“I Like Reopening Certain Parts of My Life that Were Challenging” – Clio Isadora on Autobio Comics and Her Avery Hill Graphic Novel ‘Sour Pickles’

BRITISH COMICS NOW! As mentioned at Broken Frontier earlier this year six British/UK-based comic creators will be attending this year’s Toronto Comic Art Festival (TCAF) as part of the British Comics Now initiative from the Lakes International Comic Art Festival (LICAF), and funded by Arts Council England, The Adlard Foundation and The British Council. To mark this at BF we’ll be looking to shine some spotlights on the practice of the six artists involved. Today it’s the turn of Clio Isadora who talks to us about early adventures in self-publishing, responsibility in autobio work, and her much lauded debut graphic novel Sour Pickles from Avery Hill. And we even have some new comic sneak peeks…

ANDY OLIVER: To begin with – and to introduce yourself to potential TCAF attendees reading this – can you tell us a little about your artistic background and your route into comics?

CLIO ISADORA: I’ve always loved to draw, as a kid I would make little comics for my Beanie Babies. Art was my favourite subject in school, so I ended up doing a BTEC in Art and Design after my A-levels. I knew I wanted to make comics but thought I would be more “employable” if I did a Graphic Design degree. I got really into print-making and making comics during my BA at Central Saint Martins, then continued after I graduated. After I gained more confidence in my visual storytelling, I started to put myself out there through self publishing my own short comic series Damp Candy and selling them at zine and comic fairs.

AO: Sour Pickles was your first full-length graphic novel from Avery Hill in 2021. For those coming to your work for the first time what were some of the themes you were looking to explore in the book?

ISADORA: Sour Pickles is a semi-autobiographical graphic novel set in the final year of art school, which was very inspired by my time studying at CSM. I wanted to make a graphic novel about the art school experience that dealt with material conditions, themes of labour and class, and how these echo through the creative industry/the arts in general. Outside of these key themes, the book also explores grief, mental health issues and substance abuse. I realise it may sound kinda heavy, but there is humour weaved into the story.

AO: From Is it Vague in Other Dimensions through to Sour Pickles there is that autobiographical or semi-autobiographical vein running through much of your work. How do you approach the responsibilities of autobio work in terms of depicting real events? Is there a sense of vulnerability in sharing so much on the page?

ISADORA: I assume that most of the people in my life wouldn’t pay to read my books, so they’ll never know what chaotic parts of my life are out there. I always change names and how people look to create some distance, but friends will be able to tell who the real life counterparts are.

I do feel exposed when I share these stories, but I find that producing work based on life experiences can be a way of processing things. Or trying to find humour in a situation that made me cry. I’m not a big verbal communicator, so this process works for me to unpick some challenging experiences to try and make sense of it all.

AO: Following on from that is there something cathartic about working through your own experiences on the comics page?

ISADORA: I find it easier to make comics from my own experiences and trying to make sense of them, especially with hindsight. I like reopening certain parts of my life that were challenging, exploring it, making a comic then putting it on my shelf so I don’t need to think of it anymore and move on.

AO: Can you give us some insights into your creative process and the mediums you work in? Does that ever differ depending on the project you might currently be working on?

ISADORA: My earlier comics were mostly all risograph-printed, which had very vivid inks and a nice textural finish to colouring. I stopped doing this because I wanted develop my digital print colouring in Photoshop and to be able to have more accessible prices for my small press comics.

Once I’ve finished the writing, my current process is to draw tiny pencil thumbnails of each panel. I then scan these in and assemble page layouts in Photoshop and print them A3 size. I pencil over the layout pages by using a Lightbox, then I take the penciled page and Lightbox that for the inked layers. I use a Berol felt tip pen to ink, just as it’s low cost and dries quickly.

AO: As someone who began by building a profile in the small press comics scene what advice would you have for creators just beginning their self-publishing journeys?

ISADORA: Put yourself out there! Make comics and apply to comic and zine festivals. If you have comics that are at accessible price points, you will be able to engage with more readers.

AO: What excites you the most about being part of the British Comics Now delegation to TCAF?

I’ve always wanted to go to TCAF, it’s my dream comic festival! I’m really excited to finally experience it whilst representing British comics. I’ve also never been to Toronto, so I’m looking forward to being in a creative city and meeting people in the comics community.

AO: And, finally, what else are you currently working on? Any teases you can give us for upcoming creative endeavours?

ISADORA: I’m currently working on my next graphic novel with Avery Hill, which will be out sometime in 2025. The story is more ambitious than my previous work and has definitely been more challenging to draw. I won’t give away too much about the story at this stage, but it started off as an inside joke that snowballed into a ridiculous parallel universe version of what my life could have been like. It is more of a mystery with horror elements and humour.

Buy Sour Pickles online from Avery Hill here

Interview by Andy Oliver