British small press comics
 |
A small number of British small press comics for sale at the Caption convention, 2005 |
British small press comics is a term used to describe
comic books self-published by
cartoonists and
comic book creators within the UK. It also serves to describe the loose community of creators, publishers and facilitators involved in their production and distribution.
A "small press comic" is essentially a
zine predominantly comprised of comic strips. The origins of the term is uncertain but probably emerged in the late
1970s and serves to distinguish them from zines
about comics.
Creators of British small press comics often work in
webcomics.
Traditionally, a
small press publisher was literally a
publisher who operated on a small scale, often with a manual printing press in-house, producing limited print-runs of publications that larger more commercially inclined publishers would reject.
The history of British small press comics is tied up with the
underground press of the
1960s with publications such as
Oz and
International Times, the British underground comix scene of the
1970s and with the
Punk zine explosions of the late
1970s. The latter was probably more significant as it was born of cheap and accessible
photocopying. This dramatic lowering of technological
barriers to entry meant anyone could produce a publication with a print run as low as one regardless of commercial potential.
Within the British comics
fandom of the
1970s and early
1980s there were many zines
about comics, mainly concentrating on American
superhero titles. Since high-street retailers of comics were scarce these zines ran
mail order services and relied on the postal service for distribution. There were also regular
markets or "marts" which also served as a social meeting place for aficionados. This gave a backbone for small press comics to emerge and in many cases react against.
Due to the popularity of photocopying as a means of production, the dominant format for British small press comics is the A5 booklet comprising of any number of double-sided A4 photocopies folded and stapled across the middle. Variations on the
ISO 216 paper size system are frequent with sizes under A6 commonly known as "minis". Minis have been known to go as small as 4.5cm² though A6 and A7 are more common. A4 is the second most common size though A3 (single sheets bound without folding) has been known. Creative forms of folding and cutting exist producing odd shapes but since the comics are generally sent by mail traditional sizes are more common.
As it has become cheaper and short print-runs viable, many small press comics are being printed professionally.
Small press comics have traditionally been black and white due to technological and financial limitations, though in recent years prices have fallen making full colour more viable, especially for covers.
A common trait for small press comics is to be collated and stapled by hand and often extra flourishes will be added such a hand colouring or decoration making the comic something of an
art object.
The predominant form of distribution for small press comics is by
mail. Most publishers will post individual copies direct to the reader with orders coming from
reviews,
classified adverts, websites/email lists or
word of mouth. If a creator has a regular series they may take
subscriptions.
Creators who live in the same area or share similar goals will sometimes group together as a loose
collective to share resources, often bringing their titles together in a catalogue/website or under an
imprint and sharing tables at conventions and marts.
There is usually one or more mail order service, commonly known as a "distro", operating in the UK. These will hold a wide range of titles and take a cut of the cover price. The main distro at this time is
SmallZone.
Comics conventions and festivals will often have a small press presence where publishers are able to display their wares at a reduced rate. There are also events specific to small press comics such as
Caption in
Oxford and the
Web and Mini Comix Thing in
London.
Distribution into comic book stores via traditional distributors (such as
Diamond) is rare. Stores will often stock titles by local creators though some, notably
Gosh! in London and
Page 45 in
Nottingham, stock a wider range and deal with small press comics on a level playing field.
Creators will often make international links to these forms of distribution in other countries and vice versa.
Given the
DIY nature of producing and distributing small press comics there have been countless organisations, setups and collectives operating in the last 30 years. Some significant ones past and present include:
1980s
;Escape Magazine:
Escape Magazine, published by
Paul Gravett and Peter Stanbury from
1983 to
1989, printed comics by many small press cartoonists and had regular reviews and "how to" guides.
;
Fast Fiction:
Generally seen as a pivotal player in the development of British small press comics, the
Fast Fiction stall at the
Westminster Comic Mart in
London, started in
1981 by Paul Gravett, provided a focal point for creators and readers to gather around. It later developed into an anthology, mail order service and news sheet. Fast Fiction ran throughout the
1980s and was closed by its final custodian,
Ed Pinsent, in
1990.
1990s
;BugPowder:BugPowder was a mail order distro set up by Pete Ashton in
1996. It sold any British small press comics that cared to be listed as well as importing selected books from the US and Europe. The BugPowder distro closed in
2000.
The
BugPowder weblog evolved out of the distro and points to British small press activity online.
;Caption
Caption was a zine-cum-
APA devoted to small press comics edited by Jenni Scott that ran from
1992 to
1998.
Caption is also a yearly convention held in Oxford since
1992. Loosely based around a theme, each event offers panels and workshops related to small press comics along with the opportunity to buy and sell them. There is also a significant social aspect. Details of past conventions are on the
Caption website;Psychopia:
Psychopia was a small press zine and mail order distro run by cartoonist
B. Patston, the first issue appearing in
1994, printed comics by small press cartoonists and had many reviews and articles on
British comics. Psychopia continues to this day as a
website.
;Slab-O-Concrete:
Slab-O-Concrete was a mail order distro and publisher set up by
Peter Pavement in the early
1990s. Initially selling British small press comics and zines, Pavement began importing books from the US, Australia and Europe. Slab quickly developed into a publisher, repackaging small press comics and zines for the bookshop market and originating new works. Of note was Pavement's general rejection of the traditional comic book industry, making connections with underground publishers, zinesters, indie record labels and other
subcultural scenes. Slab was laid low by cashflow issues in
2001.
;TRS
TRS (The Review Sheet) was a single sheet of A4 paper crammed with short reviews of small press comics and zines produced by Pete Ashton from
1995 to
1998. Similar in style to the Fast Fiction newsletter, it came out every couple of months and was distributed via a number of comics-related zines.
;Zum!:
Zum! was a review zine run by cartoonist
Luke Walsh and reader
Mike Kidson, the first issue appearing in August
1991. Zum! distributed copies of comics submitted to a panel of reviewers, often cartoonists themselves, who were encouraged to write critical reviews of significant length. It also featured reproductions of the comics under review, usually a whole page reduced in size. Its stated aim was to treat small press comics with the critical respect they deserved rather than sidelining them as other zines had done in the past. Zum! continues to this day as a
website run by Paul Schroeder.
2000s
;Accent UK:
Accent UK is a collective of small press comics publishers from the
North of England. The collective regularly publishes themed anthologies along with the
zine Redeye which surveys the British small press comics scene. They frequently have a presence at British and European comics events.
;SmallZone:
SmallZone is a mail order distro run by Shane Chebsey dealing in British small press comics and imports books from America, Australia, Europe, Canada, and South Africa. :The SmallZone website also has an
information portal for new self publishers.
;Sweatdrop:
Sweatdrop Studios are a collective of UK
manga creators who publish small press comics. They have strong links with the British
anime scene.
;Web and Mini Comix Thing:The
UK Web and Mini Comix Thing is a yearly event in
London run by Patrick Findlay that brings the British small press and webcomics communities together to sell and promote their work.
With communication mainly taking place by post or online, there is no geographical centre for British small press comics. However, creators who discover they live in the same town will often meet up. In doing so they form a local scene. Some significant local scenes have included:
;Birmingham : The
Birmingham Arts Lab was an
Arts Council funded organisation in
Birmingham that was in effect hijacked by
Hunt Emerson and other local cartoonists from
1972 to
1979 producing
Large Cow Comix,
Street Comix and
Thunderdogs.
;Brighton : As the
counterculture capital of the UK it is unsurprising that
Brighton has been home to many small press cartoonists. The distro and publisher
Slab-O-Concrete was based here and during the
1990s a regular art show and anthology,
Sofa, featured local cartoonists.
;Liverpool : The
Liverpool Cartoon Workshop run by Ian Herring had a significant influence on the regions small press output which continues to this day. The reviews zine
Zum! was based in
Liverpool.
;London : Given the size of the capital there has always been a significant small press presence in
London but it has usually been amalgamated into the general comics scene. Events such as the
Westminister comics mart and the annual
UKCAC convention had a strong small press presence throughout the
1980s and
1990s and the
Cartoon Art Trust embraced the small press, especially when Paul Gravett was the curator. The
London Cartoon Centre ran regular classes in comic art during the
1990s which produced a number of small press anthologies. The
UK Web and Mini Comix Thing is a yearly event combining small press and webcomics.
;Oxford : In the early
1990s a number of members of the
Oxford University comic book society became interested in the British small press comics scene and started the yearly Caption convention which continues to this day.
;Other Regions : Many other regions of the UK have had significant concentrations of small press comics creators including
Bristol,
Glasgow,
Manchester and
Reading.
Books*Huxley, David (2001)
Nasty Tales: Sex Drugs, Rock'n'Roll and Violence in the British Underground. Headpress. ISBN 190048613X
*Sabin, Roger (2001)
Below Critical Radar: Fanzines and Alternative Comics from 1976 to the Present Day Slab-O-Concrete. ISBN 1899866477
Magazine articlesJudge Dredd Megazine #240 (February 2006) contains a five-page article by Matthew Badham on the British small press comics scene, including interviews with many creators (such as
Pete Ashton,
Al Ewing &
Arthur Wyatt), and reviews of titles such as
FutureQuake,
Solar Wind,
The Girly Comic,
Violent,
Bugpowder and Engine Comics'
Redeye.
Zines*Scott, Jenni (Ed.)
Caption APA 1992-1998
Websites*http://bugpowder.com
*http://www.zumcomics.info/
*
Small Zone - mail order service for small press comics
*
BugPowder - weblog covering UK small press news
*
Zum! - reviews of small press comics
*
TRS2 - reviews of small press comics
*
Caption Convention - yearly small press convention in Oxford
*
Pencil Monkey Forums - includes forums for specific titles
