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ThirdBear Press announces BOXES, a new independent comic anthology

By John Freeman on May 24, 2023

British publisher ThirdBear Press are preparing to publish the first volume of BOXES, a new comic magazine that aims to showcase new short comics and articles from the most exciting and interesting creators in indie comics.

BOXES will be coming to Kickstarter in early June, and anyone interested can sign up on the Kickstarter page to be notified just as soon as the project is live.

Launched in September last year by comic creator Steven Ingram (Holly, Old Man Grey, Burn With Me), ThirdBear Press has been bringing over international comics to make them available to readers in the UK without large shipping costs. These include books from Silver Sprocket, Bulgilhan Press, and Glacier Bay Books, among others, all available at thirdbearpress.com.

The plan at ThirdBear Press has always been to publish new works though, of which BOXES is the first. The aim is to continue BOXES as an on-going series with each volume having a mix of new and returning creators.

Thirdbear Press - BOXES 01 - art by Enrico Ariis — “I’m very excited to have Enrico Ariis in BOXES,” says editor Steven Ingram. “I love his cartoony retro art style! The comic he’s doing for BOXES is going to be great! Satirical and full of character.”

Thirdbear Press - BOXES 01 - art by Mark Brady — *“Mark Brady’s comics and illustrations always have a great sense of humour,” notes Steven Ingram. “His story for BOXES is simply brimming with ideas, colour and character!”*

Thirdbear Press - BOXES 01 - art by Julie Campbell — “Julie Campbell‘s work is just the kind of style I was thinking of when I was planning BOXES,” says Stephen, “so I was pumped when she submitted the comic that this panel is from! Her work is always thoughtful and engaging and her story in BOXES will be exactly that.”

Thirdbear Press - BOXES 01 - art by Stephen Goodall — “Stephen Goodall is a creator that makes comics with a delicious undercurrent of weirdness,” says Steven Inmgram. “I’ve been a fan since I read The Diary of Joseph Stein a decade ago! He’s been quiet on the comic front for a while, so I’m delighted that he’s chosen to do a new comic for BOXES.”

Thirdbear Press - BOXES 01 - art by Beth Kubrick — *Art for* BOXES by Beth Kubrick. “Look at those colours! enthuses *Steven Ingram.* “*I first came across Beck’s work when I read* Coby Alone [Beth’s comics debut], a great wee comic which I loved. Dead Girls and MEAT4BURGERS are also A+ very-good-comics, so I am delighted to have Beck in BOXES!”

Thirdbear Press - BOXES 01 - art by Christian Porter — *“Christian Porter is a multimedia artist who has a really interesting style,” says Steven Ingram. “The story he’s creating for BOXES is a whimsical delight!”*

Thirdbear Press - BOXES 01 - art by Steve Thompson — *Steve Thompson is mainly known gripping thrillers like* Dragged Beneath the Ground, but the comic he’s making for BOXES is an interesting bit of autobiography, with a distinctive art style which looks great!

Thirdbear Press - BOXES 01 - art by Bob Turner — “Bob Turner‘s meticulously rendered and stylish comics are a sight to behold!” notes Steven. “They are a masterclass in silent comic storytelling. Bob is also writing an article for the magazine about silent comics and why he writes them.”

Thirdbear Press - BOXES 01 - art by Sammy Ward — *“Sammy Ward makes comics that skirt the frayed edges of fantasy and horror,” notes Steven Ingram. “I’ve especially loved the* Not Another Haunting comics you can read on her Ko-fi.”

Thirdbear Press - BOXES 01 - art by Mason Wilson — *“Mason Wilson is an exciting new artist who makes comics focused on character and identity with hefty helping of gothic horror,” notes* BOXES publisher Steven Ingram. “He mostly works in black and white with a style that is dense with atmosphere.”

In this first volume there are comics from Enrico Ariis, Mark Brady, Julie Campbell, Stephen Goodall, Beck Kubrick, Christian Porter, Sammy Ward, Mason Wilson, Christian Porter, Steve Thompson, Bob Turner, and Steven Ingram, as well as two articles from Alister Black and Bob Turner.

• Anyone interested can sign up to be notified as soon as the Kickstarter for BOXES launches in early June here

If you want to see some of the work from each of the creators, have a look at this twitter thread posted a few weeks ago on the ThirdBear Press page introducing all the contributors

• ThirdBear Press is online at thirdbearpress.com | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

BOXES Contributor Links

Thirdbear Press - BOXES 01 - art by Steven Ingram — *Art for BOXES by editor and publisher Steven Ingram*

• Steven Ingram: steveningram.art (BOXES Editor and Publisher)

• Enrico Ariis is online at ariiscomics.weebly.com | Out Comics on Comicsy

• Mark Brady is online at muchtoomuchdetail.wordpress.com | Twitter

• Follow Julie Campbell on Twitter @Campbelldraws

Julie is working with Colin Maxwell on a comic about Bamse, the dog that became the mascot of the Free Norwegian Forces during the Second World War. Find out more here on Kickstarter

• Follow Stephen Goodall on Twitter (tweets protected)

• Beck Kubrick: linktr.ee/beckkubrick

• Christian Porter is online at cargocollective.com/cporter

• Follow Steve Thompson on Twitter @kloob

• Bob Turner is online at themonstrographicsociety.bigcartel.com | Twitter

• Sammy Ward is online at sammywarddraws.com | Not Another Haunting | Twitter

• Mason Wilson is online at masonwillustration.com | Twitter

• Anyone interested can sign up to be notified as soon as the Kickstarter for BOXES launches in early June here

About the Author
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John Freeman

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.