OTHQ #3
ON THE HUSH QUARTERLY : #3 Fómhar ’23
Hello there, welcome to Issue 3 of my comics happening and meanderings. If we've not yet met I'm Lucy. I write & draw comics such as 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...
AUTUMN HAPPENINGS & DRAWING BOARD-
Autumn seems to be dissipating like a ghost on a misty evening. It feels like a mere blink since my last newsletter went out and I was setting off for LICAF. The festival was as eclectic as ever and thanks to my road mates, Alex Moore & Mark Stafford, the 12hr drive was significantly more fun. What LICAF excels at is a global selection of cartoonists and there were lots of creators to meet from Denmark, Isreal, The Philippines, Belgium and beyond. The town looking out to Windermere was beautiful and we had a blast at our Show n’ Tell evening hosted by Dan Berry & David Gaffney. Unfortunately the weather was wet and being in a not waterproof marquee proved pretty challenging for paper stock. Hopefully next year will see some improvements and I’m absolutely delighted the weekend saw the crowning (or is that cloaking) of the new Comics Laureate - Bobby Joseph. Much good things to come from Bobby, no doubt.
Since then I’ve been full steam ahead in preparation for THOUGHT BUBBLE. I’m thrilled to be a guest this year at the UK’s best weekend celebration of comics. I’ve been putting together a new zine HAGBOUND for the festival. This zine brings together my research sketches with a narrative around looking for my monster-in-cardigan. The first run will be a limited one as I’m getting it risograph printed by Duplikat Press. I cannot pretend prepping the files didn’t melt my brain. It very much did but the zine has arrived and looks very tasty indeed. You can nab one from my table A15 DSTLRY HALL and find out more from the review over at Broken Frontier: https://www.brokenfrontier.com/hagbound-lucy-sullivan/
I’m going to be doing couple of events at TB this year. First up is a panel on Saturday Silence To Astonish where the hosts will try to melt the minds of guests Rachael Stott, Al Ewing and myself. It should be a lot of fun so join is from 3:15pm in Panel Room 2 - Queen’s Suite.
I’ve also agreed to do some live drawing as part of the Sketching Spotlight on Sunday. I’m both excited and absolutely bricking it to draw in front of lots of people alongside such talented creators. I’m still planning what I’m going to do as I’m quite a quick artist and the slot is 90 minutes so probably a few demos and a couple of images. Everything is then auctioned by TB so keep ‘em peeled for a chance to bid. I’ll definitely have some carbon to draw with and maybe bring my watercolour too. Join us from 1:45pm in Panel Room 1 - Queen’s Suite.
I’ve recently received my advance copy of Avery Hill’s edition of BARKING and my word it looks great. It’s been an absolute pleasure to work with the AHP team, a vast difference from my previous experience with publishers. Finding the right home for your comics is a complicated process, especially to find that mutual appreciation for each others work. I’ve got a healthy selection of AHP titles on my shelves and always hankered to be amongst them so it’s a genuine ambition achieved to have BARKING in their canon. This will be the first time that my debut is available in North America & Canada plus out for translation rights. A very exciting time indeed. We’ve got a bunch of events lined up for the launch next February and you can pre-order now at AHP: https://averyhillpublishing.bigcartel.com/product/barking-by-lucy-sullivan-pre-order
My next SHELTER story Mothers Ruin is progressing in the meantime. I’ve got the first chapter Spring all but written and roughly sketched out. It is looking to be a very strange book full of mythology and tension. I'm still sketching from archives to get an era specific feel and research my locations. The latest addition is a Bookies (Gambling shop) as many a Londoner would punt on the races and one of my characters has a real weakness for it. It’s been enjoyable to build the world and I’m getting excited to make it, if a little daunted by the scale of it. I’ve realised that it’s probably time to think about applying for an Arts Council Project Grant to make it. So… That means needing a secured publisher and I’m thrilled to say I’ve got one. Nothing is finalised or announced as yet but I think it’ll be a great home for my folk-horror tales and allow me the time I need to create the book in line with my ambitions. I’ll start the process of applying for the ACE grant next year. It’s a big one so that’s a ’24 problem.
I’ll be finishing off this year with a final event and it’s going to be a lovely day. I’m delighted to be a part of ZINE TAKEOVER at the Wellcome Collection in London. On Saturday 2nd December I’ll join 20 zine makers for a day of workshops, talks and chats on making zines. The focus is one creating works from personal experiences of life, health and the human condition. There will be chill out rooms alongside the event and a very inclusive space for every creator. Plus it’s free. Hope you can join us. Details on the Wellcome’s website: https://wellcomecollection.org/events/ZUD57xAAACkAr9xL
SOUL FOOD LITERATURE -
I’ve had barely any time to read of late. Instead I’ve been amassing a pile of new reading hopes that call to me as I cut and fold zines for TBUBS. I may well end up packing these to bring with me for the train journey.
Here’s some things I hope to get to stuff my brain and treat my eyeballs to: ( L > R)
SENSORY: Life on The Spectrum - Various: Eisner nominated autistic comics anthology edited by Bex Ollerton
TONO MONOGATARI - Mizuki Shigeru: An english language comic adaption of the renowned supernatural literature by the Yokai Grand Master.
MEAT 4 BURGERS: Welcome To Burgertory - Beck Kubrick & Christof Bogacs: A fast food horror in full graphic novel form.
GOODBYE ERI - Tatsuki Fujimoto: A manga on grief from the creator of Chainsaw Man.
WON’T BACK DOWN - Various: A pro-choice anthology curated by Trina Roberts and bought from Alison Sampson who will have copies at Thought Bubble on Table A10 in REDSHIRTS HALL
Archive Photography zines from Cafe Royal Books: A selection of archival photos of London and the UK from the 1960s & 70s by Reginald Tucker, Dragon Novaković & Philip Wolmuth
NOW GO: On Grief & Studio Ghibli - Karl Thomas. A short essay on how Studio Ghibli approaches and aids loss.
SHY - Max Porter: The latest story from one of my favourite authors.
I bought these from a variety of sources. Kickstarter, MCM London, Jam Bookshop, Little Deer Comics and online from the publisher. I’ll hopefully have more to say on one or two of them soon. If I’m lucky all of them. In the meantime please do check the books and creators out.
This is one of several reading piles in my studio. One of which is a loaded book trolley. One day, hopefully soon, I’m going to read them all. Just as soon as I cope with the deadlines / school life / dog walks and general adult stuff. I’m sure it’s any day now…
AUDIO/VISUAL DISTRACTIONS -
We managed to get to the cinema to see a grown up film for our joint birthday celebrations recently. My partner & I used to go to the BFI a fair bit when we met and one of our favourite screenings was Gareth Edwards’ MONSTERS. So there was one choice for us this time and that was Edwards’ latest offering THE CREATOR. Pitched as somewhere between the Lo-Fi of MONSTERS and the space opera of ROUGE ONE but shot on a £4K camera. The premise is somewhat timely, as in a near future the globe is torn in half by its stance on AI lifeforms. As the East embraces them as an equal race the West sees them as an unending threat. The split culminates in the experience of a lone Navy Seal (John David Washington) who must find the AI ultimate weapon and destroy it. Trouble is, it’s a kid or at least looks like one. I went in thinking this would be good sci-fi, and it is, but I hadn’t expected to be balling my eyes out. The performances are excellent, particularly Madeleine Yuna Voyles as Alphie who is beyond-belief good. It’s got a lot of heart amongst the high concepts and a lot of humour. It’s not perfect but I thoroughly enjoyed the film and in particular seeing it at a cinema because OOF! that soundscape is bass-heavy. You feel every explosion and thwack. If you’re keen on seeing it, do try to catch it on the big screen.
On the smaller screen I really enjoyed Nikyatu Jusu’s NANNY. A folk-horror of African diaspora set in current day New York. Aisha is an un-documented refugee seeking employment to fund her son’s journey to join her in New York. When she’s offered a job, as a nanny for a seemingly difficult child, she takes the position warily but without much choice. As her tenure extends and her understanding of the family’s problems deepens she is subjected to casual racism, harassment, lazy disregard and her inner conflicts begin to manifest. This is a beautiful film with an extraordinary performance by Anna Diop as Aisha whose every emotion is perfectly portrayed. I loved it’s mixture of African folklore with social unease as it’s very much what I’m seeking in SHELTER. I urge you to see this quietly powerful film. It’s well worth immersing yourself in it’s beauty and tense exchanges.
I have sadly read absolutely no books or comics and have been immersed in various news podcasts what with the state of everything in the world. I have however tried to keep up with some of my favourite creators via their newsletters so here are some recommends:
HOT OFF THE STRESS - Alex Moore
STRANGE ANIMALS - Aditya Bidikar
INKSKULL - Paul Peart Smith
(You need to follow Paul on Instagram & let him know you'd like to sign up. I strongly suggest you do!)
That's all for now. I hope you have a good rest of Autumn and I get to see some of you this weekend at Thought Bubble.
I’ll be back soon with a Winter edition so chat soon, Lucy
I’m all but off Twitter these days but occasionally posting. You can still find me on:
Instagram - @lucysullivanuk
Blusky - @lucysullivan.bsky.social
Online: lucysullivanuk.com
