COMIC art lovers descended on Kendal today as day two of the inaugural Lakes International Comic Art Festival went off with a bang.

Among today's highlights was a 'Watch them Draw' session with Charlie Adlard, one of the UK's most popular comic artists on an international stage.

His session, held in the Box on Wildman Street, was sold out with queues gathering around an hour before it was due to start.

Earlier in the day, The Times cartoonist Stephen Collins and emerging artist SJ Harris spent time after their drawing session with two fans from Liverpool..

Friends Cara Howard and Zoe Carr, both 13, enjoyed chatting and taking photographs with the cartoonists.

Mother of Cara, Jacqui, told the Gazette seeing the face behind the cartoons was important.

"It makes you realise how much effort and skill goes into each and every cartoon," she said.

"I expect we will be coming back next year if it happens again."

Zoe's mother Sally said seeing the cartoonists in action 'brings it all to life'.

Elsewhere, Kendal Town Hall, with the flag of caped crusader Batman flying above it, was transformed into every comic art fan's dream with thousands of comics on sale.

Among the dozens of artists and publishers on hand to explain about their books was Paul Giffney, of Clockwork Watch, and Nora Goldberg, of London-based Knockabout Comics.

"It doesn't feel like this is its first year," said Nora. "It feels well established and it's pretty impressive. We have taken over the town - I can't walk down the street without seeing someone I know from comics or have met today."

And Paul said the resurgence of comics in recent years was down to films such as Avengers Assemble thrusting the books into the public eye.

"There's men and women, young and old, it's not just children who are getting into comics," he said.

Getting into the spirit of the day was a quartet of friends from Carlisle, who are currently studying Illustration at the University of Cumbria.

Terri Jones (Black Widow), Matthew Gordon (Wolverine) and brothers Sam (Spiderman) and Liam O'Dwier (Iron Man) all came dressed as their favourite superheros.