GRAPHIC NOVELS


WORDS BY TOM TIVNAN


SCOTTISH SPOTLIGHT


BOLD MOVES


“ S


cotland has a really rich culture of comics and has always punched above its weight,” says Nyla Ahmad (pictured). The Scottish Books Trust reading communities manager


can speak beter than most to the country’s position in the graphic novel world. Comics form part of her remit in her day job which aims at raising the profile for literature but she has been enmeshed in the Scotish comics scene for over a decade, first at universit when she worked at Glasgow’s famed Plan B Books comics shop while doing a masters on South Asian representation in graphic novels. She later led a mentoring project at Scotish indie BHP Comics, was chair of the Scottish Independent Comic Book Alliance Awards for three years and currently is on the board of the Glasgow Zine Library and part of the Societ of Authors’ Comics Creators Network. Scotland indeed is overrepresented by


THE LOSERS CLUB IS ONE OF FOUR TITLES IN THE BOLD UNIVERSE SERIES


heavyweight comics creators such as Mark Millar, Grant Morrison, Eddie Campbell and Metaphrog (art and life partners John Chalmers and Sandra Marrs). And there is a new generation such as creators John Lees, Maria Stoain and Jules Scheele, plus a vibrant indie publishing scene with the likes of author/ illustrator Eve Greenwood’s Quindrie Press and Blue Fox, run by husband-and-wife team Simon and Marielle Birks.


DO IT YOURSELF No question, though, the pandemic has been difficult. Ahmad says: “Those in real life comic-cons and conventions have been missed for creators and indie publishers in particular as they are a place where you sell books direct. But, I have been impressed by the informal and formal networks that have sprung up—the SoA did an event with Creative Scotland for comics creators called In the Frame last year—but also how the creators have been proactive in doing DIY projects and Kickstarter campaigns.” The pandemic was a time for Glasgow-based


BHP to “reset and go back to basics” says co-founder Sha Nazir. Part of that included what turns out will be its big project in 2022. Funding from Creative Scotland to run a mentorship scheme for nine young creators from previously underrepresented communities has resulted in Bold Universe, four different interconnected titles. Nazir says: “Strangely, this might not have come out if it weren’t for the pandemic. But we were able to find these amazing, emerging writers and artists and come up with a shared superheroes universe from almost unquestionably the most diverse creative team in the UK. It’s been fantastic.”


05


ONES TO WATCH


Smithers & Wing Heather Palmer and Kirsty Hunter


Te first in writer Palmer and illustrator Hunter’s


series, based in Edinburgh and centred around the


titular wife and wife demon hunter team, launched


last year after a success- ful Kickstarter campaign.


Tamlin Aven Wildsmith


Published by LGBTQ+ micro- press Knight Errant, Wild-


smith’s début reimagines the traditional Scottish Borders ballad “Tam Lin” through “a queer and colourful lens”.


Sexuality:


A Graphic Guide Meg-John Barker and Jules Scheele


Glasgow-based artist Scheele is on a roll, last year releas- ing their third collabora-


tion around sex and gender with Barker for Icon, plus illustrating “Drag Race UK” season two runner- up Bimini Bon Boulash’s Release the Beast (Viking).


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