ARTISTS NEED AN AUDIENCE AS PASSIONATE AND ADVENTUROUS AS THEY ARE
Strip teaser
Are SCOTTISH COMICS in the underground for a reason? Dave Martin walks
the grid to shine a light on the scene.
hile Grant Morrison. Frank Quitely and
Mark Millar continue to make waves in the
mainstream. another breed of creators has been taking the underground by storm. Perhaps the worst kept secret in the industry since Bruce Wayne‘s alter ego. Edinburgh artist Malcy Duff has been self- publishing his chiaroscuro art and elliptical narratives for seven years now to ever-increasing praise. His latest work. the RRobors anthology. continues the experimentation with perspective and visual puns and is available from maleyduff@hotmail.com.
A Town Called Ifnvy: The Story of the Tattooed Baby is an auspicious debut from Scott Graham and Coll Hamilton. (‘hronicling life in a small Highland town. it combines primal pencils with taboo subjects. The second issue is due out in the shops in late January. For those who prefer something less dark. The lmmeasurable Adventures of (iorky Park. by ex- Edinburgh resident David Hughes. blends the innocent visuals of (‘alvin and Hobbes and the humour of Viz. exploring the fortunes of a Soviet chess grandmaster who defects to the West after a freak flatulence controversy. Copies are available from stonechatproductions@‘yahtmcouk: it‘s much smarter than it sounds.
Glasgow gal Lorna Miller. once described by no less than Robert Crumb as ‘one of the funniest comics artists around‘. finished her Witch series last year on a bang. and recently supplied a strip to the fifth and final The Comics Journal Special which hits shops in the final week of February. ()ne of the few underground Scottish artists to have tangible success
Stateside. Miller’s brand of humour. irreverence and surrealism continues to challenge the ubiquitous dead white males of comic lore.
Sadly. some underground comics deserve to languish in obscurity. Things and Stuff is such a specimen. writer and artist Ben Simpson's brand of feculent ‘humour‘ proving about as funny as herpes. No such sexually-transmitted horror for Metaphrog. the l"ranco-(ilaswegian duo of John (‘halmers and Sandra Man's. who celebrate their tenth anniversary this year. Last August marked the release of Louis: Dreams Never Die (pictured). the fourth in a series which has been nominated for liisner and lgnat/ awards. thanks to an existential and enigmatic pairing of childlike art with adult themes. See www.metaphrirg.com.
Thanks to people like Marc Baines. cartoonist and
publisher of Kineg Books. which was responsible for
the release of (‘hris Reynolds‘ acclaimed The Dial A" Other Stories last year. the small press comic scene
has never looked healthier. despite the dual horrors of
reader and retailer apathy. With .\'eil Mclnnes of the Scottish Arts Council saying it welcomes comic submissions. which can be made under literature or visual arts streams. the only thing limiting budding creators now is the si/e of their ambition.
Just don‘t go picking up these books out of patriotic fervour. Pick them up because all these artists need for success is an audience as passionate and adventurous as they are.
Dave Martin is writing a history of Scotland’s contribution to the world of comics.
:3: Hugh Miles The rise of Al- Jazeera is almost one of those fairytale numbers. Were it not for the fact that you can't think of the Arab TV station without picturing bombs and devastation. Here comes the whole amazing story. See review. Abacus.
=i= Scottish Comics The world of comics isn't just rammed full of Stateside superheroes and stoners. There's also some hot local talent to get excited about. See preview. Various.
=2: John Updike The grand old man of American letters hits back with another fine tome about life and love. Why not pop down to his Villages? See review. Hamish Hamilton.
3%: Paul Karasik and David Mazzucchelli City of Glass. the existential tale by Paul Auster. isn't just one of the finest detective stories of the 19803: the graphic treatment was dubbed one of the 100 greatest comics of the 20th century. A re- issued version comes amid a wetter of anticipation. See feature. Faber.
>I< After Hours: Picturing Poets An evening of top notch chatter and readings from the magnificent Liz Lochhead, Janice Galloway and Jackie Kay. Scottish National Portrait Gallery, Edinburgh, Thu 20 Jan.
* John Harris The author (pictured) of the hugely successful Britpop-meets—politics book The Last Party will be in- store to promote his latest work, Who Do We Vote for Now? An excellent question, by the way. Borders, Glasgow, Wed 2 Feb.
./, .2:’ 23m. .7 THE LIST 31