Mark Bradley

I wish that publishers would put out more short story collections.

Today I get to spend some time with some new little buddies, and I am loving every minute that I get to spend with them!
I can’t wait to talk more about this project - it is utterly WILD!

I loathe being a misanthrope. It’s a juvenile, reductive, pathetic, intellectually & imaginatively incurious, lazy & boring perspective on the world. And yet, it’s an inescapable philosophical conclusion.

Hahahahaha.
It’s a real good thing that we don’t have populations with a fundamental distrust of institutions, and whom are lurching to the right, whilst they will be increasingly feeling the impacts of increasing of wealth inequality and worsening climate change at the same time this bubble bursts.

A four-panel Calvin and Hobbes strip from the 10th Anniversary Collection, with author commentary underneath. PANEL 1 Hobbes and Calvin examine a gallery painting. Calvin: A painting. Moving. Spiritually enriching. Sublime. ..."High" art! PANEL 2 Calvin and Hobbes peering at a newspaper on the floor. Calvin: The comic strip. Vapid. Juvenile. Commercial hack work. ... "Low" art. PANEL 3 Calvin and Hobbes examining an open book. Calvin: A painting of a comic strip panel. Sophisticated irony. Philosophically challenging. ..."High" art. PANEL 4 Hobbes sits nearby as Calvin takes crayons to paper. Hobbes: Suppose I draw a cartoon of a painting of a comic strip? Calvin: Sophomoric. Intelectually sterile. ..."Low" art. COMMENTARY I would suggest that it's not the medium, but the quality of perception and expression, that determines the significance of art. But what would a cartoonist know?

photo of comic strip with author commentary: art

I’m frankly incredibly annoyed that they’re not letting me make a Lego movie. I spend most of my money on it anyway, so I’d essentially be doing it for free.

Sketchbook comic. Panel 1: a disembodied voice says “I KNOW a.i. is ethically, ecologically and esthetically awful, but I just gotta say…” Lucy is reacting with a ._. Face and thinking “do ya? Do ya really GOTTA?” Panel 2: Lucy’s thought bubble reads: “do you just GOTTA recite some tired anecdote using the phrase ‘I just typed it in!’ That just amounts to you admitting that your cheapness, laziness and poor taste outweighs your unexamined ethical code?”

Sketchbook comic page 2: Panel 1: Lucy’s thought bubble reads “and, at the very least, do you GOTTA say it to ME?” She is turning away, saying “ok I’m gonna go, um, get a snack.” Panel 2: another disembodied voice is saying “Lucy! You’re an artist— whattaya think about a.i? Ya know, it may be bad, but I JUST GOTTA SAY…” Lucy is startled, dropping a chip.

Sketchbook comic page 3: Panel 1: Lucy is surrounded by speech bubbles and text, repeating the phrase “gotta say…” she looks terrified. Panel 2: she is fleeing the repeated “gotta say”s, yelling “you gotta live with yourselves, but I don’t gotta!” A note with a heart at the end reads “stop doing this I will not absolve you.”

Gotta say…

Graphic novels for KS2 children aged 7-11 Recommended graphic novels for children aged 7-11 for reluctant & able readers alike - including stories by Ben Clanton & Shannon Watters.

Engaging graphic novels for KS2 children aged 7-11 with stories by Ben Clanton, Gary Northfield, Deborah Ellis, Jeanne DuPrau & Alastair Humphreys. #kidlit #ukedchat schoolreadinglist.co.uk/reading-list...

A trajectory of how my son’s reading goes:

Me: I got a new graphic novel I think you’ll like
Son: No, I don’t think I’ll like it
Me: I’ve given you 250+ and you’ve yet to dislike one I’ve recommended yet
Son: Still no

Inevitably cut to a week:
Me: *finds my son reading said book 4 times in 1 day*

The cover of Pets tell Tales: Ancient Egypt by Rik Worth and Jordan Collver. The words Ancient Egypt in the title are on a bone, designed to look like a dog name tag. The illustration shows a pharaoh with a snake on his arm almost falling into the mouth of a hippo in a pool. Various animals lurk around the scene including a happy dog and a sneaky cat. In the background we see piramids and and a Cleopatra's needle style stone structure.

Example page talking about how ancient eyptians would be your great great great etc grandparent with a panel saying "hours later" in the middle of the great great greats.

Just ate this up - funny non fic ftw! For fans of Corpse Talk and Ancient Egypt obsessed kids. I definitely learned some new stuff too! @rikworth.bsky.social @jordancollver.bsky.social congratulations both! @hachettechildrens.bsky.social #WrenAndRook. Some clever use of the medium too (see sample)

I started a rewatch recently, and I genuinely wanted Scully to belt Mulder.

YouTube video by Noah McAlister Gerard Way's Batman: Kingdom Of The Mad Is The Greatest Comic Never Made

Why the heck am I only just learning about Gerard Way’s unproduced Vertigo Batman comic now? It looks amazing & it is very clearly massively influenced by German expressionist films.
youtu.be/BoCu3wcNDlY?...

I do not get how animator’s brains work.

Every time someone calls comics a gateway to reading a new gateway to hell opens and devils rush through.

Editors & agents do a LOT of work on shaping books by non-celebrity writers, which often seems to be forgotten about). That said: It’s interesting to see how few celebrities try their hand at art/illustration.

I don’t get the level of animosity. There’s good books by them and bad books by them (*coughs*justliketherearebynoncelebritywriters*coughs*). So long as someone has a respect for children & childhood, that’s the important part - craft can be worked on (& I think it’s important to remember that

Okay, this is BRILLIANT to see - picked up Unfairies, and, on the inside cover, it has an about section, with equal space given to the colourist (Elena Dall’Aglio). More of this please publishers! Colourists should be shouted about!

Also: Absolutely gorgeous job on the colours.

Culture How Los Bros Hernandez Stayed Punk for 40 Years with their Epic Comic-Book Saga, Love and Rockets They were part of the ‘80s revolution with The Dark Knight Returns and Watchmen, but without the big payday. By Abraham Riesman November 1, 2022

Since I'm in such a comics mood recently, I'm gonna post my 2022 @gqmagazine.bsky.social profile of Los Bros Hernandez, the creators of LOVE & ROCKETS, aka possibly the greatest comic of all time:

archive.is/JqZxy

Be kind to people who work in cinemas. The job absolutely sucks, and pray that you’ll never have to deploy the bodily fluid clean up kits in the myriad of ways they have to.

I very briefly worked in a cinema, and I can’t tell you about the strongest reactions I witnessed in that time.

Cover of Lynchian: The Spell of David Lynch by John Higgs

New book announcement! LYNCHIAN: THE SPELL OF DAVID LYNCH, an exploration into why his work has such a profound impact on us. Out in November, pre-order link in bio, some details in my newsletter... It is happening again!

Oh, so John Higgs is writing a book about Lynch? I see someone has literally invented my dream book.

To happily sound like a broken record: The biggest selling work of British children’s fiction isn’t Narnia, HP, or anything else anyone would name. It’s The Beano.
Children love comics. They just need affordable access to them.

Every part of this should be shouted through loudhailers at people looking to reverse the decline in reading for pleasure.

It makes my heart sing to see that. If publishers can have the foresight to see they’re playing a long game here, which requires the effort of the whole industry (not just individual successes) this is going to succeed and have massive rewards for everyone.

Like, when Bumble & Snug & The Angry Pirates first came out there was Dog Man, the first of the reformatted Bunny vs Monkey books, Narwhal & Jelly, & the first Kitty Quest (which had come out a week earlier). That was pretty much it for recent young reader/MG comics in WS.

On the point about Waterstones & children’s comics, here’s a joyous picture I took in my local branch earlier this week. It’s the first time I’ve seen children’s comics shelved in their own section, adjacent to the age category. It’s lovely to see!

I don’t think Rune did get Children’s Book of the Month? Waterstones only has the BotM for Children’s & YA, not separating the former into PB, Young Reader & MG. Rune won the WS Prize in the younger reader category. Cafe at the Edge of the Woods won overall, and got CBotM.

If there remain any teachers/librarians/parents who doubt the value of comics... read them this! #UKKidlit readingagency.org.uk/reading-cris...

I sometimes worry that people think that I’m overstating the issues comics face, and I cannot emphasise enough that there’s a whole host of firsts that have happened for comics over the last 5-10 years. And it’s never been because there’s wasn’t incredible comics being made.