We’re thrilled to be revealing our catalogue for spring 2014, which is now available here in all its glory. It’s a wonderfully varied and impressive list of books, perhaps our strongest to date.

As you may already have heard, May sees the release of a brilliantly original book by Pixies frontman Black Francis. Illustrated by The Guardian’s Steven Appleby, and co-written by the band’s biographer Josh Frank, The Good Inn is an inventive and vividly imagined illustrated novel set in early twentieth-century France.

We’ll also be introducing English speakers to Abel Lanzac and Christophe Blain’s bestselling satire of Franco-American relations, Weapons of Mass Diplomacy (retitled from the French Quai D’Orsay). Penned by Dominique de Villepin’s former speechwriter, this won the Grand Prix at Angoulême in 2013 and was recently adapted into an acclaimed French film (under its original title). The film is expected to reach English speaking audiences in 2014. Here’s the trailer:

The release of Reinhard Kleist’s The Boxer, a moving biography of Holocaust survivor and champion prizefighter Harry Haft, adds to our list of prize-winning books in translation, as does LF Bollée and Philippe Nicloux’s masterful history of the founding of Australia, Terra Australis.

Spring also sees the release of I. N. J. Culbard’s first original graphic novel, Celeste; the second in our Art Masters series, Vincent by Barbara Stok; and The Cigar that Fell in Love with a Pipe, a collaboration between the French novelist David Camus and Eisner-winning graphic novelist Nick Abadzis.

“First there was Rembrandt, then there was Typex!” Nick Cave

Typex, creator of the acclaimed graphic novel biography of Rembrandt, will be in London next week to lead two workshops at The National Gallery. His trip coincides with the Gallery’s Rembrandt: The Late Works exhibition.

On Friday and Saturday next week, the Dutch graphic novelist will lead two practical workshops alongside artist and lecturer Aliki Braine.

Friday 5th December (6.30-7.30pm, National Gallery Room 23): on Friday evening, Typex will lead a drawing workshop in the Gallery itself, working with participants to create a piece of artwork inspired by Rembrandt’s 1654 painting, ‘A Woman bathing in a Stream’.

Saturday 6th December (10.30-12.30am, Pigott Education Centre Entrance): on Saturday morning, the focus shifts from drawing to comic creation. Participants will explore the process of creating a graphic novel, experimenting with drawing and collage to create their own comics inspired by Rembrandt’s work.

Admission is free for both workshops. Spaces are limited to 30 people on a first-come, first-served basis. All materials are provided. The events are aimed at people aged 18-25.

Typex’s graphic biography of the Dutch master was commissioned by the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam and published in English by SelfMadeHero last year.

“Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn would have adored this book. He would have admired its draughtsmanship and its wit and – given how many times he painted himself – he would have loved the fact that he is its star, warts and all.” The Observer

This weekend, no less than seven – yes, seven! – amazing SelfMadeHero creators will be making their way to Leeds for Thought Bubble. Spread over four tables (103-106, New Dock Hall), the following artists will be signing, sketching and talking their way through the weekend: I. N. J. Culbard, author of The Shadow Out of Time and numerous other graphic novel adaptations; Rob Davis, creator behind the acclaimed graphic re-imagining of Don Quixote; Room For Love author ILYA; and Oscar Zarate, author of The Park.

The weekend also sees release of Aama Vol. 1: The Smell of Warm Dust by Frederik Peeters, who’ll be signing and sketching copies of the book at Thought Bubble. On Saturday, he’ll also be talking about the book’s creation during a panel event hosted by Paul Gravett. Also featuring Oscar Zarate and ILYA, the ‘How They Work’ panel tales place at 15:45 in the Speech Bubble Panel Area.

The Nao of Brown creator Glyn Dillon will also be in Leeds, signing and sketching books, as will Mark Stafford and David Hine, the creators behind The Man Who Laughs. Both The Nao of Brown and The Man Who Laughs are shortlisted in the ‘Best Book’ category at the British Comic Awards. Winners will be announced at a party on Saturday night. Good luck to them!

For information about everything else that’s happening at Thought Bubble this weekend, visit the festival’s website.

In this in-depth article about the making of his graphic novel, Room For Love, ILYA talks about his inspirations and creative process, touching on everything from Germaine Greer to age-inappropriate relationships.

ILYA’s graphic novel, Room For Love, is available now from all good book shops. You can buy it online here (Amazon) and here (Waterstones).

We’re delighted to be publishing Room for Love, an original graphic novel by ILYA, on 15th November. Over the next week or two, ILYA will be blogging about the inspiration(s) behind the book, revealing what led him to write about an unconventional relationship between a homeless young man and a middle-aged romance novelist. In the meantime, here’s the blurb and details of the launch event.

“Romance is dead.” So says Pamela Green, middle-class and middle-aged – a romance novelist suffering from writer’s block. Then, on a bridge crossing over the river, her unsettled life collides with that of a ragged young man. He’s survived for months on London’s streets, by his wits…and his looks. Under extraordinary circumstances Pamela invites him into her comfortable suburban home. There, in spite of obvious differences, they soon come to form an unlikely partnership, their once separate lives revived in stark new directions.

ILYA’s work has been published by Marvel, DC and Dark Horse in the USA, Kodansha in Japan, and numerous independent companies worldwide. The creator of award-winning graphic novel series The End of the Century Club, his other works include Manga Shakespeare’s King Lear and the kitchen sink drama Skidmarks. His Illustration clients include the BBC, the Royal Academy of Arts, and The Guardian and Times newspapers.

Room for Love will launch at Gosh! Comics, 1 Berwick Street, London, W1F 0DR on Friday 15th November. The launch party is open to the public, so drop by from 7pm to grab yourself some free beer and a signed copy of the book.