The team behind the brilliant Dirty Rotten Comics anthology, which we’ve raved about several times here on downthetubes, have clearly gone completely mad with power and launched their own publishing house – Throwaway Press.
The brand new publishing house is headed up by DRC’s very own Kirk Campbell and Gary Clap, and the team say they aim to release great content and high quality books, while maintaining a commitment to the freedom of speech and freedom of expression which have historically made the comics medium so important.
Their first new title right out of the crease is meanderings by Matthew Dooley, which downthetubes contributor Tony Esmond describes as “a satirical, twisted sense of humour. Matt is a real talent.”
“UK sequential art is going through something of a golden age at the minute, and we want to get more of this work out to a wider audience,” say the team. “As a publisher, we are committed to the same values that have made Dirty Rotten Comics such a success.”
“We’re pleased to announce Matthew Dooley as the first artist to join the Throwaway Press roster. Matthew’s idiosyncratic style and deadpan sense of humour have garnered him considerable critical acclaim, and seen him twice nominated for the Jonathan Cape/ Observer/ Comica graphic short story prize.”
North West-based Matthew Dooley’s work has appeared in comic anthologies such as Dirty Rotten Comics, Off Life and T4, and meanderings – a range of his anthology work along with previously unpublished material –is his first collection.
A page from “Hello, My Name is Judas Iscariot” by Matthew Dooley, which was shortlisted for the Comica prize. You can read the whole strip here
Right now, Throwaway Press do not currently accept unsolicited submissions, but they do strongly encourage aspiring creators to to submit work to the Dirty Rotten Comics anthology. Throwaway Press artists are all people we have worked with previously in Dirty Rotten Comics, so it is the best way to get your work noticed.
It’s great to see more fantastic creators throw their hat into the ring on the independent publishing front here in the UK, with a growing number of comic shops thankfully happy to stock well-made small press titles (identified on our UK Comic Shop Map). I wish the team at Throwaway Press every success. Even if they are a bit crazy…
• Throwaway Press can be found online at throwawaypress.com and on Twitter @throwawaypress. Matthew Dooley’s wonderful first collection Meanderings is now available to buy online. To celebrate the launch of Throwaway Press, the publishers are offering £2 off any spend over £10 at our online store. Just enter the code THROMO on checkout, for the discount to be applied (offer expires 21st March 2016)
• Follow Matthew Dooley on Twitter @mddraws | Web: http://ballwatching.tumblr.com
• Dirty Rotten Comics will continue to be published three times yearly, with Issue Seven out early April
• The team behind Throwaway Press and Dirty Rotten Comics will be appearing at ELCAF – 10-11th June 2016 – in London. As well as being available online, Dirty Rotten Comics is stocked by Gosh! Comics (1 Berwick Street, London, W1F 0DR); Housmans Bookshop
(5 Caledonian Road, London, N1 9DX); magCulture (270 St John Street, London, EC1V 4PE) and Orbital Comics (8 Great Newport Street,
London, WC2H 7JA)
The founder of downthetubes, which he established in 1998. John works as a comics and magazine editor, writer, and on promotional work for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He is currently editor of Star Trek Explorer, published by Titan – his third tour of duty on the title originally titled Star Trek Magazine.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Babylon 5 Magazine, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics. He has also edited several comic collections, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”.
He’s the writer of “Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies” for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs” with Dave Hailwood.
Categories: British Comics, British Comics - Current British Publishers, Creating Comics, downthetubes Comics News, downthetubes News, Featured News
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