The Fisk Jubilee Singers (seen here at the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893) performed at Newcastle’s Tyne Concert Hall, as did many other black entertainers.
Lydia Wysocki over at Applied Comics Etc has dropped us a line appealing for comic creators to work on a great new project with a Civil Rights theme.
“We’re making a comic to give children age 8-14 some context about the civil rights history of Tyneside,” she tells us. “We need six comics artist-writers.
“It’s paid work with realistic deadlines, for print and digital versions of a comics anthology.”
Tyneside Radicals (working title) builds on the group’s previous comics such as True War Stories, Spineless and Asteroid Belter.
” We want to make another comic that communicates specific information and is a good comic in its own right,” Lydia explains.
Whilst the wealth of British cities such as Liverpool and Bristol was built on the profits of the slave trade, the people of Tyneside offered support and a safe haven to those who abhorred slavery in the United States of America.
“This new comic gives a series of snapshots of the local history of civil rights without attempting to be a complete history of this huge subject.”
Applied Comics Etc was founded by Lydia Wysocki, building on the Newcastle Science Comics project she led with a team of seven editors, who continue to work as a team.
The six chapters are:
- Introduction and conclusion
- Equality before the law (John Lilburne; Thomas Spence)
- Freedom from slavery (Olaudah Equiano; Frederick Douglass and the Richardson sisters)
- Right to political participation (Joseph Cowen; Emily Wilding Davison)
- Right to work (Jarrow Marchers; Ellen Wilkinson)
- Right to migration, right to asylum (Basque Children’s Committee; other content TBC)
“We need six contributors (individual comics artist-writers, or existing comics artist-writer teams),” Lydia expands. “We have academic researchers who are keen to work with comics creators as consultants on the content and accuracy of each chapter.
“There is however no expectation for academic researchers to learn how to draw and write comics, or for comics artist-writers to become academic researchers.
“As always, we’re open to a range of art/writing styles,” she emphasises. “It’s essential that you have experience of making comics, but we’re open to contributors we have or haven’t worked with before.
“We want to work with comics creators from a diverse range of cultural and linguistic backgrounds, based in the North East and elsewhere in the UK.”
• If you’re interested, contact Applied Comics etc via lydiaATappliedcomicsetc.com for more information. Applications must be submitted by 22nd May 2017
• Check out Applied Comics other great titles here
- About the Author
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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, Creating Comics, downthetubes Comics News, downthetubes News
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