BRITISH COMICS NOW! As you no doubt know by now after our interview coverage and, as mentioned at Broken Frontier earlier this year, six British/UK-based comic creators will be attending this weekend’s Toronto Comic Art Festival (TCAF) as part of the British Comics Now initiative from the Lakes International Comic Art Festival (LICAF), and funded by Arts Council England, The Adlard Foundation and The British Council.
To mark this occasion LICAF have released this short film on the initiative with words written by my good self. You can read the full transcript below. If you’re at TCAF this weekend make sure to visit the British Comics Now delegation and see some of the finest indie work coming out of the UK right now.
Traditionally, British comics are often thought of in terms of genre fiction and all-ages work. But dive into the independent UK comics scene and you will find an expansive ocean of sequential art, remarkable in its dazzling diversity of styles and approaches. From abstract and experimental comics to socially relevant comics; autobiographical work to graphic journalism and biography; through to alternative and underground-style self-publishing… our comics output in the UK has never been as vibrant and wide-ranging in scope as it is today.
British Comics Now looks to celebrate these exceptional levels of creativity by spotlighting some of our finest creators and their comics. The next generation of exciting creative voices. These are our TCAF contingent. Jason Chuang forges an intimate connection between reader and page with abstract and surreal illustrations. B. Mure tackles profound social issues and emotive themes through gorgeous fantasy imagery and allegory. Bex Ollerton communicates the realities of lived personal experiences with an expressive and accessible cartooning style. Clio Isadora uses raw candour to reveal emotional truths in powerful and incisive slice-of-life narratives.
Isabel Greenberg is one of the key figures in the new wave of Brit graphic novelists, blending classic mythology with a modern sensibility. Martin Simpson entrances the reader with striking and detailed artwork that has a genuinely unique aesthetic.
This is the true face of comics as an art form in the UK. This is British Comics Now!
