September 20, 2023

OTHQ #2

ON THE HUSH QUARTERLY : #2 Samhradh '23 (Belated)

Hello there, welcome to Issue 2 of my comics happening and meanderings. If we've not yet met I'm Lucy. I write and draw comics and pin-ups amongst them my debut graphic novel BARKING, a BLACK HAMMER short for Jeff Lemire and IND-XED with Fraser Campbell. I'm currently creating the next part of my folk-horror series SHELTER. The 1st story, Early Doors, has now manifested & is available to buy online.

This newsletter will be updates on my projects, chats about the processes, events and a little wander around what I'm reading, listening or singing along to. I'll be putting it out 4 times a year and using the seasons as a reminder to write them. Thanks for subscribing & without further waffle...

SKETCHBOOK & DRAWING BOARD -

The start of summer saw me finishing up my Arts Council development period for the next SHELTER. It started with research at the British Library, followed by numerous days piecing this together through writing and eventually forming an outline for what is now titled Mothers Ruin. I had funding to work with two superb editors, discussing the development with Claire Napier & Shelly Bond. Both helped me to tighten the ideas and build to a long form single story (140-160 pages) with multiple character story arcs. Claire was encouraging, insightful and coped brilliantly with my anxiety that it was becoming dull. Shelly helped me discover the beats of the project with some excellent tips on structural development that I will use from here on in. Her expertise was mind blowing in it’s breadth and I feel extremely lucky to have Shelly’s keen eye on this story. Particularly the more, frankly bonkers, Celtic mythology sections. Those are some very bizarre stories indeed. I can’t wait to draw them.

Mother’s Ruin is a pretty ambitious project for me and I can’t pretend the scale isn’t daunting. It very much is. Especially considering the artwork will be watercolour with ink or carbon line art. Luckily the story is split into seasons and can be created in four sections. I find it helps to break larger projects into parts to stop yourself drowning in the various elements. I tend to work fairly linear on projects. I’m not someone who can start in various parts of a project and flit about, that melts my brain, so I started with Spring and began building my outline into a more formal script.

Whilst I was doing so I’d realise I didn’t know the shape of a room or what a character looked like so to get me back into drawing again I went to my go-to: visual research. I usually start by building a Pinterest page of various images to inspire the design or remind me of the vibe of the story. This time though I started drawing from archives. There’s a wealth of footage from the UK in the 60s & 70s on YouTube. In particular interest for me are films on British Pathé and Kino Library. I’ve drawn from docs on London High Rise offices, Protests on the Westway Road build and a reportage piece from London primary schools. It’s been genuinely enjoyable to draw from them and invaluable in developing my new characters. I’ve started thinking of them as ‘Monsters in cardigans’. It feels an apt title for my venerable women who aren’t always what they seem. They exude a subtleness of malicious spirit that is proving both enticing to seek and yet complicated to grasp. Still, I’m enjoying the hunt.

This process led me, really instinctively, to start drawing roughs of each layout as I wrote the script and figured out roughly what my cast looked like. This is my first time working on script and art concurrently. I usually flit between focus on each aspect but the new method feels much more cohesive in terms of judging what I need to say and what I can (or choose not to) show. Hopefully it’ll lead to a stronger story at completion. But that’s a wee way off yet!

A completed project that’s set for re-release is BARKING. I am thrilled to say that the new home for my graphic novel will be Avery Hill Publishing. Announced toady on AHP's newsletter! Over the summer I re-lettered the entire story with a new (and not-potentially-litigious) font by Dan Berry. Although the story remains as it was, we’ve added updated content including the foreword by Nick Abadzis and Afterword by myself. I also drew a new cover for the AHP edition that I feel is a stronger hint to the tone of the book (sneaky peek below). Currently the plan is to launch next spring (February 27th '24) with a signing evening and events later in the year. It will be the first time BARKING is available in the US & Canada and I hope further a field in the future. Although the first edition had a great run, considering the publisher Unbound all but disappeared and I did it myself, seeing what it can achieve with an ambitious and well run publisher at the helm is an exciting prospect. Please keep an eye out for more details soon.

To accompany the new edition I have a new risograph print run of my 1in4 Zines. A set I created whilst making BARKING and my first self-published works. Doing so reminded me of the pleasure and benefit to making smaller scale and more immediate work. Long form comics are an overwhelming process at times, especially around other life stuff; family, household, teaching work… Zines offer a quicker and more raw way to get ideas out. This became even more enticing when in July my car got stolen. It meant weeks of bureaucratic hell and was an absolute blow torch to my plans for SHELTER: Mothers Ruin. Although the next story is a single story as it’s sectioned into 4 parts I hoped to have an ashcan of part 1 ready for Thought Bubble. The idea was to print a small run to get folks into the story ahead of the full book. To do so for this November was already going to be a push. When I did it last year alongside running the Crowdfundr for Early Doors I very nearly had a breakdown. BARKING is a salutary reminder to myself to watch out for those signs and I was not doing that. So I took healthier option to not try make it for TBUBs. Instead I’m going to try to make a new zine, currently titled Hag Bound, a mixture of sequential, illustrated prose and straight up writing. I’m planning to give a day a week to the project until it’s time to print and see what I’ve made.

I’ve also started on my first script only project for Killtopia’s NANO JAMS anthology. I was recently announced alongside a handful of exciting creators over on Dave Cook’s Substack. The project will be a smaller scale for me but a huge opportunity to work with a renowned artist on an indie title that has gained much deserved accolade. It’s been exciting but strange to write for someone else. So far the feedback is great and I really hope they’ll enjoy drawing it. I cannot wait until we get to reveal who that will be… More info soon!

Follow Dave’s updates to stay in the loop: https://davescook.substack.com

SUMMER(ISH) HAPPENINGS -

I had meant to put this issue out at the start of Summer but, with my car getting nicked and the end of the school year, life said "no chance". So instead this will be a round up of things that happened and a look to what’s coming up. An Autumnal Equinox if you will.

July saw the triumphant return of SLCZF. This year was a bigger event taking up an extra room at the Stanley Arts halls and more Small pressers than you could shake a bone folder at. From publishers like Avery Hill, Colossive Press and Good Comics to stalwarts like Gareth Brookes, Douglas Noble and Shelly Bond alongside fresh talents supported by Broken Frontier such as Kry Garcia, Sammy Ward and my pal Davidt Dunlop. There were talks hosted by Avery Hill on running festivals to Small Press Vs Publishing to WIP projects with Alex Potts, Clio Isadora, Myfanwy Tristram & myself hosted by Chloë Green.

All available to watch on AHP’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@averyhillpublishing2866

I decided to do a limited number of events this year, ahead of what’s already shaping up to be a busy ‘24. But small can be beautiful and I am delighted to be a guest at this years Thought Bubble in Harrogate. It’s another huge year for the festival with 400 exhibitors and well known names including ND Stevenson, Ram V and Jeff Lemire. It’s one of my favourite events of the year and I’m as amped for it as ever. Alongside my comics I hope to have that new zine and a number of extras with me. I’ll send out another newsletter ahead of TBUBs with a bit more info…

Before that I'll be at Lakes International Comic Arts Festival in just under two weeks time from 29/09-01/10, tabling in the Comics Marketplace all weekend on TABLE 71. I’m bringing my final box of 1st Edition BARKING (recently discovered hidden behind other boxes!). I’ll also have copies of SHELTER: Early Doors, Metallic Dynamite and IND-XED. As well as both sets of my zines. LICAF will be the first time I’ll have original art to sell too. There’s original drawings of pin-up from various projects, Sequential pages from Metallic Dynamite and Skrawl Issue #1 as well as location drawings for BARKING and oil bar life studies.

On top of all that on the Saturday evening I’ll be part of Dan Berry & David Gaffney’s SHOW AND TELL EXTRAVAGANZA! Where nine creators will read/ perform their comics alongside projected imagery. I’ll be reading from Early Doors and, although there will not be accents per se, I will be stretching my vocal range in the name of entertainment. It’s free entry & no booking required so please join us from 6pm upstairs at the (Comics) Arts Bar.

SOUL FOOD LITERATURE -

I always start the Summer thinking I’ll have lots of free time to read. I never seem to remember that this is a time full of household jobs, child wrangling and dog walking. I still carried Missouri William’s The Doloriad (Dead Ink Books) around with me the entire time. Never once getting to leaf through a single page. Ah well. At least I have some commuting coming up and will do so then. I did however manage to read a few comics (not as many as I’d like).

I’d been holding off from reading The Many Deaths Of Laila Starr (Boom Studios) for a long while. Although I’m a fan of Ram V’s and thought Andrade’s art looked sumptuous, I worried that the themes may be too similar to Early Doors. I needn’t have. This story, whilst steeped in mythology, is of India and its communities and mostly of Death and Laila. It’s a gorgeous, considered work that I wouldn’t wish to spoil. If you’ve not yet had the pleasure I strongly urge you to pick it up.

Next up was one of my favourite UK creators Gareth Brookes and his latest large scale work The Dancing Plague (Self Made Hero). Based on a dancing epidemic of 1518 in Strasbourg. Gareth imparts the victims with inner thoughts and terrifying visions to put the experience in the context of everyday lives ruined and at the mercy of religion. Sometimes heart wrenching, often surreal and always brilliant I don’t think there’s another creator that can rival Gareth for the skill and uniqueness of his books. His eye for the beauty of the mundane mixed with observed drawing and genuine craft is always a pleasure to read. If you’re new to his work start with Can I Borrow Your Toilet? from his online shop and follow the Brookes path into narrative mind expansion.

Finally after a silly incident I ended up in A&E for 6 hours with an eventual diagnosis of concussion (It’s really been quite the summer!). I did manage to grab Eleanor Davis’ Why Art? (Fantagraphics) on the way to the hospital and so glad I did. This small but perfect comic starts with a wry look at the many aspects of art and then shifts, as Davis often does, into altogether stranger territory. It’s a brilliantly drawn and wittily observed tale. Davis remains another of my all time favourite creators and I will by their work whenever I’m lucky enough to find it. This copy was shipped from the wonderful Little Deer Comics in Ireland.

Speaking of fav creators. I recently got to declare my unabashed love for Gipi’s comics and in particular a page from his masterpiece One Story with Kevin Sharpe (Between The Panels) on COMIC ART LIVE podcast. It’s a quick interview and free to watch on YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=6bX7ZRW7e1A

I also managed over Summer to listen to some audiobooks. In the first newsletter I mentioned how much I’d enjoyed Juno Dawson’s Her Majesty’s Royal Coven. When the second book The Shadow Cabinet released on Audible I jumped in immediately. I’ll admit to being completely caught up in the friendship politics of the lead coven and issues in the wider witching world that Dawson has created. This is not a grown up YA though, these witches are as fucked up and useless at interpersonal relationships as their mundane counterparts, precisely why I like them so much. Added to which there seems to be a gang of witch hunters on the loose and that’s just making shit even harder. The story is a lot of fun so a big recommend. The narration on this series by Nicola Coughlan (Derry Girls) is top drawer too.

I try to have an element of research to my listening when I can and Anna Bogutskaya’s Unlikeable Female Characters proved very useful indeed. A detailed and deeply researched essay on ‘how bitches, trainwrecks, shrews and crazy women have taken over pop culture and liberated women from having to be nice’. Seen through the studio system of Hollywood onto TV and Cinema this loving, funny and deeply engaging study of the darker feminine side is a must read for anyone interested in how cultures and society define expectations and why it’s so fun to burn them down. I enjoy Bogutskaya’s film reviews and was delighted that her books are just as pleasurable. I also discovered her podcast The Final Girls that Bogustkaya hosts alongside a plethora of guests. The series focuses on seeing horror through the lens of feminism and is a fascinating deep dive into genres such as Vampires (the sluttiest of monsters), Psychotic Women and Teen Horror amongst so much more. I found the podcast after her book lead me to watch a film (listed below) and then seek out more discussion. Which is probably a good time to move onto…

AUDIO/VISUAL DISTRACTIONS -

Watching time in our household is limited to an hour or two at the end of the day when my kid and dog are asleep and we can settle in front of the TV. There is so much high quality pleasures to watch these days it’s almost too much. We spent a large part of the summer travelling or with family and needed something for everyone. This lead us to belatedly finding The Traitors (BBC) and thoroughly enjoying the social experiment/ murder in the dark set-up for all it’s tense happenings. Both the UK and Australian editions are great fun but we gave up on the US one after 1 episode (too many minor celebs that interest me not).

In terms of favourite TV for me they couldn’t be a more eclectic list, that on the surface have little in common. Except for all being superbly crafted and utterly of themselves. A high bar indeed.

I think regularly about Beef (Netflix) and the depths that Amy (Ali Wong) & Danny (Steven Yeun) will go to satisfy their need for revenge after they collide in a road rage incident one day. Everything about this show is perfect from the performances to the dialogue to the poisonous chemistry between the various characters. I’m waiting for a long enough gap to rewatch it and see if I can cope with the squirming discomfort of their saga.

Shane Meadows’ adaption of The Gallows Pole (BBC) saw the This Is England director turn his eye to historical drama. Told over three episodes and with some of Meadows’ main stay performers, Thomas Turgoose and Michael Socha, joined by a quality cast that brought the trails of this small community and their move to criminality to life. Based on the true tale in Myer’s novel (of the same name) of 18th century counterfeiting in Yorkshire. Allowing the cast to ad-lib and speak in everyday voices the show has so much heart that it’s impossible not to forgive the townsfolk and their desperation. Do seek it out.

Finally worth mentioning is Season 6 of Black Mirror (Netflix). This show is renowned for its unsettling and often prescient tales of modern life’s pitfalls. This series for me saw a return to form in its offerings and in particular the final episode: Demon ’79. It felt like it was created exclusively for me in terms of themes; 70’s shop worker forced to commit terrible deeds in the name of redemption. To it’s cast, lead by Anjana Vasan (Killing Eve) who is shaping up to be one of my favourite current actors. Her vulnerability and barely veiled rage is beautiful to witness. Added to which the episode was co-written by Bisha K. Ali whose work I’ve enjoyed on Ms Marvel and will now actively seek out. I don’t want to spoil any of this episode but it makes a fine companion piece to SHELTER. If only I could get Ali & Vasan onboard for an adaption…

Cinema is a sadly fleeting happening for us. I did manage to see both Spider-man: Across The Spider-Verse and Barbie with my kid. Both of which we considered excellent for varying reasons. Watching them at Everyman cinemas where I could also partake with a Gn'T or Hard Shake is a joy of the modern age that I am very onboard with.

Watching more grown-up cinema has lead us to a number of female directors and astonishing lead performances. Charlotte Wells’ Aftersun was greeted with critical accolade and rightly so. A tale of a lost, young father and his somewhat estranged daughter rekindling on a holiday interspersed with her contemplating it in her future life. Its slow building and deeply considered moments of staccato conversation mixed with heavy silences is such an assured look at family dynamics and brilliantly delivered. So much so it is almost unfathomable that this is Wells’ feature debut. If you’re not in floods of tears by the dynamic final scene you may want to check if your heart still works.

Speaking of final senes there can’t be many to match Rose Glass’ Saint Maud. I was encouraged to watch this by Shelly Bond, who thought it would be a great reference for Mothers Ruin. It was and has a broodingly powerful and quietly unhinged performance by Morfydd Clark as the titular Maud. Appearing in a shaken state in her home town Maud is sent as a palliative care nurse for troubled ex-star Amanda (Jennifer Ehle). As the pair’s relationship deepens and worsens Maud’s past begins to catch up with her but her faith is strong and the path set. What happens next should be seen unhindered and is really quite unforgettable.

This could almost be the theme of my watching lately. Everything seems to pivot on dramatic final scenes. Which leads to my final rec; Emerald Fennell’s Promising Young Woman. I felt compelled to watch the film after listening to Bogutskaya’s description in her book and I'm very happy I followed that need. This film encompasses so much of the modern female experience and allows the lead, Carey Mulligan as Cassie, to turn it on it’s head. In a defiant performance Mulligan takes us into the sleazy danger of bars, casual hookups and a consequential, terrifying thirst for justice. Again I don’t want to spoil anything but I laughed, I urged on, I cried and empathised deeply with Cassie. There was a lot of controversy around the film and many holding very different options to me on it. I urge you to watch and make up your own mind then perhaps listen to the superb Final Girls Podcast episodes dedicated to the film. There is so much to unpick and so many of us that the themes resonate with.

So that’s all for this belated edition of On The Hush.

Thanks for reading!

Do find me on the socials. I’m all but of Twitter these days as it no longer has acceptable safety standards. I’m also considering deleting my Facebook Artist page as META refuses to acknowledge complaints about AI usage. However you can still find me on:

Instagram - @lucysullivanuk

Blusky - @lucysullivan.bsky.social

I’m on a few other sites but rarely update at the mo. There’s just too many. I’ll be back very soon for the Autumn edition and a celebration of all things Spooky Season.

Chat soon! Lucy