Date: Fri, 26 Nov 93 16:50:48 GMT
From: Damian Cugley <[Damian Cugley] at [prg.ox.ac.uk]>
To: [c--m--x] at [world.std.com]
Subject: : Small press night at the UK Comics Creators' Guild

The Comics Creators' Guild is the professional organization of comics
writers and artists in the UK.  They have monthly meetings in London,
and this month's (Thursday 1993.11.25) was about small press comics
(comix zines).  Jeremy Dennis and I (Damian Cugley) are CCG members and
zine publishers, so naturally this was a meeting we could not miss!

A week or two before the meeting I assumed we would be attending more as
observers than producers, having no new comic for the meeting.  Since
then, Jeremy had produced a new minicomic (3 IN A BED SUPPLEMENT #1) and
she has also persuaded Adrian Cox ([a--ri--n] at [robots]) to collate a new issue
of MOIST PENGUIN -- turns out he had accumulated an issue's worth
without realizing it!  So it was that on Wednesday I was typesetting a
cover logo for MP#9 and Thursday afternoon Jeremy and I were
photocopying copies of the two new zines (and also fliers for the
CAPTION94 convention and Alleged Literature lists) and hopping onto the
London coach (along with Adrian, who went to represent CAPTION).

After a coach journey spent passing food accress the aisle to each
other, and a brisk stroll through Sloane Square and Chelsea (the posh
and expensive part of London), we arrived at the London Sketch Club,
home of the CCG.  There was a *HUGE* table at the front of the room,
half covered by some of Peter Pavement's wares -- he is the wonderful
fellow who runs Slab-O-Concrete distribution.  The other half was
covered with the wares of individuals like ourselves.

Jennis Scott ([scot t j] at [oup.co.uk]) chaired the meeting proper, which was OK
so far as these panel games go.  (I'll let Jenni expand on that if she
cares to.)  More fun was crowding around the table of goodies
afterwards, chatting to Andi Watson (whose gorgeous SAMURAI JAM is being
published by Slave Labor Graphics early in 1994) and Pete, flipping
though comix and being asked to change tenners for people (no-one, not
even the bar, had enough change).  Afterwards late dinner (11 p.m.) at
the Chelsea kitchen, and the stuffy and overwarm coach home.

Slab-O-Concrete is now exporting British comix to North America as well
as importing North American comix -- the flagship zine, GROUND LEVEL,
features cartoonists from both sides of the Atlantic.  S-O-C even has a
wholesale catalogue of half-a-dozen titles available in bulk, as well as
the full catalogue of mail-order titles.  Pete says says S-O-C is now
big enough that taking on low-selling items is less and less of a
problem -- and he'll take five of any zine (comics or otherwise) for the
catalogue.
				 * * *

On the way into work this morning I grabbed the pile of comics I bought
yesterday so I could list them here.  Note that those on the wrong side
of the atlantic from you are likely available from Slab-O-Concrete:
	PO Box 298, Sheffield, S10 1YU, UK 
-or- 	c/o PO Box 821388-162, Dallas, TX 75382, USA.

AUTOMATIC #4 Special Bumper Issue (Dec. 1993).  "A zine created to
feature the work of cartoonists living in the Chester/North Wales area."
Really terrific stuff -- not only an extended Monty Kassino & Speedo
Kitten story by Steve Martin, he's also in the "colour supplement" (an
A6 sketchbook insert).  His clean, cartoony style is a joy, I can't get
enough of it.  Chris Hewitt's weird science tale sees two queer
scientists deciding to merge their minds into one "super-intelligent
handsome, talented, witty genius"!  As an aside, a cat is transformed
into a lover for the narrator Clarissa.  All this and Gavin Butler,
Jonatbhon Edwards, Darryl Cunningham, Rich Holden, Dai Owen and Lee
Kennedy.  40pp A5, #1.25.  c/o Rich Holden, Vale View, 77 Liverpool
ROad, Buckley, Clwyd CH7 3LH, UK.  (Clwyd is Welsh for Wales.)

BABY SUE iv #2 (Summer 1999).  Demented, twisted rants and strips.  Baby
Sue meets Smokie (sic) Bear, we meet a toothbrush as masseur and given
advice on writing business letters, and so on.  20pp Digest-sized,
$1.50.  PO Box 1111, Decatur, GA 30031-1111.

FATUOUS TIMES #2 (Liberate Mickey Mouse Issue).  Anti-copyright,
anti-work, anti-rent rants and flyposters.  Of course, they'd not be
able to persue their "don't work, play" philosophy without the taxes
paid by the likes of me, but I don't mind.  28 pp A4, #1.50.  PO Box
406, Stoke-on-Trent, ST1 4RN.

GROUND LEVEL #1 (November 1993).  The mutant offspring of PAVEMENT and
the SLAB-O-CONCRETE sampler, this absurdly-sized zine is a seriously
trans-Atlantic anthology.  On the North-American side, Chantale (MISERY
& VOMIT), LMNOP (BABY SUE), Shannon Wheeler (TOO MUCH COFFEE MAN),
MIchelle Rau (LANA'S WORLD); Britain is represneted by Chris Tappenden
(does lots of skull-in-a-fishbowl humour), Lawrence Burton, Lee Kennedy
(INNER CITY PAGAN), the Institute of Fatuous research, Peter Poole,
Richar d Chubb (PHUCK BOOKS), and Peter Pavement himself.  There's an
interview with cartoonist Hunt Emerson and reviews and plugs of SP
comics.  20pp, 148mm x 420mm (Four times as tall as it is wide!), #1.20
or $2.00.  PO Box 298, Sheffield, S10 1YU, UK -or- c/o PO Box
821388-162, Dallas, TX 75382, USA.

INSTANT COMICS (just add reader).  A collection of sketchbook sketchs,
and strips and illustrations drawn for other people or for
closed-circulation APAs.  24pp A4, #1.  AND/OR Comics, Andy Roberts, 25
Hart Street, Oxford OX2 6BN.

MOIST PENGUIN #9 (winter 1993/4).  Possibly the best yet, with strips
from Jeremy Dennis, the wonderful Bob Lynch (Sav Sadness must raise
#10,000,000 for charity -- or else!), Sina Shamsavari (who has his own
zine CONCERNED M\"UTHERS), someone called C. Clayton, Julian Foster (all
done in silhouettes, very stylish), and Moon Trent (our first
contributor from North America).  There's a Hunt Emerson sketch of
Oxford comics fans on the back cover (including yours truly, Jenni and
Jeremy, tho the pic of Adrian is nothing like him).  24A4, #1.  Alleged
Literature, c/o Damian Cugley, 26 Princes Street, Oxford OX4 1DD, UK.

SILVER AGE SUPERMAN.  Written by Ed Pinsent, drawn by Mark Robinson.
Don't tell DC about this one.  This is an interesting story -- like
Moore's 1963 books, Pinsent is telling stories in the Silver Age style
he rememebrs from childhood, but from an adult perspective, with
Superman trying to understand some of the contradictions in his life.
48pp A4, #3.  43 Finsen Road, London SE5 9AW.

THE 3 IN A BED SUPPLEMENT #1.  Jeremy Dennis's "3 in a Bed" series
revolves around the lives and (so far heterosexual) loves of three
female students in Oxford.  The SUPPLEMENT concentrates instead on
Kate's bisexual friend Mark as he visits *his* friend Martin.  Ironic
that the first gay sex scene she introduces to the 3 in a Bed canon
should be two guys, but I'm not complaining!  This mini also includes
pix by Hunt Emerson and Lee Brimmicombe-Wood.  16pp A4, 50p.  Alleged
Literature, c/o Damian Cugley, 26 Princes Street, Oxford OX4 1DD, UK.

**
Damian