Six local community groups were paired with six Comic Book Artists & Writers to capture the range of experiences that make up the place we all call home through an exciting range of perspectives, forms and styles.
Each artist created a 10-page comic following three sessions with their group. The comics are supplemented by two additional pieces (such as creative writing, interviews or research pieces) overseen by Heritage Communicators. Additional oral history recordings will also be available to listen to beside these.
This project is funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund with thanks to The National Lottery players.
Sketches
The first sketches of Nancy and Betty and June and Ron, four of the wonderful people I had the privilege of meeting at Affinity Day Care, the community group I was paired with.
Storyboard
Sharing the different stages of comic book making with the people who would actually appear in the panels was fantastic! Their feedback was essential to tell their stories in the most effective way and I can’t never thank them enough for their time and kindness.
Editing
My role as Editor meant interviewing and selecting the other 5 artists, collaborating with them and reading their storyboards before anyone else. It was a pleasure to work with such a talented group of creatives and I hope I was able to offer some helpful advice to make everyone’s already great comics even better!
Cover illustration
The last step was to design the cover, in collaboration with the Creative Team and our brilliant Graphic Designer (for both the book and the exhibition) Sophie Dutton.
After a few sketches I proposed the final design: it shows the participants “building” a comic book page by bringing their stories inside the panels: exactly what happened during the sessions!
Exhibition
The book will be launched with a free two-week exhibition (13 November - 1 December 2024) at V and B in Northampton.
OPENING TIMES: Wednesday: 11am – 5pm Thursday: 11am – 5pm Friday: 11am – 5pm Saturday: 11am – 5pm (*3pm on 16 November) Sunday: 1pm – 5pm
No need to book – drop in whenever suits you!
You can find more information about this amazing project on the 60 Miles website and buy the book in person at the exhibition for £15, or online for £18 by clicking below.