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THE BLOG AT THE CROSSROADS
This Week’s Article: Moebius & Jean Giraud
Posted: December 19, 2010
This week’s article celebrates the incredible double life of Moebius and Jean Giraud, the two sides of one of France’s most brilliant comics geniuses. Even if you have not yet read a single comic by Moebius, let alone Jean Giraud, you have probably already been dazzled by his visual imagination unleashed in major science fiction movies. He has not only contributed directly through crucial concepts for costumes and creatures, for example in Alien, The Abyss, The Fifth Element and Tron, but his work has also unmistakably influenced many directors including George Lucas on Star Wars and Ridley Scott on Blade Runner. Lucas has said how he has been “...impressed and affected by Moebius’s keen and unusual sense of design and the distinctive way in which he depicts the fantastic.” Read the full article here…
The Glories of Great British Comic Art & Illustration
Posted: December 15, 2010
Tonight I am going to see the fabulous Christmas exhibition of original illustration art at The Illustration Art Gallery, 8 Duke Street, St. James’s, London SW1. For one week only you can marvel at the glorious originals and affordable framed artworks (from as little as £75, with most under £1,000) by some of Britain’s greatest 20th century illustrators who once adorned our comics, magazines and picture books. Among the artists included in the show are: Angus McBride, Frank Bellamy, Frank Hampson, Graham Coton, Ron Embleton, James McConnell, John Millar Watt, Jim Holdaway, Reg Smythe, Phil Mendoza, Wilf Hardy, Don Lawrence, Oliver Frey, Cecil Doughty, Jack Hayes and Fortunino Matania. This lavish display continues till Sunday 19 December and is open daily 10am to 7pm. Go on, treat yourself!
This Week’s Article: Mustashrik
Posted: December 12, 2010
Of all his chosen media, comics appeal to Mustashrik for “the unbridled expression you can create. Anything your mind conjures up can appear on a page within minutes. With comics you are only the limit of your own constraints, and in that lies the beauty of it all.” Born in Dhaka, Bangladesh in 1985 and based for now in London, Mustashrik is like the comics, films, art and design he makes, a true fusion comfortably bestriding multiple media and cross-cultural influences.
From South Asian cinema comes a fascination for choreography, whether staged or improvised, and for that sudden removal from reality into a lavishly ornate escapist sequence of song and dance. From Japan comes a passion for the sensory overload of their masters of manga and anime, fired through exposure at age six or seven to Katsuhiro Otomo’s decadent dystopia Akira, as well as a later appreciation of the ambiguity and suggestion of authors Haruki Murakami and Kazuo Ishiguro. And from much traveling and living all across Britain comes an early empathy with the plight of others from all stretches of life. Read the full article here…
Pat Mills & Jenny McDade Discuss Comics For Girls
Posted: December 11, 2010
In the UK mainstream female comics (Jackie, Misty, Tammy etc) once outsold male comics by at least a ratio of 2 to 1. Before creating the weekly boys’ comics Battle, Action, 2000AD and Starlord, Pat Mills began his career writing scripts for IPC’s weekly girls comics. Jenny McDade was a writer for much-loved UK weekly girls’ comics of the Seventies. Both writers will be discussing the world of girls’ comics and offering an insight into why female comics dropped off the radar in Britain and the efforts that are being made to bring them back.
These efforts include a talent search by new London-based illustration agency Pickled Ink to find an upcoming student or recent graduate illustrator to work with Jenny McDade on an innovative graphic novel project aimed mainly at a female readership entitled Party Girls, as well as winning £1,000 and representation at Pickled Ink. This week Pat, Jenny and the other judges announced that they have selected the winning artist as Fay Dalton.
Fay Dalton explains about her work: “As an illustrator my objective is simplicity with strengths in a unique perspective, sensitivity to form, line and intrinsic sense of colour. Recently graduating from Portsmouth University with a first class degree in Illustration I am now a London based illustrator. As well as being inspired by a wide range of artists and illustrators like Gerald Scarfe, James Jean and Cindy Sherman, I am also inspired by fashion. I enjoy illustrating current social issues such as celebrity culture and plastic surgery but I also enjoy illustrating for children’s books, and character designs. I often illustrate serious subjects with a lampoon twist, however I approach my subjects with an open mind. Usually I start my sketches in pencil or ink then I transfer into Photoshop for further reworking and colour edition.”
Fay Dalton will be joining Pat Mills and Jenny McDade at this special Comica Festival event. All are welcome, no booking or RSVP required and admission is free. More details…
Where: London Print Studios, 425 Harrow Road, London W10
When: Thursday, 16 December - 6:30pm to 8:30pm
Grant Morrison: Talking With Gods
Posted: December 9, 2010
Talking With Gods is a brand-new documentary directed by Patrick Meaney on the acclaimed visionary comics scribe and shaman Grant Morrison. The movie is being billed as “the first documentary on one of the most enigmatic, iconic, ground-breaking, critically-acclaimed, bestselling, influential, mysterious comic book writers of all time.”
Previewed at last July’s San Diego Comic Con, it’s been getting some very positive reviews. David Azumeri on Comics Alliance praised it for giving “an honest look not only at how he’s influenced an entire generation of creators, but also connects the themes and concepts of Morrison’s work to his childhood and everyday life.” Rich Johnston at Bleeding Cool, who also appears in the film, hails it as “a thoroughly engaging picture of Grant Morrison built up from a rich cloth of threads.” It also features contributions from Warren Ellis (subject of another doc to come), Frank Quitely, Frazer Irving, Chris Weston, Cameron Stewart, Geoff Johns, Mark Waid, Karen Berger, Dez Skinn, JG Jones, Matt Fraction, Dan DiDio, Jill Thompson, and many more. You can read an online interview with Meaney at Daily Blam.
As a special Comica ‘10 event in association with the ICA, we’re presenting an exclusive first UK big-screen showing of Talking With Gods next Sunday December 12, 2010, on The Mall in London in the ICA’s Cinema 1 from 4pm. This will be followed by a Panel Discussion where American director Patrick Meaney will be joining us via Skype, while in person will be Morrison collaborators Frazer Irving (Seven Soldiers: Klarion the Witch Boy, Batman & Robin), Rian Hughes (Dare, Really & Truly collected in Yesterday’s Tomorrows) and designer and photographer Steve Cook, concluding with a book signing from around 6pm in the ICA Bookshop. Don’t miss this special London screening and discussion!
Tickets: ICA Box Office
Where: ICA, The Mall, London
When: Sunday, 12 December - 4pm to 6pm
Book Review: Graphic Novels
Posted: December 7, 2010
Just discovered this new review dated December 3 of the book which I wrote in 2005 and Peter Stanbury designed so beautifully, Graphic Novels: Stories To Change Your Life (Aurum Press). It had a different subtitle, Everything You Need To Know, for the American edition from Collins Design. Someone with the initials ‘KK’ at the blog ‘Paws and Reflect…’ wrote this review here:
‘Okay, so you’ve read Maus. What’s next? This book will turn you onto a hundred more great graphic novels (you know, comics for adults) that “will change your life”. If you’ve been wondering what all the fuss is about, this guide is a great way to get into the only part of book publishing that is growing (the graphic novel section of large bookstores can be measured in yards). The author, fan-boy Paul Gravett, selects graphic novels that are contemporary (not classic super-heroes), easily found, in book form (rather than serial magazines), and are beyond mere colorful fantasy, and not just dark teenage angst. They are great stories, with very personal art, in a wonderful cross between cinema and text. This guide is smartly designed and a joy to use. You get sample pages from choice works, Gravett’s insightful comments and analysis, related books, and plenty of context to tell what you can expect from each book. It’s one of the best shopper guides I’ve seen.’
They go on to extract a sample page and my accompanying commentary from Craig Thompson’s Blankets. Thanks a lot, KK, for this positive coverage!
This Week’s Article: PG Previews for February 2011
Posted: December 5, 2010
In my article series PG Previews, I highlight the most interesting looking new titles to be released in a couple of months time. This week’s article looks ahead to February 2011, which looks set to be a bumper month with new books being published by Ben Katchor, Joe Ollmann, Michael Wm. Kaluta, Jacques Tardi, Emile Bravo, Wilfred Santiago and Shimura Takako. Read the full article here…
Give Comics This Christmas!
Posted: December 3, 2010
Stuck for Xmas gift ideas? Comics and graphic novels can make the perfect gift and there is a title out there to suit all ages and tastes. Why not specifically seek-out titles from our own UK-based comics publishers who are supporting the UK’s home-grown comics talent as well as translating into English the very best comics from Europe and beyond?
Rather than buying your books online from Amazon, why not support your local independent comics retailer, or better yet, buy directly from the publisher or creator? You will have the satisfaction of knowing that more of your money is helping to support a vibrant comics scene here in the UK.
Below is a listing of UK comics publishers together with my recommendations from their back-catalogues, but take a moment to browse through the publisher and creator web-sites and discover more gems for yourself. Also, keep checking on my article series, Great British Comics Now, for further reading recommendations of UK comics.
BLANK SLATE BOOKS:
Sleepyheads by Randell C
Psychiatric Tales by J Darryl Cunningham
Trains Are Mint Vol 1-3 by Oliver East
Spleenal by Nigel Auchterlounie
CINEBOOK:
XIII by Jean Van Hamme & William Vance
Valerian by Pierre Christin & Jean-Claude Mezières
Long John Silver by Xavier Dorison & Matieiu Lauffray
CUTTING EDGE PRESS:
100 Months by John Hicklenton
THE DFC LIBRARY:
Mezolith by Ben Haggarty & Adam Brockbank
The Spider Moon by Kate Brown
Good Dog Bad Dog by Dave Shelton
Mo-bot High by Neill Cameron
Vern & Lettuce by Sarah McIntyre
Monkey Nuts by Robin & Lawrence Etherington
FANFARE / PONENT MON:
Distant Neighbourhood by Jiro Taniguchi
Korea: As Viewed By 12 Creators by various
My Mommy… by Émile Bravo & Jean Regnaud
JONATHAN CAPE:
Grandville: Mon Amour by Bryan Talbot
Walking The Dog by David Hughes
Tamara Drewe by Posy Simmonds
KNOCKABOUT:
Depresso by Brick
The Playwright by Eddie Campbell & Daren White
The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Hunt Emerson
MYRIAD EDITIONS:
Rumble Strip by Woodrow Phoenix
NOBROW PRESS:
Birchfield Close by Jon McNaught
A Graphic Cosmogoney by various
Ada by Atak & Gertrude Stein
PHAIDON:
Monsieur Lambert by Sempé
Drawing Life by Javier Mariscal
Manga Impact: The World Of Japanese Animation by various
REBELLION / 2000AD:
DR & Quinch by Alan Moore & Alan Davis
Judge Death by John Wagner & Peter Doherty
Judge Dredd: America by John Wagner & Colin MacNeil
SELFMADEHERO:
Gonzo by Will Bingley & Anthony Hope-Smith
The Sign Of The Four adapted by Ian Edgington & Ian Culbard
Dance By The Light Of The Moon by Judith Vanistendael
TITAN BOOKS:
All-Star Superman by Grant Morrision & Frank Quitely
Dark Rain by Mat Johnson and Simon Gane
Kick-Ass by Mark Millar & John Romita Jnr
WALKER BOOKS:
Glister by Andi Watson
The Little Prince by Joann Sfar
The Savage by David Almond & Dave McKean
Other Small Press/Self-Published Titles:
Hokusai by Al Davison
Louis: Night Salad by Metaphrog
Solipsistic Pop edited by Tom Humberstone
THE GRAVETT & STANBURY COLLECTION:
Manga: 60 Years Of Japanese Comics
Graphic Novels: Stories To Change Your Life
Great British Comics
Best Crime Comics
The Leather Nun
Hypercomics i-Pad App Video
Posted: December 2, 2010
“I hate to be telling you this now, but if you weren’t in London recently there is a very good chance that you missed the best comic of the year. The Rut, a short comic by Dave McKean, has just wrapped up it’s run at the Pumphouse Gallery in Battersea Park. This was the type of phenomenal breakthrough work that will be talked about by those who saw it for years to come.”
Bart Beaty reviews the Hypercomics Exhibition
Above is a short video showcasing the free Hypercomics iPad app, created by the team at Redrawn to accompany the Hypercomics exhibition at the Pump House Gallery in Battersea Park, London earlier in 2010.
The Hypercomics exhibition explored the shapes of comics to come. Adam Dant, Daniel Merlin Goodbrey, Dave McKean, Warren Pleece liberated their work from the confines of the printed page and explode them into the gallery space. Sourcing installation images and artworks from the exhibition, the Hypercomics app acts as a digital scrapbook and introduction to the show. Unlike conventional comics, the Hypercomics app gives you the opportunity to choose your route through the branching storylines created by the artists.
Download the free Hypercomics iPad app in the iTunes App Store.
This Week’s Article: Great British Comics Now - Part 3
Posted: November 29, 2010
This week’s article has a British theme because this week’s Comica ‘10 programme of events elegantly straddles the wide gamut of Great British Comics. To tie in with this I’ve decided to review some more or less related publications. Be sure to check out the related conversations, launches and exhibitions bubbling around London over these coming days, as detailed in the previous blog post. Read the full article here…
