The Forbidden Planet International Blog Log

Another Best Of 2008, this time from a fave small presser here at FPI, Marc Ellerby. I’ve reviewed his comics here and interviewed the man here, so figured he could spend a little time answering our questions. And he hasn’t let us down. Marc Ellerby is currently hard at work on his Ellerbisms webcomic, which is delving into deeper and darker subjects than previous comics and is proving enjoyable indeed.

FPI: Could you tell us what your favourite three comics/graphic novels and/or books have been this year and why they stood out for you?

Marc: Three? Blimey, that’ll rack the brain a little. Firstly I think the best comic I read this year was called Skim by Mariko and Jillian Tamaki. It’s a beautifully rendered story about growing up an outsider, which sounds like it’s been done a million times, but the diary narration of the main character Skim is what really makes it stand out. There’s a beautiful passage where Skim muses “Things that make me sad…Love. Things that make me happy…Love?” Jillian’s artwork is outstanding, truly amongst the best sequential illustration I’ve seen in years  – she really utilizes double page spreads, making the book as a whole far more interesting than the standard comic. There’s a preview of  it here http://www.jilliantamaki.com/sectionimages/wicca.html and it’s being released by Walker Books UK next year as part of their Graphic Novel imprint.

(Skim by Mariko & Jillian Tamaki. Coming in 2009 from Walker Books’ new graphic novel line in 2009 – we talked about that here.)

Next would be Solanin a manga by Inio Asano. This is a perfect example of why manga isn’t just for Naruto cosplayers giving out free bloody hugs at conventions. Solanin is about Meiko, a girl stuck in her dead end office job, who just doesn’t feel alive. She lives with her boyfriend Naruo who suffers from the same feeling of lostness. It’s a manga about friendship and most importantly life – how one person can really have a huge bloody effect on you and your life. It’s beautiful, Asano’s style is a quirky mix of realistic backgrounds and stylized cartooning. Both Solanin and Skim really made me sit up and take note that personally, I’ve still a long way to go in achieving what I want from my comics, not only in terms of sequential art but also dialogue and storytelling. Both wonderful books and I’d say they’re quite similar in tone, too.

(The Everyday by Adam Caldwell. Available from his website.)

Last, I think the comic I’ve most enjoyed has been The Everyday by Adam Cadwell. It’s very similar in what I do with my autobio web comic Ellerbisms, where I take a small moment of the day and enlarge it to something that everyone can relate to. But Adam has such an inviting style of storytelling that it’s hard not to love. I think he’s truly amongst the best artists this country has and I can’t wait to see him doing a longer narrative. The small press scene has been really healthy the past year and The Everyday is one of the golden eggs in it. Amazing comics. Sexy man, too.

FPI: In other art forms was there anything in the world of radio, TV, film or other artistic endeavours that really drew your attention this year?

Marc: I pretty much gave up watching TV this year and the radio has mostly been shit since John Peel passed on. The biggest thing I watched on TV was the US elections, I loved CNN’s Star Trek graphics and holograms – so OTT they had to spend 5 minutes patting themselves on the back for being so futuristic. Also what kind of fucking name is Wolf Blizter? Seriously!!?!

Musically it’s been bloody depressing, too, and for the first time in years I can’t think of a top 5 albums let alone a top 10 or a 20. My favourite albums though have been Hysterics by Rolo Tomassi – a lovely, dirty, noisy bastard of an album. Taking influences from jazz, hardcore and and prog rock it’s a beast and well worth checking out. Also, We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed by Los Campesinos! has been on rotation non stop since it came out. To me it’s a lot like Pinkerton by Weezer, it’s dirge-ier, bit more spiteful and spikey and it’s mostly about how girls came be proper lame sometimes. If Gareth the lead singer were to do comics, I’d love to draw them and they’d be the best comics in the entire world!

FPI: On the professional front how did you see the comics world in 2008, from your own point of view as a creator putting your work out there (did you feel it was a good year for you?) and what did you think of the way the comics biz was in general this year? The business becoming more diversified, more accessible to new readers and creators or less welcoming?

Marc: I think the industry is the healthiest it’s been for a while. I work in a bookstore and it’s so gratifying to see people – actual normal people, mind you, not just fanboys – coming in and buying graphic novels. And not just shit, either, they’re buying books by Dash Shaw, Bryan Lee O’Malley, books from First Second, Lost Girls, Umberella Academy, MPD Psycho, etc. It’s great and kinda inspiring. Comics are an accepted medium now and I think they always will be. Maybe that’s me being naive, but fuck it, it’s the best time to be in comics.

I am starting to question the monthly comic, though I’ve felt kinda deflated by it for a while. With regards to sales, the numbers are down, graphic novels are selling better than ever and comic shops are harder to come by than ever before. Honestly, most people pick up their graphic novels from bookstores let alone a comic shop (and there’s probably about 6 great ones in the country). I honestly think graphic novels, along with web comics, are the way forward for the medium and people cannot be arsed in collecting comics every month when it’s going to be released in a nice book edition 6 months down the line. It’s so bewildering, but then maybe I’m confused by it’s appeal as I’ve never had a comic come out every month for X amount of months. I wouldn’t want to read a novel over 12 months because it’s being serialized first. Fuck that, give me the whole book, now!

I think the British small press is looking so healthy right now, too. In part it’s down to the lovely crew at London Underground Comics for promoting the work and getting people excited about mini comics again, but it’s mostly because of the talent that’s emerged in the past year. Without having decent work, there wouldn’t be a seen worth checking out, you know? There’s so much interesting stuff out there, for all types of readers and I love doing the LUC events to see the cross section of artists and work on offer. Even though LUC are closing their Camden stall and Gosh! have stripped back their small press section to like 2 shelves near the stairs (boo!) I hope we can continue to build on the excitement for handmade products, ones that are different in tone and art and aren’t your run of the mill comic books. We should also applaud Page 45 and the Thought Bubble festival for supporting indie and small press books which makes the UK scene so vibrant and appealing.

FPI: What’s the next project you are working on that we can look forward to?

Marc: 2009 looks to be a busy one for myself. In the early part of the year I’ll have a 14 page story in Image Comic’s This Is A Souvenir anthology which is comics based on the songs by the band Spearmint. (Yeah, me neither…) It’s in full colour and it’s pretty emo. Eric Stephenson from Image talks about it here (includes the first page from my strip at the end).

(I Went Away; Marc’s contribution to the new Image Comics This Is A Souvenir anthology)

My next big project currently has a working title of Tara Noonan: Monster Hunter. I’m currently about 3\4′s the way through a mini comic laying the ground work for the series, but I want the final outcome to be a 4-5 volume graphic novel series. The I way I pitch is “it’s less about monster hunting and more about getting the bus.” It’s a tongue in cheek look at fantasy horror that has a long running narrative and a huge supporting cast. It’s pure pop culture and I can’t wait to get started. I think it’ll take my fans by surprise a little as it’s not so emo.

Also Ellerbisms will continue, of course. They’re starting to get a little more serious and I’m looking more and more at my relationship with my girlfriend Anna. Our life together is really inspiring and people seem to like reading about our day to day lives, so I’ll keep going with it. It is a bit weird that our mum’s have started reading it though.

(One of Marc’s picks of those to watch out for: Lizz Lunney. We reviewed her work back here.)

FPI: Lastly, are there any new names you’ve come across recently you’d like to pass on as one to watch for?

Marc: Yeah, there’s a few. Isabel Greenberg‘s work is super nice  She came second in the Jonothan Cape prize this year and I picked up one of her mini comics at the Comiket at the ICA last month. Lovely diary comics with a bold yet inviting style. Lizz Lunney can do no wrong. The collective We Are Words And Pictures are ones to look out for  Made up of Matt Sheret, Julia Scheele and Sarah Gordon they collaborated on a Robot zine that debuted at Thought Bubble (and quickly sold out) and I love their interwining ideas and styles. I hope they keep up the momentum and bring another collection out ASAP.