Back in May when we told you all about Nelson, we were very excited about what looks like being one brilliant and unique graphic novel featuring 50 of the best artists the UK has to offer, published by Blank Slate Books, edited by Rob Davis and Woodrow Phoenix, with all profits going to the charity Shelter.
Except that was a little fib. It’s not 50. It’s 54. Blank Slate have just announced details of the full line up and the release details and the names of the extra artists to make up the 54 are rather magnificent…. Kane and Jack Staff creator Paul Grist, Alice Duke, Josceline Fenton (whose Hemlock comic is reviewed soon – but to spoil the surprise – it’s a bit brilliant), the Ignatz nominated Jon McNaught (whose name was missed out of the original 50), and finally, the acclaimed artist of Gemma Bovary and Tamara Drewe; Posy Simmonds.
Here’s the complete line-up:
Paul Grist, Rob Davis, Woodrow Phoenix, Ellen Lindner, Jamie Smart, Gary Northfield, Sarah McIntyre, Suzy Varty, Sean Longcroft, Warwick Johnson–Cadwell, Luke Pearson, Paul Harrison–Davies, Katie Green, Paul Peart–Smith, Glyn Dillon, I.N.J.Culbard, John Allison, Philip Bond, D’Israeli, Simone Lia, Darryl Cunningham, Jonathan Edwards, Ade Salmon, Kate Charlesworth, Warren Pleece, Kristyna Baczynski, HarveyJames, Rian Hughes, Sean Phillips & Pete Doree, Kate Brown, Simon Gane, Jon McNaught, Adam Cadwell, Faz Choudhury, JAKe, Jeremy Day, Dan McDaid, Roger Langridge, Will Morris, Dave Shelton, Carol Swain, Hunt Emerson, Duncan Fegredo, Philippa Rice, Josceline Fenton, Garen Ewing, Tom Humberstone , Dan Berry,Alice Duke, Posy Simmonds, Laura Howell, Andi Watson, and Dave Taylor (whew).
Nelson’s official launch will take place at the London Cartoon Museum on 22nd November. But copies will be available on it’s public debut at Thought Bubble on the 19th and 20th, with many of the artists being there to sign copies.
As for what Nelson is… here’s Blank Slate‘s press release:
Nelson is a 250-page collaboration between 54 of the UK’s most exciting comic creators. It is an unprecedented experiment to create one complete story – a collective graphic novel.
London, 1968. A daughter is born to Jim and Rita Baker. Her name is Nel. This is her story, told in yearly snapshots. Each chapter records the events of a single day, weaving one continuous ribbon of pictures and text that takes us on a 43- year journey from Nel Baker’s birth to 2011.
Based on an original idea by Rob Davis and co-edited by Davis and Woodrow Phoenix, Nelson celebrates the incredible diversity of talent in British comics today. Creators known for their editorial and national newspaper strips unite with those from humour comics such as the Beano, The Dandy, and MAD Magazine joining a wealth of talent from children’s books, indie publishing and webcomics, with the science fiction and superhero worlds of 2000AD, Marvel, DC, and Dark Horse.
Part exquisite corpse and part relay race, Nelson spans decades of British history and a myriad of stylistic approaches in telling the story of one woman’s life by 54 creators, in 54 episodes, detailing 54 days. The result is a surprising and compellingly readable book that is sad, funny, moving, poignant, ridiculous, heartfelt, and real. This is a story like none you have seen before.
Nelson will be available in softcover and hardcover. But right now the hardcover is exclusively available as a pre-order at the Blank Slate webstore.
Lots more stuff coming on Nelson very soon. But in the meantime, here’s some wonderful artwork grabbed from hither and yon:
(Sean Phillips – 1991)
(Glyn Dillon – 1980 – A Raleigh Grifter – that was MY bike!)
(Adrian Salmon)
September 1st, 2011 at 5:17 pm
That does look mighty fine.