Independent UK graphic novel publisher SelfMadeHero continues its tenth anniversary celebrations in 2017 with a varied line-up of books for Autumn 2017.
There’s a wide range of biographies, original fiction and fantastical work in translation that takes us from Australian music legends to teenage skaters, from classic ghost stories to western adventures, from mindfulness to Magritte.
SEPTEMBER
Sherlock Holmes Collection
Four books | Paperback |136-144pp | Colour
Out: 7th September 2017
Writer: Ian Edginton / Artist: I.N.J. Culbard
Pulp-style pocket-sized reissues of the four Sherlock Holmes adaptations…
A Study in Scarlet
’There’s the scarlet thread of murder… and our duty is to unravel it!’ A man’s body is found in a bloodstained room – without a scratch on it. A name has been partly written in blood on the wall. A woman’s wedding ring is found… The sensational story Sherlock Holmes traces, from a dingy London tenement to the plains of the American Wild West, provides a test case in his ’science of deduction’ – but the greatest enigma to his new friend, Dr. Watson, is Sherlock Holmes himself.
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The Sign of the Four
’In God’s name, what does it mean?’ ’It means murder…’ When Miss Mary Morstan calls on 221B Baker Street, the ’utterly inexplicable’ story she tells stirs the heart of Dr. John Watson and rouses his friend Sherlock Holmes from his self-induced lethargy. For who else but London’s only unofficial consulting detective could possibly solve the mystery of the disappearing Army officer, the one-legged man, his barefoot accomplice, the missing treasure-chest, and… the ’sign of the four’?
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The Hound of the Baskervilles
’What is the meaning of it all, Holmes?’ ’It is murder, Watson…’ A gnarled walking-stick; a missing boot; a neglected family portrait; a convicted killer on the loose and the ancestral curse of a phantom Hound… The great detective Sherlock Holmes needs all his powers of ’elementary’ deduction as well as the staunch support of his devoted friend Dr. Watson to solve the terrifying mystery of his most famous case…
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The Valley of Fear
Sherlock Holmes is intrigued and disturbed when he receives an ominous coded message: a Mr. Douglas of Birlstone House is in terrible danger. Before Holmes can act, shocking news arrives. Douglas has been found dead – his face blown off by a shotgun. Scotland Yard is stumped. Was this suicide or murder? But Holmes is in no such doubt – for he recognises the calling card of his nemesis, Professor James Moriarty.
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Nick Cave: Mercy On Me
Paperback | 328pp | B&W
Out: 7th September 2017
Writer/Artist: Reinhard Kleist
Musician, novelist, score composer and occasional actor: Nick Cave is a Renaissance man. His wide-ranging artistic output has always demonstrated an extraordinary gift for storytelling. Employing a cast of characters drawn from Cave’s music and writing, paints an expressive, enthralling portrait of a formidable artist and influencer.
Endorsed by Nick Cave, the book is written and drawn by the award-winning graphic novelist Reinhard Kleist, whose previous titles include Castro, Johnny Cash, The Boxer and An Olympic Dream (all published by SelfMadeHero).
• Buy it from amazon.co.uk – using this link helps support downthetubes
Spinning
Paperback | 396pp | Two colour
Out: 12th September 2017
Writer/Artist: Tillie Walden
For ten years, figure skating was Tillie Walden’s life. She headed straight for practice before and after school, and spent her weekends competing. It offered an escape from the stress of school, bullies and family. When art took over and she fell in love with her first girlfriend, she began questioning skating’s place in her life. Acclaimed by The Guardian as one of the “20 talents set to take 2017 by storm”, Tillie Walden has created a poignant coming-of-age memoir that is intimate, honest and beautifully drawn.
• Buy it from amazon.co.uk – using this link helps support downthetubes
The Corbyn Comic Book
Paperback | 48pp | Colour
Out: 25th September 2017
Writers/Artists: Numerous (anthology)
Pollsters called it a foregone conclusion. Columnists said Theresa May’s snap general election wouldn’t just return her a thumping majority in the House of Commons – it would plunge the opposition into existential crisis. And then something happened.
Momentum got to work. Grime4Corbyn gathered steam. Clicktivists were transformed into door- knocking, flag-waving activists. The Jeremy Corbyn chant reverberated around football stadiums.
Featuring work by many of the UK’s best-known cartoonists, including Martin Rowson, Steve Bell and Stephen Collins, The Corbyn Comic Book captures the qualities and quirks of a man whose startling rise to prominence has been the defining story of 2017.
• Buy it from amazon.co.uk – using this link helps support downthetubes
OCTOBER
One Year Wiser: An Illustrated Guide To Mindfulness
Paperback | 152pp | Colour
Out: 5th October 2017
Writer/Artist: Mike Medaglia
In our daily lives, we often face uncertainty and unexpected challenges. The practice of mindfulness can help transform such thoughts into ones of inner calm and contentment. Drawing on the four seasons and our deep connection to the natural world, Mike Medaglia offers practical guidance on how to harness the power of mindfulness to live a happier, healthier life. This is the latest in Mike’s bestselling series of One Year Wiser books.
• Buy it from amazon.co.uk – using this link helps support downthetubes
Ghost Stories of an Antiquary Volume Two
Paperback | 80pp | Colour
Out: 12th October 2017
Original author: M.R. James
Adapted by John Reppion and Leah Moore Artists: Al Davison, Abigail Larson, Meghan Hetrik, George Kambadais.
Adapted from the short stories of M.R. James, master of the English ghost story, this is the sequel to last year’s critically acclaimed anthology. The quartet of terrifying tales collected in this volume are Number 13, Count Magnus, The Treasure of Abbot Thomas and the classic Oh, Whistle And I’ll Come To You, My Lad, all drawn by some of the UK’s top illustrators.
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Magritte: This is Not a Biography
Paperback | 72pp | Colour
Out: 2nd November 2017
Writer: Vincent Zabus / Artist: Thomas Campi
Giddied by the prospect of promotion, Charles Singulier buys himself a bowler hat. But this is no ordinary hat: it once belonged to the surrealist René Magritte. By wearing it, Charles is transported into the artist’s eccentric world. What follows is a hallucinatory journey through a unique imaginative landscape.
From Belgian writer Vincent Zabus and Italian artist Thomas Campi, this is the latest in SelfMadeHero’s acclaimed Art Masters series, which includes Pablo, Munch and Vincent.
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The Smell of Starving Boys
Hardback w/ jacket | 112pp | Colour
Out: 16th November 2017
Writer: Loo Hui Phang / Artist: Frederik Peeters
Texas 1872. The Civil War is over and geologist Stingley sets out with photographer Forrest and their young assistant Milton to explore unchartered territories. Entering the native Comanches’ land, they’re faced with constant threats. But as social conventions disappear and personal inhibitions go into retreat, an intimate relationship develops between Oscar and Milton.
Laos-born writer Loo Hui Phang has penned an intense Western propelled by a clash between the old world and the new, illustrated by award-winning artist Frederik Peeters (Blue Pills, Pachyderme, Aama).
• Buy it from amazon.co.uk – using this link helps support downthetubes
Web: www.selfmadehero.com
- 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: British Comics - Current British Publishers, downthetubes Comics News, downthetubes News
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