The Forbidden Planet International Blog Log

I was full of good intentions last week to watch for the announcement of the second Observer/Jonathan Cape short graphic novella winner then I must hold up my hand and admit it clean went out of my head over the weekend. Fortunately Tom caught it on the excellent Comics Reporter and Matthew Badham reminded me. The winner this year was Julian Hanshaw for Sand Dunes and Sonic Booms – it was a unanimous decision by the panel of judges, which comprised author Mark Haddon, Rutu Modan, Paul Gravett, Cape’s Dan Franklin, Random House’s Suzanne Dean and Rachel Cooke; writing in the Observer Cooke stated “We loved Hanshaw’s sense of time and place – an effect he achieved partly through a series of sepia frames illustrating the south coast.” and described the story as “haunting, evocative and beautifully drawn.”

The story was inspired by the coastal ruins of early 20th century ‘sound mirrors’, large installations designed to hear approaching enemy aircraft in the distance and so provide early warning of an air attack, which was, understandably, a nightmare many contemplated in the early years of the last century (and sadly with all too good reason as history would prove). The technology was a dead end and was eventually overtaken in the 30s by the development of radar, but some of the structures still remain haunting the coast of the UK, a reminder of dark days not so long past. According to Cooke’s article the story will be published in next Sunday’s Observer Review. The judges couldn’t choose between What Do Other Married People Talk About by Emily Haworth-Booth and Isabel Greenberg’s Cheer Up, Love, It’s Only A Credit Crunch (very topical!) and so awarded both a joint runners-up position. Hanshaw will receive the award and the £1, 000 prize next Sunday at Comica.