On Wednesday 15th April, Julie Birmant and Clément Oubrerie will visit The Institut Français to discuss their award-winning graphic novel biography of Picasso.
Pablo follows the artist’s career from his origins in penury to the advent of modern art. Taking in Picasso’s early life among the bohemians of Montmartre and his turbulent relationship with Fernande, this stunning graphic biography shows how the artist’s style developed in response to his friendships and rivalries.
Writer Julie Birmant and artist Clément Oubrerie will be joined at the French Cultural Institute in South Kensington by comics journalist and historian Paul Gravett. Together they will explore the themes and obsessions – among them, sex, death and his great nemesis, Henri Matisse – that drove Picasso to express himself.
The event kicks off at 7pm at the Institut Français Library, 17 Queensberry Place, London, SW7 2DT. It’s completely free, but you should reserve a place by emailing [email protected].
Earlier on in the day, from 4-5pm, Julie Birmant and Clément Oubrerie will join Karrie Fransman (Death of the Artist) and Paul B Rainey (There’s No Time Like the Present) at the London Book Fair to discuss what graphic novels can do that other forms can’t. The event, which is chaired by Paul Gravett, takes place in the Club Room in Olympia’s National Hall Gallery. Full details are available here.
Pablo is now available from all good book shops (paperback, £16.99/$27.50).
Ricky Rouse Has A Gun, Jörg Tittel and John Aggs’ acclaimed graphic novel, today becomes the first ebook to be sold through BitTorrent Bundle. You can now download the entire book for just $5 here.
Apart from allowing you to download one of the Boston Globe’s Best Graphic Books of 2015, $5 will give you access to exclusive making-of files – pages that give a behind-the-scenes insight into Aggs’ and Tittel’s creative process. Want to try before you buy? You can download the first 33 pages for nothing.
BitTorrent’s brand new paygated Bundle scheme was trialled at the end of last year with the release of Thom Yorke’s latest album, Tomorrow’s Modern Boxes – and, well, if it’s good enough for Thom Yorke, it’s good enough for SelfMadeHero.Combined, Yorke’s free and paid-for Bundles have been downloaded 4.5M times. We’ll settle for a million.
Described by more than one reviewer as “Die Hard in Disney Land”, Ricky Rouse Has A Gun tells the story of a US army deserter who fights a group of neocon terrorists in a knock-off theme park near Shanghai. It’s an irreverent action comedy that’s as bonkers as it is brilliant. But don’t take our word for it:
“I loved Ricky Rouse Has A Gun, a comic filled with deaths and yet full of life.” —Alejandro Jodorowsky
“A thrilling love letter to the remix culture disguised as an action movie from the ’80s… Dum dee dum, delightful.” —Markus “Notch” Persson, Creator of Minecraft
“A story as thrilling as it is bizarre… A true original.” —The Huffington Post
Ricky Rouse Has A Gun is also available in paperback from Amazon US and UK and other quality booksellers. An enhanced digital edition is available on the SEQUENTIAL for iPad App.
Scott McCloud in Conversation with John Lennard, a Q&A at the University of Cambridge, Room G06/07, Faculty of English, 9 West Road, Cambridge, CB3 9DP. Time: 18.00-19.30. This event is free to attend and open to students and the public alike.
FRIDAY 6TH MARCH
“Scott McCloud: The Sculptor”, a talk at The British Library, 96 Euston Road, London, NW1 2DB. Time: 18.30-20.00. Includes a Q&A with Paul Gravett. Tickets available here. (Book now to avoid disappointment: they’re selling fast!) This event coincides with the birthday of comics legend Will Eisner and is a part of Will Eisner Week, a worldwide series of events celebrating Eisner’s legacy. Visit www.WillEisner.com.
SATURDAY 7TH MARCH
“Meet: Scott McCloud”, a signing at Waterstones Piccadilly, 203-206 Piccadilly, London, W1J 9HD. Time: 14.00-16.00.
Signing: Orbital Comics, 8 Great Newport Street, London WC2H 7JA. Time: 19.00-21.00
SUNDAY 8TH MARCH
Signing: Page 45, 9 Market Street, City Centre, Nottingham NG1 6HY. Time: 14.00-16.00. More info here. Interesting fact: Page 45 was named after the 45th page of McCloud’s Understanding Comics. That was twenty years ago.
“An Evening with Scott McCloud”, a Q&A at Leeds Town Hall, The Headrow, Leeds, LS1 3AD. Time: 18.30-19.30. Followed by a book signing. Tickets are free but must be booked in advance here. This event is co-hosted by Travelling Man and Thought Bubble.
The Sculptor, the first full-length fictional graphic novel by the author of Understanding Comics, has been hailed as “an instant classic” by Cory Doctorow, and Neil Gaiman has said of the book, “The Sculptor is the best graphic novel I’ve read in years. It’s about art and love and why we keep on trying. It will break your heart.” It follows the story of a young sculptor who, after making a deal with Death, is given the ability to sculpt anything he can imagine with his bare hands. The catch: he is given just 200 days left to live. McCloud wrote the book on how comics work; now, he’s vaulted into breathtaking, funny and unforgettable fiction. Here’s a selection of the spectacular early review coverage:
“A masterclass in graphic storytelling. If Understanding Comics was the research,The Sculptor is the finished thesis – far more than the sum of its parts, and a wonderful testament to the power of comics.” The Independent
“What a brilliant and gripping book. As absorbing as a Victorian novel.” The Observer (Graphic Novel of the Month)
“Everything in these delicate monochrome panels has been considered; every angle calculated, every expression caught… There’s a master at work here, and you can feel it on every page.” The Telegraph
Released today (Feb 3), the book has already been lauded by early readers and reviewers. Here’s a selection:
“What a brilliant and gripping book. As absorbing as a Victorian novel.” The Observer (Graphic Novel of the Month)
“A masterclass in graphic storytelling. If Understanding Comics was the research, The Sculptor is the finished thesis – far more than the sum of its parts, and a wonderful testament to the power of comics.” The Independent on Sunday
“The Sculptor is the best graphic novel I’ve read in years. It’s about art and love and why we keep on trying. It will break your heart.” Neil Gaiman
The first full-length fictional graphic novel from the creator of Understanding Comics, The Sculptor is a breathtaking urban fable about the price of art, the value of life, and a desperate love. It follows the story of a young sculptor who, after making a deal with Death, is given the ability to sculpt anything he can imagine with his bare hands. But with just 200 days to live, deciding what to create is harder than he thought. And discovering the love of his life at the eleventh hour doesn’t make it any easier.
So, it’s brilliant. But you knew it would be, right? After all, this is Scott McCloud – the guy who wrote the book on comics. His vault into superbly crafted fiction will surprise no one, but the emotional depth and resonance of that fiction will leave you speechless. You should buy it immediately, from Amazon (here), Waterstones (here), Foyles (here), or from any fine bricks-and-mortar book shop across the land.
The Coalition Book, SelfMadeHero’s collection of Martin Rowson’s finest cartoons from the era of Cameron and Clegg, last night scooped the prize for the Best Humour and Satire Book of the Year at the Political Book Awards.
The award was judged by Andrew Pierce, Shelagh Fogarty, Peter Brookes, Katy Guest and Hugo Rifkind, with competition including John Crace’s I Never Promised You A Rose Garden and Tim Benson’s collection of 2014’s best political cartoons.
Fittingly, it was the French Ambassador who appeared onstage to present the award, and in a gesture of solidarity with his colleagues across the channel, Martin Rowson delivered an acceptance speech filled with biting satirical humour – entirely in French. Needless to say, if there were an award for the best on-stage moment, he’d be a shoe-in.
The Coalition Book is available now from all good book shops!
