The Sunday Spotlight – Another Zip Through The Comics News
by Richard Bruton
Well, it’s Sunday, that means it’s time for me to throw a little spotlight on a bit of comics news in a feature we’ve imaginatively called The Sunday Spotlight…
Posy Simmonds wins at Angouleme…
A wonderful win for grande dame of Brit comics, Posy Simmonds, the 2024 winner of the Angouleme Grand Prix, only the fourth woman in its history to win and the very first British winner.
It’s a perfect acknowledgement of Simmonds’ work in comics over the years, creating many, many great works, including Gemma Bovary, Cassandra Darke, and Tamara Drewe.
Full report here in the Guardian but there’s this great quote going around from Posy… ‘I was gobsmacked – époustouflée, as you would say in French.’
LDC online global monthly event – 12 February…
The next LDComics event has been announced for Monday 12 February, a zoom event from 7pm, hosted by Dr Nicola Streeten and featuring three guests, interactive media producer Yomi Ayeni, mixed media creative Chelwek aka Nancy Chelagat, and one of the most interesting and exciting of the new political cartoonists, Ella Baron, whose debut graphic novel, Interface, is coming out from Virago.
Book your place here.
Toon Books on tour – Lost in NYC: A Subway Adventure heads to DC…
Nadja Spiegelman and Sergio García Sánchez’s Lost in NYC: A Subway Adventure will be featured as part of the National Building Museum’s Building Stories exhibition, opening January 21st in Washington D.C. The kid-friendly exhibition explores architecture and engineering in children’s books.
More Toon Books on tour – Kevin McCloskey’s Caterpillars coast-to-coast tour…
Toon Books author Kevin Mccloskey heads out this year on a number of events and appearances, beginning in March. McCloskey’s the author of six great Toon Books for younger readers – We Dig Worms! The Real Poop on Pigeons! Something’s Fishy, Snails Are Just My Speed! Ants Don’t Wear Pants! and Caterpillars: What Will I be When I Get to be Me?
March 24: Eric Carle Museum, Amherst, MA. 2PM FREE with Museum Admission
April 23: Politics and Prose Bookstore, Wash, D.C. 10:30AM FREE
April 23: Takoma Park Library, Takoma Park, MD. 6PM FREE
Aug 10: Wellsboro ComicCon, Wellsboro, PA. All day, FREE
More Phoenix Comics workshops with Jess Bradley & Robert Deas…
These digital workshops are always popular ways for young fans of the great Phoenix Comic to take part in activities with their favourite artists and there’s two in February, first with Jess Bradley, creator of the brilliant Squid Bits, and then with Rob Deas, creator of Troy Trailblazer and Izzy Newton.
Jess Bradley’s Draw Doodles Like A Pro – Monday 19 February, Robert Deas’ Draw Your Own Superhero – Saturday 24 February. All details and booking here.
Lakes International Comics Art Festival brings back Comics Up Close – Dave Gibbons, Karrie Fransman, & Stephen Appleby…
LICAF’s Comics Up Close event returns with Origin Stories, a one-day conference/event on 21 February 2024 at Sheffield Hallam University.
Featuring keynote speakers Dave Gibbons, Karrie Fransman, and Steven Appleby, there’s a full day of events planned around comics in all their forms.
Full details and tickets here.
And finally, farewell to another comics great – Trini Tinture, RIP
Thank you to great artist and similarly great comics historian David Roach for this one – he does always highlight some magnificent artists – but sadly this is a farewell to a great artist, Trini Tinture.
Roach describes her as ‘one of the giants of Spanish comics, and a mainstay of British girls comics for many years. She is probably best known for her work on Oh Tinker. but she also drew a number of other notable strips for Jinty, such as A Spell of Trouble, which were always beautifully crafted.’
‘For me Emma Es Encantadora was her best work, showcasing her lightness of touch and beautiful technique.’
‘Trini also drew some great romance strips for titles like Valentine and Mirabelle, and her seemingly effortless style became immensely influential on 70s British comics.’
There’s also the page on Tinture at Jenni Scott‘s excellent Jinty site here.
And again, thanks to Roach and Scott, we have examples of her work – absolutely beautiful stuff…
