Following in the footsteps of our epic Thought Bubble 2021 preview, we take a look at some more of the amazing books debuting in Harrogate this weekend:

The Kids from Rec Road (Pete Doree Comics)

Pete Doree’s Stan and Jack was a loving homage to Messrs Lee and Kirby, and this new book is also a tale about a bygone age. In this case, it is Doree’s own childhood in the 1970s, where he spent his days collecting and swapping comics with fellow fans Dave Holman and Sean Philips (who happened to end up becoming an award winning comic artist!). The Kids From Rec Road brings together a collection strips from the past, including the first ever comic they made together, as well as a story from a Thought Bubble anthology and also some strips which Doree has released online. It takes a bit of time to get going as it tries to find it’s voice and style (we weren’t a fan of the photo backgrounds in the early strips if we’re honest!), but once it gets a bit of focus via a parody of 70s kids TV shows, it ends up being a fun tale. It has the humour of Scooby Doo and the style of a strip from Look-In, but with plenty of self aware jokes for nerds everywhere! It’s packed full of references to all things 70s, as well as plenty of comic collecting gags, and even a nefarious villain in the shape of arch collector Arnold Arnold. Overall, this is a wonderful trip down memory lane and a really fun read, especially for anyone who grew up collecting comics in these halcyon days!

You can find Pete at Table 165 in ComiXology Originals Hall

Methods of Dyeing

The latest volume of B. Mure’s wonderful Ismyre series is another wonderful read, and continues to cement it’s place as Avery Hill’s most under-rated and consistently brilliant book. Set in a magical world of talking animals and eco-terrorists, this is one of those books which is all about the world building, which allows Mure to tell unique and different stories in each volume. Essentially this allows Methods of Dyeing to be a murder mystery as a visiting professor from another city is found dead. Is this a political act or something more home grown? An enigmatic detective investigates, but is there more to this than we think?! While these are all new characters for the reader, the world feels oh so familiar for anyone who has enjoyed the previous volumes (and if you haven’t then why not?!). The story is a fairly trad. Agatha Christie style tale, and has a quite old fashioned tone as if taken from a bygone age. But it is the world it is set in that makes the book so engaging. From Mure’s unique representation of the characters (which feel like Wind in the Willows drawn by Ralph Steadman), through to the raw hand drawn lettering and the sublime watercolour washes which give the whole thing it’s unique rainbow infused colour palette. All this can make pages a bit over-whelming at times, but this is another example of a book which if it had the raw edges knocked off would lose the vibrancy and energy which makes it work so well. It also feels very subtle with Mure adding in small quiet moments of character which can be absorbed over time rather than thrown in people’s faces. Quite simply there aren’t enough nice things we can say about this book, and it continues to be evolve and develop into something really special, in it’s own quiet and understated way.

Avery Hill Publishing are at Table 13 in Redshirt Hall and B will be there doing signings!

Mollusc

Mollusc is a tale of a family who live near Loch Ness and are tormented by slugs until the dad is transformed into a giant slug monster. It’s a delightfully daft concept but one which is never treated as such and so makes for a surprisingly enjoyable read. It has a very old school feel to it with writer artist giving the whole thing a Warrior meets Action vibe. The story feels like a 70s low budget horror film while the artwork feels stylistically like it would fit in the pages of warrior or action. And the mollusc itself has a sort of swamp thing meets creature from the black lagoon feel. The art is very raw in places and isn’t the most polished, yet it has that raw energy we love in books like this wherein if it was more polished it would lose a lot of its charm. It would also reveal more the monster and is perhaps better to not see. Overall this if a fun slice of old school horror.

You can find creator Ian Newman at Table 26a ComiXology Hall