“Making Comics Can Be an Isolating Affair” – Rob Luckett and Jack Fallows on the Ethos of the Leeds Comics Collective and Their First Anthology ‘Cryptids of Leeds’

THOUGHT BUBBLE MONTH 2024! Two important boxes immediately checked here in today’s Thought Bubble Month interview. Firstly we have an example of the power of comics community in the shape of the Leeds Comics Collective, a regional group bringing together creators in the city. And secondly we have an opportunity to boost a small press comics anthology, that much valued but in recent years lesser spotted platform for self-publishing artists.

Their first offering is Cryptids of Leeds, introducing us to some of the stranger inhabitants of the locale. There’s a review of the comic coming later on in our Thought Bubble coverage and if you’re in Leeds on November 13th there’s also a Thought Bubble ‘Pints and Pencils’ event awaiting you (details here). We caught up with LCC’s Jack Fallows and Rob Luckett to chat about the group’s aims, the importance of community, and what you can expect from this first team effort…

ANDY OLIVER Cryptids of Leeds is the debut project from the Leeds Comics Collective so firstly can you give us some background on the origins of the group and some of the artists it is comprised of?

JACK FALLOWS: I founded a comics collective called Paper Jam in my hometown of Newcastle in 2007, while I was working part time in a comic shop and running their small press service. I noticed how many amazing creators were living locally and wanted a forum for them to get together, share ideas and collaborate. We started hosting monthly meet-ups in the basement of the shop and quickly had the idea to create a collaborative anthology. Everyone chipped in a fiver to cover the print costs of the first one, then we sold it through the store. Once costs were recouped, we had a little communal pot of money to use for future endeavours.

Paper Jam are still going strong to this day, and have released dozens of anthologies, held launch shows with music and films and exhibitions – all for the love of comics with no one turning a profit. When I moved to Leeds, it was partly because of the incredible comics and art scene that existed here already – home to Thought Bubble, OK Comics, Travelling Man, and the comic course at Leeds Arts Uni. So it was a no-brainer that I should try and do something similar to Paper Jam here, thus the LCC was born!

From Jack Fallows’ intro

ROB LUCKETT: After living in Leeds for 15 years, I was already keenly aware of its thriving comics scene. But in recent years it’s kicked into overdrive with even more top tier comics talent moving into the neighbourhood and a collective made too much sense after Jack floated the idea. I made a logo for us, we’ve hopped around a few venues to find what works best for meets, and now we have an anthology out. OK Comics alumni and Broken Frontier ‘Six to Watch 2019’ star Anna Readman was also front and centre for the formation of the collective. We’ve got lots of up and coming talent attending meetings as well as tutors from Leeds Art University, Eisner Award winners such as John J. Pearson, and Ignatz nominees like James Lawrence amongst many more comic pros.

‘The Real Cryptid of Leeds’ by Feff Silvers

AO: How would you describe the collective’s aims and ethos? And can you tell us a little about your regular meet-ups and how they work?

FALLOWS: The ethos is very much carried over from Paper Jam – there are no hierarchies, no one makes a profit, decisions are made collectively and it’s entirely free to get involved – being a ‘member’ just means showing up regularly, there is no application or card or anything. As long as you’re interested in comics, you’re welcome at an LCC meet – this includes writers, artists and creators of all experience levels, as well as people who just like to read them! We meet up once a month for a drink ‘n’ draw style event and have just moved this to a new venue better equipped for round-table type discussions, drawing games etc.

LUCKETT: Anyone turning up to meets are free to bring along their own work to share for critique or a general pat on the back, and we try our best to signal boost whatever projects our regulars have out there. The big N in ‘Networking’ gives me an itchy feely, but meets are also a good chance to rub shoulders with some industry stalwarts and just generally socialise with like-minded individuals.

Making comics can be an isolating affair, so collective meet-ups are a great excuse to get out for a night while also still being able to scribble away on whatever projects people bring along with them. People of all skill levels are invited to come to meet-ups and we safeguard our members by moving to dis-invite anyone with a proven history of making other attendees feel at risk. We’re an inclusive community but we’re not naïve about the realities of public events either.

‘A Meeting with the Pigeon Eater’ by Kevin Haworth

AO: I was really taken by the variety of styles and approaches to the page within Cryptids of Leeds. The title is, I guess, self-explanatory but what kinds of creatures and urban legends can we expect to see in these pages?

LUCKETT: Jack wanted the first anthology to strongly represent Leeds without it being derogatory or with a negative focus. A request for suggested topics went out, and more than one amongst our ranks wanted a cryptid theme. While Cryptids of Leeds is the title, we weren’t draconian in refusing submissions if they strayed a little off-piste. As such the anthology features ghost stories, little goblin fellows, kaiju fights, and sewer mutants. Legendary pub crawl ‘The Otley Run’ has revellers in all manner of costumes haunting a main Leeds road throughout the year, so more than one tale in the anthology uses that setting as a way for crafty cryptids to go undiscovered in plain sight.

AO: You have a really interesting mix of more established indie creators alongside some newer emerging talents. What do you feel that balance of experience brings to the anthology in terms of reflecting the LCC’s creative mission?

FALLOWS: It’s crucial! The thing that still excites me most about comics after over two decades in the industry is that it’s an extremely infant art form compared to other types of media, and very accessible in comparison – all you need is a good idea, a pen and a piece of paper and you can make an entirely fresh, exciting, successful comic. Having elders around to offer their guidance and younger people to shake things up means we get the best of both worlds and everyone feels challenged in a healthy, exciting way.

‘Otley Motley Blobly’ by Hannah McCann and Joe Eaton

AO: With a first anthology under your belt now what are your plans for the future? Any ideas already about a second collection and theme?

FALLOWS: We don’t have a theme yet but there will definitely be more anthologies – I’d love to collaborate with Paper Jam at some point and bring that full circle. Plus bigger and more ambitious launch shows, and a Leeds-based small press con of some description have all been discussions on the table thus far!

LUCKETT: After the success of the first anthology, I anticipate submissions to the next one will increase dramatically. In general I think we’re also looking to continue growing our ranks and showing we’re a trustworthy outfit for the cavalcade of Leeds comic talent to treat as a home base.

AO: Where can Thought Bubble attendees find copies of Cryptids of Leeds over the convention weekend? And, finally, if there are Leeds-based comics creators who are interested in becoming part of LCC how can they get involved with the group?

FALLOWS: The answer to both of these questions is to check out our Instagram page @leedscomicscollective – we always post there when the date and venue of the monthly meets are finalised, and we’ll be shouting about who has copies of the anthology to buy ahead of the con. If you want to be adding to our mailing list, you can also shoot me a message at leedscomicscollective@gmail.com

LUCKETT: We’ll be sure to put out a Thought Bubble map too that shows where all anthology stars are sitting with copies for people to grab a copy or get them signed! There’s a special Pints & Pencils event in collaboration with Thought Bubble in the week lead up to the festival proper on the 13th November at The Belgrave from 7pm onwards which everyone is welcome to attend.

Buy Cryptids of Leeds from the Leeds Comics Collective here. You can find Jack Fallows’ website here and Robert Luckett’s website here.

Rob Luckett will be at Table A10 in the DSTLRY Hall at Thought Bubble.

Thought Bubble 2024 runs from November 11th-17th with the convention weekend taking place on the 16th-17th. More details on the Thought Bubble site here. 

Read all our Thought Bubble 2024 coverage so far in one place here.

Art by Rocío Arreola Mendoza