Some weeks ago I had the opportunity to talk to Su Haddrell, the tireless organiser of the LAWLESS comic convention. Our TRIPWIRE interview proved to be popular.
Shift felt like a a good place to follow up. I started bluntly by asking
Paul: During Lawless 2025 how many Judges did you meet?
Su: I think about 11?
Then we got into a few details.
Paul: Was Lawless 2025 a success?
Su: I think it was a huge success! We have a really great weekend from start to finish - everyone enjoyed all the panels, we had a fab gathering at the bar on Saturday night and we raised £1400 for the Trussell Trust! All our new guests thoroughly enjoyed themselves and it was a great opportunity for them to catch up with old friends and meet with fellow creators.
Paul: Looking backing it. On a scale of 1- 10 just how stressful do you find it to organise?
Su: It varies because its ongoing. Most of the time I'm working in the evenings after the day job, which can get tiring. It gets stressful when there are last minute changes, or I'm waiting on merchandise that hasn't shown up. But overall its always forgotten about by the time we get to enjoying the weekend!
Paul: Did you get any Tank Girl sketches or artwork?
Paul: During your busy weekend did you spot any merchandise or even original art that caught your eye? Certainly, you might be willing to agree that over the last few years the cost of original art has shot up a touch. Were there any HOLY GRAIL items on display?
Su: It was an honour to host the Tribute to Carlos Ezquerra Exhibition in 2019, and our more recent Best of British Exhibition curated by David Roach had some amazing pieces on display. I'm sure there were definitely some Holy Grails for a few people there! The Steve Dillon Exhibit also had some amazing pieces.
Paul: Have you ever had time during your busy schedule as a convention organiser to try on a Dredd helmet? A photo would be very cool.
Su: I think I tried on the helmet back in the day, but it was far too big. There is a photo of me from the first Lawgiver wearing some of the uniform though.
Paul: Can you share any amusing family friendly stories from Lawless 2025? Convention anecdotes are always fun to hear. Surely there must be at least one.
Su: My favourite one is just managing to get my Mum to the show for the Ten-Year Anniversary last year. I put her down on the Guest List as 'Su's Mum' and she was treated like an absolute celebrity all day - people were asking for her to sign things and to have their picture taken, it was awesome.
I love seeing mini-Judges too - it’s an absolute joy when the family start tagging along too, just to see what all the fuss is about and then they all make a whole bunch of friends for life. I love seeing the creators have their moment as well.
Brian Bolland was cautious about attending initially, and then I saw him having a sneaky pint at the bar with some fans which was lovely.
Paul: Who won this year's draw off? I recall there is competition. Who took part? It would be wonderful to find out what happened.
Su: Hunt Emerson won the draw off this year, with an excellent cartoon of our man, John Bav, polishing his recently acquired false leg. He was up against Colin MacNeil, Dave Kendal and Henry Flint and Bav sourced ideas from the audience on things they should draw. There was a variety of weird and wonderful requests, and we raffled off the sketches at the end to raise money for our chosen charity, The Trussell Trust.
Paul: I am guessing there might already be plans for Lawless 2026. I realise it may be early, but I'd guess some fans are very keen to plan in advance for such things.
Su: We've already booked the dates! We've had to change the weekend this year as the hotel was already booked, so Lawless 2026 will be held on the 9th & 10th May 2026. We don't start booking guests until later in the year as most of our creators haven't got an idea of their 2026 schedule until then. I think we've got a pretty good exhibition lined up though...
Paul: Do you have an absolute dream guest for 2026? Karl Urban perhaps?
Su: There's a few Big Names I’d love to see there - Karl Urban or Lena Headey obviously, even though we're not really a pop culture show. From a personal perspective I would love to meet Jamie Hewlett and Alan Martin, the original creators of the British comic "Tanks Girl". That would very much be a dream come true for me.
Paul: My almost final question isn't really a question really; it is just an opportunity to share your perspective. Perhaps it is a series of questions.
What does Lawless mean to you? Is it an event you look forward towards? Do you have any regrets? Ultimately, is all the hard work worth it at the end of the day?
Su: I love Lawless, and I love the community that we've created with it. I would love to replicate it and put on more than one show or be able to do something else with the community that we have, but sadly it doesn't earn enough for me to give up the day job. The hard work is always worth it. I've made some amazing friends, I've got to own some beautiful art. We've changed people’s lives in some way with Lawless and it’s a privilege to be able to bring such joy to everyone, even if it is only once a year.
Paul: Finally, if there was an online petition to change the name of the Hotel used for Lawless to the SU Haddrell Block in recognition of your hard work in appreciation of Judge Dredd. Would you sign it?
Su: Nah... :)