This turned into a comics themed trip as we visited friends, were interviewed by the North East Geek feast about Caption, met creators from the Paperjam crowd and popped into the local comics shops.

We also had a Bryan Talbot themed day, by visiting some of the landmarks that appear in his graphic novel Alive in Sunderland.

We were very keen to see the St Peters Riverside Sculpture project, as not only does it feature in Alice, but it’s also connected to novelist Chaz Brenchley, whom we’ve met at various British Fantasy Society events. In fact Bryan and Chaz are very good friends and Chaz also appears in Alice showing Bryan around the sculptures.

A page from Alice in Sunderland featuring Bryan, Chaz & the sculpture trail.

We didn’t manage the whole trail as it’s around three miles long, but saw some lovely sculptures, while being slightly crisped by unexpected sun (it rained while we were in South Shields the day before).

‘Taking Flight’ features steel girders transforming in stages into a cormorant in flight, and which Bryan describes in Alice in Sunderland as 3D comic strip. A delightful installation.

By far our favourite sculpture of the ones we saw was ‘The Red House’ by Colin Wilbourn, which was created from reclaimed stone from the Queen Alexandria Bridge in Sunderland. The sculpted furniture is wonderfully realistic and there are evocative touches like the coat hanging by the door.

It also inspired a short story by Chaz Brenchley called ‘Murder at the Red House and which you can read or listen to at Chaz’s site.

After a rest and an ice-cream by the sea, we headed off to Penshaw Monument. This strange folly designed like a greek temple can be seen from miles around but proved a little torturous to get to! Once there we battled up the steep hill to clamber over the monument and discover it was built in Victorian times by the Freemasons. Unsurprisingly, it also features in Alice in Sunderland.

The day was topped off by a lovely Indian meal and visit with Bryan and his wife Mary, who live in a beautifully decorated four storey Victorian terrace. We got to see Bryan’s collection of sketches by comic artist greats, such as Uncle Scrooge by Don Rosa. Then we got a tour of his studio, and a sneek peek at pages of Grandville Mon Amour. As expected form Bryan’s work the pages were highly detailed and atmospheric, not to mention somewhat violent in places! The sheer amount of research Bryan’s puts in is amazing, especially the scenes he showed us in a Victorian factory setting based on a nearby pumping station. Can’t wait to read it when it comes out later in the year.

Looking forward to seeing Bryan again at Fantasycon in Nottingham in September.

More photos from our trip and of the sculpture trail over on Flickr.

Bryan Talbot @ Leicester Libraries

I’ve been remiss in mentioning that we went to see Bryan Talbot talk about Grandville & the Anthropomorphic Tradition at Leicester Central Lending Library on Thursday 7th May.

Bryan’s talk was part of the ongoing strand of BLAM! comic events organised by Leicester Libraries. They do a wonderful job on these events and their guests have included Paul Gravett, Al Davison, Matt Smith (2000AD) and  John  Freeman. Jay was also involved in a BLAM! event about Breaking into Comics. Interested in forthcoming BLAM! events then keep an eye on the Leicester Libraries website or follow The Book Doctor on twitter.

Having been to Bryan’s talks on One Bad Rat and Luther Arkwright I was looking forward to this, and wasn’t disappointed. He provided an entertaining and informative history on the use of anthropomorphic characters. From early pictograms, to newspaper strips (such as Rupert the Bear), to use in the art world (Coolidge’s dogs playing poker), to use in hit European comics (Black Sad).

Bryan illustrated some of the influences he used in Grandville, such as guest appearances by Snowy the dog, and how some panels were based on classic paintings. I always feel I’ve learned a lot about art, and the pure craft of comics, after a Talbot talk!

If you have the chance to see any of Bryan’s talks then I highly recommend them, and if you haven’t read Grandville yet, then why not? If you live in Leicester, you can certainly borrow it from the library