On the 6^th of March (2008), World Book Day, I was invited by Morecambe and Lancaster College (UK) to give a lecture about writing graphic novels.

As any good student should do, I prepared myself by doing some research about other sides of the graphic novel world, such as drawing and publishing. I also thought it would be a good idea to leave behind notes of the lecture, so anyone interested could read them. Technically I was ready and, although I was the person in charge to the talking I was terrified, more or less like all those teenagers sitting in front of me when the teacher started asking questions. 

It has been ages since I gave a lecture, when I did it was more technical stuff, and above all this was my first lecture in the English language. One of my major concerns was my accent; how would these English teenagers respond to a lady talking to them in a funny accent? Also, I am a lot older than them, so I was worried about what sort of credibility I could have talking about graphic novels with my stripy grey hair. The graphic novel has for a long time been considered the Cinderella of literature, something for kids too lazy to read a ‘real’ book, and I was afraid I would be associated with those parents who think that graphic novels and comics are childish.

Rows of bright eyes were looking at me from behind wild fringes, and while no one quite dared to ask me anything, I could read in those eyes hundreds of questions. This boosted my confidence: my accent and my white hair weren’t an issue after all. I tried my best to give them good advice, and show them a few tricks of the trade. I don’t know if any of them will ever draw a graphic novel, but whatever they do with their lives, I wish them the best of luck.

Friday, May 16, 2008 7:38:10 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)    Comments [0] 

After the floods in Britain last year, the multi-talented artist Adam Grose was moved by the images of disaster and the number of victims left behind as the water receded.

He had the idea that these awful events could inspire the comics community to create a collection of one-page strips to raise funds for the Red Cross.

"The UK experienced some of the most horrendous weather, with a month's worth of rain falling in 24 hours," Adam explains. "During this time, many of our fellow citizens experienced flooding, unknown to many of us.

"I decided to put together a comic to help raise awareness of our changing world, the environment and the increasing floods and disasters, that seem ever increasing since the turn of the millennium.

"The book will help raise money for the Red Cross and victims of the floods. Hopefully, this will be available the world over and help to bring more awareness to our world community."

Adam contacted us and we agreed to do something to help.

I don’t know why but I was struck with the idea to write a haiku. It was the first time I had ever attempted one, and I had no idea where to start.

I’m not a poet and therefore unused to cutting words into syllables, to follow the basic rules of the haiku. I decided to approach it from a different angle: go for the images.

The first line came suddenly looking out of the window in a dull morning.

A cloud full of rain

Now I had to find the other two lines.

The second, or more precisely the third, came as I watched a program about floods where I saw houses submerged by water.

A house washed away

Now I had to find a second line, which linked the two. I thought about it for days, but nothing sprung in mind. I knew the concept I wanted to express: why do people build houses in dangerous places, i.e. too near to the banks of rivers or canals. Or why after a disaster like this no one changes anything, hoping that a merciful God will not strike again on the same spot.  I had the idea that a flood is a warning given to us to be careful to choose the right place to build a house and above all a guide to how well we are dealing with nature.

Warning was the word I was looking for, and then disregarded followed naturally. I had the second line.

Nick liked the poem and started putting images to the words.

The idea of a menacing wave approaching a tiny house, drawn in a sort of childish style was the winning approach. And who was better at painting a wave than Hokusai?

The com showcases the work of many artists and writers, each with their own unique approach to the theme of flooding, and each one a winner.

A donation of £3.00 goes the Red Cross for each copy sold.

Adam put together all the artwork and published the book through Lulu.com; he is hoping to add more strips later. If you would like to contribute, get in touch with him via the Clown Press web site.

Thursday, May 15, 2008 7:23:14 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)    Comments [0] 

As I used to say to the features editor at the Sun; "Got a verbal one for you here, chief..."

Monday, May 12, 2008 5:58:40 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)    Comments [0]