Birds of a Feather set to Flock Together at Cartoon County

Comic creator Lucy Sullivan and film writer and director Dylan Southern will be at the next Cartoon County event, on Monday 22nd September, in conversation with Alex Fitch.

Lucy and Dylan Southern have worked together on The Thing With Feathers, an adaptation to screen of Max Porter's award-winning 2015 novella, which had its world premiere at the Sundance Festival earlier this year and opens in select cinemas next month. 

In The Thing With Feathers, following the death of his wife, a young father’s hold on reality crumbles, and a strange presence begins to stalk him from the shadowy recesses of the apartment he shares with his two young sons. A man-like crow, voiced by David Thewlis, is seemingly brought to life from the father’s work as an illustrator and is about to become a very real part of all of their lives, ultimately guiding them towards the new shape their family must take. 

Written and directed by Dylan Southern, starring Benedict Cumberbatch as "Dad", The Thing with Feathers is a lyrical exploration of love, loss and the strange ways we heal.

Benedict Cumberbatch in The Thing With Feathers

Lucy has created new comic book art for the film, that's shown as the work of "Dad", who's trying to capture a nightmarish crow on paper that continuously haunts his dreams. 

Alex Fitch will be talking to Lucy and Dylan about their collaboration, how comics art is used in cinema, and much more.

Lucy Sullivan, also a guest at this year's Lakes International Comic Art Festival next weekend, is a writer and artist from London, who creates stories around social concerns combined with folklore and expressive mark making. She’s best known for her acclaimed debut graphic novel BARKING, based on her own experience of a mental health crisis. A new edition launched in 2024 with Avery Hill Publishing, and is part the Required Reading List for UCLA’s Art & Trauma Collegiate.  

Alongside her own comics and zines, Lucy has created a variety of commissions for Dark Horse, Image Tiny Onion for titles including Hey, Amateur!, The Department Of Truth:Wild Fictions and Black Hammer, as well as the short comic Betwixt, Between, commissioned by Jeff Lemire. She is the artist on short comics including IND-XED, Metallic Dynamite, YOSHIN10 and Razorblades. 

 Her new Folk-Horror series SHELTER is currently in development, with support from Arts Council England. The first story, "Early Doors", is out now - and was winner of Broken Frontier’s “Best New Periodical Series” Award 2022. It was followed by the research zine, HAGBOUND, self-published in 2023. The second long-form story, "Mothers Ruin", is currently in development and scheduled for publication in 2026 (TBA).

This Cartoon County event takes place at 7.30 pm on Monday 22nd September, at The Walrus, 10 Ship Street, Brighton BN1 1AD, in the usual room, The Hideaway, at the back of the pub. Do note that Cartoon County is a week early this month, so that anyone attending the Lakes International Comic Art Festival the following weekend won't have to rush back to be in Brighton on time, on what would be the usual day!

Cartoon County is also hosting a free Autumn Fair, selling comics, cartoons and prints, on Saturday 18th October 2025 at Brighton's Open Market on London Road.

Cartoon County, the Sussex Cartoon and Comic Strip Association, is a Brighton-based community for everyone who makes or enjoys comics, cartoons and graphic story-telling. Every month, they invite a comic-maker to join them and talk about their work with host Alex Fitch. These interviews are recorded and subsequently broadcast on Resonance FM’s Panel Borders, of which Alex is also the presenter.

Cartoon County meetings are usually held on the last Monday of the month (exceptions occasionally apply, so check their Facebook page before setting out).

There is usually no need to register, except on rare occasions when their guest is so popular that they risk exceeding the capacity of the room – they will always announce this on Facebook, Twitter and Eventbrite beforehand.

• Not local to Brighton, or just prefer to stay at home? Cartoon County also provide a rough and ready livestream online, via Zoom. Please register on Eventbrite if you would like to join us for the Zoom session. You can follow us on Facebook or Eventbrite if you’d like a notification every time we post a new event.