Blog

Guest blogger, Benjamin Dickson: ‘The Picture in the House’

Posted on March 13, 2012 by admin

As SMH writer/artist Rob Davis once said to me, “Those who say you should never meet your heroes have never met Mick McMahon.”

Mick is of course a fan favourite – his work on Judge Dredd, Slaine and probably even Sonic the Hedgehog have been hugely influential to an entire generation of comics creators.  When he was offered the job of illustrating Lovecraft’s ‘The Picture in the House’ and was asked who he thought should write it, you can imagine how happy I was when Mick put my name forward.

I’ve known Mick for about a year and a half, after a random exchange of emails led to our deciding to work together on a creator-owned project.  The result will eventually be a book called The Kestrels (See Mick’s blog for more on this) but it’s going to be quite a while before gets to read it, so it was great to do something together that was a bit more immediate!

‘The Picture in the House’ is a wonderful piece of writing.  It begins with what could be described as a statement of intent for much of Lovecraft’s work; that when attempting to seek out horror, people (eg writers) often make the mistake of travelling to mysterious and alien places such as “forgotten cities in Asia” or “sinister monoliths on uninhabited islands”, whereas the truly horrific often lies closer to home, within the landscape of the familiar.  In Lovecraft’s case, the countryside of New England.

(This is a principle that came to life in the 70s with films like the Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Halloween – horror films that take place in familiar surroundings – and has been a staple of American horror ever since.  But Lovecraft was doing it in the 1920s.)

After Lovecraft’s statement of intent there follows a master class of horror storytelling.  Horror stories rely on simple, primitive yet powerful fears that cause our Amygdala brain to race ahead of our conscious mind, to warn us of danger before we can use reason to remind ourselves that it’s just a story.  And ‘The Picture in the House’ is a beautifully simple premise.  The hero of the story is an everyman – he’s you and me.  Yet he’s also every headline you ever saw about the man who end up in the wrong place at the wrong time, reminding us that it could so easily have been us.

Adapting Lovecraft is I think a very rewarding experience.  The thing is, on the surface at least, to do a straight adaptation of a story like ‘The Picture in the House’ isn’t that hard; structurally it’s already done for you.  The challenge lies in not losing anything in translation – and that can be tricky. ‘ The Picture in the House’ is entirely told through a first person narrative, with descriptions of internal thoughts and feelings.  To overload a comic with caption boxes is I think not a good way to go, so it was essential to convert as much of our hero’s thoughts into action as possible.  How well I did is up to you to decide!

A real stroke of luck came when I researched the background of the story, and discovered to my delight (and to the surprise of the editor Dan Lockwood) that the “Afriky book”, Pigfetta’s Regnum Congo, actually exists – as do the illustrations that Lovecraft refers to in the text.  It meant that the comic book version would have something that no text version of the story would have.  Being able to see those illustrations, drawn by someone who clearly had never been to the Congo and was presumably drawing of what he thought it might look like (including dragons), add a lot I think.

Editing the story down was of course crucial.  I hope I’ve managed to not cut anyone’s favourite lines, but I had to be quite brutal at points. (Dan Lockwood actually told me to put one line back in.)  Most cuts were simply a matter of distilling down the descriptions (the opening monologue is about half its original length), but one thing that got cut was the use of the “N” word.  This was I think the most contentious issue in the script, as although I thought its use by the old man was entirely in character and therefore justifiable (its use told us quite a lot about the old man), neither Dan nor myself felt entirely comfortable with it, and after much deliberation, out it went.  Now it’s gone, I don’t miss it.

If I had one criticism of the story, it was how abrupt the ending was.  Dan and I had some entertaining email exchanges about this, including the option of changing the ending altogether; but I think we both knew this wasn’t a serious option.  Instead the final paragraph was elongated into a highly cinematic three page sequence that allowed Mick to flex his illustrative muscles to the full, and allowed the implied horror to fully break loose on the page.  Some may criticise us for this, but as I said earlier, the important thing to me is to be true to what Lovecraft intended, and I feel that literal translations between media risk losing more than if they are adapted to meet that medium’s strengths.

Finally, after an embarrassingly high number of typos were corrected by Dan, off the script went.  I’m quite proud of it, and Mick’s artwork is, as always, sublime.  We’re also in great company, including Pat Mills, Jamie Delano, Simon Spurrier and Warwick Johnson Cadwell.  If you enjoyed the first anthology, I have a feeling you’re going to like what we’ve come up with…

________________________________

The Lovecraft Anthology: vol II is out next week!

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

SelfMadeHero – for services to geek culture

Posted on February 6, 2012 by admin

Woo! Yay! We won the coveted, spangly, squidgy, be-buttoned, Black Tentacle at this year’s “Kitschies”. Our tentacle was awarded at last weekend’s SFX Weekender at Prestatyn Sands and collected on our behalf by SFX‘s very own Rob Power.

Here follows the citation from the Kitschies site:

“The Black Tentacle a special achievement award, handed out at the discretion of Anne Perry and Jared Shurin, editors of Pornokitsch.

It goes to a work or body of work that does not otherwise fit The Kitschies’ criteria. The winner receives a hand-crafted and embroidered tentacle and a bottle of The Kraken’s black spiced rum.

The winner of the 2011 Black Tentacle is SelfMadeHero, for their 2011 body of work and its contribution to elevating geek culture.”

Thanks to Anne, Jared and the talented distillers of The Kraken – Black Spiced Rum. We look froward to raising a toast with our prize! Congratulations from us the other Tentacle winners:

  • Winners of the Red Tentacle: Patrick Ness and (posthumously) Siobhan Dowd for A Monster Calls
  • Winner of the Inky Tentacle: Glen Duncan (designed by Peter Mendelsund) for The Last Werewolf

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Man Who Laughs

Posted on February 6, 2012 by admin

The cat is out of the bag! As Rich Johnston reported on Bleeding Cool over the weekend, one of the forthcoming titles in our Eye Classics series will be The Man Who Laughs, a comics adaptation of the Victor Hugo novel, which – as Rich puts so succinctly –  ”inspired the 1928 film starring Conrad Veidt with a “grim carnival freak-like grin” that inspired the appearance of The Joker.”

Mark Stafford or “the greatest British working comic artist you haven’t heard of” according to Bleeding Cool is on illustration duty. While writing duties are in the hands of David Hine (DC, Image). David’s Strange Embrace, is in our ‘Top Ten British comics of all time’ and we’re delighted to see him collaborating with Mark following their work together on ‘The Colour Out of Space’ in The H.P. Lovecraft Anthology: volume I.

David and Mark will be creating this unique comics project for a good while yet, but we’ll be posting occasional updates here on how they are getting along and you might like to start following their blogs and tweets now, in case they let something slip in between!

David Hine Waiting for Trade (blog) and @hinedavid (Twitter)

Mark Stafford Hocus Baloney (blog)

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off

“Things are gonna get ugly”

Posted on February 2, 2012 by admin

click here for the full size

We are delighted to announce a forthcoming title in our original fiction series: Deadbeats written by Chris Lackey and Chad Fifer and illustrated by I.N.J. Culbard.

This autumn, Lackey, Fifer and Culbard will be transporting you to 1920s Chicago and a world of jazz, jalopies and tentacles in this creepy adventure like no other. Wait a minute, ‘tentacles’? That’s right – Deadbeats pays homage to the American master of  “weird fiction”, H. P. Lovecraft. If you know anything about the authors, you’ll see that a Lovecraftian obsession runs deep within them.

Chris and Chad are dulcet toned denizens of the interwebs (ahem! and California and Yorkshire) who host the extraordinarily popular, HP Lovecraft Literary Podcast. Both are massive fans of Lovecraftian stories, movies and comics and this is reflected in the podcast, where they discuss a specific H.P. Lovecraft story each week – “what it’s about, how it reads, why it may have been written and what other works of art it has influenced”.

I.N.J Culbard is known to many as the award-winning graphic novelist who adapted Lovecraft’s At the Mountains of Madness into critically acclaimed graphic novel. If you already know Culbard’s work then you’ll no doubt be looking forward to his adaptation of The Case of Charles Dexter Ward, out from SelfMadeHero in May.

Anyway, enough stalling… go and have look at the preview!

(Come back soon!)

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

Spring 2012

Posted on January 30, 2012 by admin

Welcome to the bright new world of 2012! Would you like to see what we have in store for Spring? Of course you would! Read on…

Are you sitting comfortably? Then we’ll begin…

March 2012

The Wolf Man (by Richard Appignanesi and Slawa Harasymowicz)

Freud’s most famous case history explores the life of a tortured Russian aristocrat

Vienna 1910. Russian aristocrat Sergei Pankejeff asks for Sigmund Freud’s help. During analysis, Freud focuses on Pankejeff’s dream of a walnut tree full of white wolves. His interpretation of this dream would earn Pankejeff the enduring sobriquet ‘the Wolf Man’. We follow Pankejeff’s life as Freud and other analysts attempt to unravel the source of his crippling neurosis.

> We’re currently making a short documentary about this wonderful adaptation, which has been four years in the making. Four?! Analyze that!

It’s Dark In London (by Josh Appignanesi, Stella Duffy, Neil Gaiman, Tony Grisoni, Stewart Home, Alan Moore, Chris Petit, Alexei Sayle, Iain Sinclair, Yana Stajno, Steve Bell, Dix, Jonathan Edwards, Carl Flint, Melinda Gebbie, Chris Hogg, Ilya, Garry Marshall, Dave McKean, Woodrow Phoenix, Warren Pleece, Carol Swain, Oscar Zarate)

Cult authors and artists tackle London’s dark underbelly

It’s Dark in London features the stories of cult creators such as Alan Moore, Neil Gaiman and David McKean along with London-based writers such as Iain Sinclair, Tony Grisoni and Stella Duffy. This fusion produces a portrait of London that captures the city’s fundamental essence as an exquisite mixture of lofty towers and gutter sleaze, of suburban gentility and urban depravity, of private vices and public philanthropy.

> First published in the mid-ninties and out of print ever since, this beautiful SelfMadeHero edition benefits from a fresh layout and new introductions from many of the contributors.

The Lovecraft Anthology vol II (by Jamie Delano, Steve Pugh, Simon Spurrier, Matt Timson, Ben Dickson, Mick McMahon, David Camus, Nicolas Fructus, Attila Futaki, Pat Mills, Attila Futaki, Dwight L. MacPherson, Paul Peart-Smith, Chris Lackey, Ade Salmon Bryan, Baugh Chad Fifer, Warwick Johnson Cadwell.)

The follow-up to the bestselling H.P. Lovecraft anthology with a dazzling roster of writers and artists

This collection reveals the nightmare worlds of Lovecraft’s imagination, exploring themes of forbidden knowledge and insanity in tale after tale of unsettling horror. Building on the success of the first volume, it showcases the talents of a new roster of writers and artists including Pat Mills and Attila Futaki (The Nameless City), Ben Dickson and Mick McMahon (The Picture in the House), Jamie Delano and Steve Pugh (Pickman’s Model).

> Once again edited by the bearded wunderkind Dan Lockwood, …volume II is eagerly anticipated by readers from Innsmouth to Inverness. The creators are currently detained in padded cells at a certain asylum in Massachusetts for their own safety but will be released to share their tall tales in March.

April 2012

But I Really Wanted to Be an Anthropologist (by Margaux Motin, translated by Edward Gauvin)

The highs and lows of life as an illustrator, mother, blogger and shoe-fanatic

Meet Margaux: thirty-something mother, self-confessed geek, style-goddess and red wine drinker. We follow her real life, collected from her illustrated blog, as she makes her way as a freelance illustrator in Paris. Anyone who has ever worn inappropriate shoes to the supermarket or danced around the house in their underwear will be charmed by Motin’s irreverent humour.

> And now for something completely different! Margaux Motin is amazing. You will come to understand this as 2012 rolls on. Keep your eyes peeled for her brand new blog and stick it on your RSS feed list for a regular dose of funny. You don’t need to work freelance or wear a bra to enjoy this sweary madam’s cartooning… but some say, it helps.

The Conference of the Birds (by Peter Sís)

An inspirational story about the pain, and the beauty, of the human journey

Peter Sís’s deeply felt adaptation tells the story of a flock of birds who fly through seven valleys – quest, love, understanding, friendship, unity, amazement and death – to discover which one of them should be crowned king. When they find the legendary Simorgh, the true king, they finally find the answer, in this inspirational story of love, faith and the meaning of it all.

> Have you heard of Peter Sís? He’s big in the States. He’s won the New York Times ‘Best Illustrated Book of the Year’ seven times. That bad, eh? We hope you’ll get a chance to meet him when he comes to the UK in April.

When David Lost His Voice (by Judith Vanistendael translated Nora Mahony)

A heartfelt portrayal of a family preparing for life after David

The doctor’s verdict is final: David has cancer. There is still a possibility of remission, but it is small. And if the tumour kills him, David won’t have a chance to see his baby granddaughter Louise grow up. We see his wife become progressively consumed by the looming shadow of death, in Judith Vanistendael’s sensitive portrayal of a family battling cancer.

> We published Judith’s beautiful, debut graphic novel Dance By the Light of the Moon in 2010 and we can’t express how thrilled with her latest comic book. Those of you who read Dance… you’ll be surprised to see David… is illustrated in vibrant watercolour with fine pen line work.

May 2012

Best of Enemies (by Prof. Jean Pierre Filiu and David. B. translated by Edward Gauvin)

The first volume of a ground-breaking graphic novel series on US–Middle East relations

David B. and Filiu draw striking parallels between ancient and contemporary political history in this look at US–Middle East relations. The reader is transported to the pirate-choked Mediterranean sea, where Christians and Muslims continue the crusades, only this time on water. As the centuries pass, the traditional targets of the Muslim pirates — the British, French and Spanish — become empire-building powers whose sights lie beyond the Mediterranean.

> Hooray for more David B! This is the first of three volumes on America’s chequered history with the countries of the Middle East and the Levant. This first volume picks a path across a vast swathe of pirate-infested history from American Independence in 1783 until 1953, when President Truman announced that America had developed the world’s first atomic bomb. Expect cannonballs, gunboat diplomacy, mythical beasts, special agents, oily politicians, principled pashas and slippery sheiks.

The Moomin Adventure Book (by Cally Law with illustrations by Tove Jansson)

A Moomins-themed children’s guidebook to having fun outdoors and learning about nature

A guide to the great outdoors for little adventurers. Moomintroll (with a little help from his friends and family) shows us how to explore the world beyond our doorstep, inventing games, making toys, eating good food and having fun – Moomin-style! This handy manual features Tove Jansson’s strip cartoons, illustrations and words of wisdom from her Moomin novels, so there will always be something to do, even on rainy days.

> So we helped you to master Finnish cuisine with the help of The Moomins Cookbook, but there is more to life than eating and drinking! This is a practical, humorous guide to getting out and about in the great outdoors. Keep your eyes peeled for the Moomin Adventure Book tent at festivals this year for you chance to win prizes.

The Case of Charles Dexter Ward (by I.N.J. Culbard)

A psychological mystery from H.P. Lovecraft in which a man experiments with alchemy and resurrection

When the young Charles Dexter Ward becomes fascinated by the history of his wizard ancestor Joseph Curwen, who gained notoriety for haunting graveyards, he attempts to duplicate Curwen’s cabbalistic and alchemical feats. It is Ward’s doctor who bears witness to the full horror of Ward’s results as Lovecraft’s psychological mystery unfolds before him.

> We’re all very excited about The Case of Charles Dexter Ward here at HQ. INJ Culbard is currently slaving away, Shoggoth-style, on this adaptation and what we’ve seen so far has got us hopping from one foot to the other with glee (tinged with impending doom and creeping terror, naturally). The story is told through the eyes of Ward’s doctor – who bears witness to the full horror of Ward’s experiments. You need this comic in your life.

June 2012

Picture a Favela (by André Diniz)

A Brazilian photographer battles against his family’s criminal background and dedicates his life to art

André Diniz tells the extraordinary story of Maurício Hora, who lives in one of the most dangerous slums (favelas) in Rio, Brazil. In spite of the odds, Hora has made a name for himself internationally as a photographer. We are led from his challenging childhood living with his drug dealer father up to the present day.

> Two facts for you fact-fans: although unknown in the UK, André Diniz has had more than 20 comic books published and won 14 national writing awards in his native Brazil, including four for his comic writing. Not bad, eh?

Rebetiko (by David Prudhomme)

Celebrating the lives and culture of Greece’s once persecuted blues musicians

Athens, 1936. General Metaxas is cracking down on rebetis and their way of life. A small group of friends – Rebetiko musicians – wind their way through the Athenian backstreets, ouzeris and market squares dodging the police while settling disputes over hashish and women. With music at its heart, the narrative builds to a joyous party at its climax in this multi-award winning graphic novel.

> David Prudhomme’s Rebetiko will become ‘that comic’, which you tell your non-comics reading friends about. It will be ‘the one’ they should read. The one that demonstrates that comics do more than capes and tights. Not only is David a master storyteller, but he’s is one of the leading artists of his generation, capable of conveying character and sentiment with just a few lines and able to evoke an atmosphere with a splash of colour here and a shadow cast there. We’ll be letting you know about Rebetiko gigs and events soon.

July 2012

A Chinese Life (by Philipe Ôtié and Li Kunwu)

An intimate portrayal of China as depicted by a Communist Party artist

A completely original look at Chinese society told in a staggering work of graphic autobiography by Chinese artist, Li Kunwu, in collaboration with the writer Philippe Ôtié. Li Kunwu’s story is a personal one that is inextricably linked to his three decades as a propaganda artist for the Communist Party. We’re taken on a journey from 1949, through the Cultural Revolution, to the present day.

> From Mao to now (well almost)!  Li Kunwu has an incredible story to tell of a life in which he played a small but significant part in China’s Great Cultural Revolution. You’ll learn a lot about modern Chinese history (without even realising) while being treated to Otie’s fluid storytelling and Li Kunwu’s distinctive brushwork. We can’t wait!

We’ll be announcing our Autumn titles in a little while, but you’ve got plenty to keep you going till then. Enjoy!

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off

OK Comics Top 10 SelfMadeHero titles

Posted on January 23, 2012 by admin

(click here for full size image)

We were delighted to see that OK Comics – one of the best comic shops in the UK – had compiled a Top Ten of SelfMadeHero graphic novels. So, without further ado (and in 140 characters or less) here are Jared & Oliver’s tweeted top ten, in reverse order:

10. Hound of the Baskervilles by Conan Doyle Ian Edginton and @injculbard

“Excellent, word-perfect adaptation of the best of the Holmes novels, both a gothic horror novel and a murder mystery. Holmes versus beasts.”

9. The Lovecraft Anthology vol 1 by HP Lovecraft & various, including @aliceduke

“Lovecraft’s best short stories are adapted by a variety of artists. In particular Alice Duke’s suitable horrific Dagon work is incredible.”

8. Le Morte D’Arthur by Mallory and John Matthews & Will Sweeney

“Based on Mallory book from 1400’s, chronicles the myth of Arthur and the breaking up of the Round Table Knights due to the petty rivalries.”

7. Don Quixote Volume One by Cervantes & @robgog

“The first half of the classic post-modern novel, Rob Davis uses the comics medium to really adapt the text rather than merely illustrate.”

6. Gonzo by Will Bingley & Anthony Hope-Smith

“Hunter S. Thompson’s life in graphic novel form, focusing on his Fear and Loathing books and his belief in individual liberty.”

5. Castro by Reinhard Kleist

“Charts the rise of Castro from 1958 Cuban revolution to the brutal dictatorship that it becomes, seen through the eyes of photo journalist.”

4. Fish & Chocolate by Kate Brown @autojoy

“Three shorts, variations on the theme of relationships between mothers and children, astoundingly well drawn and full of fantastic imagery.”

3. Robot by Stanislaw Lem and Andrekj Klimowski & Danusia Schejbal

“Lem was a contemporary of Asmiov but Lem’s robot stories have more feeling to them and are frankly far more interesting because of it.”

2. Hellraisers by Robert Sellers & JAKe  @JAKeDetonator

“Richard Burton, Peter O’Toole, Richard Harris and Oliver Reed, who rarely reached their true potential because of their hell-raising.”

1. Sandcastle by Pierre Oscar Levy & Frederick Peeters

“Award winning SF focusing of the interactions of different groups of people who are forced to live their whole lives in one day. On a beach.”

So – as Jared & Oliver asked the Twitter-sphere – ‘What’s your favourite?’

Thanks to @OKComics!

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off

Judith Vanistendael news

Posted on January 19, 2012 by admin

As we were finishing our preparations for the Angouleme Festival (incidentally the best comics festival in the world, other than Thought Bubble) we heard from Resonance FM’s Alex Fitch. Alex has posted a podcast based on a COMICA Festival interview that took place in London’s Bar Music Hall at the launch of SelfMadeHero creator, Judith Vanistendael. Judith’s interviewer was COMICA Festival Director, Paul Gravett.

Alex’s podcast has an introduction from Sarah Lightman and has been released as the latest in a series of ‘Ladeez do Podcasts’. You can listen to it here.

But there is more good news for Vanistendael-fans (if you are not already a fan… why aren’t you!?) Joe Gordon over the Forbidden Planet International blog flagged up that we’re publishing Judith’s next book, When David Lost His Voice translated by Nora Mahony. You can read Joe’s piece here.

But wait, in a final act of amazing-ness FPI are offering Dance By the Light of the Moon at 40% off for the next fourteen days. So you can buy it for the bargain price of £8.99 here.

Keep your eyes peeled for news of Judith’s UK appearances and signings in April and beyond!

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off

That was the year that was…

Posted on December 22, 2011 by admin

(click here for full size image)

2011 was a busy year for SelfMadeHero – we published sixteen graphic novels and four giftbooks. Here are some of our highlights…

Le Morte D’Arthur

“All the excitement, romance and the adventure of the Arthurian legend can be found in these entertaining pages” Jerry Bruckheimer

Baby’s In Black

“Black and white graphics work to perfection…
Utterly engaging”
TimeOut

Chico & Rita

“Javier Mariscal is a multifaceted, uninhibited force of natural creativity. This Spanish phenomenon is somehow able to dance in the high-pressure orbits of graphics, architecture, design, furniture, movies and art without ever losing his playful exuberance. He’s not so much in his second childhood as still enjoying his first.”
Art Review

Kiki de Montparnassse

“She’s captivating, and her story will send you racing into the nearest art gallery in search of her image cast in bronze or worked in oil… graphic novel of the month”
The Observer

Hairshirt

“one of Canada’s most gifted comics creators, working here at a new peak of his powers” Paul Gravett

The Lovecraft Anthology volume I

“FIVE STARS… MUST READ NOW!… While the stories themselves are short, the creative scale of the book as a whole is colossal, and filled to the brim with the passion of a huge team that have truly made this a book to put on your wish list. Roll on Vol 2”
Sci-Fi Now Magazine

The Valley of Fear

“The Valley Of Fear is quite simply the perfect ending to a perfect quartet of graphic novels that very simply distill everything that is so very good about Conan Doyle’s detective masterpiece. All four of these Sherlock Holmes volumes by Conan Doyle, Edginton and Culbard deserve a place on your bookshelf.”
Richard Bruton, The Forbidden Planet International blog

Hellraisers

“It’s a match made in Hollywood heaven”
The Independent on Sunday

Black Paths

“French comics legend David Beauchard’s book follows Lauriano, a charismatic, disturbed young veteran who roams rooftops, fights for loot and sees the ghosts of his dead comrades wherever he goes…. The colourful panels look beautiful, and are reminiscent of Beauchard’s masterful ‘Epileptic’ in their vibrant savagery”
The Guardian

Sandcastle

“Five stars. SFX Recommends. SelfMadeHero’s sumptuously bound hardcover graphic novel is nothing less than a treat… By turns touching, frightening and strangely believable, it’s a low-key SF gem with heart”
Jes Bickham, SFX Magazine

The Popeye Cookbook

“Popeye cookbook reveals Sailor Man’s healthy eating secrets”
The Guardian

“Great gifts for men”
The Daily Express

Pride & Prejudice

“a thoroughly entertaining read… it’s an accesible and enjoyable route in”
Andy Shaw, Grovel

Don Quixote volume I

“this retelling of the first half of Cervantes’s novel retains enough of its action and its digressions to feel coherent and complete. The exuberant drawings make clever use of colour, while in the foreground chubby Panza and rake-thin Quixote make a fine double act as they ride from beating to beating and farce to farce. At once mercilessly rendered – you’re under no illusion of the sufferings caused by Quixote’s mad crusade – and awash with sympathy and humour, Davis’s approachable graphic novel may modernise Cervantes’s dialogue, but it seems a thoroughly loyal adaptation, full of enthusiasm for stories and storytelling, and for that precious ‘place between reader and book … where Don Quixote tilts his lance’.”
The Guardian

Fish + Chocolate

“This trilogy… confirms Brown as a provocative and profound allegorist finding her mature voice and in total control of her precise compositions, colouring and narrative.”
Paul Gravett

Castro

“a black-and-white kaleidoscope of familiar and less-known events – the strikingly drawn drama of the sailing of Granma, the Marita Lorenz affair, the parting with Che and the Mariel exodus all made the final edit as Kleist tested the patience of his publisher by continuously asking to be given more pages”
The Morning Star

The Incal

“There are some names in comic books that are virtually unassailable. Jean Giraud – better known as Moebius – is one of them. he is not just a European comic book artist, he is European comic books, with a near monolithic influence that has shaped the direction of Continental – and, almost imperceptibly, British and American – comics for decades. The Incal is probably his most sustained and substantial piece of work, scripted by Alejandro Jodorowsky but bearing the unmistakable mark of Moebius insanity”
Michael Molcher, Comic Heroes Magazine

Stay tuned to find out what 2012 will bring…

Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off

The Best Graphic Novels of 2011

Posted on November 29, 2011 by admin

It is unfortunate that The Times sits mostly unread and totally un-shareable behind a paywall, because it continues to champion graphic novels wherever and whenever it can. Last weekend, they published their annual ‘best of’ piece and flagged up how ‘graphic novel’ is no longer a byword for omnibus editions of Spider-Man or X-Men, but is instead defined by a varied and thought-provoking selection of fiction and non-fiction titles from British and international creators. Good on ‘em!

So, what did The Times pick as their graphic novels of 2011? Well… here are our highlights:

Chico & Rita (Javier Mariscal and Fernando Trueba)

“Spanish duo Javier Marsical and Fernando Trueba transfer the vibrant beauty of the animated film, set in the jazz clubs of 1940s Havana, to the page”
Tom Gatti, The Times

“a work of art in its own right: exuberant, passionate, and melancholy… For all that this book will have you tapping your toes, I defy anyone to reach the end of it without a tear in their eye.”
Rachel Cooke, the Observer

“Mariscal is a multifaceted, uninhibited force of natural creativity. This Spanish phenomenon is… not so much in his second childhood as still enjoying his first.”
Paul Gravett, Art Review

Don Quixote: vol 1 (Miguel de Cervantes and Rob Davis)

Nice to read that Rob Davis has finally achieved the accolade of “UK comics stalwart” for his “appropriately anarchic compression of Don Quixote“ Tom Gatti, The Times

“a thoroughly loyal adaptation, full of enthusiasm for stories and storytelling, and for that precious ‘place between reader and book’ … where Don Quixote tilts his lance”
James Smart, The Guardian

I can’t think of better quote from the article than this one:

“From Cervantes to Castro, comics now go where the superheroes fear to tread”
Tom Gatti, The Times

to segueway into The Times‘ final choice…

Castro (Reinhard Kleist)

“Reinhard Kleist’s compelling biography of Castro, drawn in dynamic black and white”
Tom Gatti, The Times

“Kleist has a dramatic story to tell and rarely disappoints, his black-and-white artwork capturing bloody skirmishes, expressive faces and crowd scenes that throb with life… Kleist does a fine job of rendering the self-belief that both fuelled [Castro] and led this avowed lover of freedom into brutal crackdowns.”
James Smart, The Guardian

Alongside the The Times’ favourite SelfMadeHero titles were some truly excellent titles from Faber, Fanta, BS, Cape and D&Q and a tip off the cap to Solipsistic Pop’s excellent fourth issue. It’s a good time for comics in the UK!

All our comics are available to buy online but we urge you to support your local comic stores and booksellers. Leading comic stores across England and Scotland are carrying signed editions of the SelfMadeHero titles recommended by The Times and The Guardian above – but they sometimes keep them under the counter, so it is always worth asking for “the good stuff” ; )

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off

The perfect Christmas present: Skullraisers!

Posted on November 17, 2011 by admin

Hellraisers artist JAKe has designed a funky piece of festive wrapping paper to accompany copies of Hellraisers bought at Thought Bubble Festival this weekend (while stocks last).

It’s just arrived at SMH HQ – hot off the press – and it looks great. We think that JAKe’s Day of the Dead-style ashtray-eyed flaming skulls are a cheery little motif, which will liven up any Christmas morning scene. Especially if the recipient has a traditional Christmas morning hangover.

Now, far be it from us to encourage you spend your hard earned money on quality graphic novels [ahem!] but we have two Christmas gift ideas for you:

1) Pick up a copy of Hellraisers at Thought Bubble signed by Roobert Sellers and sketched with a Hellraiser of your choice by JAKe. Then use your complimentary wrapping paper to wrap your sketched book for a loved one.

OR

2) Pick up a sketched copy of Hellraisers at Thought Bubble and keep it for yourself (because you’re worth it!) then use your Hellraisers wrapping paper to cunningly wrap a bottle of whiskey as a thoughtful Christmas present.

And finally, don’t forget that we’re doing a ‘Hellraisers Live’ event this Sunday as part of Thought Bubble Festival in Leeds. We’ll be in the Bury Theatre 12-12.45. JAKe will be drawing (and giving away) huge portraits of each of the Hellraisers while Robert Sellers regales us all with the foursome’s finest drinking stories.

If you can’t make it to Thought Bubble, then you can reserve sketched copies of Hellraisers with wrapping paper (while stocks last) at the following stores:

Mega City Comics – Camden

Gosh! Comics – Soho

Forbidden Planet – Glasgow

OK Comics – Leeds

Dave’s Comics – Brighton

The Forbidden Planet Megastore – Shaftesbury Avenue, London

Happy soused Christmas, one and all!

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off