In Review: “3 Stories featuring An Egg, A Saint, and Border Guards” by Edward Taylor

3 Stories by Edward Taylor

We’ve previously featured award-winning comic creator Edward Taylor‘s wonderfully inventive work on downthetubes, most recently with 2 Stories (Both Involving an Egg), released last year and, previously, Godzilla’s Lockdown Diary and Godzilla Tries To Get Out.

Well, good news, he has a new book out, offering three often bizarre but always engaging tales – 3 Stories featuring An Egg, A Saint, and Border Guards. This new anthology is, perhaps, Edward’s most recent comic project yet, offering three very different stories but all with his unique take on life and the abstract, with plenty of very funny moments thrown in.

Dream Stories 2” continuing from his last book, 2 Stories (Both Involving an Egg) offers a deep, metaphysical dive into the thoughts of a sleeping egg. As we’re taken on a tour of a subconscious soup of swirling memories, the strange and often ethereal tale is the kind of story that leaves you wondering if it’s going to haunt your dreams, too. Thankfully, not yet, because I’d like my brain left where it is, thank you (not a yolk!). Sublime.

3 Stories by Edward Taylor - Dream Stories 2
3 Stories by Edward Taylor - Dream Stories 2

St Jerome 2•0” is Edward’s story that won won him first prize at the 17th Manga Jiman & Yonkoma competition earlier this year, organised by the Japanese Embassy in London. It offers a dialogue between St. Jerome and his particularly snarky attendant cat set on an enormous scrapheap. This story features QR codes enabling you to hear the voices in Jerome’s head. Transcripts are included in the back of the book. It’s a fun tale, and the back chat from the cat is delightfully acerbic!

3 Stories by Edward Taylor - St. Jerome 2•0
3 Stories by Edward Taylor - St. Jerome 2•0

Of the three stories, though, I think my favourite has to be the last, “The Border Guards”, centring on the daily routine of some border guards posted in the middle of nowhere. Needless to say, their routine gets disrupted by things that go bump in the night and a Big Event, and the story is suitably bizarre, as the central characters battle angry sheep, try to cope with strange happenings and unexpected visitors.

More importantly, there’s a jibe at all those taking issue with those simply trying to get from one crazy place to another, simply to survive, and, perhaps, those sheep. It’s an engaging, thought-provoking story, and wonderfully realised. Plus, I laughed out loud at the “Showing the people the ropes” gag.

3 Stories by Edward Taylor - Border Guards
3 Stories by Edward Taylor - Border Guards

3 Stories featuring An Egg, A Saint, and Border Guards is available direct from Edqard | 75 Pages | Full Colour | Only £20 plus p+p (£3.50 per copy in the UK). Contact Edward at edward@wras.org.uk for details on how to buy a copy

• STORIES – both involving an egg and other previus books are available here from Edward Taylor’s official web site

Edward Taylor is an artist based in the Rossendale Valley in Lancashire. “3 Stories” is his fifth book.

For 40 years he was one half of the Whalley Range All Stars – a street theatre company who created a wide variety of different shows, who toured throughout the world and who won popular, critical and artistic acclaim for their highly visual imaginative work. The company stopped in 2022, and now he spends his time creating comic books. He’s also illustrated books such as Glock and Beretta.

• Read our reviews of 2 Stories (Both Involving an Egg), Godzilla’s Lockdown Diary and Godzilla Tries To Get Out

Edward is online at edwardtaylor.pictures



Categories: British Comics, Comics, Creating Comics, downthetubes Comics News, Features, Reviews

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