BD & Comics Passion Festival programme announced

The Institut français, London has announced the line up for its 2013 BD & Comics Passion Festival (30 May - 2 June 2013), which includes appearances by Patrick Sobral, Laurent Verron, Paul Gravett, Posy Simmonds, Etienne Davodeau, Glen Baxter, Ian Culbard, David Zane Mairowitz and Mark Stafford.

The rise of the comic book in the past few years has been staggering, and even to the casual observer, unavoidable. With the likes of Nemo and Habibi topping the charts, and comic book artists such as Chris Ware, Bryan Talbot and Neil Gaiman becoming household names, the genre, after being looked down on for so many years, is finally being recognised as a creative powerhouse, and given the consideration it truly deserves.

Appearing under different guises – hardback, softback, tall, short, thick, paper, digital – and under different names – comic books, graphic novels, comix, bandes dessinées – comic books are taking over our bookshops, our films, our clothes, our museums... To celebrate this momentum and to explore the many influences of comic books, the Institut français launched a new festival in 2011, the BD & Comics Passion, bringing together legendary creators for innovative events and thrilling discoveries.

Previous editions boasted illustrious comic book artists such as Dave Gibbons, Guy Delisle, Bryan Talbot, Bastien Vivès, Kevin O’Neill, Rosinski and Pat Mills. This year's edition will feature extraordinary creators including Posy Simmonds, Edika, Glen Baxter, Etienne Davodeau, Marc-Antoine Mathieu, Régis Loisel, Hunt Emerson, Pénélope Bagieu and more.

Once again, the programme will prove “as imaginative as the work itself” (Metro) with groundbreaking events such as Drink & Draw, a one of a kind event mingling live drawing and wine tasting led by renowned British Master of Wine Tim Atkin. Due to popular demand, this edition will feature not one but two Drawing Jams, with French stars La Grande Sophie and GiédRé providing an entrancing soundtrack to the guest illustrators' drawn improvisations.

In addition to talks and workshops, the festival will host its trademark event, the Drawing Duo, which encourages a French artist and a British artist to collaborate on a series of drawings before the eyes of the audience – an emblem of the festival in a sense. This year, the Drawing Duo is back with two Franco-British collaborations: Posy Simmonds with Etienne Davodeau, and Hunt Emerson with François Boucq.

This festival is also an opportunity to explore the links with literature, and show that the genre of comic books is not cut off or quarantined. In previous editions, well-known literary figures such as China Miéville and Audrey Niffenegger talked about their favourite comic books, and this year, Glen Baxter will unveil his literary influences – from Apollinaire to Jarry – while I. N. J. Culbard, David Zane Mairowitz, Mark Stafford discuss the challenges, and ultimately the magic, of turning a literary classic into a graphic novel. Another highlight of this year's edition is a talk with French underground literature legend Virginie Despentes, who will reveal her “graphic greats”.

Children will be able to attend workshops to create their own comic book on paper or iPad, masterclasses with celebrated authors to draw their favourite characters, and films for the whole family.

All the French guests have had English translations of their works, with four of them coming out during the festival: 3” (Marc-Antoine Mathieu, Jonathan Cape), Apocalypse Baby (Virginie Despentes, Serpent's Tail), Peter (Régis Loisel, Soaring Penguin Press) and The Initiates (Etienne Davodeau, NBM).

Programme

Thursday 30 May
9.30am-10.50am

Film: Zarafa
2012 | dir.s. R. Bezançon & J.-C. Lie | animation | in French with English subtitles | ages 6+ | Preview screening | free

11.15am-12.35pm

Film: Boule & Bill (Billy & Buddy)
2013 | dir. A. Charlot & F. Magnier | with Franck Dubosc, Marina Foïs, Charles Crombez | in French with English subtitles | ages 6+ | Preview screening | free

1pm-2.45pm

Film: The Smurfs
2011 | col | dir. R. Gosnell | in English | ages 4+ | free

6.30pm-7.30pm

Talk: Virginie Despentes - My Graphic Greats
in English | £8, conc. & members £6

Friday 31 May
9.30am-10.30am

Talk & Live Drawing – All about the Smurfs
ages 6-9 | in French | £5

11am-12pm

Talk: Patrick Sobral - How to Make a Comic Book
ages 8-12 | in French | £5

1pm-2pm

Talk & Live Drawing: Laurent Verron - Drawing Boule & Bill
ages 7-10 | in French | £5

5pm-5.20pm

Prize Ceremony with Paul Gravett, Patrick Sobral, Alex Spiro, and Raymond Blanc
in English | free

8pm-8.45pm

Drawing Jam with La Grande Sophie
£12 | See both concerts for only £15!

9.30pm-10.15pm

Drawing Jam with GiédRé
ages 18+ | £7 | See both concerts for only £15!

Saturday 1 June

10am-11am
Workshop with Pascal Garray
in English & in French | ages 8-11 | £7 | max. 25 children | no grown-ups!

11am-1pm

Workshop: Create Digital Comics on your iPad
in English & in French | ages 12-16 | £15 | max. 10 children | no grown-ups!

11am-12.20pm

Film: Zarafa
£8, conc. £6

11am-12pm

Talk: Marc-Antoine Mathieu - 3’’, The Making-Of
in English | £7, conc. £5

11.30am-12pm

Talk: Antoine Maurel - The Smurfs Unveiled
in English | ages 9+ | free

1.30pm-2.30pm

Talk: Edika - Am Aïe Djoking?
in English | £7, conc. £5

2.30pm-3.15pm

Drawing Duo: Posy Simmonds & Etienne Davodeau
in English | £7, conc. £5

2.30pm-3.30pm

Workshop with Laurent Verron
in English & in French | ages 8-11 | £7 | max. 25 children | no grown-ups!

4pm-5pm

Workshop with Patrick Sobral
in English & in French | ages 8-11 | £7 | max. 25 children | no grown-ups!

4pm-4.45pm

Drawing Duo: François Boucq & Hunt Emerson
in English | £7, conc. £5

7pm-8pm

Special event - Drink & Draw
ages 18 + | £15

Sunday 2 June
11am-12pm

Talk: Pénélope Bagieu - I Love London
in English & in French | £7, conc. £5

11am-1pm

Masterclass with François Boucq
in English & in French | ages 16+ | £15 | 15 people max

12pm-1pm

Talk: Régis Loisel - My Peter Pan
in English | £7, conc. £5

2pm-3pm

Talk: Glen Baxter - My Literary Influences
in English | £7, conc. £5

2pm-3.20pm

Film: Boule & Bill
£8, conc. £6

2.30pm-4.30pm

Workshop: Get drawing on your Ipad!
in English & in French | ages 8-11 | £15 | max. 10 children | no grown-ups!

3.30pm-4.30pm

Talk: I. N. J. Culbard, David Zane Mairowitz & Mark Stafford - From classic to graphic
in English | £7, conc. £5

4pm-5.40pm

Film: The Smurfs
£5

The INSTITUT FRANÇAIS is at Royaume-Uni, 17 Queensberry Place, London SW7 2DT. Web: www.institut-francais.org.uk

Full programme online at: www.bdandcomicspassion.co.uk 

Booking: www.bdandcomicspassion.co.uk  Tel: 020 7871 3515

Brubaker, Sacco and Munoz among first 'big name' guests for Lakes International Comic Art Festival

Lakes International Comic Art Festival Poster
by Bryan Talbot. Competition below!

Some of the biggest names in comic art - including top names such as Joe Sacco, Ed Brubaker and Posy Simmonds, John Wagner and Carlos Ezquerra - will be heading to the inaugural Lakes International Comic Art Festival later this year.

Festival organisers have just announced some of the guests of honour who will be appearing at the event which will run from 18-20th October 2013 in Kendal in Cumbria, who include writers and artists from the United States, Argentina, Spain and the UK, working in a wide range of different genres.

The event, which is modelled on the European style comic art festivals such as Angouleme, has a guest list running to more than 40 writers and artists - some yet to be announced.

Ed Brubaker. Photo: Luigi Novi

Organisers plan to reveal more names over the next few months, in the run up to tickets going on sale in May.

American writer Ed Brubaker is making his first visit to a British comic art event.  He is famous for his work on comics like Captain America, Batman, Catwoman, Uncanny X-Men and Daredevil, as well as the creator owned comics Criminal and Fatale. He has won four Eisner awards, the comic industry’s equivalent of the Oscars.

Artist Sean Phillips, a founder patron of the new festival along with Bryan Talbot, has been working with Ed Brubaker for about 12 years, most recently on Criminal and Fatale. “I find Ed’s work believable," he says. "We do crime fiction so there are obviously things like armoured car heists, pickpockets and other crime plots.

“But the important bit is the characters and how they react to their situations.  And the way the characters created by Ed react is always believable.  You have to be able to care about what happens to the characters and that is what he does really well.”

Jose Muñoz

Another guest at the festival, the highly rated Argentine artist Jose Muñoz, has had a strong influence on a number of other leading comic artists.  Muñoz is noted for his influential black and white artwork and his graphic novel series Alack Sinner was the inspiration for Frank Miller's Sin City comic series.

Art by Joe Sacco

Another US writer and artist who will be flying over for the festival is Joe Sacco, who writes and draws international political reportage in a comic book format, providing an insight into the complex issues of global politics while telling the stories of some of the ordinary people living in war torn areas like Sarajevo, Chechnya and Palestine.

Festival patron Bryan Talbot says: “Joe was trained as a journalist and singlehandedly created the genre of reportage in graphic novel form. Immersing himself in a situation, his in-depth reports use the medium of sequential art to its full advantage. His books, such as Palestine, Safe Area Gorazde or his recent Footnotes in Gaza, follow his investigations and interviews, explaining the history, politics and dynamics of the situation as he goes along.” 

Judge Dredd fans will be particularly looking forward to meeting British writer John Wagner and Spanish artist Carlos Ezquerra, who are the co-creators of the famous law maker.  They have both created many other characters for 2000AD including Strontium Dog. 

John is also credited as being one of the people who revitalised British comics in the 1970s along with Pat Mills and others.

The work of another guest, cartoonist Posy Simmonds, could not be more different.  She satirises the English middle classes, particularly those of a literary bent.  Her cartoons for The Guardian, Gemma Bovery and Tamara Drewe, have both been turned into books.  Tamara Drewe won the Prix Des Critiques in 2009 and was made into a feature film in 2010. 

Posy has also written and drawn several books for children.

Two British comic creators coming to the festival recently won prestigious awards at Europe’s biggest comic art festival in Angouleme.

Glyn Dillon won the the Prix Spécial du Jury for The Nao of Brown, the story of a half Japanese, half English woman who suffers from violent morbid obsessions and a racing, unruly mind.  He has had a wide ranging career, including working as a storyboard artist and concept designer for both film and television.

Jon McNaught was the first Briton to win the Prix Révélation, The Best Newcomer Award, at Angouleme, for his first full-length book Automne (entitled Dockwood in English).

Artist Doug Braithwaite began his career in comics 25 years ago working for Marvel UK and 2000AD.  He has worked on many of the industry’s flagship titles, and has drawn just about every major character for both Marvel and DC comics. His recent work includes Secret Invasion: Thor, Wolverine Origins, and the award winning Justice series for DC comics.  He is currently working on the creator owned series Storm Dogs with writer David Hine.

Another British writer who will star at the inaugural festival is Andy Diggle.  He is currently working on Superman and writing stories for Doctor Who, Thief of Thieves and a new supernatural comic, Uncanny.  Andy has recently launched his own thriller called Snapshot with artist Jock.  He has also been nominated for the prestigious Eisner Award for co-creating the New York Times best-selling action thriller The Losers, which was turned into a film.

Andy says: “The wider world is finally waking up to the richness, vibrancy and immediacy of the comics medium in all its diverse genres. Comics aren't just great art and great entertainment - they're also educational. Multiple studies have shown that kids who read comics have improved literacy, and go on to read more prose in a wider range of styles and genres than kids who don't.

“So it's great to see a European-style comics festival come to the North-West, bringing the joy of comics to a whole new audience.

"As for myself, I'm looking forward to meeting the fans - and the other creators. Festival Director Julie Tait has pulled together an amazing line-up of talent, especially considering it's the inaugural festival. Long may it continue!”

These first nine guests of honour join founder patrons Bryan and Mary Talbot, who won the biography category in the Costa Book Awards earlier this year, and Sean Phillips.

Bryan Talbot has also created a special festival poster which features Kendal’s town hall a lake and references to 28 different comic art characters. If you can name all the comic characters referenced in the Festival's poster which has been created by Bryan Talbot, they'll put you into a prize draw to win one of five signed copies and our festival mug. Email your answers to media@comicartfestival.com by 11.00am on Monday 18th March.

The festival will include events where people will be able hear from writers and artists, panel discussions, special live drawing events, films, several exhibitions, workshops and a kids’ zone.  Authors and artists will be signing copies of their work and there will be a marketplace to buy comics and comic art.  There will also be some free events and exhibitions.

Festival Director Julie Tait says: “We’re very excited to give people their first real taste of the guest list for our new festival.  We have a great line up which includes top creators from the UK, Europe and further afield who are recognised as leading lights or exciting new talent - all are pioneers in some shape or form.

“We’ll be revealing more big names over the next few months.  We know people are eager to find out who all our guests are but we want to keep people in suspense for a bit longer!

“The festival will include a wide range of events, including some which are free.  We want The Lakes International Comic Art Festival to appeal not just to the people who are already big comic art fans but also to help bring new audiences to this fantastic and versatile medium.”
          
The founder partners of the event are the Brewery Arts Centre, Kendal College, South Lakeland District Council and Osprey Communications. Founder supporters are Curious Road, Designworks and Jonathan Cape. The festival is also supported by Kendal Library and publishers Myriad Editions, Nobrow, Blank Slate, Knockabout and Selfmadehero.

The leader of SLDC, Councillor Peter Thornton, says: “I’m really excited about this inaugural Comic Art Festival. Super Heroes in Kendal, Spiderman climbing the Town Hall – who knows what will happen?

“Kendal’s a great place to have this festival and I know that it will draw in many visitors who will experience Kendal hospitality and return again and again. Great work by Julie and her team, South Lakeland District Council is pleased to be able to support this event.”

• More details about the new event are available at www.comicartfestival.com.  It is also possible to keep up to date with plans for the festival by following @comicartfest on Twitter or by liking the Lakes International Comic Art Festival Facebook page.

Comics at Christmas on the Telly

(with thanks to Paul Gravett): There are a couple of comics-related TV events on British TV this Christmas you might like to set your recorders for.

Firstly, on Boxing Day, you can enjoy a new one-hour television documentary entitled Moominland Tales: The Life of Tove Jansson, billed in the Radio Times as: “A profile of the author behind the well-loved Moomins series about a family of trolls facing a range of adventures.

"The programme traces how Jansson lived a bohemian existence as an artist in Helsinki, before becoming a recluse on a remote island in the Gulf of Finland, and reveals how her creative genius extended beyond her popular characters to satire, fine art and adult fiction.”

As well as a contribution from comics guru Paul Gravett, others taking part include Finnish Moomin expert Juhani Tolvanen whose thoroughly researched study into the birth and success of the Tove Jansson’s newspaper strip for the London Evening News, entitled Moomin Every Day, is coming out early next year in English from Drawn & Quarterly.

On the following Sunday, 30th December, to tie in with the premiere of The Snowman and The Snowdog, Channel 4’s new sequel to the animated version of The Snowman, there’s a ‘making of’ documentary called How the Snowman Came Back to Life on Channel 4 at 6.05pm, following the sequel’s repeat showing at 5.35pm.

As well as an interview with Raymond Briggs, his many admirers including Posy Simmonds, Quentin Blake and Shaun Tan will be joining in and you might spot Paul among them too. 

• Moominland Tales: The Life of Tove Jansson airs at 9pm on BBC4 on Boxing Day. 

• While you're waiting, not re-visit the Tove Jansson exhibition Paul Gravett curated for the Belgian Comics Centre in Brussels in 2010.

• How the Snowman Came Back to Life airs on Channel 4 at 6.05pm on Sunday 30th December, following the sequel’s repeat showing at 5.35pm. 

Comics: Refreshing Parts Other Literature Can’t Reach!

Hot on the heels of Thought Bubble in Leeds this weekend, there's an amazing event on Monday (19th November), brought to you by the Comica Festival with Book Trust at Free Word Centre in London.

At Comics: Refreshing Parts Other Literature Can’t Reach!, graphic novelist and Booktrust online writer in residence Hannah Berry, author of the Jonathan Cape graphic novels Britten and Brulightly and Adamtine will invite you to try a comic or two on for size, presenting two hours and two panels hosted by Hannah and Paul Gravett in conversation with some of the country’s best graphic novelists.

These include Glyn Dillon (The Nao of Brown), Karrie Fransman (The House That Groaned), Rian Hughes (Yesterday’s Tomorrows, On The Line), Simone Lia (Fluffy, Please God, Find Me A Husband), Sarah McIntyre (Vern and Lettuce, Nelson, Airship) and Dave McKean (Cages, Celluloid, Pictures That Tick) and a special appearance by Posy Simmonds (Gemma Bovery, Tamara Drewe).

They will tell you why they love the funny books. You can ask them questions about comics. We can all rejoice in graphic novels. The world can watch as we present to you just why graphic novels are just as good as literary fiction. Get along!

• Comics: Refreshing Parts Other Literature Can’t Reach!: Monday 19th November 2012 6.30 for 7-9.00pm, the Free Word Centre, 60 Farringdon Road, EC1R 3GA. Tickets: £6 Click to book or pay on the door (subject to capacity)

 

Hewlett, Blake, Simmonds at British Library event

The Lords of Flatbush by Jamie Hewlett

The British Library in London is offering comic fans the opportunity to join a remarkable panel of artists and experts including Quentin Blake, designer and comic artist Jamie Hewlett, satirical cartoonist Martin Rowson and graphic storyteller Posy Simmonds.

Each will select and explain a personal choice of favourite illustrations, drawn from different genres, cultures and styles.

Presented in association with House of Illustration, The event will be chaired by Rachel Cooke, columnist and features writer, The Observer.

This event is part of the British Library’s Spring Festival, a five day celebration of creativity, fashion and design.


Tickets for this event include free entry to LATE at the Library ILLUMINATE! a Celebration of Illustration in the Entrance Hall, running from 19.00 to 22.30

• The Art of Illustration: Friday 2 Mar 2012, 18.30 - 20.00, the British Library; £10 / £7.50 concessions - Book now

Imagined Cities: New londonprintstudio exhibition

Imagined Cities, a new exhibtion at lononprintstudio, opens this week (17th June) and features the work of a number of great British comic artists including Al Davison and Karrie Fransman.

The exhibition will launch with a party on 16th June - more details on Facebook (although it's listed as 'Private View' it's also been classified as a Public Event).

From mad bird gods to man-eating women, from a run down Northern suburb to an Eastern block city; the work you will see in the Imagined Cities exhibition showcases the varied imaginations of some of the best young, British comic artists.

This exhibition is the culmination of a six month internship run by the londonprintstudio where five interns (Rachel Taylor, William Goldsmith, Isabel Greenberg, Freya Harrison and Joe Kelly) mentored local teenagers, ran workshops and created an anthology. 

Their work, and that of the 16-20 year old students, is displayed alongside professional British comic artists who have acted as project mentors: Al Davison (Vertigo), Ellen Lindner (Whores of Mensa), Karrie Fransman (Random House) and publisher SelfMadeHero. 

The book also features a foreword from Posy Simmonds, creator of Tamara Drewe.

• Imagined Cities runs at the londonprintstudio from 17th- 25th June. More information: www.londonprintstudio.org.uk

• Imagined Cities preview Blog

Tube Surfing: 2000 AD, Posy Simmonds, Radio 4 and comics events too!

To celebrate the release of Prog 1700 of 2000AD, fan Jason Garrattley is posting '...a week of rare bits and pieces from the archives (well, some old fanzines from the loft) from some of the cornerstone creators of the magazines' early years...' over at his blog.

He's started with (excellent) posts on Brian Bolland and Ian Gibson.

• Speaking of 2000AD, over at the Forbidden Planet International blog Joe Gordon has posted an insightful article about the early Judge Dredd strips.

• Meanwhile, Rich Johnston of Bleeding Cool makes us aware of the second season of Pilgrim on Radio 4. He says that the series is the closest thing to Hellblazer you'll get on the radio...

• Acclaimed artist Declan Shalvey (who's currently working on Marvel's Thunderbolts) will be signing at Forbidden Planet International in Dublin on September 16th.

• Paul Gravett is chatting to comics legend Trina Robbins in London on September 21st:

For the first time, Comica Festival and Laydeez Do Comics are thrilled to be teaming up to invite to London the important comic artist and writer, from the seminal underground comix of the Seventies to such icons as Wonder Woman, Barbie, Powerpuff Girls and her own GoGirl!, lecturer, curator and America’s foremost comics ‘herstorian’, Trina Robbins. She is coming over to present a paper at the academic conference Motherhoods, Markets and Consumption at the Saïd Business School at the University of Oxford on Monday 13 September and has kindly agreed to visit London for this special extra event on Tuesday 21 September.


• Hey, the Guardian interviewed cartoonist Posy Simmonds on Saturday.

Here's a brief excerpt:

She says the current state of newspaper illustration is encouraging in that "there is more of it, because papers are bigger and reproduction is so much better". But she worries that computer generated work is becoming "samey", and about the decline of political cartoons. "It is very sad, although the great Steve Bell and a few others are notable exceptions. But maybe it's a sign of the times. How interested are people in politics? Are they getting their satire on jokey emails?"

Anyway, that's all for now, folks. See you at my next Tube Surf!

Frears to direct Tamara Drewe

Stephen Frears director of films such as The Grifters, Roddy Doyle's The Van and The Queen is set to take the director's chair for the big screen adaptation of Posy Simmonds Guardian comic strip Tamara Drewe.

Variety reports Frears has officially signed on to direct the film from a script by Moira Buffini, with British actress Gemma Arterton confirmed in the role of vivacious Drewe, a sexy flirt who returns to her small country village and stirs up dark passions among the locals.

The cast will also include Dominic Cooper, Roger Allam, Luke Evans, Bill Camp and Tamsin Greig.

The film, which will begin shooting at Pinewood Studios later this month and is Frears latest since directing Cheri, which starred Michelle Pfeiffer, is to be produced by Ruby Films and BBC Films and will get development and production coin from the U.K. Film Council's Development and Premiere funds.

People are drawn to Tamara Drewe, male and female. In the remote village where her late mother lived Tamara arrives to clear up the house. Here she becomes an object of lust, of envy, the focus of unrequited love, a seductress. To the village teenagers she is 'plastic-fantastic', a role model. Ultimately, when her hot and indiscriminate glances lead to tragedy, she is seen as a man-eater, a heartless marriage wrecker, a slut.

Inspired by Thomas Hardy's Far From the Madding Crowd, and first appearing as a serial in the Guardian, in book form Tamara Drewe was recently enlarged, embellished and lovingly improved by Simmonds.


Web Links


• Read our review of the Tamara Drewe graphic novel.


• Apart from the first episode - go figure! - the newspaper version of Tamara Drewe can still be read on The Guardian's web site

• Guardian Video: Posy Simmonds on creating Tamara Drewe


Posy Simmonds talks about the origins of Tamara Drewe and the processes by which she ends up on the printed page.

In Review: Tamara Drewe

The Plot: Tamara Drewe has transformed herself. Plastic surgery, a different wardrobe, a smouldering look, have given her confidence and a new and thrilling power to attract, which she uses recklessly. Often just for the fun of it.

People are drawn to Tamara Drewe, male and female. In the remote village where her late mother lived Tamara arrives to clear up the house. Here she becomes an object of lust, of envy, the focus of unrequited love, a seductress. To the village teenagers she is 'plastic-fantastic', a role model. Ultimately, when her hot and indiscriminate glances lead to tragedy, she is seen as a man-eater, a heartless marriage wrecker, a slut.

First appearing as a serial in the Guardian, in book form Tamara Drewe has been enlarged, embellished and lovingly improved by the author.

The Review: This latest edition of Posy Simmonds' Tamara Drewe, first published in British newspaper The Guardian in episodic form, proved an entertaining weekend read (and a marked contrast to my other Jonathan Cape-supplied reading matter, Bryan Talbot's Grandville!).

Inspired by Thomas Hardy's Far From the Madding Crowd, Tamara Drewe is an entertaining, acerbic jab at idealized views of both the British countryside and country life. For Simmonds, the countryside in Tamara Drewe, centring on the life of a young newspaper colunnist, is far from safe: with angry cows and even more dangerous writers ensconced in a writers' retreat, there is plenty to be wary of. Not least of which being superbly observed bored, sidelined teenagers, watching the comings and goings of rich middle class Incomers with a mixture of contempt, boredom and desire.

It is the teenagers who prove the engineers, albeit in part quite innocently, in circumstances which lead famous crime writer Nick Hardiman away from his much put-upon Beth and wife into the arms of Tamara Drewe: a choice which, ultimately, results in chaos and more than one tragedy.

An understated yet powerful tale, this version of the story is revised from the original newspaper edition, presumably to make for a more coherent graphic novel: in this it almost fully succeeds.

There remains, for me, an uneven nature to the finale, the understated fate of writer Nick almost lost in continuing character development: indeed, it's the death of one of the teenagers that proves all the more dramatic. Which of course proves a superb counterpoint to the village youngsters otherwise drab lives, enlivened only by minor vandalism and a spot of housebreaking.

The delight of a graphic novel Tamara Drewe comes more from Simmonds observations and characterization - both visual and textual - rather than the perhaps rambling plot: insecure writers, sex-starved teenagers (and writers!), pompous d-list celebrities - none are safe from Posy's wicked pen.

If you're a longtime comics fan seeking to persuade friends of the form's many merits, this would be one of my recommendations...


Web Links


• Apart from the first episode - go figure! - the newspaper version of Tamara Drewe can still be read on The Guardian's web site

• Guardian Video: Posy Simmonds on creating Tamara Drewe


Posy Simmonds talks about the origins of Tamara Drewe and the processes by which she ends up on the printed page.

• Stephen Frears drawn to Tamara Drewe film

The Guardian, 17th July 2009: Gemma Arterton reportedly cast as title character in movie adaptation of Posy Simmonds's comic strip about a beautiful columnist who ruffles feathers in a rural writers' retreat...

More Reviews...

• Best of 2008: Comics Worth Reading


"Although relatively well-off, definitely middle class, with the ability to choose lives of the mind, everyone’s unhappy. They want things they’re not likely to get: Beth, to stop being worried about her husband; Glen, the novel to save his career; Andy, Tamara; Tamara, a career as a writer, not just a journalist. So I was surprised to see, by the end, most everyone had a happy ending. That’s a pleasant change of pace from Gemma Bovery..."

• Mick Imlah in The Times: Tamara Drewe's Wessex


"If there was a time when what Posy Simmonds seemed to offer was an “entertaining satire on the middle classes”, that limitation no longer applies. There is nothing in Hardy, you might say, which more grimly conveys the paralysis of lesser rural life than her pictures of Casey and Jody at the old bus shelter..."

• Richard Pachter for Graphic Novel Reporter


"Simmonds is a wonderful artist. Her fluid storytelling skills are strong and her clean, illustrative style is a delight. Great faces, landscapes, still lives, and emotions are portrayed with precision and panache. The coloring is subtle yet effective, and her language is simple yet rich and evocative..."

• Sara Cole for Pop Matters


"... Somehow, Simmonds’ work seems aimed neither for graphic novel enthusiasts nor for the aspiring cosmopolitan types whom it both embraces and skewers. With its hyper-self-awareness of class and clout yearnings among the middle-class, Tamara Drewe comes off a bit like the graphic novel equivalent of Frasier..."

• Briefly Noted in The New Yorker


"Like Bathsheba, Tamara leaves a series of the local men in her wake, including two associated with a writer’s retreat next door. Simmonds’s lushly realistic drawings and complex female characters recall those of Alison Bechdel, but her learned references and her ear for a variegated British vernacular make her unique."

• Robert Wringham for The Skinny


"Lengthy paragraphs - usually internal monologues of the characters - have been added alongside the strips but it's uncertain of what these are supposed to achieve, as the comics work brilliantly in their own right..."


• Penny Perrick in The Times


"Posy Simmonds is a true child of Hogarth, her accomplished cartoons a merciless commentary on the way we live now. Going one better than her progenitor, she adds a tangy text to illuminate further her characters."

Tube Surfing: Comic Cutbacks, San Diego Schedules, Dinsoaurs and Weird Fishes...

• Filming has started on the new series of Doctor Who that will see Matt Smith will take on the eponymous role. Matt is seen here in costume, side by side with Scottish actress Karen Gillan who plays new companion Amy Pond.

Arriving on set in Cardiff for his first day of filming, Smith commented: "I feel very privileged and proud to be part of this iconic show.

"The scripts are brilliant and working alongside Karen, Steven and the rest of the crew is an inspiration because their work ethic and passion for the show is so admirable."

• Talking of Doctor Who, the new free to download Big Finish podcast is a Bernice Summerfield special, the companion created by Paul Cornell for Virgin's New Adventures novels and who went on to star in Doctor Who comics and get her own audio adventures. David Richardson and Lisa Bowerman discuss all things Benny.

• The Guardian newspaper has come under fire for cutting The Comic, its supplement created in partnership largely with the sadly-defunct The DFC comic. The paper's Readers' editor, Siobhain Butterworth, reports today that people have noticed that the newspaper has slimmed down - a response to economic woes affecting all newspapers - and more than 200 print readers have been in touch about the demise of The Comic, reduced radio and TV listings, and the disappearance of environment pages from the weekly Society section. Of these, 80 specifically complained at the loss of The Comic, but this was not the only part of the paper to be hit by cuts. Education and Society have dropped from 10 and eight pages of editorial, respectively, to six, and G2 has also become slighter. Sad times for the paper.

• Talking on the Guardian, artist Eddie Campbell notes that Gemma Arterton has reportedly been cast as title character in movie adaptation of Posy Simmonds's comic strip Tamara Drewe , featured in the paper.
The strip centres on a beautiful columnist who ruffles feathers in a rural writers' retreat.

The director of The Queen and The Grifters is reported to have cast former Bond girl and St Trinian's graduate Gemma Arterton as the title character, a newspaper columnist whose recent nose job transforms her into a seductive flirt, to the chagrin of the quiet village's womenfolk. Tamsin Greig and Roger Allam are also said to be attached to the project.

• Artist and writer Adam Grose reports that the dedicated website for his imprint, Clown Press, has closed down, but all content has shifted to www.adamgrose.com. "This site will be fully up and running from August and will expand over the coming months with the galleries to upload," says Adam. " In the meantime check out the Phoenix: A Warrior's Tale preview on the news page or from the shop. This book is set for release in October."

• Wildstorm have just published the cover of Warren Ellis' Planetary #27, drawn by John Cassaday. The issue is out in October. Warren will be at the San Diego Comic Con and post his schedule here, appearing at the event under the exclusive aegis of Sony, Madhouse and Marvel Anime.

• Talking of Warren, he's just plugged Jamaica Dyer's new graphic novel, Weird Fishes. Pre-order it at this link direct from the publisher and read a bunch of her work here. "The only explanation for Jamaica Dyer is that she was built by aliens and dropped here to show us all how crap we are compared to her," he enthuses.

• ... and talking of San Diego schedules, writer Tony Lee posts his appearances here; Transformers guru and top writer Simon Furman has posted his here; brilliant artist Liam Sharp (Death's Head II, Gears of War etc. etc.) has announced his plans here; and David Lloyd has his schedule here.

• Even Tharg will be in San Diego: well, a sampler of the comic, anyway! Kudos to Rebellion for flying the flag! (with thanks to Chris Weston)

• Lew Stringer has a great post charting the history of the rise and fall of the British comic Summer Special, complete with gallery. It was prompted by a Guardian feature by David Barnett bemoaning their disappearance. Although the Summer Specials are no more, some publishers have launched the Summer Annual in its place - hardback books in the traditional children's Christmas annual format, albeit thinner. Egmont currently have several out, tied into licensed properties, including, this year, the Power Rangers Super Legends Summer Annual and the Disney Princess Summer Annual.

• Comics artist Neil Cameron has just posted some intriguing drawings from a new project, The Pirates of Pangaea, on his blog. It's the sort of posting that really makes you want to know more but apart from the tidbit that it's being written by Dan Hartwell, Mr Cameron is playing coy...

• Also at San Diego will be artist Colin Wilson, making his first visit in 15 years. He'll be appearing at Dark Horse Comics (Booth #2615) from 3 - 4pm on Friday afternoon, and again on Sunday morning from 11 - 12am, so everyone is welcome to call past and have a chat.
"I will be also handling a limited commissions list while I'm at the Con, so grab us while you can as this will be our first, and only, US appearance for the year."

• And finally... the Sunderland Echo has a report on artist Bryan Talbot's recent promotion to Doctor. Bryan was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Arts at Sunderland University's graduation ceremony at the Stadium of Light – the first time a doctorate has been given to a comic book artist.
The paper reports that Bryan was delighted to accept the honour on behalf not only of himself, but his profession.
"This doctorate, a first in the UK for work in the comics medium, is an indication of the growing recognition of the graphic novel as a respectable vehicle for entertainment, education and communication and the medium itself as a legitimate art form," he said.

"There's still a lot of prejudice and preconceived notions of what comics are but we're getting there."