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Armed with Madness, new graphic novel from Mary and Bryan Talbot, to get Lancaster launch

By John Freeman on February 6, 2023

Armed With Madness Book by Mary M Talbot and Bryan Talbot (SelfMadeHero, 2023)

Bryan and Mary Talbot will be launching their new graphic novel, Armed With Madness, the story of surrealist Leonora Carrington, published by SelfMadeHero, at an event in Lancaster in May.

The event has been organised by Lancaster University, where Mary is Visiting Professor of Graphic Narrative in the Department of English Literature and Creative Writing.

Reluctant muse and feminist champion… society heiress and rebel refugee… the last of the Surrealists: Leonora Carrington played many roles in her long and extraordinary life. Renouncing her privileged upbringing in pre-war England for the more exciting elite of Paris’s 1930s avant-garde, she comes to rub shoulders (and more) with the likes of Pablo Picasso, Man Ray, and Salvador Dalí, after embarking on a complicated love affair with Max Ernst.

But the demons that have both haunted and inspired her work are gathering, and when the world goes mad with the outbreak of war and the Nazi invasion, Leonora’s own hold on reality collapses into a terrifying psychotic episode of her own. Eventually fleeing war-torn Europe, she emerges into a new and richly creative life in Mexico City, establishing herself as a prodigious painter, writer, and advocate of women’s rights.

This new work by the acclaimed partnership of Mary M. Talbot and Bryan Talbot celebrates the life and career of a truly remarkable woman – and artist.

Bryan Talbot: The Father of the British Graphic Novel

Bryan tells us he will also have copies of his new crowdfunded autobiography, Bryan Talbot: Father of the British Graphic Novel on sale at the event. Very few British bookshops chose to pick up an option to purchase retailer copies of this fascinating history of his career through the campaign, so you’re best grabbing a copy at one of Bryan’s events, if you didn’t back the campaign.

• Armed With Madness Book Launch with Mary M Talbot and Bryan Talbot 7.30pm Tuesday 23rd May 2023, Meeting House Lane, Lancaster, LA1 1TH | Eventbrite Booking Link Coming Soon!
Mary M Talbot is online at mary-talbot.co.uk | Bryan Talbot is online at bryan-talbot.com

John Freeman

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.