In this episode Lucy is joined by Helen Jones and Hannah Lee Miller, the Co-Driectors of Yo Comics - a Comics Fair for and by Kids, run in South London at Stanley Arts.

Helen Jones is a lecturer in Primary Education at UCL Institute of Education and a PhD candidate at Goldsmiths. Alongside Lucy Starbuck Braidley, she has written a soon to be published book about comics in the classroom. Helen edited the book Children’s Literature In Action and has published her work academically.

You can access her previous episode on Comic Boom, where she discusses her research further here.

Hannah Lee Miller has worked for many years in chidlren's television production, including shows like Peppa Pig and Hey Dugee. She is also an artistwho creates her own comics and has organised multiple events including comics fair. 

This episode of Comic Boom is sponsored by ALCS, The Authors Licensing and Collecting Society.

Hannah's Recommendation:

Spiral Bound by Aaron Renier

Helen's Recommendation:

Comic in the Classroom by Helen Jones and Lucy Starbuck Braidley

Lucy's Recommendation:

Delicious in Dungeon by Ryoko Kui

Follow the podcast:
Insta: @comic_boom_podcast
Twitter/X: @Lucy_Braidley
Bluesky: @comicboom.bsky.social

Contact: comicboompodcast@gmail.com

Music by John_Sib from Pixabay

In this episode I chat with award winning comics creator, Neill Cameron.

Neill Cameron is a cartoonist and writer, creator of the comic books Mega Robo Bros,   Since 2011 his work has appeared in the weekly children’s comic The Phoenix. In 2016 Mega Robo Bros and Tamsin and the Deep were both shortlisted for the British Comics Awards. In 2017, Mega Robo Bros won the Excelsior Award Jr, a national comic award voted for by school and library reading groups across the UK. In 2018 Mega Robo Bros was chosen as one of the best children's comics of the year by both the New York Public Library and the Schools Library Journal.

MOre recently Neill has become known for the brilliant Donut Squad Series, run as a series of comic strips in The Phoenix, and later collected in books.

This interview first appeared as a written article in Books for Keeps, the Uk's leading, independent children's book magazine.

Neill's recommendation from the show: Go Man! by Hamish Steele

Lucy's recommendation from the show: Raised by Ghosts by Briana Loweinsohn

This episode of Comic Boom is sponsored by ALCS, The Authors Licensing and Collecting Society.

Follow Neill on Insta  @neillcameron

Follow the podcast:
Insta: @comic_boom_podcast
Twitter/X: @Lucy_Braidley
Bluesky: @comicboom.bsky.social

Contact: comicboompodcast@gmail.com

Music by John_Sib from Pixabay

Following on from the last episode, in which Lucy chatted to writer Hannah Tunnicliffe and illustrator Erica Harrison, creators of Detective Stanley and the Mystery at the Museum. This episode - part two of the double bill - follows the journey of creation of a graphic novel from commission right through to sales and marketing.

Lucy is joined by:

Fay Evans – Editorial Director

Kate Manning – Head of Sales

Hannah Kettle – Head of Marketing & Publicity

Helena Maratheftis – Digital Marketing Co-Ordinator

This episode of Comic Boom is sponsored by ALCS, The Authors Licensing and Collecting Society.

Lucy's recommendation:
Frog in the Fall (and later on) by Linnea Sterte Peow

- I got the Slip case edition from Gosh Comics! 

Flying Eye's recommendations:

Rune : Tales of a Thousand Faces by Carlos Sanchez
Luna Boy by Jess and Cin Wobowo
Ditching Saskia by John Moore and Neetols
Froggy: A Pond Full of Pals by Paige Walsh
Young Hag by Isabel Greenberg

Connect with Flying Eye:
Insta: @flyingeyebooks 
X: @flyingeyebooks
BlueSky: @flyingeyebooks

Follow the podcast:
Insta: @comic_boom_podcast
Twitter/X: @Lucy_Braidley
Bluesky: @comicboom.bsky.social

Contact: comicboompodcast@gmail.com

Music by John_Sib from Pixabay

In this episode Lucy chats to writer Hannah Tunnicliffe and illustrator Erica Harrison, creators of Detective Stanley and the Mystery at the Museum.

This episode is the first in a two part special focusing on the Flying Eye title Detective Stanley Mystery at the Museum. In this, the first episode we’ll meet the creators of the book themselves and in the second the marketing, sales and editorial team at Flying Eye to talk about the other side of bringing a book into the world.

The book is from a New Zealand based creative duo - Hannah Tunnicliffe and Erica Harrison. Hannah is an author, essayist, podcaster, speaker, and mental health advocate, she has written fiction for adults. Detective Stanley and the Mystery at the Museum is her first book for children. It’s a graphic reader with illustrations by the very talented, Erica Harrison, who also joins us for this episode. Erica is a  designer, illustrator and printmaker with decades of experience designing and illustrating children's fiction.

This episode of Comic Boom is sponsored by ALCS, The Authors Licensing and Collecting Society.

Lucy's recommendation:
Unicorn Boy by Dave Roman
Erica's recommendation:
 Myths and Monsters and Mayhem in Ancient Greece by James Davies 

Connect with Hannah and Erica:
Insta: @hannahtunnicliffe.author
Insta: @supercrafti

Follow the podcast:
Insta: @comic_boom_podcast
Twitter/X: @Lucy_Braidley
Bluesky: @comicboom.bsky.social

Contact: comicboompodcast@gmail.com

Music by John_Sib from Pixabay

In this episode Lucy chats to comic book artist, writer and illustrator Jamie Smart

It feels he needs no introduction! I celebrate 50* episodes of comic boom, with the one, the only, Jamie Smart. Jamie’s characters and the colourful worlds they inhabit have graced the pages of many a national institutions; The Dandy, The Beano, The DFC and The Phoenix. His long running weekly strip 'Bunny Vs Monkey' is still going strong in The Phoenix and is collated into the hugely popular, best selling and multi-award winning  Bunny vs Monkey books. 

This episode of Comic Boom is sponsored by ALCS, The Authors Licensing and Collecting Society.

*Actually 49...ooops! #notthe50thepisode

Lucy's recommendation:
Anzu and the Realm of Darkness by Mai K. Nguyen

Connect with Jamie:
X: @Jamiesmart
Bluesky: jamiesmart

Follow the podcast:
Insta: @comic_boom_podcast
Twitter/X: @Lucy_Braidley
Contact: comicboompodcast@gmail.com

Music by John_Sib from Pixabay

In this episode Lucy chats to illustrator Yiting Lee and writer  Swapna Haddow about their latest titles with publishers Magic Cat, Little Dinosaurs, Big Questions. 

Little Dinosaurs, Big Questions, features ten fictional comic strip stories with supportive tools to help understand the difficult things about life. Designed for grown-ups to read with children.

 Yiting is a children’s book author and illustrator from Taiwan, based in England. Yiting graduated from MA Children's Book Illustration at Cambridge School of Art in 2012. She focuses on picture books, and whimsical and unpredictable stories are something she always loves to deliver. She likes to keep the story simple and the illustration full, because she knows children love looking into those details like she did. In her illustration, she mainly uses watercolour, gouache, ink, colour pencils and whatever she newly discovered. 

Swapna Haddow is the multi award-winning children’s author of the Dave Pigeon series, published by Faber & Faber. The Dave Pigeon series has received rave reviews since first publishing in 2016 and went on to win three regional awards in the UK and was shortlisted for the prestigious Sainsbury’s Children’s Book Award. Swapna loves to write about boisterous animals that cause mayhem and is working with Faber & Faber, Magic Cat, Scholastic, Oxford University Press and Macmillan to make sure mean cats, grizzly bears and big-hearted little rabbits find their place on the bookshelves. Friendship and humour are always at the heart of what she loves to write.

This episode of Comic Boom is sponsored by ALCS, The Authors Licensing and Collecting Society.

Yiting’s Recommendation:

Spike and Suzy by Willy Wandersteen

Swapna’s Recommendation:

This Land by Mark Abnet

Lucy’s Recommendation:

Ditching Saskia by John Moore and Neetols

Follow the podcast:

Insta: @comic_boom_podcast

Twitter/X: @Lucy_Braidley

Bluesky: @comicboom.bsky.social

Contact: comicboompodcast@gmail.com

Music by John_Sib from Pixabay

In this episode Lucy chats to Edinburgh based comic book artist, writer and illustrator Edward Ross.

With an early and obsessive interest in cinema and comics, it wasn’t until after studying Film at university that he managed to combine these two interests in the form of his self-published Filmish comics. Well received by both movie fans and academics, Edward released four issues of the series between 2009 and 2013, before beginning work on Filmish – A Graphic Journey Through Film for SelfMadeHero. The book won a YASLA 2017 Great Graphic Novels for Teens award and has been translated into eight languages.

His second graphic novel Gamish – A Graphic History of Gaming  (for Penguin) explores the amazing history of games. A love-letter to gaming in all its forms, the book sheds light on why games fascinate and compel us.

His latest book is Graphic Novel Builder: The Illustrated Guide to Making Your Own Comics, a fun and accessible guide to creativity for ages 11+.

Edward has also worked on a number of science themed comics in collaboration with Dr. James Hall for universities, museums, charities and research bodies. He often runs comic classes and workshops.

This episode of Comic Boom is sponsored by ALCS, The Authors Licensing and Collecting Society.

Edward's recommendation:
I Shall Never fall in Love by Harry Connor

Lucy's recommendation:
Rune: The Tale of a thousand Faces by Carlos Sanchez

Connect with Edward:
www.edwardross.co.uk
Instagram: @filmishcomic
X: @edward_ross
Bluesky: edwardross

Follow the podcast:
Insta: @comic_boom_podcast
Twitter/X: @Lucy_Braidley
Contact: comicboompodcast@gmail.com

Music by John_Sib from Pixabay

In this episode Lucy chats to UK Comics Laureate Bobby Joseph.

Bobby Joseph is an acclaimed South London comic creator whose work has often
challenged and inspired its readers. His early work includes the creation of cult
comic classic Skank magazine, where his best-known strip, “Scotland Yardie”, first
featured, and was later published by Knockabout Press.

He has written for The Guardian newspaper, Dazed and Confused, and Vice.com.
His comic work was a prominent feature at the Anarchy in the UK comic exhibition
at the British Library in 2015 and was seen by over 60,000 visitors.

Since the beginning of his career, he has been a vocal advocate for diversity and
representation in comic books. His graphic novel, Scotland Yardie, published by
Knockabout Comics in 2017, was the first diverse graphic novel to be studied as a
module on an English Literature MA course at King’s College, London.  He is the
first POC to become Comics Laureate for the UK.

This episode of Comic Boom is sponsored by ALCS, The Authors Licensing and Collecting Society.

Find our more about the Lakes International Comics Art Festival here.

Bobby's recommendations:
American Splendor by Harvey Pekar
Maus by Art Spiegelman
Alpha by Jens Harder

Bobby's recommended reading lists can be found here.

Episodes linked to Bobby's lists
Sayra Begum
Pedro Martin
Emma Reynolds
Mark Bradley

Lucy's recommendation:
Here's the comic strip 'Are Comics Serious Literature?' that I referenced, it's by Michael Kupperman and make me laugh!

Connect with Bobby:
Instagram: @bobbyjosephcomics

Follow the podcast:
Insta: @comic_boom_podcast
Twitter/X: @Lucy_Braidley
Contact: comicboompodcast@gmail.com

Music by John_Sib from Pixabay

All content © 2024 Comic Boom - Co

In this episode Lucy chats to illustrator and graphic novelist Isabel Greenberg.

Isabel is a London based illustrator and writer and the author of three acclaimed graphic novels; The Encylopedia Of Early Earth (2015, Jonathan Cape, Little Brown), The One Hundred Nights Of Hero (2017, Jonathan Cape, Little Brown.) and her latest Glass Town (2020, Jonathan Cape, Abrams Books.)
She is the illustrator of a number of children’s books including One Hundred Billion Trillion Stars, Power Up and The Ocean In Your Bathtub (written by Seth Fishman. Greenwillow Books). As well as several history books with her sister Imogen published by Bloomsbury. 

Isabel studied illustration at the University of Brighton and an MA in animation at the Royal College of Art.

She is an associate lecturer at Camberwell College of Arts, UAL

This episode of Comic Boom is sponsored by ALCS, The Authors Licensing and Collecting Society.

Find our more about the Lakes International Comics Art Festival here.

Isabel's recommendations:
Roaming by Jillian Tamaki and Mariko Tamaki

Lucy's book post included:
A selection of titles from Scholastic:

My Big Fat Smelly Poo Diary by Jim Smith
Nina Peanut - Mega Mystery Solver by Sarah Bowie

Connect with Isabel:
Instagram: @isabel_greenberg

Follow the podcast:
Insta: @comic_boom_podcast
Twitter/X: @Lucy_Braidley
Contact: comicboompodcast@gmail.com

Music by John_Sib from Pixabay

All content © 2024 Comic Boom - Co

In this episode Lucy chats to illustrator and graphic novelist Mollie Ray.

Mollie is a Lancaster-based comic artist and illustrator, her debut graphic novel Giant was published in 2024 with Faber and Faber. In 2019, Mollie graduated from The University of Edinburgh with a First-Class Honours degree in Illustration. Her work has been featured by Creative Boom, The AOI and Broken Frontier's 'Six To Watch In 2021'.She has also done work for the BBC in support of David Attenborough's Wild Isles series and self-published multiple short-form comics.

This episode of Comic Boom is sponsored by ALCS, The Authors Licensing and Collecting Society.

Find our more about the Lakes International Comics Art Festival here.

Mollie's recommendations:
Making Comics by Scott McCloud
Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud

Lucy's book post included:
A selection from Puffin Graphics. Read about the imprint here.

Titles mentioned:

• Max Meow by John Gallagher
• Blood City Rollers by V P Anderson and Tatiana Hill
• Sweet Valley Twins by Francine Pascal, Nicole Andelfinger and Claudia Aguirre

Connect with Mollie:
Instagram/Threads: @mollierayillustration
Twitter: @themollierayway
mollieray.co.uk

Follow the podcast:
Insta: @comic_boom_podcast
Twitter/X: @Lucy_Braidley
Contact: comicboompodcast@gmail.com

Music by John_Sib from Pixabay

In this week's episode Lucy chats to comics creating duo The Rickard Sisters.

Scarlett & Sophie Rickard, sisters who work together to make graphic novels.

Sophie does the words and Scarlett draws the pictures. Scarlett has been drawing since before Sophie was born, and Sophie has been telling her what to draw since she learned to talk. Their first graphic novel was Mann’s Best Friend (2017).

 The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists was published in Autumn 2020 by SelfMadeHero, a graphic adaptation of Robert Tressell’s long and heavy-going socialist classic. It was released in the US and Canada in December 2021 and will soon be available in translation in France. The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists was nominated in the category Best Adaptation in the 2022 Eisner Awards.

In Autumn 2022 they brought out No Surrender, also with SelfMadeHero. This book is a graphic adaptation of Constance Maud’s suffrage classic.

Scarlett's recommendations:
Old Macdonald had Some Flats by Judi and Ron Barret
Hostage by Guy Delise

Sophie's recommendation:
The Motherless Oven by Rob Davis

This episode of Comic Boom is sponsored by ALCS, The Authors Licensing and Collecting Society.

Connect with The Rickard Sisters:
Twitter/X: @RickardSisters
Instagram: @TheRickardSisters
Website

Follow the podcast:
Insta: @comic_boom_podcast
Twitter/X: @Lucy_Braidley
Contact: comicboompodcast@gmail.com

Music by John_Sib from Pixabay

In this week's episode Lucy chats to passionate comics advocate Lida Tsene.

Lida is Head of PR, Art and Educational Programs of Comicdom Con Athens, founder of the Athens Comics Library, managing co-director of the Digital Comics Museum, organiser and curator of several events, exhibitions, conferences and workshops. Currently, she is a researcher and teaching associate at the MA Program Communication and New Journalism of Open University of Cyprus, at the MA  Cultural Management of Hellenic Open University and at the MA Rhetorics, Humanities and Education of NUA. 

She has participated in international conferences on media, digital media, entrepreneurship, storytelling and social impact, while she also designs and facilitates workshops applying design thinking and team-building methodologies.

Lida's recommendation:
Dragon Hoops by Gene Luen Yang

Lucy's recommendation:
Zatopek by Jan Novak

This episode of Comic Boom is sponsored by ALCS, The Authors Licensing and Collecting Society.
The ALCS Carnegie Awards resources highlighted in the episode can be found here.

Connect with Lida:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PPoucette
Twitter/X: @lidatsene
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lidatsene
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lidatsene/

Find out more about Lida's work:

• athenscomicslibrary.gr
• comicdom-con.gr
• comicsmuseum.gr

Follow the podcast:
Insta: @comic_boom_podcast
Twitter/X: @Lucy_Braidley
Contact: comicboompodcast@gmail.com

Music by John_Sib from Pixabay

In this episode Lucy talks to writer Swapna Reddy (who you may know as Swapna Haddow!).

Swapna Haddow is the multi award-winning children’s author of the Dave Pigeon
series, published by Faber & Faber. The Dave Pigeon series has received rave reviews since first publishing in 2016 and went on to win three regional awards in the UK and was shortlisted for the prestigious Sainsbury’s Children’s Book Award.
Swapna loves to write about boisterous animals that cause mayhem and is working with Faber & Faber, Magic Cat, Scholastic, Oxford University Press and Macmillan to make sure mean cats, grizzly bears and big-hearted little rabbits find their place on the bookshelves. Friendship and humour are always at the heart of what she loves to write.

Swapna also writes for Oxford University Press, under the pseudonym ‘Swapna
Reddy’ and comes on the podcast to talk about he new comic-prose hybrid for younger readers Reggie Rabbit and the Great Carrot Heist illustrated by Becca Moore.

Swapna's recommendations
Big Little Blue by Raymond McGrath
The Black Sand Beach Series by Richard Fairgray
Tulip and Doug by Emma Wood
Granny McFlitter by Heather Haylock

Lucy's Recommendation
Narwhal and Jelly Series by Ben Clanton

This episode of Comic Boom is sponsored by ALCS, The Authors Licensing and Collecting Society.
The ALCS Carnegie Awards resources highlighted in the episode can be found here.

Connect with Swapna via her website.

Follow the podcast:
Insta: @comic_boom_podcast
Twitter/X: @Lucy_Braidley
Contact: comicboompodcast@gmail.com
Music by John_Sib from Pixabay

In today’s episode Lucy is joined by a wonderful creative duo - Chie Kutsuwada and Julian Sedgwick.

 Chie is UK based Japanese manga creator and illustrator. Chie graduated from Royal College of Art, London, and since then has carved out a successful career in illustration. She creates her own illustrated stories and comics strips, as well as working on titles like the manga version of Shakespeare’s As You Like It (SelfMadeHero, London).  Chie also regularly runs manga workshops for schools and art institutions and more recently is known for her collaborations with author Julian Sedgwick.

Julian Sedgwick is the author of numerous books for young people, with a lifelong interest inthe cultures of East Asia. On the way to realising his childhood ambition to be a writer, Julian read Chinese Studies and Philosophy at Cambridge.  The the first book in his Mysterium trilogy was published in 2013 and won the Rotherham Children’s Book Award. Since then, his books have been shortlisted for numerous awards,with both Voyages in the Underworld of Orpheus Black (co-written with his brother, Marcus).

The pair began collaborating combined manga and prose books, starting with on the Carnegie shortlisted Tsunami Girl (2021 Guppy Books, UK) and their latest creation 100 Tales from the Tokyo Ghost Café (2023 Guppy Books, UK).

This episode of Comic Boom is sponsored by ALCS, The Authors Licensing and Collecting Society.
The ALCS Carnegie Awards resources highlighted in the episode can be found here.

Julian's recommendation:
Mexikid: A Graphic Memoir by Pedro Martin
(Pedro's episode on Comic Boom can be found here!)

Chie's recommendation:
Hicotea - A Nightlights Story by Lorena Alvarez

Lucy's recommendation:
www.comicsdevices.com

Follow Chie:
https://www.facebook.com/chitangarden
X: @chitanchitan
Instagram: @mcmc69

Follow Julian:
X/Twitter: @julianaurelius
Insta:@julian_sedgwick

Follow the podcast:
Insta: @comic_boom_podcast
Twitter/X: @Lucy_Braidley
Contact: comicboompodcast@gmail.com
Music by John_Sib from Pixabay

In this episode Lucy chats with educator Clare McGreevy and illustrator Chris Mould about an innovative comic project involving schools across Rochdale, developing reading for pleasure through comics and also supporting the creation of comics - through re-imagining the untold stories of the historic Rochdale Town Hall. 

Clare McGreevy is an Advisory Teacher for Reading in Rochdale Council’s Virtual School. Prior to this, Clare had been a teacher, English Lead and Phase Leader with over 18 years of experience in education. She leads the OU/UKLA Reading for Pleasure Teachers’ Group in Rochdale and is the founder and Director of the annual Rochdale Children’s Literature Festival. She is passionate about giving young people the opportunities to express their voice and creativity through writing for pleasure.

Chris  Mould is an illustrator whose work ranges from children’s publishing to theatre and film, having produced a long backlist of children’s titles, theatre posters, editorial cartoons for major newspapers and character development work for animated features. He exhibits his artwork regularly, and commits to an ongoing programme of events.

Clare's recommendation for this episode:
Anne Frank’s Diary: The Graphic Adaptation, illustrated by David Polonsky

Chris's recommendation for this episode:
Kingdom by Jon McNaught

Lucy's recommendation for this episode:
No Surrender, Adapted by The Rickard Sisters

Follow Clare:
Twitter/X:@BookishToby

Follow Rochdale Children's Literature Festival:
Twitter/X: @RCLFest

Follow Chris:
Insta: @chrismouldink
Twitter/X: @chrismouldink

Follow the podcast:
Insta: @comic_boom_podcast
Twitter/X: @Lucy_Braidley
Contact: comicboompodcast@gmail.com

This episode is sponsored by ALCS, The Authors Licensing and Collecting Society.  Check out their range of copyright education tools, resources and planning  - including those highlighted on the show by following this link.

Music by John_Sib from Pixabay

In this episode Lucy chats with writer and comics creator, James Turner.

James is a cartoonist and writer, creator, with illustrator Yasmin Sheikh.  As well as Star Cat, his comic strip Clatters and Bump regularly appears in weekly comic The Phoenix.

James joins me to talk about his new graphic novel Toby and the Pixies: Worst King Ever!  illustrated by Andreas Schuster is out on 6 June 2024.

James's recommendation for this episode:
The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K Le Guin

Lucy's recommendation for this episode:
Fantasy Sports by Sam Bosma

Follow James:
Insta at  @eruditebaboon
Twitter/X: @eruditebaboon

Follow the podcast:
Insta: @comic_boom_podcast
Twitter/X: @Lucy_Braidley
Contact: comicboompodcast@gmail.com

This episode is sponsored by ALCS, The Authors Licensing and Collecting Society.  Check out their range of copyright education tools, resources and planning  - including those highlighted on the show by following this link.

Music by John_Sib from Pixabay

In this episode Lucy chats to professor and author Nick Sousanis.

Nick Sousanis is an Eisner-winning comics author and an associate professor of Humanities & Liberal Studies at San Francisco State University, where he started and runs a Comics Studies program. He received his doctorate in education at Teachers College, Columbia University in 2014, where he wrote and drew his dissertation entirely in comic book form. Titled Unflattening, it argues for the importance of visual thinking in teaching and learning, and was published by Harvard University Press in 2015. Unflattening received the 2016 American Publishers Awards for Professional and Scholarly Excellence (PROSE Award) in Humanities, the Lynd Ward Prize for best Graphic Novel of 2015, and was nominated for an Eisner Award for Best Scholarly/Academic work.

Connect with Nick:
https://spinweaveandcut.com
X: @nsousanis

Nick's recommendation for young readers:
K Gets in Trouble by Gary Clement

Nick's recommendation for older readers:
Toussaint Louverture: The Only Successful Slave Revolt in History by C.L.R James

Lucy's Recommendation (an upcoming guest!):
Young Hag by Isabel Greenberg

This episode is sponsored by ALCS, The Authors Licensing and Collecting Society.  Check out their range of copyright education tools, resources and planning  - including those highlighted on the show by following this link.

Producer and Host: @Lucy_Braidley
Contact: comicboompodcast@gmail.com
Music by John_Sib from Pixabay

In this episode Lucy chats to author and illustrator Eliza Fricker.

Eliza Fricker is an author & illustrator, and an advocate & consultant for PDA, autism and learning.

She has published several books, including the Sunday Times Bestselling title “Can’t Not Won’t”, and the acclaimed autobiographical “Thumbsucker” released in November 2023.

Connect with Eliza:
Missing the Mark
X: @_missingthemark
Insta: @elizafricker_missingthemark
Facebook: MissingTheMark1

• Details of the Tara Togs Kickstarter can be found here.
• Read the National Literacy Trust's report on children and young people's engagement with reading comics can be found here.

Producer and Host: @Lucy_Braidley
Contact: comicboompodcast@gmail.com
Music by John_Sib from Pixabay

Lucy chats to The Cartoon Musuem's Steve Marchant

Steve Marchant is a cartoonist and comic artist who has worked for British Airways, the BBC, ITV, the British Council and other clients big and small. He has also been running cartoon and comic strip workshops in schools and libraries across the UK since 1992, now primarily for The Cartoon Museum where he is also the learning coordinator and comic art consultant to the curator. Steve also runs adult evening courses in drawing for comics and graphic novels at City Lit, a university near Holborn.

Follow The Cartoon Museum on Social Media:
Twitter/X: @cartoonmuseumuk
Insta: @thecartoonmuseum

Links to everything  discussed in this episode  can be found on the podcast padlet.

You can SUPPORT the podcast by buying a comic or buying me a comic at: https://ko-fi.com/lucysb

Producer and Host: @Lucy_Braidley
Contact: comicboompodcast@gmail.com

Music by John_Sib from Pixabay

In this Episode Lucy chats to official World Book Day illustrator 2024 and comics artist Vivian Truong.

We discuss her journey into comics, life as a World Book Day illustrator and her graphic novels City of Dragons: The Awakening Storm and Cooking with Monsters.

Vivian:
X: @SuperRisu
Instagram: @superrisu

BBC Teach:
www.bbc.co.uk/teach and https://bit.ly/3SlFag6
X: @BBC_Teach
Facebook: @BBCTeach

World Book Day:
Info: https://www.worldbookday.com/books-and-tokens/
#WorldBookDay #ReadYourWay
X: @worldbookdayuk
Instagram: @worldbookdaysocial
Facebook: @worldbookdayuk
TikTok: world.book.day.official


Producer and Host: @Lucy_Braidley
Contact: comicboompodcast@gmail.com
Music by John_Sib from Pixabay

In this special Excelsior Award Special Episode Lucy chats to Paul Register, founder of the Excelsior Award, the biggest book  award for graphic novels and manga in the UK!

What makes the awards so special is that from the expertly curated shortlists, children and young people vote for the winning book in each category themselves - a great tool for reading engagement.

In this episode Paul talks us through the 9 and over category  (White) and 11 and over category shortlists for 2024. You can access all the shortlists and further information on how to get involved in future years on their website http://www.excelsioraward.co.uk/

Follow the Excelsior Award on Twitter at @ExcelsiorAward
Producer and Host: @Lucy_Braidley
Contact: comicboompodcast@gmail.com
Music by John_Sib from Pixabay

Lucy chats to academic Kevin Hoffin.

Kevin is a senior lecturer in Criminology, working at Birmingham City University. His main research interests are cultural theory and critical media literacy (particularly around crime and justice). He also looks at innovating pedagogy with comics, and is working on an Ed.D to argue for a distinct comics pedagogy, suitable for Higher Education.

Follow Kevin on Social Media:
Twitter/X: @KHriminology
Insta: @Kevin_Loves_Comics

Links to everything  discussed in this episode  can be found on the podcast padlet.

You can SUPPORT the podcast by buying a comic or buying me a comic at: https://ko-fi.com/lucysb

Producer and Host: @Lucy_Braidley
Contact: comicboompodcast@gmail.com

Music by John_Sib from Pixabay

Lucy chats to founder of Graphic Novel Reading Room, Gabi Putnoki.

GNRR is a regular event where people can read graphic novels in other people’s company in a relaxed space such as a cafe, a community centre or a library. A wide selection of graphic novels are provided to chose from, mainly long-form fiction and non-fiction. The sessions can be anything from a couple of hours to a whole day and people can come and go freely.

Follow GNRR on social media:
Insta: @graphicnovelreadingroom
Web: www.graphicnovelreadingroom.com

Links to everything  discussed in this episode  can be found on the podcast padlet.

You can SUPPORT the podcast by buying a comic or buying me a comic at: https://ko-fi.com/lucysb

Producer and Host: @Lucy_Braidley
Contact: comicboompodcast@gmail.com

Music by John_Sib from Pixabay

Lucy chats to comics creator Hannah Berry.

Hannah Berry is an award-winning comics creator, scriptwriter and campaigner. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and was appointed UK Comics Laureate 2019-21. Editions of her books have been published in the USA, France, Holland, Serbia and Italy, and she has been a guest of and speaker at over 150 comics, literature and arts festivals and events around the world.

Find out more about Comics Cultural Impact Collective.

Follow Hannah on social media:
Twitter/X: @streakofpith
Insta: @streakofpith

Links to everything  discussed in this episode  can be found on the podcast padlet.

You can SUPPORT the podcast by buying a comic or buying me a comic at: https://ko-fi.com/lucysb

Producer and Host: @Lucy_Braidley
Contact: comicboompodcast@gmail.com

Lucy chats to comic writer and artist Pedro Martin.

Pedro Martín is a former Hallmark artist and the creator of Asteroid Andy. He chronicles his life growing up Mexican American online in a comic series called Mexikid Stories, and in his debut graphic memoir Mexikid.

You can find Pedro on Instagram: @mexikidstories

Links to everything  discussed in this episode  can be found on the podcast padlet.

You can SUPPORT the podcast by buying a comic or buying me a comic at: https://ko-fi.com/lucysb

Producer and Host: @Lucy_Braidley
Contact: comicboompodcast@gmail.com

Lucy chats to comic writer and artist Ryan Estrada.

Ryan Estrada is an artist, author, and adventurer. His books include Banned Book Club, Occulted, and the Student Ambassador series. He has worked for Star Trek, Popeye, Flash Gordon, and Garfield.

You can find Ryan on Twitter/X: @ryanestrada
And on Instagram: @ryanestradadotcom 

Links to everything  discussed in this episode  can be found on the podcast padlet.

You can SUPPORT the podcast by buying a comic or buying me a comic at: https://ko-fi.com/lucysb

Producer and Host: @Lucy_Braidley
Contact: comicboompodcast@gmail.com

Lucy chats to graphic novel author and academic Mary Talbot.

Dr Mary Talbot is the author of the graphic novel Dotter of her Father’s Eyes (Jonathan Cape 2012), illustrated by her husband, award winning comic artist Bryan Talbot. She is an internationally acclaimed scholar who has published widely on language, gender and power, particularly in relation to media and consumer culture. Dotter was the first work she undertook in the graphic novel format. It went on to win the 2012 Costa Biography Award in January 2013, making it the first British graphic novel to win a major literary award.

Mary has recently taken up the position of Visiting Professor of Graphic Writing in the Department of English Literature and Creative Writing, Lancaster University. Her recent academic work includes a third edition of Language and Gender (Polity 2019), a book that continues to be popular with university lecturers and students worldwide. However, she may still be known best for her critical investigation of the “synthetic sisterhood” offered by teen magazines.

This episode is part of the Comic collaboration with Lakes International Comic Arts Festival!

You can find Mary on Twitter/X: @eyedotter

Links to everything  discussed in this episode  can be found on the podcast padlet.

You can SUPPORT the podcast by buying a comic or buying me a comic at: https://ko-fi.com/lucysb

Producer and Host: @Lucy_Braidley
Contact: comicboompodcast@gmail.com

Lucy chats to Alex Harris from BBC Teach and Mike Stirling from Beano Studios.

Today - we have another duo - of a different kind. I’ll be joined by Alex Harris Executive Producer, BBC Teach, part of the BBC’s Children’s and Education department and home to thousands of free curriculum-mapped classroom videos. BBC Teach hostsLive Lessons, Class Clips as well as many big campaigns, including Moodboosters the 500 Words competition - very excitingly, just been relaunched.

Mike Stirling Creative Director at Beano Studios - aka Director of Mischief.  For fun, he enjoys co-writing the successful Beano boomics (ultimate Beano adventures, told with funny pictures) with his friend and Editorial Director, Craig Graham.  Prior to this, Mike was Editor-in-Chief of Beano, a role he described as the “most important job in journalism  

@AlexHarris4Real/@BBC_Teach and @MikeyStirling/@BeanoOfficial

Links to everything  discussed in this episode  can be found on the podcast padlet.

You can SUPPORT the podcast by buying a comic or buying me a comic at: https://ko-fi.com/lucysb

Producer and Host: @Lucy_Braidley
Contact: comicboompodcast@gmail.com

In this episode Lucy chats with creators of The Inflatables, Beth Garrod and Jess Hitchman.

Beth Garrod is the author of the Super Awkward series. After growing up in Worcester, UK, she has worked around the world, including the USA, India, South Africa, and Canada producing everything from mental health campaigns, to music TV shows for brands including MTV and the BBC. She now lives in East London and splits her time between writing and social impact campaigns that help to inform and empower young people. 

Jess Hitchman started her career as an online agony aunt on a dot com boom website for teenage girls. Since then, she has worked for youth and entertainment brands including Cbeebies, CBBC, Radio 1, XFM, MTV and Nickelodeon. As a side project, Jess runs Oops Yay, a digital play studio. Her educational apps for preschoolers have been featured by Apple all over the world. Jess is the author of picture books AVA IN CODE LAND, ALL KINDS OF AWESOME (Feiwel & Friends/Macmillan), IN EVERY HOUSE, ON EVERY STREET (Little Tiger)

Find Beth on:
Twitter: @bethg
Instagram: @beth__garrod

Find Jess on:
Twitter: @jesshitch


Links to everything  discussed in this episode  can be found on the podcast padlet.

You can SUPPORT the podcast by buying a comic or buying me a comic at: https://ko-fi.com/lucysb

Producer and Host: @Lucy_Braidley
Contact: comicboompodcast@gmail.com

In this episode Lucy chats with creators of the Agent Moose series - Mo O'Hara and Jess Bradley.

Jess is an illustrator, comic artist and writer living in Torquay, Devon with her husband and son.

Jess draws and writes for The Phoenix Comic and has appeared in over 300 issues. She also writes weekly for The Beano … In 2021 she won a Blue Peter Book Award for her work on A Day In The Life of a Poo, a Gnu and You and displays her badge proudly on her pencil case.

Mo O’Hara is the New York Times bestselling author of the My Big Fat Zombie Goldfish series. She writes picture books like More People to Love Me and Romeosaurus and Juliet Rexand also writes the graphic novel series Agent Moose with Jess Bradley as illustrator. Mo is currently writing a new series, Honey’s Hive, for Anderson Press. She lives in London with her husband, two cats and two nearly grown-up children. She loves travelling around the country (and around the world) telling stories, leading writing workshops, and talking about books with kids.  

Find Mo on:
Twitter:@Mo_OHara
Instagram: @Mo_ohara_ 

Find Jess on:
Twitter: @VenkmanProject   
Instagram: @Venkman_project

Links to everything  discussed in this episode  can be found on the podcast padlet.

You can SUPPORT the podcastby buying a comic or buying me a comic at: https://ko-fi.com/lucysb

Producer and Host: @Lucy_Braidley
Contact: comicboompodcast@gmail.com

In this episode Lucy chats to lecturer in primary education and PhD student Helen Jones.

We discuss the power that can be found in giving children opportunity to write comics for pleasure - and what we can find out about their views on the world around them through exploring what they write. Helen draw on her action research with children in her comics club to share a compelling overview of why the freedom to create is so important.

You can find more out about Helen's research in Children's Literature in Action, which you can access as a free ebook here - definitely a recommended read!!

Find Helen on:
Twitter: @EggyHelen


Links to everything  discussed in this episode  can be found on the podcast padlet.

You can SUPPORT the podcast by buying a comic or buying me a comic at: https://ko-fi.com/lucysb

Producer and Host: @Lucy_Braidley
Contact: comicboompodcast@gmail.com

Music by John_Sib from Pixabay

This episode is part of a collaboration with Lakes International Comics Arts Festival.

Lucy chats to writer, illustrator and educator Sayra Begum

Sayra Begum is an illustrator, writer and educator based in Nottingham. She teaches Illustration at Falmouth University and Comics at De Montfort University. Begum released her debut graphic novel, Mongrel in 2020 (supported by ACE, published by Knockabout).

Begum has contributed to the 10 Years to Save the World comic anthology, the Wild Escape campaign, and Constrain Climate Comics where she created a comic responding to the IPCC report (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change). She also took part in the Comics Cultural Exchange Residency in Prague and was also recently an artist in residence at New Art Exchange, where she launched her Pilgrimage project.  

Find Sayra on:
Instagram: @sayra_begum_illustration
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SayraBegumIllustrator

Links to everything  discussed in this episode  can be found on the podcast padlet.

You can SUPPORT the podcast by buying a comic or buying me a comic at: https://ko-fi.com/lucysb

Producer and Host: @Lucy_Braidley
Contact: comicboompodcast@gmail.com

Music by John_Sib from Pixabay

This episode is part of a collaboration with Lakes International Comics Arts Festival.

Lucy chats to writer and illustrator Emma Reynolds

Emma Reynolds is an illustrator and author based in Manchester, UK.

Her latest book Drawn to Change The World: 16 Youth Climate Activists, 16 Artists, is a middle grade graphic novel with each activist bio illustrated by an acclaimed artist from around the world. With extensive backmatter including activist interviews on the power of community, and illustrations to explain the science - Drawn focuses on the need to centre Indigenous solutions and intersectional climate justice, and also speaks on how we need more artists to transform society and tell new stories about our future - allowing us to manifest them into reality.

Find Emma on:
Instagram: @EmmaIllustrate
Twitter: @EmmaIllustrate
TikTok: @EmmaIllustrate

Links to everything  discussed in this episode  can be found on the podcast padlet.

You can SUPPORT the podcast by buying a comic or buying me a comic at: https://ko-fi.com/lucysb

Producer and Host: @Lucy_Braidley
Contact: comicboompodcast@gmail.com

Music by John_Sib from Pixabay

In this episode Lucy chats to writer and illustrator Victoria Jamieson.

Victoria is an writer and illustrator from Pensylavia UK - most well known in the UK for her graphic novels roller girl and when stars are scattered.

In this interview we talk about her journey to becoming a graphic novelist, her sources of in spiration and her process for creating graphic novels and we spend time talking about both Roller Girl and When Stars Are Scattered.

You can find additional teaching resources for When stars Are Scattered here and a free e-book about creating Roller Girl here.

Find Victoria on:
Instagram: @victoriajamiesonbooks
Twitter: @JamiesonV

To find out more about Refugee Strong go to www.refugeestrong.org

Links to everything  discussed in this episode  can be found on the podcast padlet.

 
Producer and Host: @Lucy_Braidley
Contact: comicboompodcast@gmail.com

Music by John_Sib from Pixabay

In this episode Lucy chats to cartoonist Marc Jackson. 

Marc lives and works in Macclesfield with my wife Jane and children Nancy and Florence.

He created comics and characters for the BEANO, Aces Weekly, Hey kids comics, the Brooklyn red hook star revue, Freaky magazine, SCARFFF comics newspaper, and the Phoenix. In 2017 he was awarded a grant from the Arts Council to create the comic ‘Here comes CAT STEVENS’ published by the Lakes international comic art festival.

Marc specialises in comics for all-ages and also runs workshops in schools, libraries, and at comics festivals around the country (and on occasion, around the world!). He runs ROOM FOR COMICS with Jane, which is a comic art studio  dedicated to his passion for comics and teaching the joys of cartooning.

Every year Marc organises MACC-POW! Macclesfield’s annual comic art festival taking place around the town, each summer for the past 8 years.

Find Marc on:
Twitter: @MARCmakescomics
Instagram: @marcmakescomics

Buy his comics or support his work on: https://ko-fi.com/marcmakescomics

Links to everything  discussed, including all of the comics Marc mentioned in this episode,  can be found on the podcast padlet.

 
Producer and Host: @Lucy_Braidley
Contact: comicboompodcast@gmail.com

Music by John_Sib from Pixabay

This week Lucy chats to art educator Hester Harrington about her approach to using comics in the art classroom.

Hester Harrington, Art Educator and Co-Producer for Little LICAF - is part of the LICAF team responsible for comic content for youngsters, family and educators as part of the Lakes International Comic Art Festival year round programme of events. She is also a part-time secondary school Art teacher, with over 15 years of teaching experience. She is passionate about designing resources and providing engaging educational experiences for youngsters that enhance creative skills.

Twitter: @Hester_Harring
Instagram: @HesterHarrington.uk

For LICAF please head to
Twitter: @littlelicaf and @comicartfest
Instagram: @littlelicaf and @lakesinternationalcomics
Facebook: Little LICAF and The Lakes International Comic Art Festival

Little LICAF resources: https://www.comicartfestival.com/licaf-live/little-licaf

Link to Wild Escape resources for museums and teachers: https://thewildescape.org.uk/resources/filter/for-teachers

Links to everything  discussed, including all of the comics Hester mentioned in this episode,  can be found on the podcast padlet.

 
Producer and Host: @Lucy_Braidley
Contact: comicboompodcast@gmail.com

Music by John_Sib from Pixabay

This week Lucy chats to the brilliant Dave Shelton - author and illustrator - to discuss how his life-long love of comics has influenced his work

His slapstick comedy noir comic strip Good Dog, Bad Dog has appeared in The DFC comic, The Phoenix, and the Guardian, and is collected in two books by David Fickling Books. His debut prose novel for children, A Boy and a Bear in a Boat, which he also illustrated, was short listed for the Costa prize and the Carnegie medal, and won the Branford Boase award.

Follow Dave on Twitter as @DaveShelton

Links to everything  discussed, including Dave's books and all of the comics he mentioned in this episode,  can be found on the podcast padlet.

 
Producer and Host: @Lucy_Braidley
Contact: comicboompodcast@gmail.com

Music by John_Sib from Pixabay

In this episode Lucy is joined by American educator Shveta Miller.

Shveta Miller is a national literacy leader and serves on the Governor’s Council for
Educator Advancement in Oregon as a professional learning facilitator. A former high school Language Arts teacher and author of Hacking Graphic Novels: 8
Ways to Teach Higher-Level Thinking with Comics and Visual Storytelling, she is a
passionate advocate for using multimodal texts of all kinds to create engaged,
insightful, curious readers and thinkers who are comfortable with the complex.


Contact her at Shveta.Miller@gmail.com
Follow her on Twitter as @ShvetaMiller
Connect with her on LinkedIn

Keep up with her latest articles and resources for teachers by visiting her website www.ShvetaMiller.com.

Links to everything  discussed, including Shveta's recommendations  can be found on the podcast padlet.

 
Producer and Host: @Lucy_Braidley
Contact: comicboompodcast@gmail.com

Music by John_Sib from Pixabay

A double Lucy episode! This week Lucy chats to specialist Manga librarian from Peters the bookseller, Lucy Forrester.

Lucy Forrester has been a children's librarian since 2006, and a comics fan since she can remember. Working for Peters Booksellers, she has made comics and manga her specialist field, and has taken part in conferences, conventions, and book awards to promote and increase understanding and appreciation of the graphic format.

Lucy shares just a fraction of her expansive knowledge of comics and manga in this episode - there are a whole lot of recommendations and some facinating insight into the history of manga and the industry that surrounds it.

Links to everything  discussed, including Lucy's recommendations  can be found on the podcast padlet.

 
Producer and Host: @Lucy_Braidley
Contact: comicboompodcast@gmail.com

Music by John_Sib from Pixabay

This week Lucy talks to Natalie Scarlett about Afro Manga Club - a joint project run by The National Literacy Trust and Black Heritage Support Service for young people in Birmingham AND we hear from the young people themselves as the podcast hits the road and visits the club in session (huge thanks to roving reporter and National Literacy Trust Hub Manager Kyle!).

You can find out more about the work of the National Literacy Trust by following the links below:
Website: www.literacytrust.org.uk
Twitter: @literacy_trust

Links to everything  discussed, including the Amber and Natalie's recommendations  can be found on the podcast padlet.

 
Producer and Host: @Lucy_Braidley
Contact: comicboompodcast@gmail.com

Music by John_Sib from Pixabay

Lucy chats with Sara Alfageeh, co-creator of the fantastic YA graphic novel Squire. They discuss her creative process, her collaborative process with co-creator Nadia Shammas and the impact and importance of representation.

Sara Alfageeh is a Jordanian-American illustrator and creative director in San Francisco. She is passionate about history, teaching, girls with swords, and the spaces where art and identity intersect. Her award-winning debut graphic novel SQUIRE is on shelves everywhere, and upcoming picture book NOT YET: THE STORY OF AN UNLIKELY SKATER is in the works. Sara is currently co-founder of One More Multiverse. 

Links to everything  discussed, including Sara's recommendations and the comic to accompany this episode can be found on the podcast padlet.

Follow Sara on Twitter at  @SaraAlfageeh and on Instagram  
Producer and Host: @Lucy_Braidley
Contact: comicboompodcast@gmail.com

Music by John_Sib from Pixabay

Lucy chats to primary school teacher and graphic novel enthusiast,  Richard Ruddick.
We discuss  his approach to including comics and graphic novels in the curriculum and encouraging access to them for reading for pleasure.

Richard Ruddick is a year six teacher from Norfolk who is passionate about using graphic novels to develop passionate readers. He runs a blog about how he utilises them to support learning and as a tool to improve engagement across the curriculum and he also has a padlet on which he shares titles that he recommends

Links to everything  discussed, including Richard's recommendations from this episode can be found on the podcast padlet.

Follow Richard on Twitter at  @RuddickRichard
Producer and Host: @Lucy_Braidley
Contact: comicboompodcast@gmail.com

Music by John_Sib from Pixabay

In this special BONUS EPISODE Lucy chats to Paul Register, founder of the Excelsior Award, the biggest book  award for graphic novels and manga in the UK!

What makes the awards so special is that from the expertly curated shotlists, children and young people vote for the winning book in each category themselves - a great tool for reading engagement.

In this episode Paul talks about the origin of the awrds, how they work and how schools can get involved, and then takes us though the KS3 and KS4 shortlists for this year.

You can access all the shortlists (including the KS2 and sixth form lists) and further information on how to get involved in future years on their website http://www.excelsioraward.co.uk/

For links to everythign else Paul discusses in this episode head over to the Comic Boom Padlet

Follow the Excelsior Award on Twitter at @ExcelsiorAward
Producer and Host: @Lucy_Braidley
Contact: comicboompodcast@gmail.com
Music by John_Sib from Pixabay

Lucy chats to Commisioning Editor at David Fickling Books, Anthony Hinton.

We discuss the recent boom in popularity of british graphic novels - including  the success of Jamie Smart and Neill Cameron.

Anthony is part of the team at The Phoenix Comic, where he edits the comic books produced through the DFB/Phoenix partnership, including Jamie Smart's number 1 bestselling Bunny vs Monkey, Neill Cameron's Mega Robo Bros, Laura Ellen Anderson's Evil Emperor Penguin, Adam and Lisa Murphy's Corpse Talk and many more. He has edited many books of children's and YA prose fiction - and non-fiction - working with writers including the Carnegie-shortlisted Candy Gourlay, the YA-prize shortlisted Melinda Salisbury, and the legendary Anne Fine, and was himself shortlisted for the Branford Boase Award for editing the late Tony Mitton's Potter's Boy. He is also an occasional writer for The Phoenix comic, including on their choose-your-own-adventure series Fates and Fortunes.

Links to everything  discussed, including Anthony's recommendations and the comic to accompany this episode can be found on the podcast padlet.

Follow David Fickling Books and The Phoenix on Twitter at  @dfb_storyhouse  @phoenixcomicuk
Producer and Host: @Lucy_Braidley
Contact: comicboompodcast@gmail.com

Music by John_Sib from Pixabay

Lucy chats to comic artist and creator of the Bumble and Snug series of graphic novels, Mark Bradley.

Mark Bradley is a comic artist and writer, and creator of the Bumble & Snug graphic novel series. He grew up reading stories about ghosts and monsters, and promptly decided that he preferred them to humans

 The first of book in the Bumble & Snug graphic novel series was shortlisted for the 2022 Waterstones Children’s Prize. He is passionate about the role comics can play in education and children’s literacy.

 He loves pop music and cherry bakewells, and is currently building an army of Lego crabs, for reasons that remain secret.

Links to everything  discussed, including Mark's recommendations and the comic to accompany this episode can be found on the podcast padlet.

Follow Mark on Twitter at  @MarkBradleyart
Host: @Lucy_Braidley
Contact: comicboompodcast@gmail.com

Music by John_Sib from Pixabay

In this episode I am joined by Neil Cohn, Neil Cohn is an American cognitive scientist best known for his pioneering research on the overlap in cognition between graphic communication and language. He is the author of 2 graphic novels, over 80 academic papers, and 3 academic books, including The Visual Language of Comics (2013) and the 2021 Eisner-nominated Who Understands Comics? (2020). He is an Associate Professor at the Department of Cognition and Communication at Tilburg University in The Netherlands.

Neil's website:www.visuallanguagelab.com

Links to everything  discussed and the comic for the episode can be found on the podcast padlet.

Follow Neil on Twitter at  @visual_linguist
Host: @Lucy_Braidley
Contact: comicboompodcast@gmail.com

Music by John_Sib from Pixabay

In this week's episode Lucy speaks to primary school teacher and writer of Slug Boy Saves the World, Mark A Smith. We discuss Mark's love of all things Marvel and how that passion for comics has influenced his teaching, his writing...and his life in general!

Mark A. Smith was born in Dundee, where he works as a primary school teacher. He lives in Fife and spends most of his spare time reading comics and writing stories. . Slugboy Saves the World is his first novel.

Links to everything  discussed, including Mark's recommendations and the comic to accompany this episode can be found on the podcast padlet.

Follow Mark on Twitter at  @MarkASmith85
Host: @Lucy_Braidley
Contact: comicboompodcast@gmail.com

Music by John_Sib from Pixabay

In this week's episode Lucy speaks to the hugely talented comic artist, Rebecca Burgess - mostly focusing on her latest middle grade graphic novel, Speak Up.

Rebecca Burgess is a comic artist and illustrator working in the UK, creating award winning published and small press work. Along with drawing comics for their day job, Rebecca also loves drawing webcomics in their free time. Being autistic, they are particularly passionate about bringing more autistic characters into comics and stories! Outside of drawing comics and cuddling their cat, Rebecca also loves playing RPGs with friends, going on deep dives into history and growing vegetables in their humble Bristol garden.

Links to everything  discussed, including Bex's recommendations and the comic to accompany this episode can be found on the podcast padlet.

Follow Bex on Twitter at  @theorah
Host: @Lucy_Braidley
Contact: comicboompodcast@gmail.com

Music by John_Sib from Pixabay

In this episode I chat with PhD student Meher Shiblee.

Meher is a second year, full time, PhD student at LCC, UAL. Her research topic is titled; Considering 21st Century Muslim Superheroines and Issues of Representation: Comics, Creators and Readers in Context.

 In addition to her studies, she has worked as a Graduate Teaching Assistant and an Associate Lecturer at her university, curating and conducting ‘Research Methods’ modules for MA students at LCC and CCW.

>Meher did her MA in Shakespeare Studies from King’s College London and her BA (Hons) in English Literature from Aberystwyth University, with a semester abroad in Washington State University.

Links to everything  discussed, including all of Meher's reading recommendations can be found on the podcast padlet.

Follow Meher on Twitter at  @mehershiblee
Host: @Lucy_Braidley
Contact: comicboompodcast@gmail.com

Music by John_Sib from Pixabay

In this episode I chat with writer and school librarian Lucas Maxwell.

Lucas Maxwell has been reading comics since he was very young and living in Nova Scotia, Canada. Now, he gets to promote comics and other great books to kids in the high school library that he's  managed in South London, UK for the past nine years.  He's also a writer for Book Riot, a D&D Dungeon Master and the author of a book about table top roleplaying games in school and public libraries.

Lucas' Blog can be accessed here

Links to everything  discussed, including all of Lucas' many many reading recommendations can be found on the podcast padlet.

Follow Lucas on Twitter at  @lucasjmaxwell
Host: @Lucy_Braidley
Contact: comicboompodcast@gmail.com

Music by John_Sib from Pixabay

Dr Harriet Earle (Hattie) is a senior lecturer in English at Sheffield Hallam University and research fellow at the Centre for War, Atrocity, and Genocide at the University of Nipissing. She is the author of Comics, Trauma, and the New Art of War (2017) and Comics: An Introduction (2020) – and she writes mostly on war and violence.

In this episode we explore some of the historical reasons that comics sit on the outskirts of the educational mainstream and discuss their otential, their universality and the possibilites of comics for promoting social justice.

Hattie's book, Comics: An Introduction is available here - and by pdf if you email her!!

Links to everything  discussed, including Hattie's reading recommendations can be found on the podcast padlet.

Follow Hattie on Twitter at  @Harriyot
Host: @Lucy_Braidley
Contact: comicboompodcast@gmail.com

Music by John_Sib from Pixabay

In this episode I chat with award winning comics creator, Neill Cameron.

Neill Cameron is a cartoonist and writer, creator of the comic books Mega Robo Bros,   Since 2011 his work has appeared in the weekly children’s comic The Phoenix. In 2016 Mega Robo Bros and Tamsin and the Deep were both shortlisted for the British Comics Awards. In 2017, Mega Robo Bros won the Excelsior Award Jr, a national comic award voted for by school and library reading groups across the UK. In 2018 Mega Robo Bros was chosen as one of the best children's comics of the year by both the New York Public Library and the Schools Library Journal.

Links to everything  discussed, including Neill's reading recommendations can be found on the podcast padlet.

Follow Neill on Twitter at  @neillcameron
Host: @Lucy_Braidley
Contact: comicboompodcast@gmail.com

Music by John_Sib from Pixabay

In this episode I chat with Gemma Sosnowsky about all things comics in the school library.

Gemma is an experienced school librarian and member of the Lakes International Comic Arts Festival board, as well as judge on the Excelsior Award and, in this episode, shares lots of practical advice on how to maximise the use of comics in your school library.

Links to everything  discussed, including Gemma's reading recommendations can be found on the podcast padlet.

Follow Gemma on Twitter at  @gemmafrog
Host: @Lucy_Braidley
Contact: comicboompodcast@gmail.com

Music by John_Sib from Pixabay