Tag Archive | "UK small press"

Solipsistic Pop launch at the ICA

Friday, October 23, 2009

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The Solipsistic Pop anthology launches during this year’s Comica at the ICA in London on November 8th. We’ve mentioned this cracking-sounding collection a number of times on here as Tom Humberstone has been adding preview pages to the SP site – with it featuring some brilliant talent from the vibrant British small press comics scene [...]

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Musetopia – bring on the puns…..

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

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Musetopia by J. Homersham Self-published. There’s really not that much I can say about Musetopia. Not because it isn’t good, merely because it’s a very simple, very visual 14 page mini comic. And when those 14 pages have just one panel gags on each page there just isn’t that much to be said (unless you [...]

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At last – comics for real Manly Boys!

Thursday, October 15, 2009

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The Manly Boys Annual by Steven Tillotson & Gareth Brookes An Appalling Nonsense / Banal Pig Production Imagine Viz crossed with those horrible “Boy’s Books Of Doing Lots Of Things Your Dad Thinks Are Cool But You Will Hate” that seem to infest the bestseller charts at Christmas. That’s The Manly Boys Annual by Steven [...]

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We Are Words + Pictures: Robots for the cover, Covers EP for the insides (oh, the irony)

Thursday, October 8, 2009

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We Are Words + Pictures: The Robot Zine & The Covers’ E.P. by Matthew Sheret, Julia Scheele & Sarah Gordon. Self-published (Two from Words + Pictures: top – The Robot Zine, bottom – The Covers Zine) Two self published comic collections from the writers and artists who call themselves Words + Pictures. Nicely put together [...]

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Everything You Never Wanted To Know About Crohns Disease – Surely too good to be done in 24 hours?

Monday, October 5, 2009

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Everything You Never Wanted To Know About Crohns Disease by Tom Humberstone Self-published I’ve seen a fair number of 24 hour comics over the years. It’s a simple concept; 24 hours, 24 pages, start to finish, no prep. The results are everything you might expect more often than not; rushed, sketchy, fractured works that are [...]

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Rob Jackson’s Great Deeds Against The Dead

Monday, September 28, 2009

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Great Deeds Against The Dead Issue 1 by Rob Jackson Self-published The first part of Jackson’s new supernatural horror story two-parter is a  horror of the psychological kind rather than an all out gore-fest. Much the better type I’ve always found. And Jackson’s creeping tale of lost love, old age and voices from beyond the [...]

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Surrealist stories of Donkey Heads and Hoovers…..

Thursday, September 24, 2009

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Donkey Head issues 1 & 2 by Daniel Baker Self published When you describe your comic as “envisaged as William Blake does Tintin” you’re really setting the bar quite high. And although I can see what Daniel Baker’s trying to do with Donkey Head and why the William Blake, Tintin and clear line references do [...]

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More of those Necessary Monsters…

Monday, September 21, 2009

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Necessary Monsters issue 3 & 4 by Daniel Merlin Goodbrey and Sean Azzopardi Self Published. “There exists a world of horrors beneath the one we know. Where the creatures of our nightmares stalk amongst humanity and play their games of vengence, murder and intrigue. To police this world there is the Chain; a covert agency [...]

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Howard Hardiman’s Polaroids From Other Lives: Volume 2.

Thursday, September 17, 2009

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Polaroids From Other Lives: Volume 2 by Howard Hardiman Self published Howard’s Polaroids series continues with the idea of writing a series of imagined autobiographies; detailing snatches of other people’s lives. These are very short comics (just 12 pages here), mere fragments of a tale, more akin to illustrated poetry than actual comics. But within [...]

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Jake Harold’s Justine Tyme….

Monday, September 14, 2009

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Justine Tyme Chapter One: Dreamgirls and Lazer Cannons by Jake Harold Self-published I read Jake’s debut comic Tards (superheroing meets mental and physical disability) and just didn’t like it at all; childish, unfunny, deliberately gross and  badly written. But I was pleased to see a while ago that Jake’s moved on – in fact, he [...]

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In praise of the Pasty….

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

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The Pasty Anthology cooked up by Rob Jackson, ingredients assembled by Steve Butler, Francesca Cassavetti, Jim Medway, Dave Hughes, Anthony Mercer, Rob Jackson and Matt Badham. Self-published. Sometimes you do wonder what on Earth people are thinking when they come up with the ideas for a theme for their anthologies. Rob Jackson’s latest certainly wins [...]

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Bloc – creation myths carved in stone

Monday, September 7, 2009

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BLOC By Oli Smith and Oliver Lambden Self-published. The UK small press equivalent of a dynamic duo here. Smith and Lambden are well known around these parts for their individual works: I enjoyed Oli’s sentimental early works (reviews here) and more recent I Toddler and Grumpy Days (review here) and likewise think Oliver’s artwork on [...]

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Solipsistic Pop – New UK Comics Anthology

Saturday, September 5, 2009

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Tom Humberstone (author of How To Date A Girl In Ten Days)sends us word on a new anthology series he’s putting together called Solipsistic Pop: Solipsistic Pop is a biannual anthology designed to spotlight the best in alternative Comic art from the UK. It features diverse, beautiful, twisted and peculiar Comics that you won’t be [...]

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An Everyday Joy: The work of Adam Cadwell

Friday, August 28, 2009

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The Everyday Collection 1 – 3 by Adam Cadwell Self-published There’s a simple joy in well crafted, well observed autobiographical comics, it’s not something that appeals to everyone, but I’ve always loved the genre. So easy to get wrong though – there’s nothing worse than a series of strips whining about your life and detailing [...]

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Do you make comics? Well we want them in our Nostalgia & Comics branch!

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

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Our Birmingham Nostalgia and Comics branch has had a lovely refit in the past few months. I’ve always had a great love for this store – after all I did spend 19 years there and was sad to leave when we moved the family up here to Yorkshire. It’s a store with an incredible history [...]

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