Comics - Drawing on long traditions

Published on Friday 17 July 2009 14:54

JUST like some of the larger-than-life characters they portray, there are many myths that surround comic books.

Contrary to popular belief, they are not exclusively for children. In fact, many of today's graphic novels carry an 18 certificate.

Nor are they bought exclusively by men, with one Edinburgh comic store owner pointing out that there is a "50-50 split" between the sexes.

Another misconception is that comic books must feature superheroes – or various other men in tights. But look at Road to Perdition, for example. The 2002 Oscar-winning mob movie starring Tom Hanks and Paul Newman started out life as a graphic novel by Max Allan Collins.

"Graphic novels can do so much more than then just have big punch-ups," says Crawford Coutts, editor of Edinburgh-based comic book publishers Insomnia Publications.

Tomorrow, Coutts will be joining Capital-based comic writers Dave Bishop and Ferg Handley to discuss the genre at Comics In Scotland, part of Oxfam's Bookfest, at McDonald Road Library. It promises to be a real treat for comic fans, with a selection of special memorabilia being auctioned off.

"The graphic novels that we publish are very different to what you usually find on the shelves," adds Coutts. "We're producing a wide range of urban fantasy, sci-fi and horror. They're certainly not anything like The Beano or The Dandy."

That's something of an understatement. One of Insomnia's titles is Cancertown, which is written by Cy Dethan and illustrated by Stephen Downey.

"It's about a man who, unfortunately for him, has a tumour in his head the size of a baby's fist," explains Coutts. "He keeps getting pulled into an alternate world."

The 25-year-old, who established his company in 2006, adds, "I studied interactive media design at Dundee University and I drew for the first comic we produced. We started off as a small press outfit but then I found other people who were far better at drawing than me.

"I put down the creator's hat, put on the publisher's hat and we've moved on from there. We now have a family of 150 creators from all over the world and we are one of the largest independent comic publishers in the UK."

Like Cancertown, the story of William Burke and William Hare, the serial killers who terrorised 19th century Edinburgh and sold their victims' bodies to university doctor Robert Knox for his dissection classes, is also aimed at a mature audience.

Written by Martin Conaghan and drawn by Will Pickering, the Irishmen's grisly tale will appear in graphic novel form on 6 October on what is the 180th anniversary of Burke's execution on the Lawnmarket.

Coutts says, "At Comics In Scotland, we will have a selection of pages from Burke and Hare on display. We are also producing exclusive pages for the event."

Dave Bishop, the former editor of Judge Dredd and 2000 AD magazines, is also looking forward to the event.

"We'll be talking about the state of British comics and the disproportionate number of Scottish creators who have been successful worldwide, such as Mark Millar and Alan Grant," says the New Zealander.

Now a freelance writer and a lecturer in creative writing at Edinburgh Napier University, Bishop says part of Scotland's success stems from DC Thomson, the Dundee-based publisher responsible for a wide range of popular comics.

"You could find comics in every corner shop in Scotland," he says. "It influenced people to make up their own stories. Maybe another reason is that the weather's so bad over here that people preferred to stay indoors and write."

Bishop agrees that graphic novels are occasionally misunderstood.

"People think that they're just about men in tights – but they go far beyond superheroes," he says.

"For example, Persepolis, by a woman called Marjane Satrapi, is about her experiences growing up in Iran during the revolution, History of Violence is a crime thriller and American Splendor is the autobiography of Harvey Pekar.

"They were all adapted for movies and all nominated for Oscars."

Bishop says that there is also a considerable amount of artistic talent in Scotland.

"I can't draw for toffee, that's why I became a writer," he laughs. "I've collaborated with a wonderful Scottish artist called Colin McNeil. We did a serial for Judge Dredd magazine about vampires in Stalingrad during the Second World War."

However, sometimes comic book settings are far closer to home. Last year, Spectacular Spider-Man writer Handley took the famous web-slinger from his native New York to the streets of Edinburgh.

"We'll be talking about what makes Scotland such an interesting setting for comic book tales," he says.

"Batman, The X-Men and Spiderman have all been here. I live in Edinburgh and it's such a visual city. I wanted to be able to use things like the Castle as a backdrop and have Spiderman swinging through the New Town.

"New York is full of generic concrete blocks and I wanted to open up the story visually."

Handley, who was born in Chichester but moved to the Capital when he was three, says that the Scottish appetite for comics has rarely waned.

"There is a rich Scottish writing tradition in general," he says. "There is also a tradition of good underground comics in Scotland, such as Electric Soup in Glasgow. Alan Grant (Judge Dredd writer) and many people like him started at DC Thomson, which has probably helped to maintain the Scottish comic scene."

Once dismissed as a low- brow form of literature, Handley argues that graphic novels have now taken their rightful place on bookshelves up and down the country.

"If you go into somewhere like Waterstone's or Borders, you will see that they have dedicated graphic novel sections," he says. "I think they are definitely becoming more respectable."

Gafin Austin, the owner of Deadhead Comics on Candlemaker Road, dismisses any notion that comic books and graphic novels appeal only to a certain demographic – namely young to middle-aged men.

"I think that's one of the old myths about comics," he says. "I sell comics to men and women of all ages."

Originally from Cardiff, Austin established his comic store 20 years ago.

"I've been reading comics since I was a kid," he says. "I think I was like most children in that what first attracted me to comics was the colourful artwork. It had always been my dream to open up my own shop."

From marvellous superheroes swinging through the streets of Edinburgh to true stories of grisly murders, when it comes to comics, there is endless tradition from which to draw.

Comics in Scotland, McDonald Road Library, McDonald Road, tomorrow, noon-3pm, 3, 0131-529 5636

See My Edinburgh: P12

CASTLE LURE: Ferg Handley located his Spider-Man adventure in Edinburgh, and above left, Crawford Coutts

edinburgh, city of super heroes

THE Capital is no stranger to caped crusaders, with a number of famous faces from the world of comics dropping in to help clean up the city's streets over the years.

SPIDERMAN: Local writer Ferg Handley brought the amazing one to the streets of Edinburgh because he is a big fan of the city's architecture and was keen to see Spidey swinging through town with the Castle as his backdrop. The story Local Hero also features the old Edinburgh Royal Infirmary building as Peter Parker's alter-ego finds himself chasing a werewolf.

THE X-MEN: More celebrated Stan Lee mutants, this time The X-Men, also unleashed their awesome powers in Edinburgh, ripping up Queen Street and battling the reality-changing Proteus on Salisbury Crags in the process. Several years later, they returned to Scotland in another adventure in which they smashed their way into the old Science Fiction Bookshop on Causewayside, before wreaking havoc at Waverley Station.

BATMAN: The Dark Knight himself hurtled across the distinctive skyline of the Capital back in 2000. Scottish Connection, written by local comic book legend Alan Grant, saw Batman's alter-ego Bruce Wayne came to Scotland to trace his roots. While he was at it, the Caped Crusader managed to solve the Templar Mysteries of Rosslyn Chapel. Holy broken bones.

Relive the Battle of Prestonpans - and nobody gets hurt

liam rudden

Arts and Entertainment Editor

TRAVEL back to 1745 tomorrow, as Prestonpans launches its Homecoming celebrations with an exhibition and programme of events telling the stories of the Highland clans who fought with Bonnie Prince Charlie at the Battle of Prestonpans.

The celebration, which runs from tomorrow to 31 July, will also feature the premiere of BAFTA award-winning playwright Andrew Dallmeyer's latest production, Colonel Gardiner: Vice and Virtue. It's based on the life of local hero Colonel James Gardiner, who died fighting for the King at Prestonpans.

Throughout the two week programme the exhibition, The Prince's Loyal Clans, will offer visitors the chance to learn what part the individual clans played before, during and after the famous battle. The exhibition will be open every day except Mondays, between 10.30am-4pm. Hosted by the Gothenburg on Prestonpans High Street, entry is free.

Also on display will be a specially commissioned 10ft scale model of the battlefield, with each of the two armies represented in detail. The board and a battle game has been developed by champion gamer Gordon Veitch, who will be on hand to demonstrate how the game works.

Tomorrow at the Gothenburg, Bonnie Prince Charlie himself aka character actor and historian Arran Johnston, will give his personal account of the Jacobite rising and its aftermath at 2.30pm.

If however, you want to walk in the footsteps of the clans, you might want to sign up for one of a number of guided storytelling walks of the battle site. The first is tomorrow at 11am, followed by further walks on 28 and 31 July and on 24 July at 2pm. All leave from the Gothenburg and tickets cost 8. Booking is recommended, call 01875-812 555.

For those looking for a bit more action, a skirmish between the Cameron Clan and the government army which took place the day before the battle, at Tranent church, will be re-enacted there at 11.30am on 24 July, complete with cannon and musket fire.

At 2pm next Friday, expert battlefield archaeologist Dr Tony Pollard will present the findings of his team's recent survey of the Battle of Prestonpans. Artefacts from this survey, and that at Culloden, will also be on display in the exhibition.

Event organiser Kristine Cunningham of the Battle of Prestonpans Heritage Trust says, "We are really pleased to be able to stage these events to help celebrate the Homecoming. It will obviously be of interest to those whose ancestors were involved in the Jacobite rising, but we also show how a large proportion of the government army was also made up of Scots.

"Our events offer something for everyone – from battle gaming, storytelling and drama to cannon-fire and archaeology – and we're hoping for a good turn-out, from tourists and locals alike."

Colonel Gardiner: Vice and Virtue, Gothenburg, High Street, Prestonpans, 7.30pm, 23 and 31 July, 5, available at the door.

The Prince's Loyal Clans, tomorrow until July 31, for full programme details call 01875-812555. or visit www.battleofprestonpans1745.org

TAKE 5: SPACE, CLASSIC, OILY, SIMIAN and SWINGING

MAN IN THE MOON

LIFT OFF. In this sci-fi comedy classic, directed by Basil Dearden, Kenneth More is Mr Normal, William Blood, yet he is at the same time very strange. He appears to have an inability to worry and to become ill.

This strange physical phenomenon allows him to make a living working as a human guinea pig. Perhaps inevitably, fate comes a calling during one particular assignment, when he chances upon a beautiful woman running to the railway station. But surely he is also immune to the charms of women... or so he thought.

When he bumps into the young again just as he is on the verge of being sent to the moon... Shirley Anne field co-stars in this marvellously madcap sci-fi comedy penned by the multi-award winning Bryan Forbes.

Man In The Moon (PG) is released on DVD (9.99) on Monday

HOT ENOUGH FOR JUNE

Dirk Bogarde leads an all-star British line-up that includes Robert Morley, Leo McKern and John Le Mesurier in this spy comedy.

Struggling young writer Nicholas Whistler (Bogarde) is sent on a seemingly innocent commercial assignment behind the Iron Curtain. On his arrival in Prague, everyone – including his beautiful chauffeuse, Vlasta – believes the Czech-speaking Nicholas to be a spy. It takes much time and adventure for him to realise it, but when he eventually discovers that he has been plunged into the world of international espionage, he is numb with horror. With his contacts gone, he is on his own, and must escape arrest and flee to England. But the secret police are close behind him...

Hot Enough For June (PG) is released on DVD (9.99) on Monday

DALLAS SEASON 11

STARRING Larry Hagman, Patrick Duffy, Linda Gray, Priscilla Presley and Victoria Principle, the Golden Globe winning drama series Dallas is back on DVD with another electrifying season of lies, deceit and treachery.

Hang on to your Stetsons as one of TV's longest running dramas gives us 30 more irresistible episodes of cheatin', lyin' and tomcattin'. As the eleventh season picks up the action JR may be down, but he's never out. After Ewing Oil collapsed in disgrace in season 10 some folks would expect season 11 to feature a JR who's learned his lesson. Not Dallas fans – they know that the only lesson JR ever learned was do unto others before they do unto you as he claws his way back up to the top.

Dallas: The Complete Eleventh Season (12) is released on DVD (29.99) on Monday

LIVING WITH MONKEYS: TALES FROM THE TREETOPS

Three million years ago, our ancestors came down from the trees. Now the team behind Bruce Parry's Amazon are going back up, to observe rare primates and experience life high up in the rainforest.

Living With Monkeys: Tales From The Treetops is as much about living and working in the rainforest as it is about wildlife. There is lots of human drama as the team settles into life in the trees, exposed to howling storms and tropical sun while cooking, eating and washing high above the forest floor. Join the team as they leave their tree-house base to explore remote rivers and lagoons in search of herds of forest elephants, hippos, buffaloes and the elusive lowland gorilla.

Living With Monkeys: Tales From The Treetops (E) is now available on DVD (17.99)

MAD MEN

THE internationally acclaimed series from the writer and executive producer of The Sopranos, returns to DVD and Blu-ray for a second award-winning season.

It's party time in New York in the 1960s, and powerful and manipulative advertising agencies are mobilising the American public en-masse. The men and women of the Sterling Cooper Advertising Agency are at the top of their game playing in the ivy leagues of their cut-throat industry. Led by master manipulator and renowned ladies' man Don Draper (Jon Hamm), this glamorous, sophis-ticated, smoke enveloped drama follows the sexual exploits and social lives of the ruthless and fiercely competitive professionals of the Madison Avenue based agency.

Mad Men Season 2 (15) is now available on DVD (29.99)

Mad Men Season 1 & 2 Box-set (15) is also available on DVD (39.99)

THE GUIDE has teamed up with Network DVD, Warner Home Video and Lionsgate Home Entertainment to give you the chance to add to your home entertainment collection. To enter the draw to win, simply e-mail your name, age and address to theguide@ edinburgh news.com with the TITLE of the DVD you would like to win in the subject line. Entries with more than one title in the subject line will be disregarded. Entries to be received by noon, Monday. Usual Johnston Press rules apply.