Buy a comic for Christmas!

Just a thought I've been having, but wouldn't it be great if more people got given comics as presents for Christmas?  Even better, why not buy a small-press comic for someone, so that not only do you end up giving someone something unique and a bit different, but also you can feel good about supporting an independent creator and not a high street chain.  As I've discovered going to conventions over the last few months, there is just a wealth of amazing work out there, and there's something for everyone.  Maybe we can all make a comics convert out of someone this holiday season! 

Below are a few recommendations I can offer from my own reading over the last year, that I think would make a good gift, even for those not used to reading comics:

Everything Dies by Box Brown - I can't recommend this one enough.  In fact I won't shut up about it really.  Brown's series is an inky delight - an exploration of the World's religions that is at once respectful, critical and darkly humorous. Available here.

Onion Soup by Dan Berry - Honestly, a wee treasure this one.  Dan's comics are delightful little experiments in what you can do to make a comic.  This one was based on a series of tweets made over the course of a cooking experiment that goes horribly wrong.  Truly hilarious. Available here.

The Signal by Paul Duffield - This one's a work of art.  It might be a slightly quick read, but it's an absolutely beautiful example of hand-drawn and digital art techniques by one of the country's most jaw-dropping artists.  One for the aspiring artist... a great example of the very best of what comics can be. Available here.

Chloe Noonan by Marc Ellerby - A monster hunting comic series that takes its cues from Scott Pilgrim rather than Buffy.  Strange, funny and sweet - indie comics for older kids, young adults, and everyone else, really. Available here.

Solipsistic Pop 3 edited by Tom Humberstone - It's a little unfair for me to recommend this since I feature in it, but it really is an amazing collection full of beautiful, mesmirising comics stories for an all ages audience.  An indie alternative to the Beano annual! Available here.

Hildefolk by Luke Pearson - I'm yet to get my hands on this newly released comic, but from the pictures it looks like a wonderful, warm hearted family-friendly comic book.  Luke's last two self-published comics aren't currently available to buy online, but I'd recommend them too! Available here.

Obviously there is loads more to choose from out there, so don't just take my word for it.  The above are just some of the excellent comics I've read in the last year, and ones I think will appeal to readers that may not yet have delved into the small press, or even comics full stop.

And obviously I've not read even a smidgen of what's available out there.  If you have your own recommendations, especially small press comics that would make good gifts, I'd love to hear about them in the comments.

Leeds Thought Bubble and Laydeez Do Comics

I've been back from the Leeds Sequential Arts Festival for over a week now but only now have I had a chance to have a proper think about my experiences.

All in all it was a fantastic weekend.  I have to say it was a much more close knit experience than my MCM trip in October, largely due to the fact the majority of creators and industry professionals were staying in the same hotel, going to the same bars and restaurants, and hanging around in the same hotel lobby.  The fact that out of convention hours we were all killing time in the same location made a big difference to the atmosphere.

My top hotel memory was playing 1980s boardgame classic Heart-throb with Liz Lunney, Timothy Winchester, Philippa Rice and my table buddy Luke Pearson.  Fun times!

 

Luke Pearson sitting with his comics.

The one day convention was very enjoyable, but perhaps the single day is too short to entirely justify the costs of attendance.  The atmosphere on the MCM convention floor was ultimately much more electric with so much stuff going on and with all the artists coming in every morning to sell.  Three days in London offered a much better chance to get to know others than the single busy day of Thought Bubble.  I really missed out my chance to properly explore the Thought Bubble floor during that one day, a big disappointment.  Still sales were pretty strong, and I can't complain since I had loads of fun across those two and a half days.

Me buying a miniature copy of Filmish from 

Philippa Rice's convention diorama.

On the Sunday I gave a presentation of my work on '100 Tiny Moments' to a group of comics artists, academics and members of the public at the 'Laydeez Do Comics' event, run out of Leeds Art Gallery.

I discussed my experiences of going through that fairly intense 100 day creative process, and looked at some of the themes that emerged as the project progressed.  It was an interesting experience, seeing how a new audience reacted to the work, and giving my first public presentation of work.  The group seemed to respond really well to the project, though it turns out explaining the 'future' element of the autobiographical project was harder than I had foreseen.

"Wait, how many children do you have?" I was asked at one point.
"Two... Oh you mean now?  Uh, none." I responded, to some laughter.

The other artists and academics presenting work were really lovely and supportive, and it was interesting getting an insight from women working in the Danish comics scene.  I was really moved by the work of U.S. artist Maureen Burdock, who is using comics to deal with some deadly serious issues, filtering the horrors of sexual abuse and gendercide through a children's book aesthetic.  I strongly recommend you look into the important work she is currently doing.

Comics Stall at the Screen Bandita Birthday.

I'll be running a comics stall in Edinburgh this Sunday alongside Ross Christie at the Screen Bandita's 'birthday party' which is taking place at Rhubaba Gallery in Leith.  It should be a fantastic night, with found footage projections, artwork, live music and drink.  You're encouraged to bring along your own 8mm reels, gramophone records, instruments, and curios to help make the night a strange and unique one.

The artists on sale at the stall currently include Lizz Lunney, Philippa Rice, Timothy Winchester, Freak Leap, Luke Pearson, Ross Christie, Malcy Duff, Magda Boreysza (Toasty Cats), Kristyna Baczynski, Paper Science and myself.  There will also be crafty things from Eleni Kalorkoti.

Come along and pick up some hard to find small press comics from some of the U.K's top artists today.

Date: Sunday 28th November 2010
Time: 7.30 onwards, Free Entry
Venue: Rhubaba Sudios, 25 Arthur Street, Edinburgh

We Are Words and Pictures Radio

Image © Sean Azzopardi

On Monday after MCM I recorded a podcast with Mike Leader for WAW+P Radio discussing how I got into comics, my work on Filmish and the 100 Tiny Moments project, and my experiences at MCM.  You can listen to the podcast here.

MCM London Report

Last weekend Mary and I hopped on a train and journeyed down to London to attend the MCM Expo, where I'd booked a stall to sell comics alongside the fantastic Luke Pearson.  For all three of us this was our first convention, and the first time any of us had run a stall selling comics.  The whole weekend was an amazing experience, meeting dozens of talented comics artists from across the country, and witnessing the full-on madness of a convention where over 40,000 people attend over the course of a weekend.

Most amazing was the huge number and variety of cosplayers you could watch walking around the hall.  Dressed as anime and manga characters, superheroes and computer game icons, these people were amazing to watch go by, even if I didn't recognise 80% of the characters on show.

 Riddler and Penguin at MCM. Photo © Mary Campbell 2010