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

  

Spam spam spam zines and spam

 Last year, along with all the other dreadfulness, the Baltic contemporary art gallery in Gateshead weren't able to hold their annual Small Press Artists Market (S.P.A.M.), so they put out an open call for work reflecting on the themes of the year for a zine instead. 

The resultant work, S.P.A.M. Spreads #1, was going to be released in their shop - buuuut lockdown meant no galleries open over the winter. This hasn't stopped them getting this lovely work out there though - just send them an email and they'll send you a copy! Incredible! Details here: https://baltic.art/spam-spreads-2021 - be quick though, who knows how long stocks will last.

My page, 'Anything Worth Saying', is a typically self-regarding piece about how rubbish everything is, but how uninteresting that is to say, and maybe how that's like a vicious circle; and also: how much Hitman I've been playing instead of doing anything productive.

Hopefully there'll be a S.P.A.M. Spreads #2 sometime during 2021 (and hopefully it'll be a better year for art (and everything)).

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.

Alternate title: 'Solitude and Table Tennis'

Since the summer, Newcastle-based drawing wizard and general good 'un, Mike D has been running an arts residency in Newcastle's Grainger Market. This has involved all kinds of events, workshops, projects - all very interesting and excellent.


One of those events was a '12-hour Comic Challenge' - a somewhat more civilised sibling of the well-known but fairly brutal '24-hour Comic Challenge'. The challenge is to conceive and draw a full twelve page comic within a twelve hour period (as opposed to twenty-four in twenty-four for the 24-hour version).


Having successfully completed a 24-hour comic in the past (though as it turns out, AAAAGES ago), this seemed a great idea, so I took part.


The resultant comic is Loneliness And Ping Pong, a short tale of, er, well, loneliness and ping pong.

This rudimentary publication is available from me in person, plus probably from Travelling Man Newcastle's small press section at some point, and probably from the Grainger Market Night Market (Thursday 6th December) and the Verbal Remedy Zine fair at B&D Studios (on Saturday 8th).


Depressingly, this is the longest Oscillating Brow comic since the 24-hour one. On the other hand, that does reinforce the evidence that to do productive comic-making, I just need put myself in quiet room with other artists and have an arbitrary challenge hanging over me.

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.

Yes it's flipping political

...Everything's satirical. Well, Tales of Extraordinariness #6: Blah, Blah, Something, Democracy. is. A bit. Though it's mostly stupid.


It's a very small comic that features Intergalactic Megatyrant Zorxnax seeking your vote.

As usual, available from: probably me in person. Maybe Travelling Man? Though I said that the last couple of times and don't think I've actually given them any. Yet! Maybe I'll get sort it out now, who knows.