A little bit of travelling for this clutch of comics, produced with pupils in my Comic Art Masterclasses, began with a two day visit to Pontefract Library, where pupils were brought in from various primary schools. Pontefract, as everyone knew except me, means Broken Bridge, and the history of the name is fascinating. Google it. Googling the meme "He Needs Some Milk" is far less edifying, and something one wouldn't expect Year 6s to be so knowledgable about.
I believe Yeah Man may be meme too, but I'm happy to remain ignorant of its derivation. Delightfully, the second of these Pontefractian suggestions was the sort of flight of imagination by a youngster that makes these comics so worthwhile. When they just parrot the same phrases as each other - which is the definition of memes, obviously - it can get a bit depressing. Year 8, I find, are the worst for it.
Speak of angels and you hear their wings, these were Year 7s and 8s (or First and Second Years as they call them) at Clongowes Wood College in Clane, near Dublin. The first school in Ireland to have me over, and to which I've returned a good few times now. Alumni include James Joyce, Nick Hewer, U2's manager, and Michael Leary of Ryanair. So we got a higher class of meme from this lot, winding up with some sort of rude remix about which I don't wish to know.
The celebrities these 6 groups chose to star in my demonstration strip were Kanye West, Dawyne 'The Rock' Johnson, Ali A, Simon Cowell, Kevin Hart and Michael Jackson. (Either Simon Cowell or Donald Trump was suggested though not chosen in every single class).
Kev F Sutherland, as well as writing and drawing for The Beano, Marvel, Doctor Who et al, runs Comic Art Masterclasses in schools, libraries and art centres - email for details, and follow him on Facebook and Twitter. View the promo video here.
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