This NaBloPoMo stuff is a little tricky today. You see, I have a lurgy, I have work to be doing for the day job, plus I am part way through a mini trickle of gigs (Throwing Muses tonight). All this means crafting and writing time is limited. So I thought today I would share some exciting post I have: Solipsistic pop 4 - a periodical collection of British comics. The theme for this collection is maps. It features amongst other things, an amazing dust jacket by Katie Green. I have only had a chance to quickly browse through, but I can't wait to get an opportunity to have a good sit down and absorb it all. This trailer explains it better than I ever can.
If you want to support alternative British comics then check out here.
When I was little, me and my brothers were avid readers of the Beano and the Dandy. Pocket money was spent on the comics and Christmas time meant that we got the annuals. I was even a member of the Dennis the Menace fanclub (D.I.N.G...). As we grew older these comics started to seem childish. Whilst my brothers progressed on to Marvel comics and the like, I was left with cheesy comic strip photo stories in Jackie magazine. So by the time I was in my teens, reading comics just wasn't for me anymore. In more recent years, film has got me reading comics again. Ghost World, American Splendor and Persepolis are all great graphic novels that have crossed over in to film. One of my favourite books that I have read this year is a comic strip (Psychiatric Tales by Darryl Cunningham if you are wondering). And yet girls and women don't really talk (at least not in public) about reading comics. Team Girl Comic is a local all-female comic collective trying to get more females (young & old) creating comics. On Tuesday as part of Glasgow Comic Con they held a workshop asking 'what do women and girls want from comics, and what are we going to do about it'. It was a really interesting event, and produced quite a bit of discussion. From a bit of the history of girl comics throughout the years, encouraging comic reading in the curriculum, comic book stores, to creating comic strips as a way of communication. An encouraging statistic was that 40% of the Dandy's current readership is female. I must admit on my way home I had a quick flick through the Dandy in WH Smiths (yes, I do realise that I am going to be 32 next week!). Desperate Dan has had a makeover, and Harry Hill has his own comic strip - things have certainly changed! PS, I think I have finally figured what a double and what a treble is! :)
In a wander around Plan B books a comic entitled 'I love dinosaurs, and they love me' caught my eye. It is by the very talented Lizz Lunney. I found myself purchasing another of her titles online and got a rather fetching free sticker! PS, if anyone ever spent their childhood drawing silly glasses and moustaches on newspapers and magazines, then the annotated weekender is for you.
On Sunday we had a wander down to the Market Gallery. This is a little gem on Duke Street. The current exhibition is entitled telling stories, looking at graphic artists and fine artists who use storytelling and narrative to construct their own worlds. I particularly enjoyed those pieces that brought a little bit of Glasgow to life. From Stuart Murray's folk that ye bump intae, to Mitch Milller's amazingly detailed Red Road dialectogram. I liked the eerie imagery of Sorcha Edward's work. It was great to see work from Penny Sharp & Heather Middleton, two contributors to Team Girl Comic. This is a Glasgow based all-female comic collective, that features work from artists of a variety of backgrounds. I'd brought a couple of editions recently at the very lovely Plan B Books. With such taglines as 'indie boys: What they really think' and 'perverts: can you spot 'em?' It is a great read & hopefully it will encourage more women to get involved in comics. In a related theme, my uncle has just put some of his comics that he wrote in the early 90's on-line. Check out his Super-Zeroes!
The theme for this collection is maps. It features amongst other things, an amazing dust jacket by Katie Green. I have only had a chance to quickly browse through, but I can't wait to get an opportunity to have a good sit down and absorb it all. This trailer explains it better than I ever can.
It was a really interesting event, and produced quite a bit of discussion. From a bit of the history of girl comics throughout the years, encouraging comic reading in the curriculum, comic book stores, to creating comic strips as a way of communication. An encouraging statistic was that 40% of the Dandy's current readership is female. I must admit on my way home I had a quick flick through the Dandy in WH Smiths (yes, I do realise that I am going to be 32 next week!). Desperate Dan has had a makeover, and Harry Hill has his own comic strip - things have certainly changed!
PS, I think I have finally figured what a double and what a treble is! :)
PS, if anyone ever spent their childhood drawing silly glasses and moustaches on newspapers and magazines, then the annotated weekender is for you.
In a related theme, my uncle has just put some of his comics that he wrote in the early 90's on-line. Check out his Super-Zeroes!
