THOUGHT BUBBLE MONTH 2026! If you’re a long-term Broken Frontier reader you know by now that Anna Readman is one of my absolute favourite creators working in the form today. From her alt-style, self-published minicomics like Handlebar Gumbo and Peach Fuzz through to her work in the pages of the iconic 2000 AD and Judge Dredd Megazine every Readman comic is a revelation.
One of the great joys of her output is that she jumps between those bigger properties and clearly very personal projects with such readiness. Case in point is her recent minicomic One Day in the Life of Xero Slingsby (back cover subtitle ‘Anarchist with a Bikepumpaphone’) which adapts some short-form writing by the Leeds saxophone-playing busker from 1982.
Illustrated in Readman’s signature rich, detailed and sometimes almost grimy style – as ever with a foot firmly rooted in stark reality and another in a realm of slightly distorted caricature – she brings the words of Slingsby (aka Stephen Coe) to life as we follow his busking exploits, brushes with the law and obstreperous locals, and constant running count of his paltry finances as buying groceries, performing, and bottle deposits see them ebb and flow.
Threaded throughout is a tangible sense of social commentary as Readman goes to great length to capture a sense of time and place in the Northern environment she depicts. One Day in the Life of Xero Slingsby may be a small thing in size and page count but in terms of its sheer humanity it contains multitudes. And, perhaps, most importantly of all it will introduce readers to a fascinating subject they may not have heard of before. I certainly hadn’t but now feel motivated to investigate further, check out the Xero Slingsby albums and watch the recent documentary.
I’d say that was a job well done.
Anna Readman (W/A), Sally Coe (afterword) • Self-published
Visit Anna Readman’s site here
Review by Andy Oliver
Anna Readman is at Table B18 in the Travelling Man Hall at Thought Bubble.
Thought Bubble 2026 runs from November 9th-15th with the convention weekend taking place on the 14th-15th. More details on the Thought Bubble site here.
Read all our Thought Bubble 2026 coverage so far in one place here.
Poster art by Núria Tamarit
