Love Bomb 2 Review

I came across this review of Love Bomb 2 at Comics Village while surfing the internet today. It's interesting to encounter a new review of work I did so long ago. Unfortunately, I have absolutely no copies left of it for sale, However, Swill the Alien, who made his first appearance in it, has his own one off comic still available for purchase from The Shop if you're interested.

A Music Paper and Amusing Paper

A Music Paper and Amusing Paper are two different comics by Alistair Maceachern that collect together strips he's produced between 2005 and 2008. Published in tandem, they both feature humorous and astute observations on music fanzine publication and every day live, respectively. Alistair and I shared a table at No Bar Codes over the weekend and seeing his work for the first time I was impressed by, and a little bit envious of, the strength, originality and confidence of his art style. Visit Alistair’s website to see samples of his work and then contact him for information on how to get a hold of these comics.

pbrainey

No Bar Codes Report

I don’t know if No Bar Codes should be described as a mini-small-press con or as an extension of the London Underground Comic Stall that’s been running for the last few months but I’m certain that everyone who attended yesterday will tell you that it was a success. Situated in the heart of the culturally illuminated Camden (London, England), just the massive footfall alone suggested that, mathematically, it couldn’t fail. Statistically, every now and then, someone passing was going to stop and have a look.

The real ingredient to its success, however, was the atmosphere created by all of the exhibitors and the organizers. Because, unlike other events, exhibiting was so affordable and organizer Oli Smith encouraged us to wander off to sample the local sites and leave the selling of our stock in the hands of other cartoonists occasionally, expectations became more social and the normal pressures that come with selling work that you’ve poured your heart and soul into alleviated.

Another ingenious idea, thanks to restricted space, was limiting exhibitors stock to four separate titles. I have over twice as many separate comics than that to sell but this rule forced me to think hard about what to take along and be more imaginative about what to offer. For example, I produced a There’s No Time Like The Present Value Pack containing several parts of the story especially for the event which not only enabled me to make available all seven issues so far but also sold quite well.

My favourite moment was when a passer-by stopped and asked me what was going on. I explained who we were, what we did, the diverse range of material available and the overall high quality of it to which he thanked me and left, I thought, to continue on to his original destination. Half an hour later, he reappeared and bought a couple of things from our table.

Thanks to the organizers yesterday, particularly Oli Smith who introduced people to each other, stood out on the street watching for strays and generally made us out-of-towners feel very welcome. There is talk of a second event taking place at the end of August. If so, I will almost certainly be there. In the meantime, Ollie continues to run the London Underground Comic Stall every Saturday. If you’re in the area, I strongly suggest that you give the stall a visit, not because it deserves your support, but because you will want to have witnessed, at least once, something as vital and exciting as this in the early days.

pbrainey