Comics So What? Dundee University 7 March 2015

[colcool007]

On Saturday 7th March 2015 the University of Dundee is hosting an event celebrating comics and graphic novels. It features workshops and talks by comics creators, and we invite members of the public of all ages to come along to discuss their favourite comic. The event is co-organised by the Scottish Centre for Comics Studies and the Cartoon Museum, and marks the beginning of a new project by the Cartoon Museum, in conjunction with the University of Dundee and Staffordshire University. This project, called “Comics, So What?” seeks to engage the public in the appreciation of comics and graphic novels, and to draw attention to Comics Studies in the UK, and the role that the Cartoon Museum is taking in preserving the cultural heritage of British Comics. The project is funded by a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund and will launch with three simultaneous events in Dundee, Staffordshire and London.

The Dundee event will also tie into the International Will Eisner Week, and celebrate Eisner’s profound influence on the medium of comics, and his importance for Comics Studies. It will also concentrate on commemorating the 20th anniversary of Eisner’s visit to Scotland. To celebrate this Dr Chris Murray and John McShane have written a script very loosely based on this visit, and invite artistic responses to it through a competition.

[paw broon]

Thanks for the info. Colin. Sounds like a very interesting idea, although this type of do can sometimes have the potential to become a bit pretentious. While I firmly believe the study of comics is as important as the study of literature, I hope we can all bear in mind that many fans of sequential art in all formats read the stuff for enjoyment, thrills, amusement, entertainment. As long as the fun of comics isn't ignored for the sake of discussing only the high quality serious subjects in the genre, that will suit me.
As for Will Eisner's visit to Scotland, I'll be curious to know how McShane's version of events ties in with my experiences during the great man's appearance in our country. Having been at some of the same chats, dinners, meetings with Mr. Eisner as John, this could prove an interesting experience.

[colcool007]

So will we see you there then?

[colcool007]

Folks, I have to say that this was a blast. We had Alex Ronald, Montynero and Graham Manley all there. John McShane was having great fun dropping names left, right and centre!

For those that missed it, you missed a good day out. But hopefully we will catch you all at another event soon.

[colcool007]

And a link to my article on Down The Tubes for those that are interested.

[paw broon]

That's an entertaining and informative article, Colin. The good doctor's talk about the eye and reading comics and why some panels attract attention is absolutely intriguing. I touched on this when talking about the new Who comic, mentioning the work of Jesse Marsh and his ability to design a panel which effortlessly leads the eye onwards in the correct order, through a well laid out story. You never seem to have to go back to check what happened, you don't get confused and you finally wonder at how a good comic book artist can do that. The same sort of thing can be seen in other work by, among others, Hugo Pratt. This stuff is well worth having a look at.
I have to admit though that nowadays, getting on a bit and wanting a nice quiet comics reading life, I can't face all day -or 2 days - listening to creators going into the minutiae of their work, preferring instead to read it. Same with all the film programmes, I don't want to hear how it's made, how the actors got on with the director etc. Just the film , please.
See, living up to the grumpy old man tag.

[colcool007]

Thanks for the feedback at least. I must admit that my attention did wander a bit when Monty and folks got up to chat. I enjoy watching artists create and discussions on how this comic works or that one doesn't. Pat Mills did a similar talk at Dundee last year and it was fascinating. So it does depend on the presenter and the mood of the audience.

I have signed up to be a volunteer at the trials so I will be intrigued to see what works for me and what really turns me off.

I did enjoy John McShane's anecdotes and I encourage anyone else who has similar stories to tell to do so. Many have been lost to us as the backroom of comic creation was a closed shop to many so we don't know how artist X may have influenced the people they worked with. So if you have any to share, please do so. I think my current favourite is that of George Low talking about what a character Cyril Walker was! Plus it is encouraging to future creators to know that the people we think of as giants were as fallible as we are today.

A good example of the kind of knowledge that is preserved, through these anecdotes, is that seemingly both Gerry Finley-Day and Cyril Walker would submit scripts that were a nightmare to deal with. Punctuation almost non-existent. Spelling terrible and the typing would look like a chicken had pecked it out! But both would and did produce amazing stories.

Now that is something I would not have known if I had not attended a panel or three with those that were involved in comics creation giving us these wonderful tales. I am not asking people to dish dirt on each other, but I do like to know how people's styles would evolve, either in the way that they write or draw. Or even what is classed as good editorial advice. I mean, I have been fascinated by the articles on artist guidelines that John Freeman has produced on Down The Tubes. Have a look if you are interested in any way.

[paw broon]

Re. anecdotes and glimpses into the creators methods, I have to say that I might not be your best source for this side of things. While I was there at a lot of the meetings, dinners etc. that John mentions, (and a lot where he wasn't) I have to say that my memories are of decent folk wanting a decent meal/drink/chat but often preferring to talk about other stuff than their comic work. Again, in what were, small, intimate? gatherings in pubs and restaurants, talk was of many things and occasionally about comics and that was mostly about the genre as a whole and less about the guest's work. To cite an example, at one of the Angoulême cons, I and a couple of other people in the business were staying in a wee hotel some 20 - 25 km from the city. At the con we met Mike Richardson, got chatting and he fancied coming back to our hotel for the evening. He sprang for dinner (excellent, by the way - oysters, local beef, wonderful wine) and before we sat down, he asked if we wouldn't mind not talking comics. And, you know, the evening was all the better for that.
On another occasion, this time in a London restaurant, sitting with some big names in British comics, we were next to a table with some noisy comics folk and the well known 2000AD writer next to me, nudged me and asked, "who's that wee oriental guy there" (not sure if that's a totally accurate quote, but very close). Blank looks all round. Little did we know it was the soon to be huge Jim Lee. Apart from that, we were talking about the state of my knees, the food, how so-and-so was getting on and generally having a laugh. Not a lot about comics. See what I mean.
The occasions when comics were dicussed in particular and in depth, was at dealers' meetings in L.A where DC used to take a load of comics dealers, me included.
As DC were pushing their wares, we got insights into their books and creators and met DC folk. Even then, that was all finished product, bright and shiny and ready for the punters.
Perhaps I was a bit frivolous, but that was an enjoyable period and great fun. So if I say I had dinner with Eisner and Archie Goodwin - one of the nicest people I have ever had the pleasure of knowing - was close to being innocent bystander in an altercation between Cam Kennedy and some blokes in a Glasgow pub, Drank rather a lot with various comics folk, had pizza with Art Adams........oh dear, I'm bored with all this. It happened, it was fun, I know very little of how they went about creating comics - and I don't care. I told you, I'm old and grumy but content and just want to read comics and eat pasta.

[colcool007]

Paw, thanks for that. I am the richer for that. I know that I will chat comics all day long, but I enjoy the crack even when the conversation is not about comics. As long as I can contribute to a conversation, I don't mind the subject. I have even, on occasion been known to talk about...sport!

The thought of Cam Kennedy squaring up to someone has me chuckling! A definite case of wee man syndrome there!

[Phoenix]

I...../..... just want to read comics and eat pasta.

Well 50% of that is good for you, Paw.

[paw broon]

Aha. Now, which half? We all know comics ARE good for you but the pasta dishes I prepare are also good for you and healthy - and tasty too. I suppose the wine helps:D (Just make sure to exercise enough to work it off)
So I suppose you don't really need to know about the fish supper in the Royal Mile with Chris Claremont? Alan Moore springing for the coffee in France? Watching Dave Sim becoming the drunkest creator I've ever seen, and getting funnier and funnier at the same time? Flicking through the adult (that's not a strong enough word but this is a family friendly site) sketches in a mainstream artist's sketchbook in a Glasgow pub? Being given the cold shoulder by Mike W Barr at a DC event? Being slagged off for not having booked a table in a pub for dinner while leading a pile of creators around Glasgow? Chatting with Bill Sienkiewicz over the odd drink or three in McShane's flat? Messrs. Moore, Grant, Wagner, O'Neill, McMahon, Davis and so many more at signings in our shop?
Well, thank goodness for that.
Colin wrote about McShane talking about The Bogie Man at Dundee and how well I remember that mess. It was a great idea and a good comic but it took forever and, while I wasn't involved in any way in Fat Man Press, Pete and I did have to handle the distractions it caused in the shop. It is easier nowadays to publish a comic, as the plethora of small press companies attests, but back then, after the excitement of the first issue coming out, the problems seemed to me to increase. Then there was the movie with Robbie Coltrane, which didn't go down well at all. We all piled into a coach to see the first showing at the Edinburgh Filmhouse. Lots of celebs but the film was a letdown.

[colcool007]

I loved the comics as I got it at The Black Hole in Dundee. I watched the adaptation on BBC2 and was also mightily disappointed.

And the examples that you have given are the sort of reminiscences that I know I would love to hear about. I know a lot of it is just mates chatting, but for those of us who were unaware, it's great to have that extra knowledge added as it allows us to connect on more levels than just the comics.