A small goblin with a simple culinary ambition is heading to Thought Bubble. Goblin Soup, a new mini comic by East Midlands illustrator and zine maker Michelle Last, who works online as Clambongle, is scheduled to debut at the Harrogate festival on November 14 and 15.

The premise is intentionally cozy: a cute goblin and their friend want to make soup. That compact setup suits the project’s mini-comic format, and Last has described it as a work made for the colder, more comforting side of the year. The first printing is especially small, with 30 copies planned.

Festival visitors looking for it can find Clambongle at Bubbleboy Hall, table B47a. Last has indicated that the comic is intended to reach their online shop after the festival debut, though the supplied details do not establish timing, stock levels, or whether any later edition will differ from the initial 30-copy run.

A tiny print run, and what it actually means

A 30-copy run is not merely a low number next to a convention’s much larger attendance and table count. It means Goblin Soup is being introduced as a deliberately small-batch object: a comic whose first physical circulation is likely to be closely tied to the event and to the creator’s direct shop.

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That does not automatically make every copy a convention exclusive. A convention exclusive is generally a product specifically limited to a particular event or venue. Here, the confirmed detail is narrower: the comic will debut at Thought Bubble, and Last plans to offer it through their shop afterward. Readers should therefore treat “30 copies” as the stated size of the initial print run, rather than assume an event-only status that has not been confirmed.

For anyone hoping to buy a copy, the practical takeaway is straightforward. The debut location is known, the table number is known, and the initial quantity is small. It is sensible to check Bubbleboy Hall early if a physical copy is the goal. But it is equally important not to turn limited-run language into unsupported claims about resale value, reprints, signatures, or future scarcity. None of those details have been established.

Why the format fits Clambongle’s work

Last’s existing work has included short zines, risograph pieces, and small clay objects. That background provides useful context for Goblin Soup: this is not being presented as a conventional long-form comic-book launch with a large distribution footprint. It is a creator-led mini comic appearing alongside a body of small-format, independently made work.

A zine is a self-published or independently produced small publication. The term can cover many formats and subjects, but in comics spaces it often signals a concise, personal, experimental, or handmade-feeling project rather than a mass-market periodical. A mini comic is similarly flexible. It generally refers to a smaller-scale comic, whether that scale comes from page count, physical dimensions, printing method, production quantity, or a combination of those factors.

The supplied information does not specify Goblin Soup’s page count, paper stock, dimensions, binding, or printing process. It would be tempting to infer those details from Last’s prior risograph work, but that would be speculation. Risograph printing is a duplicating process associated with bold colors and distinctive texture, yet previous experience with that medium does not confirm that a new comic uses it.

What can be said is that a short comic about friendship and soup sits naturally beside a practice built around accessible, tactile small works. The scale may be modest, but that is part of the appeal of artist-led festival publishing: the encounter can be direct, the edition can be manageable, and the comic can be allowed to remain a focused little story rather than being stretched into something larger than its idea requires.

Thought Bubble’s small-press setting

Goblin Soup arrives during Thought Bubble’s twentieth edition, held at the Harrogate Convention Centre as part of a wider week of events across Yorkshire. The festival centers comics, illustration, animation, and related creative work, before culminating in its convention weekend.

Thought Bubble’s emphasis on artists, writers, and small press makes it an apt place for a 30-copy debut. The event is reported to have more than 600 tables, creating room for both established names and creators selling compact, self-published projects. Within a show that large, a table number becomes more than a logistical footnote: B47a is the practical route to the work for visitors who have come specifically for this release.

Bubbleboy Hall is named for Sam Bubbleboy Dixon and is known as a particularly concentrated area for self-publishers. That context matters because “self-published” is not a lesser category of comic production. It describes the route by which a work reaches readers: the creator, rather than a traditional publisher, takes responsibility for publishing decisions and often sells directly. At a convention, that directness can make a table a shopfront, a gallery space, and a point of conversation all at once.

For a newcomer, a hall full of self-publishers can be one of the most rewarding parts of a comic festival. It is where readers can encounter projects that may not have broad bookstore distribution, including zines, anthology contributions, compact narrative comics, and art objects. A limited debut such as Goblin Soup is a clear example of why those spaces matter: it gives a small work an in-person first audience without requiring it to conform to the scale or release model of major publishing.

Twenty editions from Leeds to Harrogate

Thought Bubble was founded in 2007 by Yorkshire artist Lisa Wood, also known as Tula Lotay. It began as part of the Leeds International Film Festival, with the aim of increasing comics’ profile in the area. Its first event took place on November 10, 2007, in the basement of Leeds Town Hall and drew a few hundred attendees.

The convention originally operated across Leeds. In 2019, it moved to nearby Harrogate, with the need for more space and issues involving Leeds City Council cited as factors. The Harrogate Convention Centre now hosts the convention portion of the festival.

That journey adds perspective to the twentieth edition. A show that began in a basement with a comparatively small crowd has grown into a festival where more than 600 tables can coexist with a week of programming. Yet the presence of a 30-copy comic about a goblin making soup suggests that growth has not erased the small-press core. The scale of the festival and the scale of the comic can coexist because they serve different parts of the same comics ecosystem.

What readers should watch for

  • Creator: Michelle Last, working as Clambongle.
  • Comic: Goblin Soup, a mini comic about a goblin and a friend making soup.
  • Debut: Thought Bubble, November 14-15, at Harrogate Convention Centre.
  • Location: Bubbleboy Hall, table B47a.
  • Initial print quantity: 30 copies.
  • Later availability: Last intends to make it available through their shop after the debut; no further release specifics are confirmed.

The limited first run should make the debut a notable stop for readers who enjoy indie comics, zines, and small-format art publishing. More importantly, the project sounds tailored to its form: a short, seasonal comic with a gentle premise, brought to a festival that has long made room for work made outside the mainstream publishing pipeline.