Cute Pupu, Potatoes, Greggs Sausage Rolls - comics by kids

Another lovely cluster of comics created with kids in my Comic Art Masterclasses, from Finchley to Stockport via Northampton.

The first class I did for Arts Depot in Finchley was in the glory days of lockdown, where I just had to walk through to the back room, shout at my computer screen for a couple of hours, and the job was done. Now it's three hours there, three hours back, and two hours at the chalkface. Sadly I couldn't get them to stretch to a day's worth of classes, just the one. But the consolation was that it was jam-packed full and I was able to sell books to the attendant parents afterwards. Just short of eighty quid's worth in fact, which doesn't hurt.

Kingsthorpe Primary in Northampton was a lovely first time visit, who have been kind enough to confirm a return booking already, which is nice. A couple of excellent comics produced with the years 3 and 4.

Stockport School is one I've returned to a number of times now, thanks to Debra in the library who has been a great supporter of the class. The kids always have the highest standard of work, and a very good sense of humour I find. 

The celebrities these five groups chose to appear in my demonstration strip were Adele, Taylor Swift (three times, I think we may have a new leader when I come to tot up these celebs at the end of the year), and Jeremy Clarkson.

My Books and where to get them:

Richard The Third - Amazon - Etsy - Barnes & Noble - Waterstones

Findlay Macbeth - Amazon  - Etsy 
Prince Of Denmark Street - Amazon - Etsy - Kindle
Midsummer Nights Dream Team  - Amazon - Etsy 

Shakespeare Omnibus Collection (all 3 books) - Paperback

Sweet Smell Of Sockcess - Putting A Show On At The Edinburgh Fringe - Amazon - ebook

Who Notes - Doctor Who Reviews - Amazon - Lulu - ebook

Space Elain - Amazon - Lulu - iBooks - Barnes & Noble 

Tales From The Bible - Amazon -  Etsy - Webtoons

The Book Of Esther - Lulu  - Amazon - Webtoons

Joseph, Ruth & Other Stories - Amazon

Captain Clevedon - Amazon

Tales Of Nambygate - Amazon  

2024's Comics By Kids (NEW), 2023's Comics By Kids, 2022's Comics By Kids

Colouring Books: Hollywood Legends, Punk, Cult TV, Eurovision Vol 1, Eurovision Vol 2, Eurovision Best Of British & Irish, 1960s Pop, 1970s Pop, 1980s Pop,  1990s Pop, 2020s Pop, Bowie, Scottish Pop, Doctors Who, Royalty, Rom Coms 

Blocked by schools

I'm trying not to take it personally, but an odd thing has come up when I've been emailing schools today. In particular I've been emailing schools that I've visited before, in these three cases back in 2022, and asking if they'd like to have me back.

As ever I'm imagining the kids had a great time with my classes, and getting asked back again is not unusual. What is unusual is getting a return message saying my email message has been blocked.

I understand this when I'm emailing schools cold, out of the blue. Sometimes I even do bulk emails, which I can understand a school's system being geared up to protect against. But in these cases, I'm emailing the actual named person who I dealt with when I visited before, and I'm writing an email especially to them. One of them is the person at the council that actually arranged three library visits in a row for me, which I remember being really popular sellouts.

But these three schools or organisations, who I visited in the spring or summer of 2022, have blocked me. Like I say, trying not to take it personally. Though I have gone back and looked at the comics I produced with each of these classes. Might there be a clue in those..?

My Books and where to get them:

Richard The Third - Amazon - Etsy - Barnes & Noble - Waterstones

Findlay Macbeth - Amazon  - Etsy 
Prince Of Denmark Street - Amazon - Etsy - Kindle
Midsummer Nights Dream Team  - Amazon - Etsy 

Shakespeare Omnibus Collection (all 3 books) - Paperback

Sweet Smell Of Sockcess - Putting A Show On At The Edinburgh Fringe - Amazon - ebook

Who Notes - Doctor Who Reviews - Amazon - Lulu - ebook

Space Elain - Amazon - Lulu - iBooks - Barnes & Noble 

Tales From The Bible - Amazon -  Etsy - Webtoons

The Book Of Esther - Lulu  - Amazon - Webtoons

Joseph, Ruth & Other Stories - Amazon

Captain Clevedon - Amazon

Tales Of Nambygate - Amazon  

2024's Comics By Kids (NEW), 2023's Comics By Kids, 2022's Comics By Kids

Colouring Books: Hollywood Legends, Punk, Cult TV, Eurovision Vol 1, Eurovision Vol 2, Eurovision Best Of British & Irish, 1960s Pop, 1970s Pop, 1980s Pop,  1990s Pop, 2020s Pop, Bowie, Scottish Pop, Doctors Who, Royalty, Rom Coms 

November Book Sales - live and online

Drawing a flipchart scribble for the first class of the month at Arts Depot Finchley.

After a month as choc full of book sales as October (a record month I think), November started by keeping up that momentum with the last class of Half Term and the last Literary Festival of the year..

Fri Nov 1st: Arts Depot Finchley (one class) - £76.89

8 x Richard The Third

1 x FM

1 x PODS

1 x MNDT

Sat Nov 2nd: Clevedon Literary Festival - £131.40

Having done this event for the last three years (it was my first public outing after lockdown) I've been used to it being in the summer, and doing a Comic Art Masterclass on the same day as exhibiting my books. First time out, in 2021, I took £130 on top of the fee for the class. The next year there was no book fair, but £52 of books sold after one class. Last year a class and a table and I was back up to £145. This summer the event spread itself across two dates. In June I did the class, after which I sold £85 worth of books in the ten minutes afterwards, but there was no book fair. The book fair had moved to this date in November, and I have to say felt very quiet. Standing at a table from 10 to 4 gets quite draining without a constant flow of punters.

The oddest thing was my caricatures. At live events I draw peoples faces, to attract them to my table, and the deal is they get it free with anything they buy, or they can just pay £2 for the caricature, or if they don't want it I'll keep it. At last month's shows you can see I can take quite a lot in takings from caricatures alone. Today in Clevedon was the first event (since I started charging for them in March) that literally no-one paid for their caricature alone. They either bought a book or left the picture. Very strange.

Another significant note: I need to order more stock. Having sold more Shakespeares faster than I thought during Half Term week, I was badly under-stocked, with only a few copies left of my key books. I could have sold more.

8 x Richard The Third

3 x PODS

3 x FM (sold out)

2 x MNDT (sold out)

2 x Bowie colouring book (sold out)

1 x Space Elain

1 x Blank comic book

1 x Nativity

Mon Nov 4: Kingsthorpe School, Northants - £14

2 x Richard The Third 

(bought by teachers. Sadly, because of half term, there hadn't been the chance to pre-sell the books to the kids)

Sat Nov 9: Book event Monmouth - £13.98

Society of Authors event with speakers, talking about ecology, only last two hours, not much of that given over to selling books

2 x Richard The Third

Mon Nov 11: Stockport School - £56

3 x Richard The Third

2 x PODS

2 x MNDT

1 x FM 

Rest of month tbc

My Books and where to get them:

Richard The Third - Amazon - Etsy - Barnes & Noble - Waterstones

Findlay Macbeth - Amazon  - Etsy 
Prince Of Denmark Street - Amazon - Etsy - Kindle
Midsummer Nights Dream Team  - Amazon - Etsy 

Shakespeare Omnibus Collection (all 3 books) - Paperback

Sweet Smell Of Sockcess - Putting A Show On At The Edinburgh Fringe - Amazon - ebook

Who Notes - Doctor Who Reviews - Amazon - Lulu - ebook

Space Elain - Amazon - Lulu - iBooks - Barnes & Noble 

Tales From The Bible - Amazon -  Etsy - Webtoons

The Book Of Esther - Lulu  - Amazon - Webtoons

Joseph, Ruth & Other Stories - Amazon

Captain Clevedon - Amazon

Tales Of Nambygate - Amazon  

2024's Comics By Kids (NEW), 2023's Comics By Kids, 2022's Comics By Kids

Colouring Books: Hollywood Legends, Punk, Cult TV, Eurovision Vol 1, Eurovision Vol 2, Eurovision Best Of British & Irish, 1960s Pop, 1970s Pop, 1980s Pop,  1990s Pop, 2020s Pop, Bowie, Scottish Pop, Doctors Who, Royalty, Rom Coms 

My Nan Volleyed A Crumpet Into The Fireplace - comics by kids

Half Term week came along and, rather impressing myself, I managed to arrange a Comic Art Masterclass on every single day, and a Literary Festival on the weekend. The Friday and the weekend crossed over into November, so you'll see their results in the next blog. Meanwhile here are the fruits of Monday to Thursday.

Monday was Putney Methodist Hall, and Tuesday was Letchworth Gallery Arts Centre. Sadly I only managed to line up one class apiece in these locations, which amounted to the best part of six hours driving each day for just two hours work. Balanced up, I must point out, by the books I sold to parents after each class (as you can see here, not too shabby). 

Swansea on Wednesday was my first full day of classes, at St Thomas in the morning and Sketty in the afternoon. And what joyous creations they came up with. The odd design of the Here Come Your Mum cover is a result of the fact that they didn't have a full size photocopier, but I was able to produce the comics on their printer, which could do double sided. The thing it couldn't do was reduce the A3 cover down, so I had to do that in two halves. Hence a cover designed so you wouldn't see the join.

Thursday was my second full day of classes, all in one location too, at Maidenhead library. Added to which they bought the most books of the week, making Maidenhead a most satisfactory day's work.

The celebrities these six groups chose to appear in my demonstration drawing were James Bond, Albert Einstein, Donald Trump, Ryan Reynolds, Jamie Smart, and Santa Claus.

My Books and where to get them:

Richard The Third - Amazon - Etsy - Barnes & Noble - Waterstones

Findlay Macbeth - Amazon  - Etsy 
Prince Of Denmark Street - Amazon - Etsy - Kindle
Midsummer Nights Dream Team  - Amazon - Etsy 

Shakespeare Omnibus Collection (all 3 books) - Paperback

Sweet Smell Of Sockcess - Putting A Show On At The Edinburgh Fringe - Amazon - ebook

Who Notes - Doctor Who Reviews - Amazon - Lulu - ebook

Space Elain - Amazon - Lulu - iBooks - Barnes & Noble 

Tales From The Bible - Amazon -  Etsy - Webtoons

The Book Of Esther - Lulu  - Amazon - Webtoons

Joseph, Ruth & Other Stories - Amazon

Captain Clevedon - Amazon

Tales Of Nambygate - Amazon  

2024's Comics By Kids (NEW), 2023's Comics By Kids, 2022's Comics By Kids

Colouring Books: Hollywood Legends, Punk, Cult TV, Eurovision Vol 1, Eurovision Vol 2, Eurovision Best Of British & Irish, 1960s Pop, 1970s Pop, 1980s Pop,  1990s Pop, 2020s Pop, Bowie, Scottish Pop, Doctors Who, Royalty, Rom Coms 

Pumpkins and stuff - October's Facebook ramblings

Does everyone else’s house smell of pumpkin about now?

****

Oct 2: Ed McLachlan dies. Ahh, there’s a shame. Ed McLachlan lived down the road from us when I was a teenager, in Great Glen I believe, and as well as doing the best cartoons in Punch and Private Eye for fifty years, he used to draw the Walkers crisps calendar which, also being local (did I mention I grew up in Leicestershire?) I got every Christmas.

He was funny to the end and was, I think, in the most recent Private Eye. His quality never sagged.

***

Oct 2: Haven't been to a comic con as purely a punter since... god, have I done it this century? My first was 1979 at Birmingham NEC when me and my school mate Steve got to sit and have coffee with the team from 2000AD (greatest moment of my life till then). Then we went every year to the various events that became UKCAC through the 80s. Then, in 1990, I started doing the on-stage interviews at UKCAC and Glascac, at which point I think I stopped being a punter and became a slight insider. I interviewed everyone from Dave Sim to Steve Gerber on down. I even did panels, as the bloke from the humour comics, and Red Dwarf and the like. I may even been on a Marvel panel. Then in 1997 Mark & I started the National Comics Awards, which were the Saturday night event for the last two UKCACs, and led to Comics 99 the festival I ran in Bristol until 2004. Then when I returned to comic cons, in 2011 at Thought Bubble, I was behind a table with my fledgling self-published comics. Which I've been doing in earnest since 2021, the last time I 'tabled' at Thought Bubble.

So, see you all at Thought Bubble: next month. Mudda, Fadda, kindly disregard my previous moaning post.

(Post previously read:) Cor Blimey this is a phenomenal line up of events for Thought Bubble, I really wish I could be part of it. But having failed to get a table to exhibit at, I couldn't find a way of financially justifying being there.

I'm going to have to get my act together to line up schools in the week surrounding it (like I did when I last got a table there) and fund myself for a trip next year. That Comics Forum event looks like a thing to be part of. And dammit there's comic classes, but none by me!

Next year, next year. Good luck to everyone who's going, I really have big (but unaffordable) FOMO over this one.

Update: Soddit, I've bought tickets and I'm going! It'll make a change to not have to stand behind a table all weekend. So I can't make money by being there, but I don't have to miss out on what genuinely looks like the biggest comics event of the year.

(Further update: work came in so I cancelled my accommodation and can't go to TB after all)

The Socks beat Tom Allen in a comedy competition on the Battersea Barge years ago. Looks like he hasn’t forgiven us

****

Today’s observation from Waterstones: the one graphic novel bookcase (next to the 3 manga cases) has 2 of its 6 shelves that aren’t even graphic novels.

Oh and, purely coincidentally I’m sure, there’s no Neil Gaiman.

***

Oct 9: Kaos cancelled

Welcome to how TV works now. If a show only delivers x viewers it gets cancelled. Oh wait, isn’t that how TV always worked? Well mostly, but we got spoilt.

The first people to get spoilt were Brits. Cos our stations, like BBC, ITV and Channel 4, back in the day (1970s to 2000s) were much less commercially cut throat than the Americans. We could nurture shows with poor ratings, because we thought they were worth it. Leaving us such treasures as the poor rating first series of Fawlty Towers, Blackadder and 100s more.

In the States, by contrast, poor Nielsen ratings saw shows culled mid series. The first I was aware of as a kid was Planet of the Apes, cut dead after 14 episodes. That was how it was.

Then the next to get spoilt were cable viewers. In the 1990s HBO started making TV and they relied on subscriptions instead of adverts. So they aimed for a wealthier target market and aimed high on the quality. Their ratings started low but it was worth them sticking with it to build the business. Giving us landmarks like The Sopranos and The Simpsons. Their successors like AMC did the same, eg Mad Men, Breaking Bad, Walking Dead etc.

Then the streamers started. They began with the same model as the cable companies, and with way bigger budgets than anyone before. All on borrowed money, and all based on one promise: they would disrupt and destroy the previous TV market.

So we got a Golden Age of TV, starting about ten years ago, when shows like Orange Is the New Black and The Crown were given unlimited budgets, creative control, and series and told to to go out there and win TV.

Well, mission accomplished. TV has been won by the tech giants. We all subscribe to these streamers and have left the legacy broadcast businesses to wither on the vine. And we’re back where we were in the 1970s: get ratings or get cancelled.

Unlike the 1970s we Brits don’t get a better deal any more, and you can whistle for the next Fawlty Towers.

When you’ve named a dozen ships today, then someone comes along and asks you to name just one more.

Spotted just now from Isle of Wight ferry.

***

Oct 6: Articles about plastic surgery.

An interesting article that helps explain a bit about the surge in surgery of late, which seems inexplicable to an old person of my background.

That said, I look at the warts, moles and imperfections that now pepper my face and can’t deny I’d do something about them if money were no object. But then I see similar aged men who have had a little work done, and I think they look weird.

There’s no winning. Look at TV from fifty years ago (eg Call My Bluff, currently on Bbc4 and iPlayer) and you’ll see celebs with black between their teeth, uneven teeth at that. If you see a row of even with teeth on TV from 1975 it’s either an American or false teeth that came out at night. Try telling the kids today.

Most flattering thing, from school in Killarney yesterday, a kid who can draw better than me drew me. Made me the star of their strip. Which is nice.

***

Oct 15: Okay, why would Facebook be asking me to add my “tax information” so I can receive “my earnings”. Since when did I get paid money by Facebook?

Update: Guess what, I am actually owed money. From an online show I ran during lockdown in 2021. The good news: they owe me $23. The less good news: they don't pay out till they owe you $100.

***

Oct 16: Fellow writers, who's a member of The Society of Authors? And if so, do you go to regular meetings?

I ask because we (Hev & I) are members of 4 different sub-groups between us, and it's interesting to see what we get out of each one. And indeed to ask what everyone else wants.

Because we've moved house in the last couple of years, we go to meeting of the Gloucestershire SoA and the Monmouthshire SoA, and occasionally still go to the Bristol SoA though they meet less often. And I join the Zoom meetings of the Comic Creators SoA group.

One group's most recent meeting was very content-full, and we just got sent the minutes with tons of useful links in based on what we discussed, including places to show our books, Arts Council grants, accessibility to events, lobbying government, and even scandalous gossip. (NB there were no links to the gossip!)

Another group does a good line in themed meetings. The last one had us bring favourite examples of Creative Non Fiction to read and discuss, and we have regular talks including a very good one from an agent, another on self-publishing with Amazon, another on international book festivals.

Another group is more chatty and informal, and very supportive of each others creative endeavours, with library talks and local book fairs being regular features. Both this and the previous group have active WhatsApp groups.

Does anyone else have a local, or sub-set, SoA group they're part of? What's yours like?

***

Oct 29: Asterix's 65th Birthday

It's stunning to me that Asterix books are as readable today as they were when I discovered them as a child (and they were a surprising 15 years old by then!)

Are there any other comics that stand the test of time that well? I find Marvel comics from the early 60s very dated, verging on unreadable at times. And British comics from those days are lovely to look at, but it's hard to find the serialised stories in any collected readable form. (I know Rebellion are sorting this now, so I look forward to reading some serials from start to finish at last).

My nominations for "Readability After All This Time" would be EC horror comics (1950-54), The Spirit (1947-50) and Dudley D Watkins' Biffo The Bear and Desperate Dan (50s/60s). Any more pass the test?

(Oh, and Tintin, but I never read them as a kid so they never grew on me).

Brilliant birthday card made by Hev. She made it in the car yesterday while we were driving back from Leeds, listening to a show about David Bowie in Berlin where he said he could walk about incognito cos he wore a plaid shirt and grew a moustache. Funny where inspiration can strike.

Created by Hev Tweed on an iPhone in a moving car.

***

Oct 23: Watching The Franchise, I’m enjoying imagining that Richard E Grant is actually Withnail, and this is effectively a sequel to it.

That, sadly, is the most enjoyable thing I’m finding in The Franchise which, after six months of anticipation, having heard about it regularly on the Marina Hyde podcast, has disappointed me.

She describes the Writers Room experience as being such a fun and creative thing. Unfortunately this show, after two episodes, is coming across as something created by committee, full of things that must have sounded funny at the time.

Episode one: do producers really notice if the lighting is low on a set? If it is, do they know how that’ll end up on screen? Does it actually look that dark by the way? And can you get sunburnt eyes that blind you then clear up overnight?

Just a few things I was thinking, instead of enjoying the first 25 minutes.

I shall keep watching. But I fear we have another Avenue 5 on our hands. Poor title, directionless plot, lack of a creator’s vision. And not actually funny.

***

Geoff Capes cartoon in next week’s Private Eye: the grave and headstone, and some daisies being pushed up really forcefully

You can draw it, I can’t be arsed to do it and just get it rejected again. But do draw it, it’s what Geoff would have wanted.

***

New season of Severance starts mid-January

Oh very clever. Announce your new season starting mid-January and you stop people cancelling their subscriptions at the start of the year.

“First new year resolution, I’m scrapping these bloody subscriptions to all these bloody streaming services!”

“But Dad, Severance / stroke / Wednesday / stroke / Stranger Things / stroke / Good Omens starts next week!”

“Er, about that new series of Good Omens..”

***

Oct 29: Am I the only person who just noticed how quiet Doctor Who has got? This time last year it was all anniversaries and new episodes and new series. And the Whoniverse.

Then there was a new series in the spring, which had the highest highs and the lowest ratings.

Then… tumbleweed.

I look on the shelves and see the latest Doctor Who magazine’s cover stars are Sylvester McCoy and Patrick Troughton. It feels awfully like the start of the new Wilderness Years.

Hopefully the Xmas episode and a second series in the spring will cheer us all up again. And maybe no news is good news.

***

Oct 30: Article about Donald Trump by V (formerly Eve Ensler)

I can’t talk. Not about the article, which is grand, but about V. Who had changed their name to V, I learn today, and was formerly Eve Ensler.

The reason I can’t talk is that I did the same. I shortened Kevin to Kev F, about 45 years ago when I was in sixth form and thought my new name sounded cooler. (I didn’t realise it made me sound both pretentious and more common).

But V? Someone has clearly never heard of Alan Moore and David Lloyd’s V For Vendetta. Or seen how well X formerly Twitter is working out.

I support people changing their names. But I also know a bit about branding. A single letter for a person, or a company, is just confusing. On radio, audio, podcasts, it will always need clarifying. The name will never be said without the clarifying “formerly known as”.

She wrote the Vagina Monologues, in case you were struggling to place the former name.

It was a bit of a moment. And a necessary corrective to the Clubbable Blokey atmosphere that Graham Norton sometimes descends into.

We’d already commented upon how weird it was to have only one woman on the sofa (even the band at the end were all blokes). Then Saoirse manages to get a word in when Eddie Redmayne is describing how he had to try and avoid some strangers while walking down the street.

A TV moment worth watching, and a reminder to we complacent men about how the world is for most people.

My Books and where to get them:

Richard The Third - Amazon - Etsy - Barnes & Noble - Waterstones

Findlay Macbeth - Amazon  - Etsy 
Prince Of Denmark Street - Amazon - Etsy - Kindle
Midsummer Nights Dream Team  - Amazon - Etsy 

Shakespeare Omnibus Collection (all 3 books) - Paperback

Sweet Smell Of Sockcess - Putting A Show On At The Edinburgh Fringe - Amazon - ebook

Who Notes - Doctor Who Reviews - Amazon - Lulu - ebook

Space Elain - Amazon - Lulu - iBooks - Barnes & Noble 

Tales From The Bible - Amazon -  Etsy - Webtoons

The Book Of Esther - Lulu  - Amazon - Webtoons

Joseph, Ruth & Other Stories - Amazon

Captain Clevedon - Amazon

Tales Of Nambygate - Amazon  

2024's Comics By Kids (NEW), 2023's Comics By Kids, 2022's Comics By Kids

Colouring Books: Hollywood Legends, Punk, Cult TV, Eurovision Vol 1, Eurovision Vol 2, Eurovision Best Of British & Irish, 1960s Pop, 1970s Pop, 1980s Pop,  1990s Pop, 2020s Pop, Bowie, Scottish Pop, Doctors Who, Royalty, Rom Coms