UK Comics Laureate Bobby Joseph discussed his new graphic novel, My Dad Fights Demons, drawn by Abbigayle Bircham, on Shay Grewal’s BBC London show last month, as well as his work empowering young people through the use of comics.
The wide ranging interview, first broadcast 15th September, includes background on Bobby’s early love of the medium, his work in prisons, using comics as a teaching medium, and much more. He also teases a little background on his forthcoming World War One for Commando, a story centred on Sikh soldiers, prompted by discussion about being British in the 21st century.
In My Dad Fights Demons, published by SelfMadeHero, welcome to Rye’s world: their stepdad hates them, their mother ignores them, and they’re stuck in a dead-end relationship. To make matters worse, their world is turned upside down one day with the return of their father, the Magical Mr Mantrikz, self-styled “greatest sorcerer in the world”, and Rye now has to spend their weekends with this rude, pushy, and frankly ridiculous wizard. And that was never going to work – especially when magic is involved…
Bobby Joseph is an acclaimed South London comic creator, whose early work includes the creation of cult comic classic Skank magazine, in which his best-known strip, “Scotland Yardie”, originated. He has written for The Guardian, Dazed and Confused, and Vice, and his work featured prominently at the “Comics Unmasked” exhibition at the British Library in 2015. A long-standing advocate for diversity and representation in comic books, his graphic novel, Scotland Yardie(Knockabout Comics, 2017), was the first diverse graphic novel to be studied as a module on an English Literature MA course. He is the fifth incumbent to be appointed the UK’s Comics Laureate.
Abbigayle Bircham is a Norwich-based comic artist with a penchant for the weird and wonderful, who is probably scribbling away in her favourite tea shop at this moment. A Lakes International Comic Art Festival]Breakthrough Initiative participant, she has published work with Soaring Penguin Press and the Rat Pack Collective, dreams of having her own cartoon show one day, and first met Bobby Joseph when taking his Writing Comics short course.
You can order a copy of My Dad Fights Demons from any good book shop | ISBN 978-1914224348 | Buy it through uk.bookshop.org (Affiliate Link) | AmazonUK (Affiliate Link)
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John is the founder of downthetubes, launched in 1998. He is a comics and magazine editor, writer, and Press Officer for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He also runs Crucible Comic Press.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine and Overkill for Marvel UK, Babylon 5 Magazine, Star Trek Magazine, and its successor, Star Trek Explorer, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics; and has edited several comic collections and graphic novels, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”, and Hancock: The Lad Himself, by Stephen Walsh and Keith Page.
He’s the writer of comics such as 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, Comic Creator Interviews, Comics, Creating Comics, downthetubes Comics News, downthetubes News, Features
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