OTHQ #5
ON THE HUSH QUARTERLY : #5 Earrach ‘24
Hello there, welcome to Issue 5 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 process, 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 era of Secrecy continues… sorry! I would love to wax lyrical about the big secret gig I did recently but as yet my involvement is unannounced and the contracts were too scary to break. I can say that it was for a feature film. I can say that I created all of the on-screen artwork, which may be added to on-screen by other hands. I can say that the cast is small but genuinely A-List and that it really was an incredible project to be asked to do. I will be positively shouting the news and my involvement when I FINALLY get the green light. As it stands the film is in the edit suite and, with much of the effects created in camera, I’m hoping it won’t be long in post production. It really will be an incredible film so please bear with me whilst I wait (im)patiently to tell all.
Here’s a very subtle peek of my studio during the project…
There are also continued secret happenings around BARKING. It’s mind-boggling to consider who I’ve been chatting to lately and where this project is going but gain bear with me. Exiting news to come.
As it keeps coming up the answer is Bear. Of course. Even more so if it’s not a strange man but one you know as statistically you’re more likely to be harmed by a man known to you and far more likely than by a bear. If you missed the viral query of “Are you safer with a Stranger Man or Bear?” that got many a #NotAllMen hot under the collar then this post by the unequivocally eloquent Len Pennie sums it up perfectly.
It encompasses much of my feeling towards recent events in comics and the defence of the indefensible in the name of fandom. I’m being somewhat vague as although many have poured their hearts out, and I feel for their grief, it is misguided in its acceptance of abusive, coercive behaviour. As a woman in comics I would get no end of abuse if I expressed this on certain platforms, if not all of them, and there in lies the continuing problem.
Instead I will channel my rage into my stories and I cannot wait to get back to making comics. Between the Secret Film gig and the launch of BARKING I’ve had no time at all to work on my next story. I’m hoping to rectify that soon but first I need to get through *Renovation Hell. This year we’re giving up on London and running away to the coast. In order to do that we need to tidy up the rough edges of our house. The last few months I have sanded, filled, painted, grouted and sealed all manner of surfaces. Not to mention lugged a cast iron bath down the stairs with my partner. I say lugged but it was more of a steered, exhaustive push. I’ve never known anything that heavy and it was a huge relief when, in true South London style, two lads nicked the thing from out front whilst we walked the dog. I’ll miss this part of the world but it really is no place to leave anything not locked up. Anyway, I digress. Once we’re on the market & on the move I hope to get back into my next SHELTER story, MOTHERS RUIN. I have such weird, dark imagery to draw and depths to plummet to in this story. I’ve got a publisher lined up and hope by the next update to be deep into creating mode again.
SPRING HAPPENINGS -
It’s been a busy Spring with some exciting happenings to come. Kicking off with a BARKING signing at Travelling Man York was a great start. Despite battling train strikes it was such a pleasure to hang with Gemma and the TM Team, chat to readers new & seasoned plus get a wee trip around York with my good mate/fellow Comics aficionado Gabi AKA Graphic Novel Reading Room. We took in the Shambles, ate some ace street food and even enjoyed a tinned cocktail & crisps in the fading sun. I love doing events like this and hope to have more on the horizon.
If like me you also have manga loving kids then Travelling Man is a brilliant place for presents. They regularly run 3for2 offers on Manga including my kid’s obsessions - Demon Slayer & Spy X Family - it’s saved us a few pounds for sure!
Seeing Killtopia: Nano Jams reach full funding on Kickstarter was both a pleasure and a relief. It seems mad that an anthology from Dave Cook with THIS line-up was such a slog to fund. I’m not sure if it’s algorithmic, small press up against high tier publishers or just crowdfunding fatigue. Perhaps it’s all of the above. Either way it funded and will be an incredible comic chock full of talent. I’m very excited to have my 1st collaboration with an artist included. I have the pleasure of Liana Kangas drawing my story. I nearly fell off my chair when I found out they were the artist I was working with. I cannot wait to see what they draw. Alongside that the contributor list is astonishing (see pic below!). If you missed the campaign I’m sure there will be opportunities too nab a copy in the future.
Currently I am thinking of only one thing and that’s my upcoming trip to Toronto for TCAF. Next week I’ll be flying out to the mighty plains of Canada to join a wealth of creators for the weekend’s festivities. I’m genuinely honoured to be a Featured Guest at this year’s festival and looking forward to being a part of Word Balloon Academy that kicks everything off on Friday 10th May.
If you’re also going please join us at 10:30am for a discussion on ‘EXPLORING DIFFICULT SUBJECTS IN COMICS’ with Cyril Chen (interdisciplinary Artist, Researcher & Educator), Özge Samanci (DARE TO DISAPPOINT - Farrar Straus Giroux), myself & host Lonnie Mann (GAYTHEIST - Street Noise Books).
There are lots of fascinating panels throughout the day and places a free but you need to reserve so please do so at: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/word-balloon-academy-2024-tickets-883698474927
I’ll be tabling all weekend on the 1st Floor next to BARKING publisher Avery Hill. We’ll be joined by a number of AHP creators including Kit Anderson, B. Mure & Clio Isadora with hopefully some singings at the AHP table.
I’ll have the pleasure of discussing the work of B, Clio & Martin Simpson on Saturday at 3pm when I chair the ‘British Comics Now’ showcase for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. As well as a dive into their comics we’ll chat about the comic scene in the UK and what the future may hold. Please join us!
I’ll try to get time away from my table to explore the comics on offer at TCAF & nab goodies from some personal favs such a Jenn Woodall, Aaron Losty & Fell Hound. If you’d like to hear about what I’m bringing you can check out a short but sweet chat with John of True North Country Comics Podcast:https://truenorthcountrycomics.com/2024/04/26/lucy-sullivan-offers-a-sneak-peek-of-her-comic-book-plans-for-tcaf-2024/
I’ll be closing Spring with a final event at the Cartoon Museum, London. We have wonderful line-up of creators joining me to talk about depicting mental health in comics on the evening of Thursday 16th May. Including Rachael House (Resistance, Sustenance, Protection), Zara Slattery (Coma), Emilia McKenzie (But You Have Friends) & Sara Kenney (She Could Fly). Tickets are available now (1/2 price with ArtFund) & limited so please book your place quickly:
https://cartoon-museum.arttickets.org.uk/cartoon-museum/panel-discussion-the-complexity-of-being-human-6633a22c4119c
It should be a fascinating evening with some exclusives and a chance to grab signed books and meet the creators plus a preview of SHE COULD FLY Escape Room.
SOUL FOOD LITERATURE -
Thanks to travel-time lately I have actually managed to read some comics. It really shouldn’t be so hard to do but as it’s become such a rarity in my life I’ve become very fussy about where & when I read. I particularly wanted everything to be right for TOKYO THESE DAYS Vol. 1 from Taiyo Matsumoto (Viz Media). I’m a devout fan of Matsumoto and this tale hits all my buttons as we follow the trials of a Manga Editor as he looks to the end of the publishing road. Part midlife crisis, part state-of-the-industry commentary. It is an expertly drawn drama, filled with empathetic and enigmatic characters with a dash of magical realism. It’s really very beautiful indeed and I eagerly await Volume 2, I already have it on pre-order with OK Comics.
In the meantime I continued Matsumoto’s series SUNNY with Vol.2
Set in a children’s care home out on the suburbs and around the lives of the children and staff that look after them. It’s a slow paced, heartfelt honest study of modern Japan that sweeps you up in the drama and heartbreak of the kids who have nothing to lose. Again I highly recommend reading the series, although finding all the books is somewhat of a challenge as Matsumoto’s books regularly go out of print. I had to pick up the full series from a number of outlets but it is possible. Although watch out for German versions, I have a couple going cheap if anyone’s looking… (damn my speed reading)
AUDIO/VISUAL DISTRACTIONS -
As I’ve been in *Renovation Hell I’ve also been deep into podcasts. I thought I’d check out what came with Audible’s membership and found 2 great series. First up is HYSTERIA! written and presented by Actor/ Director Alice Lowe. This superb series explores the history and etymology of the word, its common usage to refer to women and the concept of group hysteria through witches, wombs, stock market crashes, viral videos and more. It’s fascinating, brilliantly researched and laugh out loud funny. Lowe is top tier.
The second was THE SQUID SCAM: Hunting NFT Con Artists An investigative series from Tech Journalist Janhoi McGregor. This often intimate series follows Janhoi and his team as they uncover the people behind an audacious NFT heist that capitalised on the popularity of the TV show Squid Game. As someone deeply against NFT/ Crypto culture it’s hard not to feel the schadenfreude as the bubble bursts and the scam is realised. However McGregor talks to those who lost life savings to the scams and uncovers the levels of deception needed to pull it off. The final episode is truly nail biting and makes you feel like you are in the room when it reaches it’s conclusion. Gripping stuff.
Over on BBC Sounds I found the devastating but vital FEMICIDE: Eight Steps To Stop A Murder part of the ASSUME NOTHING strand. Presented by actor Amybeth McNulty the series looks at why women continue to be murdered by the men in their lives, the red flags of coercive, abusive behaviour and the steps that can be taken to prevent femicide. It’s a sobering listen but one that everyone should have to take on board. The prevalent misunderstanding of how abusers operate, what they look and act like and who they can be is woeful. Particularly in comics it seems. We cannot turn a blind eye to multiple allegations when the fallout for victims is so unbearably devastating. I urge you to listen to the series, take in the stats, heed the advice and look reality in the eye.
In lighter, well perhaps more entertaining, listening I keep up with Politics & Culture with a couple of fav podcasts. Maintaining sanity in the current state of everything is a daily battle for us all. There’s nothing quite like a satirical gallow’s humour in helping to live with the next UK bin-fire so POD SAVE THE UK is a much needed listen. Presented by Nish Kumar & Coco Khan with guests from across politics and culture it is always fascinating, informative and above all else a giggle.
I have become a devotee of THE REST IS ENTERTAINMENT presented by Richard Osman and Marina Hyde. The pair share their insider knowledge of TV, films and publishing through their collective, exhaustive experience and pit it against current trends and events in entertainment. It’s a great listen and always gives an insight into the business or production side of popular culture that, unless you work in the industries, is often behind closed doors.
Visually we’ve taken in some excellent watches but not anything anyone else isn’t also watching so I will give a brief but affirmed thumbs up for…
TRUE DETECTIVE: NIGHT COUNTRY - particularly for it’s fully realised & problematic female characters, considered depiction of mental illness and air of folkloric weirdness.
BARRY (full series) - The blackest of comedy dramas with brilliant performances from everyone. I will forever have a place in my heart for Noho Hank.
SALTBURN - Although it’s similarities to Ripley cannot be overlooked I enjoyed the playful performances, the twisted desires and dripping-with-wealth settings.
ALL OF US STRANGERS - A fresh angle on grief and beautiful study of accepting the past and allowing yourself to move on. Again the performances are top tier with gleeful moments of age swapping. I found it very moving and aesthetically pleasing.
Well, that’s my updates for Spring. I’ll be back during Summer with hopefully less secrets, more comics news and some exciting events. You can keep up with me in between on the socials…
I’m all but off Twitter these days but occasionally posting. I deleted Facebook & have a zombie account there. It’s really not going brilliantly online BUT you can still find me on:
Instagram - @lucysullivanuk
Bluesky - @lucysullivan.bsky.social
Online: lucysullivanuk.com
Thanks for reading, Best Beltane wishes to you & beware your local witches. Cheers! Lucy