Team Girl Collective draws to a close

TGC Collective -Memories 2017

The TGC Collective – the team behind That Girl Comic – is coming to an end this year.

After eight years working together to showcase women comic artists in Scotland, the group have decided it’s time to move on to new projects and new collaborations. They have released a statement thanking everyone who has ever contributed to the collective with their art, stories and friendship; and all the people who supported them along the way: buying their books, going to events and helping to spread the word.

Team Girl Comic Issue 10

Based in Glasgow, the TGC collective and anthology series was founded and edited by Gill Hatcher . She published the first issue of Team Girl Comic in 2009 to showcase her female friends in the Glasgow comics scene and as a means to attract more to it. Subsequent issues have featured a broad array of talent from all over Scotland.

The series has fostered a social community and has become a fixture at British conventions and in 2013 and 2014, the collective ran webcomics on their site, which in December 2014 transitioned into a PDF format “newspaper webcomic”, the TGC Times. They published the first of a themed anthology called That Girl Comic earlier this year.

The roll call of the TGC Collective across nearly a decade of creating comics together includes artists such as Steff Allan, Coleen Campbell, Anna Clark, Evy Craig, Eleanor Einhorn, Jessica Hatcher, Ida Henrich, Mhairi Hislop, Miriam Kendrick, Lucy Licious, Emma McLuckie, Heather Middleton, Iona Mowat, Hannah Nixon, Katie Pope, Katie Ravenscraig, Sara Sade, Penny Sharp, Ari Silvera, Jenny Spiers and Helen Wright, Amanda ‘Hateball’ Stewart, Jude Stoo, Elena Vitagliano, MJ Wallace, Letty Wilson and Claire Yvette.

(That list just scratches the surface of those who have been involved, of course, and doesn’t include “guest contributors” such as Hannah Berry, Lucy Sweet and Donya Todd!)

“After a lot of thinking I’ve decided to end TGC before the end of the year,” said founder Gill Hatcher in a statement.

“I first had the idea for an women’s comic anthology in 2009. I didn’t know any female cartoonists so I pulled together some family and friends. I couldn’t think of a good name so I called it Team Girl Comic. I thought it would be a fun, one-off project. I never imagined it would become an established part of the Scottish comics scene, with dozens of contributors working together to collectively share their stories.

“When TGC was at its best I was putting in hours of work every week. And when it was at its very best I also had lots of extra support from close friends. I’m especially grateful to Claire Yvette for all her hard work and enthusiasm when the comic was really taking off. Of course, TGC wouldn’t exist without all the women who contributed their artwork and their stories, so I want to thank everyone in the collective for sharing their time and their talent with us.

Art by and © Eilidh Nicolson for That Girl Comic #10

Art by and © Eilidh Nicolson for That Girl Comic #10

“For a while now, I’ve been finding it increasingly difficult to maintain the group, from promoting and selling the books to simply answering emails and Facebook messages. When I started TGC my life was quite different, and I simply can’t keep up any more. And I’m totally OK with that! It feels good to be moving on.

Art by and © Lucy Sweet for That Girl Comic #10

Art by and © Lucy Sweet for That Girl Comic #10

Art by and © Amanda Hateball for That Girl Comic

Art by and © Amanda “Hateball” Stewart for That Girl Comic

“Despite these recent difficulties, TGC has been nothing but a positive force in my life. When things were really tough it gave me something to focus on. Whilst I might never have made any money from TGC, I gained a huge amount of experience and skills. Most importantly, I made so many great friendships and had so much fun.

“Together, we’ve helped change the comics landscape in Scotland. We’ve produced an impressive body of work, and always supported each other along the way.

“If you’ve been a fan of TGC, please continue to follow and support all its contributors, and look out for future collaborations.”

The Moth Trap by Gill HatcherGill recently released her latest comic, The Moth Trap, a story featuring a judgemental stepmother and a conspiracy theorist Scottish terrier. A tale that starts with a mysterious glow in the middle of the woods… all the ingredients for a romance comic about everyone’s favourite creatures of the night.

Finnish creator Sara Sade has recently released LEMPO, the story of women’s magic in agrarian Finnish Karelia

MJ Wallace recently released Bi The Way, now available on her Etsy shop. Get your copy here.

Our thanks to the TGC Collective and Gill for so much great work and the undisputed impact the project has had. We wish all involved the very best in all their new projects and adventures.

TGC Collective on Tumblr | Online Shop | That Girl Comic – Official Site

• Read Gill Hatcher’s 2012 article on the foundation of Team Girl on downthetubes



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