Broken Frontier

In our final chat with Blank Slate publisher Kenny Penman we spend some time in the company of Nigel Auchterlounie’s cartoon reprobate Spleenal, discuss BSB’s translated European material and find out what’s coming up from the publisher in 2011-12...

Read Part 1 here and Read Part 2 here

BROKEN FRONTIER: Moving on to a book that’s part of a totally different genre of storytelling, Nigel Auchterlounie’s Spleenal is gloriously and unself-consciously politically incorrect. A true adult counterpart to a DC Thomson character, rather than a parody version a la Viz. What can we look forward to in the upcoming Spleenal follow-up M.E.G.G.?

KENNY PENMAN: In many ways Spleenal is my favourite book so far. It's not looking to up the ante as far as comics’ intellectual standings are concerned and it isn't worrying who it offends (although in truth once you've read it you will realise the joke is almost always on Spleenal). It's simply great, madcap cartooning which has many folks belly laughing.

I think you're right it owes much to DC Thomson - who Nigel does a lot of cartooning for, often producing 3 or 4 strips a week for The Dandy - and maybe that's why so many people get it when they read it. Getting comics fans to pick it up has been the hard part - maybe they associate Nigel's style with kids comics. Interestingly, when we published it we gave copies to staff in the offices and warehouse of FPI - mostly non-comics readers - it's been the girls knocking down the doors looking for the next one!

M.E.G.G is still Spleenal but there's less sex and more gaming culture involved in another “tie itself in knots” sci-fi story. Nigel gets lots of chances to draw big weapons, working out his 2000AD rejection fantasies. Of course it's very funny. In my opinion Nigel is some kind of mad genius with ideas endlessly pouring out of him, and not all of them up there on the politically correct scale. Did you know he drew half of Spleenal on his way to work in the back of a car with a biro on a notepad? He's a natural, even if he refuses to draw arms!!

A selection of Young Spleenal pages from Nigel Auchterlounie's outrageously slapstick offering from Blank Slate

BF: Blank Slate’s European translations are again hugely diverse; from the cartoon slapstick of Mawil’s Sparky O’Hare to the dreamy surrealism of Randall C.'s Sleepyheads, through to the topical examination of the Cuidad Juarez femicides in Peggy Adam’s Luchadoras. Just how do you approach selecting European titles, given the multitude of unseen gems out there, and what specific challenges are there in that translation process?

PENMAN: Again I selected the Mawil (with Isobel's goading) and found Sleepyheads, purely on the basis that I thought these were books by major cartooning talent. For me Mawil is one of the most charming and naturally gifted cartoonists anywhere and Randall C's book is a cartooning tour de force in terms of the artworks construction and finish. Going forward the books are much more likely to be selected by a committee although we do have a schedule of books to come I had already picked.

On Luchadoras we worked with Martin Steenton (who now works for us) and Judith Taboy who run the Avoid the Future website. I'd always loved Peggy's art but I was unaware of Luchadoras until Martin mentioned it. Basically all the work on it was done by them, Judith translating and Martin polishing and doing visual things like building an English alphabet from Peggy's handwriting to give the book the impression of hand lettering. I think they did a tremendous job and I think it's an important book which seems to be being acknowledged from online reviews. Judith and Martin are now like our screening service for all the French works which interest me on a purely visual basis, so there will be a lot of their taste in future French translations.

I think the biggest thing when translating is not to be bound by the words as written. Idiom and flow is all important to a book reading well, and for me if that means the words need to change substantially whilst retaining the spirit - that's the way to go. Rhian Hepplestone, who translated Sleepyheads, rewrote some chunks of that book with Randall so the text and especially dialogue wouldn't be stilted. In terms of selection I buy a lot of books that I like for the art, and we take it from there - but people like Martin and Judith and Iz will be suggesting stuff I look at - as will a few other friends like your own [Broken Frontier staff writer] Bart Croonenborghs and Wim Lockfeer of the Ephemirist, as well as huge German comics advocate Mawil who has a list of things he thinks worth doing.

Sleepyheads and Luchadoras, two of BSB's translated works and The Accidental Salad, the first in the Chalk Marks format

BF: Can you tell us a little about your new larger format Chalk Marks series, beginning with Joe Decie’s The Accidental Salad?

PENMAN: Chalk Marks is basically the Fantagraphics/Cocinino Press Ignatz format for a UK market. I've always deeply loved those comics and I thought what better way to give new cartoonists a chance at being noticed than presenting them in this deluxe way. I think some of the most exciting books we have coming are going to be in this format. Joe Decie's release has done well already and we have stuff coming from Warwick Johnson Cadwell and Box Brown, who people will already know, as well as stuff by incredible new talents. Luke Astorigin, Nick Edwards, Will Morris and Harvey James all have books due out by November. I really think some of these guys are going to be producing major works for every comics publisher you can think of in years to come - they are that good.

BF: Finally what can we expect to see from the Blank Slate stable through the rest of 2011 and going into 2012?

PENMAN: We have a big schedule, which, in truth, I doubt we will get the whole way through. Firstly in 2011 a new kids book from Darryl Cunningham called Uncle Bob as well as a facsimilie reproduction of Oli's first book Touch Wood. The much delayed My Skateboard Life is about to go to press and should be out in around 6 weeks. Ed Syder made a huge effort of revising it and it's a great little book (and incidentally one of our highest pre-release sell ins) - if you ever skateboarded I think you'll love it.

M.E.G.G, Nigel's second Spleenal book will also appear around September. We have a collection of short stories from Laurie J Proud called Peepholes coming out around October - it's an incredible thing and walks down allusional, darker streets that are inhabited by American cartoonists like Al Columbia. I strongly think it will become a major cult comic on release and build a reputation for Laurie's outstanding skills going forward. On top of that we have Nelson, of course, and the Chalk Marks we talked about above.

On the translated side we are working on books from Line Hoven, a translation of her lovely book Liebe Schaut Weg and the amazing Hector Umbra from Uli Oesterle - which already has many of the comics artists in the country lining up, having been fans for years. At last an English translation. If you've never seen Hector it's like a super cool, hard-boiled detective in the world of Hellboy. By all accounts Mike Mignola is a big fan - have a look and you'll see why.

In 2012 we will be doing Isabel Kreitz's deep historical, WWII book about the spy Richard Sorge (who became a hero of the Soviet Union). It's an incredible piece of work and should have the chance to reach a wide audience interested in this little known piece of European war history. I also will be indulging my interest in situationism and doing a translation of RPM, Martina Lenzin's post punk graphic novel set amongst the squats of London.

On the non-translated side we should see Warwick Johnson Cadwell's incredible, oversized tribute to Tarzan filtered through 2000AD, Gungle, published in the late spring and around the same time we will be collecting Nick Abadzis's long out of print Hugo Tate in a massive and definitive edition - a reminder of just how great some UK comics were back in the 80s. Stuart Kolakovic, if he can catch a break from being one of the UK's most in demand illustrators, will hopefully turn in his massively ambitious first GN Lichen. I've been talking about that one for years now, but, believe me, it will be worth the wait.

We've a few other things bubbling under including possibly doing something with UK cartoonist Donya Todd who could be the UK's answer to Dame Darcey - but funnier, and some others things we can't announce until they come together a little more. It's a very exciting comics jamboree. I just hope my heart will take getting them all into existence.

You can read about all of the projects Kenny spoke about in this three-part interview at the Blank Slate Books website. Visit the Blank Slate store here to order online. For more on Nigel Auchterlounie's work check out his blog here.