British small press comics, once known as
stripzines, are
comic bookA comic book is a magazine made up of narrative artwork, often accompanied by dialog and often including brief descriptive prose...
s self-published by amateur
cartoonistA cartoonist is a person who specializes in drawing cartoons. Traditionally much of this work was, and still is, humorous, and is intended primarily for entertainment purposes...
s and
comic book creatorA comic book creator is any one of a number of people working to create a comic book or graphic novel. The production of a comic book by one of the major comic book companies in the U.S...
s, usually in short print runs, in the UK. A "small press comic" is essentially a
zineA zine is most commonly a small circulation publication of original or appropriated texts and images...
predominantly comprised of comic strips. The term emerged in the early 1980s to distinguish them from zines
about comics. Notable artists who have had their start in British small press comics include
Eddie CampbellEddie Campbell is a Scottish comics artist and cartoonist who now lives in Australia. Probably best known as the illustrator and publisher of From Hell , Campbell is also the creator of the semi-autobiographical Alec stories, and Bacchus , a wry adventure series about the few Greek gods who have...
,
Paul GristPaul Grist is a British comic book creator, noted for his hard-boiled police series Kane and his unorthodox superhero series Jack Staff.-Biography:...
,
Rian HughesRian Hughes is a British graphic designer, illustrator and comics artist, noted for his work on 2000AD, where he illustrated Robo-Hunter, Tales from Beyond Science, Really and Truly and Dan Dare, among others...
,
Jamie HewlettJamie Christopher Hewlett is an English comic book artist and designer. He is best known for being the co-creator of the comic strip Tank Girl and co-creator of the band Gorillaz.-Biography:...
,
Philip BondPhilip J. Bond is a British comic book artist, who first came to prominence in the late 1980s on Deadline magazine, and later through a number of collaborations with British writers for the DC Comics imprint Vertigo.-Early life, career and Deadline:...
and
Andi WatsonAndrew "Andi" Watson is a British cartoonist and illustrator best known for the graphic novels Breakfast After Noon, Slow News Day and his series Love Fights, published by Oni Press and Slave Labor Graphics....
.
Small press comics are traditionally sold by mail, using reviews and
classified advertsClassified advertising is a form of advertising which is particularly common in newspapers, online and other periodicals, e.g. free ads papers or Pennysavers...
, websites, email lists and
word of mouthWord of mouth is a reference to the passing of information from person to person. Originally the term referred specifically to oral communication , but now includes any type of human communication, such as face to face, telephone, email, and text messaging.-History of word of mouth marketing:One of...
to reach an audience. There is usually one or more mail order service, commonly known as a "distro", operating in the UK. These will hold a wide range of titles and take a cut of the cover price. The two main active distros are Samu and SmallZone. They are also sold at conventions and festivals, with small groups of like-minded creators often sharing a table at a reduced rate. Specialist small press events include
CaptionCAPTION is an annual comic convention specialising in British small press comics. It was first held in Oxford in January 1992, subsequently being held in summer each year. Loosely based around a theme, each year's event offers panels and workshops related to small press comics along with the...
in
OxfordOxford is a city, and the county town of Oxfordshire, in South East England. The city has a population of just under 165,000, with 151,000 living within the district boundary. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through Oxford and meet south of the city centre...
, and the UK Web and Mini Comix Thing in
London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
. Creators will often make international links to these forms of distribution in other countries and vice versa.
Distribution into comic book stores via traditional distributors (such as
DiamondDiamond Comic Distributors, Inc. is the largest comic book distributor serving North America. They transport comic books from both big and small comic book publishers, or suppliers, to the retailers. Diamond dominates the direct market in the United States, and has exclusive arrangements with most...
) is rare. Stores will often stock titles by local creators though some, notably Gosh! in London and Page 45 in
NottinghamNottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire, England and is one of only eight members of the English Core Cities Group....
, stock a wider range. In recent times small press titles have sold in larger bookstores
BordersBorders Group is an international bookseller based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Borders is the second-largest bookstore chain in the United States , selling a wide variety of books, CDs, DVDs, and periodicals, as well as gifts and stationery.In 2004, Borders reached an agreement with...
and
FoylesW & G Foyle Ltd. is a bookshop at 113–119 Charing Cross Road, London, England. Foyles was once listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the world's largest bookshop in terms of shelf area and number of titles on display...
in
London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
.
The traditional format has been a photocopied and stapled booklet, usually at A5 size, similar to American
minicomicA minicomic is a creator-published comic book, often photocopied and stapled or with a handmade binding. In the United Kingdom and Europe the term "small press comic" is equivalent with minicomic reserved for those publications measuring A6 or less...
s, although other sizes are known. While some creators continue to produce publications in this style, emphasising the hand-made aspect and often decorating each copy by hand, in recent years the increasing availability of digital printing has made professional printing affordable for short-run publications. Some of the spirit of small press comics can now also be found in
webcomicWebcomics, online comics, or Internet comics are comics published on a website, often exclusively, providing easy access to an audience, though some are published in books and newspapers but maintain a web archive....
s.
Background
Traditionally, a
small pressSmall press is a term often used to describe publishers with annual sales below a certain level. Commonly, in the United States, this is set at $50 million, after returns and discounts...
publisher was simply a publisher who operated on a small scale, often with a manual printing press in-house, producing limited print-runs of publications that larger, more commercially inclined publishers would reject.
The history of British small press comics is tied up with the
underground pressThe phrase underground press is most often used to refer to the independently published and distributed underground papers associated with the counterculture of the late 1960s and early 1970s in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, and other western nations...
of the 1960s with publications such as
OzOz was first published as a satirical humour magazine between 1963 and 1969 in Sydney, Australia and, in its second and more famous incarnation, became a "psychedelic hippy" magazine from 1967 to 1973 in London. Strongly identified as part of the underground press, it was the subject of two...
and
International TimesInternational Times was an underground paper founded in London in 1966. Editors included John Hopkins, David Mairowitz, Pete Stansill, Barry Miles, Jim Haynes and playwright Tom McGrath...
, the British underground comix scene led by
Nasty Tales and
Knockabout ComicsKnockabout Comics is a UK publisher and distributor of underground and alternative comic books.-History:It was formed by Tony Bennett and Carol Bennett in the 1980s to distribute Gilbert Shelton's Freak Brothers titles as well as British work from creators such as Hunt Emerson and Bryan...
of the 1970s and with the
Punk zineA punk zine is a zine devoted to punk culture, most often punk rock music, bands, or the DIY punk ethic. Punk zines are the most likely place to find punk literature....
explosions of the late 1970s. The latter was probably more significant as it was born of cheap and accessible photocopying. This dramatic lowering of technological
barriers to entryIn economics and mostly especially in the theory of competition, barriers to entry are obstacles in the path of a firm that make it difficult to enter a given market....
meant anyone could produce a publication with a print run as low as one regardless of commercial potential.
Within the British comics
fandomFandom is a term used to refer to a subculture composed of fans characterized by a feeling of sympathy and camaraderie with others who share a common interest...
of the 1970s and early 1980s there were many zines
about comics, mainly concentrating on American
superheroA superhero is "a fictional character of unprecedented powers dedicated to acts of derring-do in the public interest"...
titles. Since high-street retailers of comics were scarce these zines ran
mail orderMail order is a term which describes the buying of goods or services by mail delivery. The buyer places an order for the desired products with the merchant through some remote method such as through a telephone call or web site. Then, the products are delivered to the customer...
services and relied on the postal service for distribution. The first and most famous being
Fantasy AdvertiserFantasy Advertiser was a British magazine which discussed comic books. The magazine started as a fan magazine and was edited at one point during the 1970s by Dez Skinn...
. There were also regular
marketA market is any one of a variety of different systems, institutions, procedures, social relations and infrastructures whereby persons trade, and goods and services are exchanged, forming part of the economy. It is an arrangement that allows buyers and sellers to exchange things...
s or "marts" which also served as a social meeting place for aficionados. This gave a backbone for small press comics to emerge and in many cases react against.
The 1970s
Among the earliest British small press comics was
The Tale of Beem Gotelump, the story of an aging jazz musician who is tasked by the Archangel Gabriel with playing the last trump at the end of the world, created and published by
Eddie CampbellEddie Campbell is a Scottish comics artist and cartoonist who now lives in Australia. Probably best known as the illustrator and publisher of From Hell , Campbell is also the creator of the semi-autobiographical Alec stories, and Bacchus , a wry adventure series about the few Greek gods who have...
under the pseudonym "Roland Bunn" in 1975.
Kevin O'NeillKevin O'Neill is a British comic book illustrator best known as the co-creator of Nemesis the Warlock, Marshal Law , and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen .-Early career:...
, then working in newsstand humour comics, mostly on the production end, created (with co-writer Jack Adrian) and published
Mek Memoirs, a 12 page "stripzine" about a robot war in 1976, which can be seen as a precursor on his work on
2000 AD2000 AD is a weekly British science fiction-oriented comic. As a comics anthology it serialises a number of separate stories each issue and was first published by IPC Magazines in 1977, the first issue dated February 26...
.
Perhaps the most successful of all British small press comics is the adult humour comic
VizViz is a popular British comic magazine which has been running since 1979.The comic's style parodies the strait-laced British comics of the post-war period, notably The Beano and The Dandy, but with incongruous language, crude toilet humour, black comedy, surreal humour and either sexual or violent...
, first published in Newcastle in 1979. It grew out of the punk fanzine scene, and went on to successful newsstand publication, continuing to the present day.
The 1980s
The first flowering of British small press comics centred around
Fast FictionFast Fiction was a market stall, magazine, mail order distributor and news sheet that played a key role in the history of British small press comics...
, which began as a stall run by
Paul GravettPaul Gravett is a London-based journalist, curator, writer and broadcaster who has worked in comics publishing and promotion for over twenty years....
at the bi-monthly Westminster Comic Mart in London in 1981, and developed into an anthology, a mail order service and a news sheet. In its various forms it lasted until 1990. Artists associated with this scene included
Eddie CampbellEddie Campbell is a Scottish comics artist and cartoonist who now lives in Australia. Probably best known as the illustrator and publisher of From Hell , Campbell is also the creator of the semi-autobiographical Alec stories, and Bacchus , a wry adventure series about the few Greek gods who have...
,
Phil ElliottPhil Elliott is a comic book creator who was published in Escape Magazine. He was part of the British small press comics scene in the 80's.-Career:...
,
Glenn DakinGlenn Dakin is a British cartoonist and author of children's books. He was a contributor to a number of British comics magazines including Escape and Deadline and was part of the British small press comics scene in the 1980s...
,
Paul GristPaul Grist is a British comic book creator, noted for his hard-boiled police series Kane and his unorthodox superhero series Jack Staff.-Biography:...
, Ed Hillyer,
Woodrow PhoenixWoodrow Phoenix is a British comics artist, writer, editorial illustrator, graphic designer, font designer and author of children's books. His work is graphic and playful but is unusual for its high degree of formal experimentation...
,
Rian HughesRian Hughes is a British graphic designer, illustrator and comics artist, noted for his work on 2000AD, where he illustrated Robo-Hunter, Tales from Beyond Science, Really and Truly and Dan Dare, among others...
,
Bob LynchBob Lynch is a British small press comics artist who produced minicomics during the 1980s and 1990s. His self published work includes the Sav Sadness stories and Behold The Hamster. His work has also appeared in Escape Magazine, MacFormat, City Limits , Buddies a gay humour comic similar to...
,
Ed PinsentEd Pinsent is a British cartoonist, artist and writer born 1960 in Liverpool.-Biography:Pinsent has written and drawn his own small press comics since 1982, including characters such as Primitif, Henrietta and Windy Wilberforce...
, and the teenage
Warren EllisWarren Ellis is an English author of comics, novels, and television, well known for sociocultural commentary, both through his online presence and his writing, which covers transhumanist themes...
. Campbell argues it was he who persuaded his fellow artists to call their publications "small press comics" rather than "fanzines", after seeing the term "small press" used for similar publications at a poetry festival. Gravett and Peter Stanbury published many of the Fast Fiction artists in
Escape MagazineEscape magazine was a landmark British comic strip magazine founded and edited by Paul Gravett and Peter Stanbury. Nineteen issues were published between 1983 to 1989...
from 1983 to 1989.
Between 1983 and 1995 Zine Zone (later Zine Zone International), a Bristol-based company specialising in mail order, comic mart service and publications, focused international attention on UK Small Pressers and helped a number go on to mainstream comics, including
D'IsraeliMatt Brooker, whose work most often appears under the pseudonym D'Israeli , is a British comic artist, colorist, writer and letterer. Other pseudonyms he uses include "Molly Eyre" , for his writing, and "Harry V...
and
Duncan Fegredo-Biography:Fegredo first managed to get into comics after showing his portfolio around UKCAC in 1987 and meeting Dave Thorpe. Together they worked on a strip for a short lived British magazine called Heartbreak Hotel. After this, Fegredo worked for Crisis for Fleetway before working on Kid Eternity...
.
1987 three students from
Northbrook CollegeNorthbrook College is a further education college and principal provider of work-related Further Education in an area centred on Worthing and encompassing the nearby towns of Littlehampton, Shoreham-by-Sea and Southwick....
,
WorthingWorthing is a large seaside town with borough status in West Sussex, forming part of the Brighton/Worthing/Littlehampton conurbation. It is situated at the foot of the South Downs, west of Brighton, and east of the county town of Chichester...
,
Jamie HewlettJamie Christopher Hewlett is an English comic book artist and designer. He is best known for being the co-creator of the comic strip Tank Girl and co-creator of the band Gorillaz.-Biography:...
,
Philip BondPhilip J. Bond is a British comic book artist, who first came to prominence in the late 1980s on Deadline magazine, and later through a number of collaborations with British writers for the DC Comics imprint Vertigo.-Early life, career and Deadline:...
and Alan Martin, produced two issues of a small press comic called
Atomtan. This came to the attention of
Brett EwinsBrett Ewins is a British comic book artist best known for his work on Judge Dredd and Rogue Trooper in the weekly comic book 2000 AD.-Biography:Ewins studied at Goldsmiths College and left in 1977...
who invited the pair to contribute to his new comics magazine,
DeadlineDeadline was a British comic magazine published between 1988 and 1995.Created by 2000 AD stalwarts Brett Ewins and Steve Dillon, it featured a mix of comic strips and written articles targeted at older readers...
, which began in 1988. Hewlett and Martin created the magazine's flagship character,
Tank GirlTank Girl is a British comic created by Jamie Hewlett and Alan Martin. Originally drawn by Jamie Hewlett, the strip is currently drawn by Rufus Dayglo, Ashley Wood, and Mike McMahon....
, and has gone on to work in animation, most notably creating the cartoon rock group
GorillazGorillaz is a English virtual band created in 1998 by Damon Albarn of Britpop band Blur, and Jamie Hewlett, co-creator of the comic book Tank Girl. The band is composed of four animated band members: 2D , Murdoc , Noodle and Russel...
.
The 1990s
After Ed Pinsent wound up the last incarnation of Fast Fiction, cartoonist Luke Walsh and reader Mike Kidson took over their mailing list for their review zine
Zum!, the first issue appearing in August 1991.
Zum! distributed copies of comics submitted to a panel of reviewers, often cartoonists themselves, who were encouraged to write critical reviews of significant length. It also featured reproductions of the comics under review.
Zum! continues as a website run by Paul Schroeder.
Caption, a zine-cum-
APAAn Amateur Press Association or APA is a group of people who produce individual pages or magazines that are sent to a Central Mailer for collation and distribution to all members of the group.-Organisation:...
devoted to small press comics edited by Jenni Scott, ran from 1992 to 1998, and spawned the still-active
CaptionCAPTION is an annual comic convention specialising in British small press comics. It was first held in Oxford in January 1992, subsequently being held in summer each year. Loosely based around a theme, each year's event offers panels and workshops related to small press comics along with the...
small press comics convention, held annually in Oxford.
The 1990s saw the reemergence of fanzines about comics in the
Fantasy Advertiser mould.
Battleground, edited by Andy Brewer, was at first mainly concerned with American superhero comics, although it also featured reviews and articles on small press comics and interviews with the cartoonists.
Vicious, edited by Pete Ashton, was more free-form, promising to print all material submitted. Ashton also created TRS ("The Review Sheet"), collecting capsule reviews and contact details for small press comics, in 1995. In 1996 he set up the BugPowder distribution service, which sold any British small press comics that cared to be listed as well as importing selected books from the US and Europe. TRS was discontinued in 1998, before being revived as TRS2 by
Andrew LukeAndrew Luke is a Northern Irish comic artist based in Belfast.He has contributed writings to Bugpowder, Borderline, and Comics Village, and has acted as a publisher, contributor and cartoonist since 1997.-Biography:...
. BugPowder closed as a distributor in 2000, but the BugPowder blog continues to spotlight British small press activity, and includes the now-online TRS2.
Slab-O-ConcreteSlab-O-Concrete was a British mail order distributor and publisher set up by Peter Pavement in the early 1990s. Initially selling British small press comics and zines, Pavement also imported publications from the United States, Australia and Europe....
was a mail order distro and publisher set up by Australian pavement artist Peter Pavement and also Dave Hanna in the early 1990s. Its first title was Pavement's own
Pavement Pizza, and it soon began selling British small press comics and zines on marts in Brighton and Hove, and importing books from the US, Australia and Europe. Slab-O-Concrete developed into a full-scale publisher, repackaging small press comics for the bookshop market and originating new work. It avoided the
direct marketThe direct market is the dominant distribution and retail network for North American comic books. It consists of one dominant distributor and the majority of comics specialty stores, as well as other retailers of comic books and related merchandise...
of comic shops and made connections with underground publishers, zinesters, indie record labels and other
subculturalIn sociology, anthropology and cultural studies, a subculture is a group of people with a culture which differentiates them from the larger culture to which they belong...
scenes. Slab was laid low by cashflow issues in 2001.
Other groups included Dachshund, run by Andy, aka Andy Konky Kru, which published
Graphic Reviews, a review zine featuring reviews in comic strip form by Lee Kennedy and others, and an A8 sized anthology,
Itsy Bitsy. Andrew Moreton set up Massive, a small press distro, in 1992, and also published a zine,
The Comics Cut Quarterly.
PsychopiaPsychopia is a small press zine featuring reviews and articles on British comic books and small press comics and interviews with cartoonists. Unusually for comix zines it focussed almost entirely on British comics such as The Beano and The Dandy ignoring American superhero comics.Issue #0 was the...
, was a zine and distro set up by cartoonist B. Patson in 1994, which still exists online. Other cartoonists sold their work through classified ads in
Comics InternationalComics International is a news and reviews magazine about comic books. Founded in 1990, it was published monthly by Quality Communications until 2006. It is now published by Cosmic Publications Ltd.-Overview:...
magazine.
The 2000s
Recent creators to have launched through the small press include Gary Northfield, whose
Derek the SheepDerek the Sheep is a fictional character and comic strip in the British comic The Beano. He first appeared in issue 3214, dated 21 February 2004...
has gained a recurring slot in the
BeanoBeano can refer to:* The Beano, a British children's comic.* Brian "Beano" McDonald, a member of the Laois senior football panal.* Another name for bingo.* Beano , used to prevent flatulence....
. Writer Jason Cobley, who has been self-publishing his
Bulldog comics since the mid-90s, and former
Bulldog Empire artist
Neill Cameron-Biography:Cameron started out in British small press comics, most notably drawing Bulldog Empire, which also appeared in the small press section of Judge Dredd Megazine and was reprinted in the first volume of ILYA's Mammoth Book of Best New Manga....
, now work for
The DFCThe DFC was a weekly British children's anthology comic It was published by David Fickling Books and the first issue was published at the end of May 2008....
and
Classical ComicsClassical Comics is a British publisher of graphic novel adaptations of the great works of literature, including Shakespeare, Charlotte Brontë and Dickens.-Overview:...
.
Garen EwingGaren Ewing is an illustrator, designer and most notably a comic creator, being the writer and illustrator of The Adventures of Julius Chancer - The Rainbow Orchid....
, who worked in small press comics in the 1990s, moved onto the web with
The Rainbow OrchidThe Rainbow Orchid is a comic written and drawn by Garen Ewing, the first of a series of planned Julius Chancer books. It is set in the 1920s and follows Chancer's expedition to discover the mythical 'Rainbow Orchid'. Starting in England, the adventure takes the characters first to France, then...
, soon to be published in print by Egmont UK, and also contributes to
The DFC. Brothers Robin and Lawrence Etherington, creators of the small press comic
Malcolm Magic, now create "Monkey Nuts" for
The DFC. PJ Holden and
Al EwingAl Ewing is a British comic writer who has mainly worked in the small press and for 2000 AD.-Biography:Al Ewing is the creator of The Ultimate Future Shock and periodic contributor to the comic's Terror Tales and Future Shorts series, variations on their classic Future Shocks format...
emerged from the small press to work for
2000 AD2000 AD is a weekly British science fiction-oriented comic. As a comics anthology it serialises a number of separate stories each issue and was first published by IPC Magazines in 1977, the first issue dated February 26...
and develop digital comics.
One of the current leading distros is SmallZone, founded in 1999 by Shane Chebsey, which also provides a printing service for small press creators. Chebsey and Andrew Richmond also publish comics under the Scar Comics banner. In 2006 the first Scar Comics graphic novel,
Falling Sky by Ben Dickson, won "Best Indie Surprise" on Ain't It Cool News.
Another activist for British independent comics is writer/artist Barry Renshaw. Founding the Engine Comics imprint in 2000, Renshaw wrote and published the
Rough Guide to Self Publishing, which is now in its fourth edition (2007) and was described as 'essential purchase for budding self-publishers' by industry paper
Comics International. In 2004, Engine Comics launched
Redeye Magazine, a news/reviews magazine specifically created to educate and promote small press and self published comics to the wider public. It has been described as a 'vital read' by
SFX magazineSFX is a British magazine devoted to science fiction and fantasy subjects, especially media-related topics, but not containing fiction. It is published every four weeks, and is the best-selling title of its type in Europe....
and "a must have" by Ain't It Cool News. Other titles include
Seven Sentinels and the
Fusion anthology.
Accent UK, a collective headed by Dave West (
Deva Comics) and
Colin MathiesonColin Mathieson is a Scottish cartoonist, known mainly for his work in British small press comics. He is married to Karen and is also the father of his two sons, Scott and Adam...
(
M56 Comics), was formed in 2002 and produced themed US format anthologies featuring contributions from dozens of UK independent creators. In addition to the founding members, regular contributors to Accent UK publications include Andy Bloor, Jon H. Ayre,
David HitchcockDavid Hitchcock is an English writer and artist known mainly for his small press comics work - particularly his book Springheeled Jack, for which he won an Eagle Award in 2006.-Biography:...
,
John ReppionJohn Mark Reppion is a British writer. He is married to Leah Moore, the daughter of Alan Moore, and he has worked with both on the comic Albion.-Biography:...
and
Leah MooreLeah Moore is an English writer. She is the daughter of Alan Moore and Phyllis Moore, and is married to John Reppion. She has worked with both Alan and John on the comic Albion. She has also written for other comics and publications including Tom Strong and The End Is Nigh...
(daughter of
Alan MooreAlan Oswald Moore is an English writer known for work in comics, including the acclaimed comic book series Watchmen, V for Vendetta and From Hell...
), Bridgeen Gillespie (
Mr Maximo & Rabbit), Garry Brown, and David Baillie. The 2007 anthology
Zombies, included a cover by American artist Steve Bissette.
The
Judge Dredd MegazineJudge Dredd Megazine is a monthly British comic magazine, launched in October 1990. It is a sister publication to 2000 AD.The Megazine contains both stories set in the world of Judge Dredd, as well as unconnected stories and text pieces, including articles, interviews and reviews.-Stories:Like...
features a regular small press spotlight section, and has also featured columns by Matt Badham on the small press scene.
FutureQuake PublishingFutureQuake is a British small press comic book founded by Arthur Wyatt, and edited from issue 5 onwards by Richmond Clements, David Evans, Mark Woodland and Edward Berridge. Issue 4 was edited by Clements, Evans and James Mackay...
was originally set up to publish the anthology comic
FutureQuake. By a combination of launching new titles and taking over existing ones whose owners retire from the scene, they have built up a stable including
MangaQuake,
Something Wicked and
Lost Property, as well as
2000AD2000 AD is a weekly British science fiction-oriented comic. As a comics anthology it serialises a number of separate stories each issue and was first published by IPC Magazines in 1977, the first issue dated February 26...
fanzines
ZarjazZarjaz is a comics anthology fanzine for the long running British sci-fi comic 2000 AD.-Publication history:Zarjaz was started in 2001 by Andrew J Lewis and ran for four issues. The fanzine contained comic strips based on various 2000 AD characters and also ran an in-depth interview with writer...
and
DogbreathDogbreath is fanzine dedicated to the 2000 AD series Strontium Dog.-Publication history:Dogbreath was started by Dr Bob , who had been writing Strontium Dog fan fiction since 1981...
.
Solar WindSolar Wind is a British small press comics anthology. Edited by Cosmic Ray , the comic is devoted to gentle parodies of British boys' comics of the 1970s and 80s...
has won numerous awards for its long-running series of parodic comics, which pastiche the style of children's comics of the 1970s. The group publishes
Solar Wind,
Sunny for Girls,
Big War Comic,
Omnivistascope and is connected to
The End Is NighThe End Is Nigh is an annual British fanzine edited by Michael Molcher. It was launched at the Bristol Comic Expo in 2005 and, since becoming a semi-annual publication, each subsequent issue is also launched there....
(through Solar Wind editor/writer
Paul ScottPaul Scott, sometimes known as Paul von Scott, is a writer who is very active in the British small press comics scene. He produces Solar Wind as well Big War Comic, Sunny For Girls and Omnivistascope...
and other creators).
London Underground Comics is a both a weekly market stall in Camden Lock Market and a loose collective of U.K. based small press creators whose work is sold and displayed on the weekly stall. London Underground Comics was founded in November 2007 by Camden based creator Oli Smith who runs the stall with the help of a variety of small press creators. LUC has also run larger one day events that take up an additional of Camden Lock Market such as No Barcodes in April 2008 and Low Energy Day in August 2008. LUC promote their stall and events via
YouTubeYouTube is a video sharing website on which users can upload and share videos. Three former PayPal employees created YouTube in February 2005. In November 2006, YouTube, LLC was bought by Google Inc. for $1.65 billion, and is now operated as a subsidiary of Google...
videos.
The UK Web and Mini Comix Thing is a yearly event in London run by Patrick Findlay that brings the British small press and webcomics communities together to sell and promote their work.
Radio 4 have planned a series on small press publishing, to be aired late 2009. One of the episodes will focus on small press comics, reviewing titles from both The UK and from the USA/Canada. One of the titles that is tipped to be featured is the cult London small press comic "Eat, Drink & Be Buried."
External links