Friday, 29 November 2013
Thursday, 17 October 2013
Uncle Bob Adventures
Out in November from Blank Slate will be the first volume of Uncle Bob Adventures.Volume two will follow some six months later in the Spring of 2014. These all ages books feature the 150 year old Uncle Bob, relating tales from his long life. Features: dinosaurs, Martians, cowboys, jungles, a giant gorilla, and the Frankenstein Monster. What more do you want?
Wednesday, 25 September 2013
Cover
Hey all! I'll be appearing at the the London Film and Comic Con on the weekend of Saturday 5th and Sunday 6th October. Find me at the Myriad Editions table.
Here's a possible cover for the book I have out from Myriad Editions next year.
Monday, 26 August 2013
Monday, 22 July 2013
Wednesday, 10 July 2013
Crash
Here are the first four pages of my comic book exploration of the financial crisis.
It's often said that there is a huge gulf between the general public and their understanding of science. I'm not sure that this gulf is as large as some claim it is, as science shows on TV are hugely popular. What is true is that there exists a Grand Canyon-sized gulf between ordinary people and their understanding of finance. It's a gulf that needs to be crossed if we've any hope of understanding the complexities of the modern world.
This is my modest attempt to do something about the problem.
Thursday, 4 July 2013
Supercrash
I had to write a piece for an arts grant application on what my current book is about. Here's what I wrote...
I'll be writing and drawing a full-colour book, dynamically illustrated in the comic strip format, that explains the causes and consequences of the 2008 economic crash.
It will look at how the market in derivatives, and especially credit swop derivatives, caused the crash in the financial markets. It will explain, clearly, and in some depth, what these derivatives are, how and why they were developed, and how bad debt in the US housing market brought down the system.
It will look at the failure of austerity measures to solve the UK's economic problems and how these measures are being used to roll back the welfare state, creating further inequality.
It will look at how inequality in a society is bad for all in a population, including the very rich.
It will look at how the philosophy of libertarians, such as Ayn Rand, has captured the imaginations of business people and politicians on the political Right, especially in the United States, and how this philosophy has been put into policy.
And finally, it will look at at the current research into the psychological and neurobiological differences between liberals and conservatives. It will look at the psychological strengths and weaknesses of each of these political positions, why human beings have evolved this apparent split, and why this difference, when in properly balance, is useful to us as a species.
Many books have been written on these subjects individually in recent years, but none have attempted to bring all these themes together in a popular and clear manner. This is what I'll be attempting to do. I've a passionate belief that words combined with images can have a powerful impact and one that is quite different in quality from either a novel or film. Reading a comic is a very immediate experience and one that works well as a way of presenting lots of information in a short space of time.
Austerity, and how Western countries have dealt with the aftermath of the financial crash, is I think, the great theme of our time. It has defined the era we live in as much as the cold war defined the second half of the 20th century, affecting all facets of our lives. Having previously written two graphic reportage books on complex issues, and learned through doing this, how to take difficult subjects and boil them down into an entertaining and engaging narrative, I think I've developed the skills with which to successfully tackle this huge subject.
Friday, 31 May 2013
News
I'll be signing copies of the new edition of Science Tales at OK Comics in Leeds, on 6th June, from 5:3o onwards.
Both Psychiatric Tales and Science Tales, in their brand new expanded second editions, are now on available to read digitally, via the marvellous Sequential App.
Sequential features graphic novels and sequential art for mature readers with work from some of the world's leading publishers including Knockabout, Blank Slate and Myriad, with work by creators such as Alan Moore, Eddie Campbell, Robert Crumb, David Lloyd, Hunt Emerson and many more. Here's the link to the app.
Here's a drawing of The Magical Unicorns of Keith the Wizard. Character's created by Lizz Lunney.
Both Psychiatric Tales and Science Tales, in their brand new expanded second editions, are now on available to read digitally, via the marvellous Sequential App.
Sequential features graphic novels and sequential art for mature readers with work from some of the world's leading publishers including Knockabout, Blank Slate and Myriad, with work by creators such as Alan Moore, Eddie Campbell, Robert Crumb, David Lloyd, Hunt Emerson and many more. Here's the link to the app.
Here's a drawing of The Magical Unicorns of Keith the Wizard. Character's created by Lizz Lunney.
Wednesday, 1 May 2013
Simon Harwood and Police Acountability
A ten page piece I wrote on the death of Ian Tomlinson for the much delayed issue of Solopsistic Pop 5, which editor Tom Humberstone has kindly allowed me to place here. Much of the information in the strip was taken from pieces written in the Guardian by Paul Lewis and Peter Walker. Many thanks to them.
Tuesday, 30 April 2013
Token Skeptic Podcast Interview
You can hear an interview with me, taking about Psychiatric Tales and Science Tales, on the Token Skeptic podcast.
And here are four panels from my comic strip on the life of Ayn Rand. This strip is just one part of a book in progress that will be about aspects of the financial crisis and the failure of austerity measures. I'm going to be serialising the entire Rand strip on Activate.com, starting 2nd May.
Monday, 1 April 2013
Off To MoCCA in New York
I shall be at MoCCA Arts Festival in New York on the weekend 6th and 7th of April. Where I'll be signing the US version of Science Tales, known as How To Fake A Moon Landing. Do come down and meet me if you can? Here's the link.
Also, here's an interview with me at Newsarama.
A panel from my comic strip on the life of Ayn Rand, which I'm still working on.
Tuesday, 5 March 2013
Saturday, 26 January 2013
Laydeez Do Comics
On Monday, 28th of January, I'm speaking at Laydeez Do Comics in Leeds. Also speaking will be Kristyna Baczynski and Kate Ashwin. Do come along. Here's the link.
Here's a panel from the strip I'm working on at the moment about Ayn Rand.
Saturday, 19 January 2013
How To Fake A Moon Landing
I've been sent an advance copy of the Abrams' US version of Science Tales, and very good it look too. Out in March. I'll be over in New York to promote it at this year's MoCCa.
Tuesday, 15 January 2013
Saturday, 12 January 2013
Samsonite CityScapes 3 Piece Spinner Set (Blue Print)
The hardbody cases I designed for Samsonite have arrived. Here's a photo of the largest. See the details here.