Paper Jam puts out two anthologies in 2024 and I am in them

 Paper Jam Comics Collective released TWO anthologies in 2024! Mythology ...And That and The Great Jam Parade ...And That.

The amazing cover by Torgo Wells

The former explores the many bizarre tales from mythology of various traditions (and none). I told the story of RATATOSKR, the rascally squirrel that carries grumpy messages up and down the Norse world-tree Yggdrasil.

The mysterious Oscar Leyton-Brau also helps out on art duties on some other pages, including ADONIS...

The Great Jam Parade ...And That was the latest of PJCC's anthologies aimed specifically at younger readers. It's a lot of fun.

Wraparound jam cover assembled and coloured by the ever-patient Andy Houghton

I drew various bits and bobs. Primarily the antics of BELINDA BOOFERBY IN SPACE

But also explaining concepts like gravity, cryptography, and a puzzle about stupid vehicles

  

Sun, sea, sand and sequential art

It's summer, and, with unusually good timing, Paper Jam is releasing its latest themed comic anthology You Need A Holiday ...And That.

I did the cover - or at least assembled many of the visual elements of it before Paul Thompson rejigged the layout and sprinkled additional photoshop filter magic upon it (before a final polish from Brittany Coxon). Frankly, I think it came out quite nicely...

Bit of a nod to Coldwar Steve in there, who is definitely the artist for our times. However, I should point out I've been a fan of collage for many years, most notably evidenced by my pieces for the Invisible Beasts art anthologies. This time working digitally was odd - in many ways easier, but in some ways harder.

Additionally, did a little one-page comic 'Sick Of Here' for the anthology. It's about equating literal place with metaphorical place, and being fed up with where you can't get away from.

You Need A Holiday ...And That is being launched at our 'Summer Comics Jam' Canny Comic Con event at Tyne Bank Brewery in honour of Small Press Day.

(Facebook event link)

Where Alexi LaGoon, PXT and Britt will be DJing - bringing the glory days of Exchange Free Range's eclectic auditory cornucopia to a new and unsuspecting audience.

It'll be mint. Get yerself along. Buy the comics. Dance. Dance Dance.

The horror

I've got two one-pagers in the Paper Jam Comics Collective's new anthology Super Spooky Scary Stories ...And That. This time the theme is horror/spookiness, complete with classic 'crypt-keeper' style hosts, though tonally aimed at being suitable for kids (nothing too visually horrific (other than my appalling inability to draw perspective)).

The first of my stories, 'Flopsie's Food', is about a girl who pushes the boundaries of science via deeply inappropriate rabbit food. You may not be surprised to learn that things do not turn out well.

The second page 'Standard Creative Procedure', is partly a reaction to making the anthology - an unusually specific (for Paper Jam) set of restrictions contrasted with our 'hands-off' editorial ethos making this book a little more of a challenge than usual. More generally though, I guess it's a bit of a love/hate letter to the ambition to run DIY creative communities - their impossible-to-fully-organise nature, but the creative purity that arises from that.

Anyway, Super Spooky Scary Stories ...And That is great - further info here.

And, for the first time in a while, PJCC will be throwing their own launch party. AND given the theme of the comic, it'll be a Halloween party!

The Creature From The Funk Lagoon will rise from its inhuman slumber to DJ (along with Count Funkula and The Texas Funk-Soul Massacre) an eclectic set of 100%-spooky choons - encompassing kitsch 50's horror pop, rock 'n' roll, hip hop, soul, metal, mashups and beyond. Best damn Halloween playlist you'll find in toon, guaranteed. Plus: collaborative drawing games! Sweets! Good craic with comics people! It's at Bar Loco Saturday 27th 7-11 FREE.

Cacti Have Feelings Too

I've got a one-page story, 'Numpty Cactus', in Paper Jam's latest anthology Weird Romance ...And That.


It's about a cactus generally failing at matters of the heart.

The anthology is chock-full of other excellent comics regarding weirdness, romance and romance being weird - check here for more info.

Baaaaaaaaaaaaad

I am inexpert in all things but do have a lot of experience in the field of bad decisions. Thus, the latest Paper Jam anthology Bad Decisions ...And That offered plenty of opportunity to do something.


The resultant story, 'Bad Decisions Cat', involves a cat making bad decisions - among a discussion of other bad decisions and dealing with them.

There are loads of great stories in the collection, so you really should check it out 

More info (and link to shop to buy it) here on the Paper Jam blog

Adventure! Comics! A Machine! Amazement!

Paper Jam has been busy. The new anthology, The Amazing Adventure Comics Machine ... And That, the second PJCC anthology to be aimed at kids and the first to be in full colour, has been dual-launched at Canny Comic Con and the Maker Faire.

It's great and looks like this:

I have some stuff in. First, in The Really Really Long Journey, a trio of wizards must defeat an evil overlord by going on a really loooooong journey to do the thing with the macguffin.

Plus I did a couple of puzzles featuring Captain Dafty, who has to get out of tricky situations (caused by nefarious enemy Bob McNemesis) that can only be resolved using puzzle-solving.

It's full of all kinds of other bonkers stuff and you can find more info about it (and purchase it) here.

Making 'Making' for Makers

The latest Paper Jam Comics Collective anthology, Making ...And That has been, er, made! It's being launched at the amazing Maker Faire!

Paper Jam had a table at the first Maker Faire in the UK (back in 2009) and we felt it was about time we represented once again at the low-tech end of the punky DIY creative spirit that Maker Faire (and PJCC) is all about.

The comic, then, is themed around making stuff and covers the making of a range of things from the international space station to D&D characters to jam - and, of course, comics.

I've done a couple of one-pagers for it, one about the amazingness of the humble paper clip and one about the interlinked nature of stuff in the modern world.

If you're around in Newcastle this weekend, you should definitely check out the Maker Faire, it's always full of astounding sights and a palpable passion for science and creativity, and even if all the soldering and coding seems too techy for you, hey, roll by the PJCC table and makes some comics, we'll even provide the pens and paper.

Paperjammeners assemble

So, the Paper Jam Comics Collective is nearly nine years old and is releasing it's twelfth anthology Happy ...And That at The Paperjammening - a micro comic con happening in Travelling Man Newcastle's basement tomorrow, with loads of excellent comics for sale from Paper Jam members plus there'll be doodling and jam comics and good times.

I've got a story in the new anthology about beer, plus I'll be attempting to flog my range of very small comics at the event, but don't let that put you off.

 

Yum

The latest Paper Jam Comics Collective anthology, Food ...And That is out. It's a running buffet of food-themed comics! I did a two-page story for it, called 'Tastes', about how our taste in food and life-experience changes (or not) over time. More details here.

Local comics by local people about the locality

So Paper Jam has finally got itself in gear and done a new anthology - Newcastle Stories ...And That. It's themed around PJCC's hometown stomping grounds of Newcastle-upon -Tyne and is being released at a Late Shows event at the Holy Biscuit gallery's 'Urban Fictions' exhibition on 16th May. The Lates Shows is good, you should check it out, generally and also stop by and get some of this fine comic.

However, if you can't make the event, subsequently the comic will probably be available from Travelling Man comic shop.

Forty-ish pages of top comics goodness, with a cover, of course, by longtime PJCCer Gary Bainbridge - renowned purveyor of locally-set comics and art. More info and contributor list.

I did a story called 'Stump'. It was tough coming up with a story that really satisfactorily addressed the theme; after all, what is a place, its essence, what can one say about it that you couldn't say about another place? I tried to combine personal recollection with historical fact and kinda draw attention to the gulf in scale between those two elements to get across some sense of how insignificant we are in an objective sense yet how rooted in our own perspective we are. Also, it features the Hancock Museum and at least two plastic dinosaurs.

Anyway, should be an good comic with loads of interesting local info.