Had some very kind and positive reviews of the comics I published earlier this year – How to Date a Girl in 10 Days and Everything You Never Wanted to Know About Crohns Disease – so just wanted to put them all in one place so they’re easy to find for people…

	How to Date a Girl in 10 Days “A perfect nostalgic look at youth, at the wonder of friendships, at the sheer joy of chasing love and the misery of rejection” – Forbidden Planet International “The book plays very effectively with the comics form, both with his use of layout and typography, but also what finally appears in the panels” – Last Hours
	Everything You Never Wanted to Know About Crohns Disease “Without a doubt one of the best creators working in comics today” – Comics Village His candour, his humour, his honesty – all go towards making this most difficult of subjects eminently readable and enjoyable” – Forbidden Planet International

I’ll update this post with more reviews as and when they turn up rather than blog more self-congratulating posts…

TCAF

It’s a little belated (which isn’t my fault!) but I thought I’d write a little about my experience at TCAF this year.

I was lucky enough to be given a shared table with Becky Cloonan in the massive Toronto Reference Library to which TCAF had moved after 2007’s UOT location. Becky was a lovely table mate and her work is definitely worth your time – I’m sure I caught a lot of secondary trade from the long queues waiting for her to sign their books.

The weekend went incredibly well and I met a lot of lovely people during the show and at the after-parties. Thanks to everyone who came and bought something or just said hello.

When it came to Sunday afternoon I realised I’d agreed to be a part of panel talking about studying comics at university. I was ridiculously nervous about it beforehand but by the time I settled into my seat in front of the audience, I managed to descend into my ‘rambling bore’ mode and somehow got through the hour by never shutting the hell up. Ross Campbell and Lucy Knisley joined me and I think/hope we managed to cover a wide spectrum of options, opinions and advice for prospective comic artists. I’m glad I did it and think I might even be less stressed if I ever agree to do another talk.

Among my favourite picks over the weekend were my Michael Cho print, Lucy Knisley’s ‘Pretty Little Book’ (absolutely wonderful – make sure you pick up ‘French Milk‘ as well), Taddle Creek’s comic issue, pretty much all of Tom Kaczynski’s comics, and… well… let’s stop there shall we? I could write several blog posts about the amazing comics that were on display. Inspiring stuff.

A huge thanks to Chris Butcher for inviting me again this year and organising what is possibly the best alternative comics festival ever. Of course, a gentlemanly hat-tip to everyone else who made the event such a success, including all the delightful volunteers – some of whom I feel I should hire as my agents, such was the vigour with which they encouraged people to check out my stuff. It’s possible they just felt a bit sorry for me…

Pen Club TO

I spent a few days after TCAF hanging out in Toronto with friends. As always, I had a wonderful time. Below are a few sketches I doodled in various patio bars, Future Bakery (which is where the Torontonian Pen Club is held), and wandering around High Park.

Here’s a photo from Pen Club. Also pictured: the Oreo cheesecake I had. A foodstuff fit for gods.

Post TCAF press

My visit to TCAF is briefly mentioned on about.com (I was tired. It was early. Excuse the photo) and there’s an interview with me conducted by Pen Club founders Cton, Steve Wilson, and Aaron Leighton on Open Book Toronto.

First off, I’d like to thank everyone who came to the book launch on Friday night.

I was my usual stressed bundle of nerves as expected. But I was genuinely touched by the amount of people who came and the night was incredibly successful, pleasant, and enjoyable. This is mainly thanks to the wonderful staff at Orbital Comics who kept everyone in drinks and stuck around after hours to help out.

At some point soon I’ll find a bit of time to blog some photos from the evening and take copies of the comics to all the London comic shops.

For now, Orbital is the only place with copies. I’ve already restocked the sold out first batch of books for those who couldn’t make it but want to pick up a copy. Those of you looking to order them online may, sadly, have to wait until I return from TCAF before I can focus on getting that side of things ready. But bear with me.

On the subject of TCAF – I’ll be making my way to Toronto tomorrow morning in preparation for the weekend of comic book goodness. I honestly haven’t seen such an amazing line-up of alternative and independent comic creators like this before. I am beyond excited.

Check out the current line-up here.

I’ve also been asked to be part of a panel discussing the pros and cons of studying comics at art school. This will be on the Sunday afternoon. Hopefully I won’t embarrass myself:

1:30pm-2:30pm: Going to School For Comics

Are there benefits to going to an institute of higher educated in order to learn… comic books? We’ll meet several graduates of art, illustration, and comics-specific programs who do comics, as they talk about their experiences in art school, and how they’ve applied them to their comics career. Panelists include Lucy Knisely, Ross Campbell, Ginette LaPalme, Tom Humberstone. Moderated by Douglas Wolk.

Check out the rest of the impossibly impressive schedule of events here.

You can also read a short interview with me (and several other attending artists) via Toronto’s National Post here.

I’ll be hanging out in Toronto for a few days afterwards – hopefully catching a Toronto Pen Club and attempting to sneak into the Scott Pilgrim sets. If you happen to be in the area and want to say “hi” (and possibly other, preferably encouraging, words) during TCAF, please do!

That’s right, I’ve sent the files off to the printer and I should have the books back within a week. Before I go to TCAF with the collected How to Date a Girl in 10 Days and Everything You Never wanted To Know About Crohns Disease, I want to have a small London-based book launch (considering what How to Date is about). Orbital Comics have kindly obliged:

Book launch

Friday May 1st from 7.30pm

@ Orbital Comics, 8 Great Newport Street, London WC2H 7JA (gmap)

With music, drink, original artwork in the gallery, and a chance to get your copy signed.

Print out the flyer (above) to ensure entry on the night.

“I’m a 33 year old man in a stable relationship and am about as sensitive as an extra-safe condom. How To Date A Girl In 10 days reminds me of when I wasn’t – when fear of boys with guitars, of meta, of balloons, of everything filled my life and made it worth living – or, at least, made it the life I was living and I knew damn well I didn’t have (or want) a choice. It’s full of blessed friends who know nothing, blessed friends who are righter than you’ll ever be and blessed, blessed London. It’s funny and true and necessary.”
- Kieron Gillen (Phonogram)

“Touching, awkward, funny, a beautifully drawn slice of real life.”
- Leah Moore (Wild Girl, Doctor Who)

Also available on the night: the printed edition of Everything You Never Wanted To Know About Crohns Disease

“I thought it captured perfectly that discomfort/fear/anxiety that you have in the back of your mind in social situations”
- Jeffrey Brown (Unlikely, Little Things)

“This is a truly great comic and a real achievement”
- Paul Gravett (Graphic Novels: Stories to Change Your Life)

For those outside London or unable to come, the books will be available to buy at TCAF and then from my website (which will undergo a redesign) upon my return. I’ll also be announcing a couple of new projects around this time.

Alex Fitch, presenter of the Resonance FM comic conversation show Panel Borders, recently asked me if I’d like to take the opportunity to interview Adrain Tomine for the show. Naturally I jumped at the chance. Tomine’s work was a huge inspiration to me when I first discovered him back in my early teens and his work continues to be some of the most subtle, well observed and intimate storytelling in comics. If anyone could be blamed for me wanting to draw comics in the first place, Tomine would be your most likely suspect.

Of course, come the day of the interview, I was a nervous wreck and I’m afraid it shows (audibly speaking) in the interview. It was the first interview I’d ever conducted and I think it’s fair to say I don’t have a great voice for radio.

Nonetheless, Tomine was charming and very patient with my amateur interviewing techniques. We discussed his fascination with comics, the possibility of a movie adaptation of his work, flirting, his plans for forthcoming issues of Optic Nerve, and the future of comics in the age of this sort of thing.

It’s broadcast today at 5pm, Resonance 104.4FM (London) – which is streamed at www.resonancefm.com if you’re not based in London. It will be repeated at 11.30pm on Sunday night.

A longer version of our conversation will be made available as a podcast at www.panelborders.wordpress.com and http://podcasts.resonancefm.com.

Yes, that Alan Partridge quote can only mean one thing… More audible ramblings from me.

First up – An interview with the lovely fellows at Indie Spinner Rack for their latest podcast about politics-related comics. I talked to them about My Fellow Americans just a couple of hours ahead of the final Presidential debate last week. They’re based in New York so the phoneline quality is fairly poor and we had some technical difficulties during the interview but hopefully you can hear enough for it to make sense. We recorded it quite late – to accommodate the time difference – so I doubt I make much sense anyway.

Listen to it here.

Next up – if you’re not sick of my voice already – is another podcast for Electric Sheep Magazine and Panel Borders. Alex Fitch and I review a collection of David Lynch shorts and discuss the use of animation in his work, the relevance of experimental short films, and the back catalogue of Lynch’s work. We recorded it outside a pub in New Cross – hence the regular interruptions from police sirens.

Listen to it here. Or read a transcript of our conversation here.

That’s all for now.

Just a quick heads up to let you all know that there’ll be a 30 minute interview with me on Alex Fitch’s Panel Borders show on Resonance fm at 5.20pm tomorrow (Thursday 17th July). You can listen to the show live here or download the podcast after the event here.

We discuss the origins of the weekly drawing event I organise – Pen Club, my 24 hour comic Everything You Never wanted To Know About Crohns Disease, the evolution of my comic work from the early Art School Scum to How To Date a Girl in 10 Days, the recent My Fellow Americans book, and various elements of the comic industry.

The Canadian website Health Central are running an exclusive feature on my 24 hour comic about Crohns Disease. The comic is accompanied by the first of four blogs, written by me, about my experiences with the condition. The first post focuses on my reasons for doing the comic, the response it provoked, and the difficulties of attempting a 24 hour comic.

Read the first blog here.

I’ll post an update on here when future blogs are online…

Update

The second blog – “A day in the life of a Crohns sufferer” – is here.

Last night, Dan and I were interviewed about the My Fellow Americans book on Rhod Sharp’s ‘Up All Night‘ on BBC Five Live. The evening saw Obama secure his nomination as the democratic Presidential candidate, and also marked six months since the Iowa caucus, the first major event on the primary calendar.

The interview went well enough. However, through no fault of his own, Rhod had little knowledge of our book which led to us being asked more general questions about the election rather than anything specific about our trip and the grass-roots reporting.

Still, if you’re interested in hearing us blather on about the US election, or would just like to hear me stumble over my words and spend what feels like an eternity feeling around blindly for the right phrase – listen again to the show here. We’re interviewed about 3hrs 7mins in.

Download or listen to the mp3 of our interview here.

My Fellow Americans book launch

A big big thank you to everyone who came, bought a book, bought some artwork or just said hello. Was a wonderful evening and the feedback to the book has been really encouraging. Apologies if I didn’t manage to say more than a few words to some of you – it was an extremely busy night and I was a bundle of nerves… as I often am at these sort of nights. There’s a few words about the event and details on how you can buy the book online at the My Fellow Americans website.

Special thanks goes out to all the bands and DJs who played on the night. Every act was superb and really made the evening. Dan and I owe you all several drinks.

Buy the book!

Those of you who were unable to make it to the launch night, or are just interested in picking up a copy of the book can now go here to buy it via PayPal. If you don’t have a PayPal account, contact us via press@myfellowamericans2008.com for details on how to pay by cheque.

If you’re based in London, the book is also available to buy in Orbital Comics on Charing Cross Road. Further retailers will be stocking the book and I’ll update this blog with the details. If you’re a retailer and would like to stock the book, please get in touch via the email address above.

The book and my comics are all available to buy through the Ventedspleen shop which is here. There’s also a link to the shop in the sidebar of this blog.

NoBarcodes

I exhibited at the London Underground Comic’s NoBarcodes event in Camden Lock Market on Saturday. Sold a few comics and copies of the My Fellow Americans book – my thanks to those of you who came and said hello. I always find these sort of events quite hard as I’m not a natural sales person and find it infinitely more comfortable drawing the comics from my desk at home, but it’s always good to meet other small-press artists. Thanks to the warm, friendly, gracious and supportive Oli Smith for making me feel so at home on the day.

Here’s a very brief interview I did with fellow comic artist David Baillie which was part of the promotional drive for the week leading up to the event.