Punks in Paris

We girls are off to Paree again soon. Here we are in my contribution to Julia Scheele's forthcoming Anthology of all things Punk and female! It's called Double Dare Ya and you can still contribute to the project if ya like. And it's not too late to vote for ChiChiRaRa as best shop in East Dulwich either. I thank you.

Punk Power

Finished and sent off my contribution to the uber-talented Julia Scheele's crowd-funded Double Dare Ya! Rrrrrriot Grrrl project. You can still contribute via Indiegogo to make it an even bigger better book! My strip also features a guest appearance by my old mucker from the punk days, the equally amazing Heather Johns whose ChiChiRaRa vintage emporium has just been nominated for the Time Out Love London Awards as one of the best shops in East Dulwich.

The revolution starts here

Last night, we gathered in a fantastic house close to the British Museum for the launch of Nicola Streeten's graphic memoir, Billy, Me and You, a frank reflection on the aftermath of losing her two year old son. Her unflinching examination of her and her partner's ways of dealing with this terrible tragedy, from suicidal thoughts to angry judgement of others' inadequate responses, may sound like a harrowing read but Streeten's honesty at revealing some of her less generous thoughts, along with her sense of humour, manage to keep this sensitive material far from grim, while remaining extremely moving. In the words of The Guardian, it is quite a feat.
And that is another reason to rejoice at the success of this project. Despite much recent progress in the way comics are perceived in the UK, we still have a long way to go. Like the music business in the late seventies, the mainstream press and publishing world still seem stuck on the idea that the virtuoso artistry of the package outweighs its content. It took punk rock, much of which has stood the test of time and has gone on to be a huge influence, to explode that myth. I see this book in the same revolutionary vein, its artwork not seeking to soothe the reader with beautiful images, but rewarding with its raw emotion, and an ultimately uplifting message, those who can look beyond esthetic orthodoxy . Bands like The Ramones and The Clash were denigrated as poor musicians by the establishment, but their legacy still carries more power and energy than anything any supergoup ever produced.
This is brave step in the right direction, helping to bring about a shift in attitude. UK readers and publishers will eventually understand that Sequential Art is more than a series of illustrations arranged pleasingly on a page, but words and pictures combined to convey stories, ideas or feelings, that transcend the sum of their parts.

Comics are more than pretty pictures!

Punk meets small press comics

Last week was the opening of the St Albans Punk and New Wave Exhibition.
Thursday night saw us head out to the burbs for the opening at the St Albans Museum, along with Sally, Heather and Ian.


It's a really nice space, small but perfectly formed. We loved the army of (punk?) bishops in the first room, while the displays in the main area looked fab. Browsing the exhibits and bumping into people I hadn't seen for so many years was a curious experience and brought back some memories. Phil and Angie Smee from Waldo's Records had contributed a large amount, and I was pleased to see quite a lot of my stuff on show.
I was a bit surprised at the lack of labelling, as visitors who weren't part of the scene at the time might benefit from a little more information.


The first London Small Press and Comix Expo was held in New Cross last Saturday. Replacing the Webcomixthing, this new event in Goldsmiths College benefited from taking place during term time, in a larger and better lit hall. Rob Jackson very kindly invited me to share the table that Koyama Press had sponsored for him. Thanks Rob and Koyama!
The new East London line made it easier to get to than I originally feared, the show was well organised, my new comic sold well after a slow start, so all in all a good day, and I would go again.
Too tired to face the pub, Nick and I headed instead to East Dulwich where Heather, after a long day at ChiChiRaRa, found the energy to knock up a scrumptious curry.

Punk pub and outsider art : weekend win!

Went to Fulham today for Ned's rugby club lunch.
We spent a lovely afternoon in the Wheatsheaf on Fulham Road with excellent company and food, and to top it all the pub happens to be run by the son of old mates of Nick's from the punk days. The framed vintage posters on the walls led to conversation with the manager - turned out they were his Mum's!
Whilst on the subject of punk, Nick has handed me the next installment of the memoir, so need to get on with drawing...



If you have the chance, I heartily recommend you get over to Primrose Hill and check out the Museum of Everything. Tucked behind the Library off Regent's Park Road, enter a wonderful space filled with all sorts of strange and brilliantly mad outsider art. It's on until Dec 23rd, it's free (donations gratefully received) and it is quite extraordinary.
Meanwhile Angouleme is becoming more and more of a reality. Well obviously it IS a reality as we have booked a table and now we have train tickets and we have ALMOST got our accommodation sorted.

Caption coming up

The boy is off to Majorca tomorrow. Will send him off with a mixture of joy and envy.
What will we do with ourselves in his absence? Oh, I know. RELAX!
And go to Caption of course. Booked a nice hotel.
I will be flashing around previews of the magnum opus, it's astounding how time consuming colour work can be....