London’s Gosh! Comics run some fantastic events through the year, and we’re sure their upcoming event with Nick Abadzis and Angela Watson will be no exception, flying in from the United States to promote the launch of their graphic novel, My Beloved Other, published recently by First Second.
Nick and Angela will be at Gosh! on Thursday 5th November 2026, from 7.00 until 9.00pm, and the ace independent comic shop also be releasing an exclusive signed mini-print to accompany all copies of the graphic novel. Check it out here.
My Beloved Other, developed over several years, is a beautifully realised, powerful and very timely graphic memoir about the far-reaching impact of racism in today’s society, as seen through the lens of one couple’s interracial marriage.
Where does the concept of “the other” come from? And who truly benefits when we allow fear of the other to steer our society? Through charming banter and illuminating anecdotes from their personal lives, artist Nick Abadzis and psychotherapist Angela Watson chronicle their nearly forty-year interracial relationship, their respective family histories, and their ongoing experiences with anti-Black racism in Britain and America, from the overt racial taunts of childhood bullies to the more subtle biases of the adult workplace.
In the midst of a dangerous political backlash that threatens to derail decade, if not centuries, of movement towards a more equitable and diverse world, My Beloved Other puts questions of race front and center, and turns a critical eye to the systems that seek to exploit our differences.
Above all else, it challenges readers to do what can sometimes feel impossible: keep hope alive for a future where difference is embraced as a source of unity, not division.
As a fan of Eisner award-winning British writer and artist Nick’s brilliant Laika, and as someone who’s known him for many years as a skilled creator, I had a copy of My Beloved Other on order for months, and it did not disappoint. He and Angela deliver a fantastic narrative, recounting their direct experience of being a mixed race couple, told with an in depth look at the history that has got us to society today. While it’s often hard hitting, and certainly thought provoking, it’s also full of welcome positivity, despite our difficult times, and a graphic novel very much worth your attention and purchase.
Apart from anything else, My Beloved Other makes full use of delivering a story in comic form, evoking on occasion memories of some of those classic guides to politics, history and environmental issues some of you may remember were so popular back in the 1980s, sold in alternative bookshops; but this graphic novel is written with consummate style, never “worthy” or in any way pretentious. In short, I highly recommend it, because apart from anything else, it very definitely gives you pause to think more about those around you, and appreciate their story, as well as your own. Recommended!
• My Beloved Other Launch Party with Nick Abadzis and Angela Watson, 7.00 – 9.00pm Thursday 5th November 2026, Gosh London, 1 Berwick Street, London W1F 0DR | Facebook Event Page Here | Order the Limited Edition Bookplate Book Here
• My Beloved Other by Nick Abadzis and Angela Watson is available now in the United States | ISBN: 978-1596433700 | Head here in the United States for various online retailers) | Order a copy here from Gosh! via this Bookshop.org Affiliate Link | AmazonUK (Affiliate Link)| Order here for France and the European Union
• Nick Abadzis is online at nickabadzis.com | Follow Nick on Bluesky and Substack
Head downthetubes for…
• On downthetubes: Coming Soon: My Beloved Other, by Nick Abadzis and Angela Watson
• There’s a fantastic interview by Sacha Mardou, for example, here from Comics Journal, where Angela and Nick outline the long path to creating this graphic novel, and the background to its creation, from their very first meeting ahead of a race riot through to their lives today.
• You might also want to check out Angela and Nick’s interview on Autobiographix, where both outline their introduction to comics, Nick’s in comics retail at Marvel UK and working on Deadline.
• Nick Abadzis – online at nickabadzis.com – has been creating books, magazines, newspaper strips, comics, animations, articles, and stories for both adults and children for almost forty years. He has been honored with various British and international storytelling awards, including an Eisner for Laika in 2008. He also works as an editorial consultant for publishing and a corporate graphic recorder.
• Angela Watson is a psychotherapist and skilled leader of coaching, mentoring and training strategies in both social work and education. She has over twenty years of therapeutic work experience as a mental health and child development specialist, although she believes a highlight of her career so far was coaching staff and inmates at Riker’s Island Jail in New York City and is passionate about helping young people build their life skills in an ever-changing world. As both a Black Brit and, officially, an African American, she has a unique perspective on racism in the UK and United States.
- About the Author
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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: Comics, Creating Comics, downthetubes Comics News, downthetubes News, Events, Features, Reviews, US Comics
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