, devised, scripted and presented by Budgie Barnett and Ade Brown. It was an amalgam of QI and A Question of Sport, featuring Dave Gibbons, John McCrea and Jamie McKelvie as guest panellists. (I was asked to appear as a joke-panelist at the beginning until the presenters 'figured out' I wasn't Grant Morrison. I wonder how many got the joke.)

I also appeared (properly) on the Comics in New Media panel on Sunday morning, along with Daniel Goodbrey, Lorenzo from Blink Twice, and Sean from superheroalterego.com, which was hastily organised to replace one on icomics. We couldn't find anyone who knew what an icomic was so instead we talked about the present state and potential future of the medium as we saw it in terms of technology. I think it went well - the audience didn't fidget much and they had lots of questions at the end, which is usually a good sign.

My personal favourite panel was the tutorial on digital colouring from Daredevil artist Matt Hollingsworth, who is both an entertaining speaker and renowned expert. He pitched the lecture just right, demonstrating his own tricks and techniques, honed over a decade of comics colouring, and I think everyone left having learned something.

The evening social scene was, as is always the case, an important factor in determining the success of the show. Even though the crowd was slightly fractured (put off by the prices and small size of the Radisson hotel bar) it was still fun and most of the usual faces were there. It was good catching up with pals and colleagues I only get to see at these gatherings, and it's always great to meet new faces.

My only grievances overall would be with the weather (which is out of the hands of the organisers) and the toilet facilities, which were quite nasty for duration. The second problem did improve, however, halfway through the Saturday when we discovered a hidden toilet (and shower!) behind a secret door in the mirror at the rear of our table!

Overall the show was an unqualified success, especially given that this was its first year. It was professionally organised, the literature and website were all of an unprecedented quality (especially the program which was the prettiest I have seen at any show in or out of the UK) and I didn't hear of anyone who said they didn't enjoy it.

Shane tells me that next year's guests will include Mike Mignola and Adam Hughes. With a little bit of pre-show outreach, and a continued focus on quality guests and interesting panels, Birmingham could easily become the premier comics event in the UK.

For information on future events visit: www.thecomicsshow.co.uk or email Shane Chebsey at: shane@smallzone-comics-shop.com