Barbarians and Rabbits Unite, in Unique Comics Collaboration!

By John Freeman on September 24, 2020

Comic creator Rachael Smith, creator of the graphic novels House Party and The Rabbit, is working with Mathias Kom of the band The Burning Hell on a collaboration bringing music and comics together.

“I’m making his song ‘Barbarians’ into a comic, and he’s making my comic ‘The Rabbit’ into a song – how cool is that?” Rachael, who kept herself busy earlier this year during lockdown cheering everyone up with her online ‘Quarantine Comix‘ series, which will will be released as a collection soon.

The comic and record will be packaged up together with record sleeve artwork by Rachael. “It’s gonna be hella rad!” she enthuses, teasing fans with some opening pages

“I’m so excited about this!” says Mathias. “Rachael is such an amazing artist and storyteller and collaborating with her is so fun!”

Barbarians by Rachael Smith and Mathias Kom — *“Barbarians” by Rachael Smith, based on the song by Mathias Kom*

The Burning Hell is the alter-ego of Canadian songwriter Mathias Kom, and consists of him plus Ariel Sharratt (clarinet and drums) and Darren Browne (bouzouki and bass). The band has been on the road in one form or another since 2007, playing everywhere from the chaos of Glastonbury to the loneliness of the Arctic Circle, popping up in bars, festival tents, living rooms, abandoned bunkers, and a mental asylum in rural France along the way.

Musically, the lineup and sound of the Burning Hell has been ever-changing, running the gamut from introspective folk to hyperactive rock and roll. This means both that no two Burning Hell records sound alike, and that the band can adapt to its surroundings like a karma of anthropomorphic chameleons, taking the audience on a supermarket-cart ride through hooky, upbeat pop songs, dark ballads about pet euthanasia, and anthems for barbarians, economic conferences, and love.

Rachael Smith, whose credits include Doctor Who strips for Titan Comics, is also the creator of the biographical comic, Wired Up Wrong. Her debut graphic novel House Party came out in 2014 with Great Beast Comics to critical acclaim. The Rabbit, released by Avery Hill Publishing in 2015, was her second graphic novel and was nominated for Best Book in the British Comic Awards 2014/15. She’s also the creator of Flimsy the Kitten, One Good Thing, and the webcomic, Bess.

The Rabbit is a surreal and affecting coming-of-age tale that captures the wonder and vulnerability of youth. Both funny and sinister, familiar yet fantastical, you won’t soon forget it.

In the story, Eleanor and her younger sister Kathy have run away from school, from home and from all of their troubles. They may also be running from reality itself, as they seem to have acquired a new friend in the form of a talking cartoon bunny rabbit called Craig. As Craig grows bigger and bigger, the girls soon discover exactly what kind of creature has joined them on their adventure. Running away is not as easy as it seems…

• Listen to ‘Barbarians’ here | The Burning Hell on Bandcamp | Facebook | BB*Island (Record Label) | Twitter

• The Rabbit is available to buy here direct from publisher Avery Hill

• If you’d like to be kept up-to-date with this project and told as soon as it is available to order, you can sign up to Rachael’s mailing list here

• Rachael’s Quarantine Comix feature on Facebook | Buy originals here (they sell fast!) | Rachael is also on Twitter, Patreon and instagram and at www.rachaelsmith.org

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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.