This, though, is a quick post about illustrators I’m especially digging this minute. Each of them has done some work that I found interesting and beautiful with the added dimension that it also got my feminist braincogs turning, or straight up made me smile.<\/p>\n
I’ll probably come back to this topic every so often, but to start with here’s some people you should check out.<\/p>\n
Tiitu Takalo<\/h3>\n
What Lengths would you be prepared to go
to?<\/em>
It is also very good. It’s a thoughtful,
introspective comic, meandering poignantly
through ideas around sex work and attitudes to
it, selfhood and masculinities. I really like
his decision to portray all the characters as
human\/dog hybrids. It just works. <\/p>\n
On another tack, Howard’s also writing
The Peckham Invalids<\/strong>, talking of
which, scroll down!<\/p>\n
(Oh, and according to his site
bio<\/a>, he’s been described by
Simply Knitting<\/strong> magazine as
“suave”. This has really only
made us dig him more.)<\/p>\n
“I’m
pretty
sure
that
tiny,
irrationally
furious,
pompously
indignant
animals
are
the
funniest
things
on
the
planet.”<\/em><\/p>\n
And
who
are
we
to
argue?<\/p>\n
Cat’s
just
launched
her
Etsy
store
this
week,
which
is
great,
because
the
image
above
is
surely
the
greatest
alt-Valentines
card
imaginable
(although
Snails
In
Love…
Totally
Gross<\/em><\/a>
is
surely
a
contender).
I
am
particularly
jealous
of
her
command
of
facial
expressions,
and
particularly
enamoured
of
this
image
of
the
rainbow
creatures
that
live
in
puddles<\/a>.<\/p>\n
I
am
in
the
process
of
loudly
petitioning
her
to
produce
a
picture
book
or
a
comic.
Pray
add
your
voice
to
the
clamour,
and
purchase
a
card
on
your
way
out.<\/p>\n
I’m
going
to
stop
there
because
it’s
late
and
I
have
to
sleep
but
please
do
check
these
people
out,
gift
them
your
money
and
tell
your
friends
about
them.
<\/p>\n
There
are
more
people
I
want
to
tell
you
about,
but
I
think
I’ll
style
it
out
into
a
second
post!<\/p>\n![\"Cover](\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/www.badreputation.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/keha.jpg?resize=350%2C513\" "\\"keha\\"")
<\/a>Based in Finland, and mainly working
in Finnish, but her art is powerful enough that you don’t need
to be fluent in Finnish to love it. I
interviewed her last year about her work and her feminism –
read it here<\/a>. I am
fangirlishly<\/em> proud that this site is on her links page, I
can tell you! My favourite thing she’s done is probably
Keha<\/strong> (The Ring) which is about growing up, falling in
love, and boxing, but her zines are also beautiful.<\/p>\n
\n
Howard Hardiman<\/h3>\n
\nSo I met Howard at a small press
art fair Markgraf and I had a stall at, and I picked
up issues 1 and 2 of his comic
The Lengths<\/strong>. It’s now on issue 5.
In his own words (quoted here<\/a>),
“…it\u2019s a comic based around a
series of interviews I did with male escorts
working in London a few years ago and tells the
story of Eddie, one young escort… who\u2019s
struggling with trying to do the job while craving
both the adventure it offers him and the prospect
of a relationship with an old
friend”.<\/p>\n
\n
Julia Scheele<\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/www.badreputation.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/02\/cover-707x1024.jpg?resize=401%2C581\" "\\"cover\\"")
<\/a>
\nThere’s a lot
about Julia’s work I
love – short
mini-comics like this<\/a>
and this<\/a>,
for example. I’d
recommend following her
work generally, but
I’d particularly
recommend
The Peckham
Invalids<\/strong>. I
have issue 1, and
it’s off to a
promising start. The
entire premise is a
Bechdel-busting pile of
badass, and features women
from<\/a> a
range<\/a> of
ages<\/a> and
backgrounds<\/a>,
y’know, having
their stories told, and
stuff.
\nIn 1906, as Britain
surges on a tide of
industrialisation
driven by the brave
innovations of the
boldest and the best,
Ms York has opened the
doors of her modest
home in Peckham. A
group of poor, young,
ill-educated, disabled
and abandoned girls
found their way to her
and under her auspices
are learning about the
power they have feared
the most in the world
of oppression and
stark inequality:
their own.<\/em>
\nSo, to recap:
a comic about
disabled teenage
superheroines in
1906 Peckham.<\/em>
My interest is
hugely piqued, my
hopes are high, and
the art is looking
great. <\/p>\n
\n
Cat
Mariner<\/h3>\n
\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/www.badreputation.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/02\/TheLengths-2-.jpg?resize=378%2C578\" "\\"TheLengths-2-\\"")
<\/a><\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/www.badreputation.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/02\/crush.jpg?resize=400%2C710\" "\\"crush\\"")
<\/a><\/p>\n