Our spring season kicks off with the launch of two brilliant German graphic novels in translation: Irmina by Barbara Yelin and An Olympic Dream by Reinhard Kleist.

On Thursday 3rd March we’re celebrating the release of both books with a free event at the Goethe-Institut in London (50 Princes Gate, Exhibition Road, SW7 2PH; tube: South Kensington). Barbara Yelin and Reinhard Kleist will discuss their work with the journalist Rosie Goldsmith. The event, which starts at 7pm, is free to attend – all you need to do is rsvp to [email protected].

Set for the most part in the Berlin of Hitler’s Germany, Barbara Yelin’s award-winning Irmina is a troubling drama based on the life of the author’s grandmother. Conjuring the oppressive atmosphere of Nazi Germany, Irmina explores the tension between integrity and social advancement, reflecting with compassion and intelligence on the complicity that results from the choice, conscious or otherwise, to look away. You can read more about the book here and you’ll find a preview of the artwork on the Forbidden Planet International Blog.

You’ll already know Reinhard Kleist as the author of Castro, Johnny Cash: I See A Darkness and The Boxer. His latest prize-winning graphic biography tells the remarkable true story of Somali Olympian Samia Yusuf Omar. In 2008, 17-year-old Yusuf Omar stood alongside some of the fastest women in the world on the start line of the Olympic 200m. Four years later, she boarded a refugee boat to Europe, risking her life on the waters of the Mediterranean.

An Olympic Dream tells the remarkable story of Yusuf Omar’s attempt to compete at the London Games in 2012. Picturing her life in Mogadishu, a city ravaged by conflict, Reinhard Kleist reveals the challenges she faced both as a sportsperson and as a woman. In doing so, he shows why Omar, like so many others, would choose to flee. Following her journey through Ethiopia, Sudan and Libya to its tragic conclusion, An Olympic Dream is both a forceful statement on Europe’s response to the refugee crisis and a moving biography of an incredible woman. Read more about it here.

The event takes place at the Goethe-Institut, 50 Princes Gate, Exhibition Road, SW7 2PH on Thursday 3rd March, from 7pm. We hope to see you there.

Can’t make it because you live in the South West? Fear not: both Reinhard and Barbara will be speaking at the Independent Bath Literature Festival the following evening, Friday 4th March, from 8-9pm. Info here.

Winter may have come, but already there are four green shoots on the horizon…

That’s right, folks: we can now announce our releases for the first half of 2016 – and my, what a fine bunch of graphic novels they are. Taking in everything from the Berlin of Hitler’s Germany to the deserts of Sudan, Agatha Christie to Edvard Munch, our spring titles are at times tragic, at times inspirational, but always brilliantly crafted and compelling.

March sees the release of the award-winning Irmina by Barbara Yelin. Based on the life of Yelin’s grandmother, Irmina follows the eponymous young German who, in the mid-1930s, moves to London. At a cocktail party, she meets Howard Green, one of the first black students at Oxford, who, like Irmina, longs for an independent existence. However, their relationship comes to an abrupt end when Irmina, constrained by the political situation in Hitler’s Germany, is forced to return home. As war approaches and her contact with Howard is broken, it becomes clear to her that prosperity will only be possible through the betrayal of her ideals. Conjuring perfectly the oppressive atmosphere of wartime Germany, Barbara Yelin presents a troubling drama about the tension between integrity and social advancement, reflecting with compassion and intelligence on the complicity that results from the choice, conscious or otherwise, to look away.

March also sees the release of another award-winning German graphic novel in translation: An Olympic Dream by Reinhard Kleist. Following Castro, Johnny Cash: I See A DarknessandThe Boxer, Kleist’s latest graphic biography tells the incredible true story of Somali Olympian Samia Yusuf Omar. In 2008, 17-year-old Yusuf Omar stood alongside some of the fastest women in the world on the start line of the Olympic 200m. Four years later, she boarded a refugee boat to Europe, risking her life on the waters of the Mediterranean. An Olympic Dream tells the remarkable story of Yusuf Omar’s attempt to compete at the London Games in 2012. Picturing her life in Mogadishu, a city ravaged by conflict, Reinhard Kleist reveals the challenges she faced both as a sportsperson and as a woman. In doing so, he shows why Omar, like so many others, would choose to flee. Following her journey through Ethiopia, Sudan and Libya to its tragic conclusion, An Olympic Dream is a forceful statement on Europe’s response to the refugee crisis. But it is also a moving account of a remarkable life, best remembered for a single moment: when an unlikely Olympian, dressed in knee-length leggings and a baggy t-shirt, finished in last place – and the Bird’s Nest stadium erupted.

In May, another graphic biography: Agatha by Anne Martinetti and Guillaume Lebeau, illustrated by Alexandre Franc. Spanning marriages and wars by way of archaeology and infidelities, Agatha is an entertaining and dramatic portrait of the 20th century’s best-loved crime writer. In December 1926, Agatha Christie vanished, sending shockwaves through British society. As the authorities scoured the country for her, theories and suspicions abounded: it was murder, a hoax, suicide, a publicity stunt, revenge. When she was finally located – ten days later, living under an assumed name in a hotel in Harrogate – she returned to normal life, refusing to explain what had happened. Despite Christie’s reputation for final act revelations, this episode of her life would be forever shrouded in mystery. Agatha uses Christie’s enigmatic disappearance as a gateway to explore the life and character of the Queen of Whodunit. Taking in her childhood in Torquay and her early attempts at writing, this landmark graphic biography charts Christie’s development into a free-spirited and thoroughly modern woman who, among other things, enjoyed flying, travel and surfing.

And finally, in May, our Art Masters series continues with Munch by Steffen Kverneland, an extraordinary and inventive graphic biography of the great Norwegian expressionist. Munch explores the relationships and obsessions that drove the artist behind ‘The Scream’. Using text drawn from the writings of Edvard Munch and his contemporaries, this extensively researched and beautifully drawn graphic novel debunks the familiar myth of the half-mad expressionist painter – anguished, starving and ill-treated – to reveal the artist’s neglected sense of humour and optimism. Born out of a life-long fascination with all things Munch, Kverneland’s award-winning seven-year project is the funniest and most entertaining portrait yet of a complex man and a pioneering artist.

In short, 2016 is shaping up to be a good year!

Our Christmas gift to you: a beautiful song by musical adventurer Paul Mosley, lifted from his soundtrack to Klaxon, Si Spencer and DIX’s delightfully dark and disturbing graphic novel.

The full soundtrack will be made available alongside the digital edition of Klaxon, which will be released next year.

In the autumnal gloom, a ray of sunlight: Thought Bubble is upon us!

That’s right: this weekend, we’re jumping on the train to Leeds for what is always the highlight of the comic book calendar. Joining us in The Royal Armouries’ New Dock Hall will be Edward Ross (Filmish), Si Spencer and DIX (Klaxon) and Rob Davis (The Motherless Oven). Plus, the best table-neighbour a publisher could wish for: Mike Medaglia (One Year Wiser). To get your hands on signed books, exclusive prints and complimentary liquorice allsorts, stop by tables 90-92 on Saturday or Sunday (10am-5pm). There may even be popcorn.

A chance of some bling: on Friday evening, we’ll be heading to the British Comic Awards. Run in association with Nottingham’s Page 45, and judged by a panel of aficionados including Kate Beaton and Scroobius Pip, the BCAs are the principal and most prestigious accolade for British comics artists – and the 2015 nominees are a testament to the rude health of our scene. SelfMadeHero’s very own Rob Davis is shortlisted in the Best Book category for The Motherless Oven. There will be whoops and hollers.

Hangover cure: at 12.10pm on Saturday, Film4‘s Mike Leader will lead a Q&A with Edward Ross, the creator of Filmish: A Graphic Journey Through Film. Join them in the Royal Armouries’ Newsroom to learn about Ross’s unique visual guide to cinematic history. The Guardian praised Filmish in a review this Saturday, calling it “thoroughly enjoyable… a wonderfully breezy read.”

Si Spencer and DIX will join Rob Davis and Edward Ross in signing on our table throughout the weekend. So, get yourself a train ticket and come find us in New Dock Hall. We’re right by the entrance!

This Saturday, 7th November, Filmish by Edward Ross launches at Gosh! Comics in London. Join us in raising a glass (or bottle) to this brilliant visual guide to cinema between 7 and 9pm.

Not only will you be able to grab a signed copy of the book – you’ll also get your hands on a beautiful limited edition book plate, which is exclusive to Gosh!

And the book itself? Well, in Filmish, Edward Ross takes us on an exhilarating ride through the history of cinema, using comics to uncover the magic and mechanics behind our favourite movies. Exploring everything from censorship to set design, he spotlights the films and film-makers that embody this provocative and inventive medium, from the pioneers of early cinema to the innovators shaping the movies of today, from A Trip to the Moon to Inception and beyond. For further info, preview material and more, visit www.filmish.co.uk.

The launch takes place on Saturday 7th November at Gosh! Comics, 1 Berwick Street, London W1F 0DR, 7-9pm. Sold? Join the event on Facebook and let everyone know!