Blackheath Folk: Local History and Folklore is the kind of zine project that really sums up the spirit of Small Press Day. It’s been put together by the volunteer staff team at the Oxfam Blackheath shop and will be launching there this Saturday for SPD. It’s a collection of comic strips, illustration and articles with a suitably DIY feel that’s just brimming over with enthusiasm for its subject matter.
Cover by Alice Graham
Edited by 2022 Broken Frontier ‘Six to Watch’ artist Beatrice Mossman – already no stranger to putting together group anthology books like Hell-Hued – Blackheath Folk explores the myths and history of that region of London. Understandably it’s the comics content we will be most interested in honing in on here at Broken Frontier and there are names both new and familiar involved on that front in these pages.
‘The Blackheath Highway Men’ (above) by Alice Graham kicks off the comic strip material with an account of two 19th century robbers; one which is adapted from newspaper accounts of the day. There’s an engaging fluidity to Graham’s work in a story that takes more than a hint of humorous irreverence from the details by its conclusion. Mossman herself contributes ‘Bal Masque in a Cavern’ which is based an 1846 newspaper story about a masked ball attended by 1500 people that took place in the Blackheath Caverns in that year. The historical details on this are fascinating and Mossman recreates events with her usual intricate style and inventive layouts.
Mossman is nothing but versatile in her practice and her second comic strip ‘Prime Time’ is a stripped back tribute to a lost Blackheath video rental store of the same name. ‘A Ghoulish Girl and Her Beloved Ghost Train’ (above) is her third and final comic herein which provides some backstory on the Blackheath funfair before giving us a more contemporary slice-of-life tale about her final fateful ghost train ride with her Grannydad (grandfather). Mossman perfectly captures a child’s eye view of the world here with exaggerated and grotesque perspectives that make this story both funny and rather poignant.
Other non-comics highlights include a fantastic rendition of the legendary Spring-Heeled Jack by Mavis Yick (above); a collaborative series of drawings of the Oxfam Blackheath store by Adam Khan, Alice Graham, Joanna Mead and Peter; another collaborate illustrative effort from Aida and Ela exploring the origins of the Blackheath name; and a mini-interview with long-time Oxfam Blackheath manager Nicola Gatt giving insights into the local area. It’s very clear that so much effort and research has gone into Blackheath Folk and it shows. This is a delightful group effort and the promise that it’s just the start of something more is a welcome one indeed.
Beatrice Mossman, Adam Khan, Alice Graham, Joanna Mead, Peter, Nicola Gatt, Aida, Ela, Mavis Yick • Blackheath Oxfam
Blackheath Folk will be available to buy online after Small Press Day. Follow the Oxfam Blackheath Instagram for details then. Proceeds from sales go to Oxfam.
Review by Andy Oliver
