It seems hardly possible that this is the tenth annual ‘Ten UK Small Press Comics You Need to Own!’ yearly round-up at Broken Frontier. Way back in 2012 I was alerting you to work from artists who would go on to be published by the likes of Avery Hill Publishing, Soaring Penguin Press, Myriad Editions, Blank Slate Books, David Fickling Books, Bloomsbury and Square Peg, among others. Truly the small press scene in the UK has always been a launchpad for some amazing creators and their careers! There were also shout-outs back in 2012 to some of the now long-gone anthologies that were such a vital part of the scene a decade or so ago like ink + PAPER, The Comix Reader and Team Girl Comic, emphasising the community side of the small press world.
As we approach 2022 here’s a small taste of some of the excellent practice to have been self-published in the UK over the last twelve months or so. As ever, this is not a “Best of” list but is intended to represent the rich diversity of approaches to the form in 2021 in terms of content, theme and style. As in recent years I have mostly concentrated on individual artists, picked print material only so you can scour your local shops’ small press sections, and gone for DIY culture rather than micropublished work.
There’s some truly fantastic comics below. Check them out, read the past reviews on Twitter, visit the creators’ sites and stores (and bookmark those currently shut for the holidays), and follow them on social media. In another year of adversity, the small press community in the UK produced some of the most inventive and medium-pushing work we were privileged to read in comics. This is just a small sample of it…
(Read our previous annual round-ups here at Broken Frontier)
Rusalka Part 1
Pigeon
Pigeon aka Kamila Król’s passion project Rusalka has been long awaited by fans of her work and after a very successful Kickstarter campaign it came to print this year with an official debut at the online Hackney Comic + Zine Fair. This first chapter of her interpretation of the story of the demonic entity from Polish folklore was as gorgeously illustrated as expected and underlined exactly why she was on our Broken Frontier list of ‘Six Small Press Creators to Watch‘ in 2020. Publishers take note!
Small Pressganged review here
Small Pressganged soundbite: Król’s art is simply stunning here. That’s not hyperbolic. The contrasting colour scenes for Rusalka’s verdant world and the autumnal human dream one give each a distinctive atmosphere and mood of its own, suiting those different incarnations and timeframes.
For more on the work of Pigeon visit her site here and online store here. You can also follow her on Twitter here and on Instagram here.
Resistance Sustenance Protection
Rachael House
The succinct nature of Rachael House’s collection of comics and cartoons (previously published on Instagram) recording life during the pandemic had a raw and direct emotional intensity that was most appropriate for 2021. This compilation is a combination of slice-of-life comics, social commentary, reflective meditations and uncompromising candour. Another example of how vital so much comics work will be as a record of the realities of these turbulent times in the years to come.
Small Pressganged review here
Small Pressganged soundbite: Much of the most important comics practice of 2021 has been that which has embodied a defiant sense of social justice. We can add Rachael House’s Resistance Sustenance Protection to that list. Without a doubt, one of the absolute must-read books of 2021.
Buy the book online here. Follow Rachael House on Twitter here and on Instagram here
Wednesday’s Child
Alxndra Cook
In this minicomic offering our 2021 Broken Frontier ‘Six to Watch’ artist Alxndra Cook reappropriated old nursery rhymes and folk songs for short comics that touched “upon themes of love, grief and hope.” It’s a beautiful and quietly powerful work that also acts as a showcase for Cook’s evocative use of colour and poignantly reflective graphic vignettes.
Small Pressganged review here and interview here
Small Pressganged soundbite: It may be only around 30 pages in length but the emotional gamut the reader runs in Wednesday’s Child underlines Alxndra Cook’s astonishing talent for speaking to her audience with a delicate and powerful intimacy.
For more on the work of Alxndra Cook visit her site and store here. You can follow her on Instagram here and on Twitter here.
Naglalamay
Mereida Fajardo
Debuting as a minicomic in the Broken Frontier Award-nominated anthology Lucky WIP, Mereida’s Naglamay was also reprinted in a larger format for Thought Bubble (indeed it was our debut ‘Comic of the Festival’). Her continued interrogation of the form and its possibilities has been outstanding over the last couple of years (her Throwing Pennies is also nominated for a BF Award this year). This haunting but touching story exploring Filipino funeral rites and superstitions is an essential read that adopts a number of tactile elements that can only be appreciated in physical format.
Small Pressganged review here and interview here
Small Pressganged soundbite: I previously described Naglalamay as “a mini-masterpiece on every level from composition, use of colour and darkness, message and narrative structure.” Its print edition makes me feel I may well have actually underestimated it!
For more on the work of Mereida Fajardo visit her site here and her online store here. You can follow her on Twitter here and on Instagram here.
Colossive Cartographies
Various creators
It was agonising not being able to add Colossive Press’s Colossive Cartographies series to our Broken Frontier Awards for Best Periodical Series this year but while we have bent the rules to review this small press phenomenon at BF there were just too many BF connections this year to add it to the nominations. For the uninitiated the Cartographies use the Turkish Map Fold, which allows an A4 sheet of paper to fold into an A6 cover that springs open as a tactile interactive object, to create distinctive graphic narratives that surprise and delight with every new offering. This year Colossive’s Tom Murphy and Jane Gibbens Murphy continued to invite indie movers and shakers like Aleesha Nandhra, Joe Decie, Miranda Smart, Mereida Fajardo, Tim Bird and Jenny Robins to take part.
Small Pressganged review here and interview here
Small Pressganged soundbite: Colossive Cartographies remains a wonderful exercise in flexible creativity and a perfect entry point into the work of the creators involved for those wanting to explore the UK small press and DIY culture scene further. I simply cannot recommend this series more highly.
You can visit Colossive Press’s online store on their site here. Follow Colossive Press on Twitter here and on Instagram here.
What is Britain?
Simon Moreton
We need more angry small press comics and zines and Simon Moreton’s What is Britain? admirably helped fill that void in 2020. It’s more graphic narrative than comic but it’s also a refreshingly blunt exploration of a Britain that has lurched into perhaps irreversible moral bankruptcy over the last few years. Moreton describes it as “an imperfect polemic”. I called it a “a quietly damning indictment of a broken country” when I reviewed it at BF. Moreton’s mix of vintage photos, his own art, and found text produced one of 2021’s most relevant self-published offerings.
Small Pressganged review here
Small Pressganged soundbite: Dreamlike/nightmarish in visual presentation, the currency of this latest Moreton offering is undeniable. Those aware of the artist’s social activism will be unsurprised to hear that proceeds from sales will go to the Sophie Lancaster Foundation, The Grenfell Foundation and the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants.
For more on the work of Simon Moreton visit his online store here. You can follow him on Twitter here and Instagram here.
Vicious Creatures
Sarah Gordon
The British indie scene has given us some markedly creepy offerings over the years (Strip for Me’s A Pocket Chiller particularly stands out of late) and Sarah Gordon’s eerie series of folk horror-inspired tales is up there with the very best of them. Gothic horror, disturbing visual metaphor and terrifying stand-out sequences meet in this collection that also earnt Gordon a nomination in this year’s Broken Frontier Awards as Best Colourist.
Small Pressganged review here
Small Pressganged soundbite: Gordon’s own brand of graphic melancholy creates something unique out of the recognisable standards of the horror genre. Vicious Creatures is already one of my absolute favourite horror comics collections. Pick it up and watch it become one of yours as well.
For more on the work of Sarah Gordon go here and visit her online store here. You can also follow her on Twitter here and on Instagram here.
Daddy #1
Beatrice Mossman
Another comic on this list to be deservedly nominated in our Broken Frontier Awards this year, Daddy is the first of a projected autobio series where self-publisher Beatrice Mossman tells the story of the father she never knew. Presented in a number of shorter individual strips this comic blends deeply affecting personal observations with a physical coffin-shaped format that adds extra layers to its thematic thrust. This is practice that is simply breath-taking in its emotional connectivity.
Small Pressganged review here
Small Pressganged soundbite: With [Mossman’s] new comic Daddy, her promise is realised in one of the finest pieces of autobio comics I have ever reviewed in the near ten years I have been writing ‘Small Pressganged’ here at BF.
For more on the work of Beatrice Mossman visit her site here and her online store here. You can also follow her on Twitter here and on Instagram here. Daddy is currently available from Gosh! Comics here and will be restocked on Beatrice’s online store in the new year.
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
John Reppion and MD Penman
Adapting Arthurian legend to the comics page is not a new venture in terms of sequential art storytelling but what stood out about John Reppion and Mark Penman’s Sir Gawain and the Green Knight was how it embraced the unique storytelling opportunities of comics to such awesome effect. This a tour-de-force, painstakingly researched by Reppion and triumphantly realised on the page by Penman. Just look at that glorious spread below!
Small Pressganged review here
Small Pressganged soundbite: This is one of the finest adaptations of classic literature I have reviewed here – not simply retelling the tale in comics format but actively looking to use the distinctive tools of the medium to highlight its themes and add layers to its subtext.
For more on the work of John Reppion visit his site here and his online store here. where Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is currently available. You can also follow him on Twitter here and on Instagram here. For more on the work of MD Penman visit site here and his online store here. You can also follow him on Twitter here and on Instagram here.
Horny & High Vol. 1
Ed Firth
Ed Firth’s queer comics anthology (some of which was shortlisted for the prestigious Myriad First Graphic Novel Competition) explores the darker side of gay sex culture. These three tales of urban gay life are in turns melancholy, bleak, explicit and uncompromising. But they’re all powerfully observed, with Firth’s visual storytelling impressive in what it says about his cast without the need for exposition or excessive dialogue.
Small Pressganged review here and interview here
Small Pressganged soundbite: Those who come to Broken Frontier looking for exciting work from emerging talents should take note. I suspect Horny & High is going to prove to be a major breakout project for Ed Firth…
For more on Ed Firth’s work visit his online store here. You can follow him on Twitter here and Instagram here.
Article by Andy Oliver
