The evening before that was really good fun, I went to see Fear(s) of the Dark at the ICA, hosted by Paul Gravett. My favourite section was by Richard McGuire, created in black and white chiaroscuro, very abstract at times. A candle would illuminate something in the darkness and for a long time we wouldn't know what it was until the light fleshed out other areas around it. Really striking. I also liked the textured pencil work of Lorenzo Mattotti, and the clean linework of Charles Burns.
Paul Gravett did a plug for his latest book with Peter Stanbury, The Leather Nun: and other incredibly strange comics. It is, as Jonathan Ross puts it so nicely, the perfect gift for any comic-book lover or pervert in your life.
It was great seeing so many comics people in the bar after the film, including Ellen Lindner, Stephen Betts, Lee Simmons, Rian Hughes, Dave O'Connell, and I met for the first time Tim Webber, who designed Paul Gravett's website and has a brilliant comics site of his own, Read Yourself Raw. Dave got me as far as Westminster station after the gathering and I tottered across the bridge to the hospital for the next baby-themed event.