My Origins as a Comics Creator

Following up on my origins as a Live Illustrator, here's how I started in comics.

My MA Show, MA Authorial Illustration at Falmouth University, 2013

I did an MA called 'Authorial Illustration' at Falmouth University after having lived in Spain for a while teaching English. This was a chance to follow my dreams! I did it part-time alongside working in retail and teaching at an English Language Summer School in Exeter.

I followed a Cartooning 'bible' called 'Cartooning: Philosophy and Practice' by Ivan Brunetti, alongside Lynda Barry's 'What It Is', for that super creative 'get it done' motivation, and built a set of projects.

I also learnt how to screen-print, so my final show had a LOT of silkscreen work in it (see pics). I tried to sell these at Comica Comiket 2013, to no success, but managed to shift almost all 18 copies eventually.

Close up at my MA Show 2013: 'The Tyrant' on display. Screen-printed concertina comic with slip-case

The first work I sold on the UK Small Press scene were two 24-page comics that had been produced at intensive '24-Hour-Comics' events, where you stay up for 24 hours and make a page per hour (intense!).

Steve Walsh of Gosh Comics took these in for the Small Press section! I was delighted! I also sold them at Bristol Comic and Zine Fair.

The first comics I sold on the UK Small Press scene in 2014. Both results of '24-Hour Comics' events - where you create a 24 page comic in 24 hours.

Next I decided to make an adaptation of my favourite author's short stories - Jorge Luis Borges. So I made my comics adaptations of 'The Zahir' and 'Ragnarok'. One, my favourite of his at the time; and the other, a very accessible short short story to try out. I printed them as a double front-cover book, 10 copies, which I gave away rather than sell, because his work is actually still in copyright and I didn't want to get sued by his estate.

Process: Inking pages for my illegal adaptation of 'The Zahir' by J.L. Borges. 2015-16

You can see that I used a very traditional pencilling and inking method, with a dip-pen and india ink.

I printed and gave away 10 copies of this double-front-cover book, feat 'The Zahir' and 'Ragnarok' - two short stories by J.L. Borges. 2016

What follows are snaps of short form comics and zines I then took to various comic and zine fairs in 2017-2019 (Catford Comic and Zine Fair, Thought Bubble, LICAF):

'Belly of the Beast' fold-out zine pamphlet, 2016

'Blurts' anthology of one creator - me. A collection of experimental short comics 2012-2017.

My big break! I got a comic published by Self-Made Hero in this anthology, which, looking back, seems like a tragic slice of hope considering what happened since:

'The Corbyn Comic Book'. A naively hopeful comics anthology released in the lead up to the 2017 UK general election. I had a 3-page comic called 'Not Quite Naked' in it.

Page 1 of 'Not Quite Naked' in the Corbyn Comic Book, 2017

Bonus image, going much further back in time, to my first 'zine, 'Strip'. It featured many contributors and I set up a student society called 'Strip Soc' to fund its publication as an insert to 'The Boar', the Warwick University Student newspaper:

'The Strip' zine, Warwick University, 2006

All of the above, I no longer sell and have no intention to reprint. If you'd like to browse my current stock of comics, please visit my shop:

Browse Shop