Manchester Digital Laboratory

Graphic Novel

Title: Mad Graphic Novel Group
Location: MadLab
Description: discussion group for those looking to talk, argue, debate about graphic novels, comics, comix and web-comics.
Date: 05-06-2012
Start Time: 19:00
End Time: 21:00

For June’s Mad Graphic Novel Group, we will be discussing Alice In Sunderland by Bryon Talbot . It explores the links between Lewis Carroll and the Sunderland area, with wider themes of history, myth and storytelling — and the truth about what happened to Sid James on stage at the Sunderland Empire Theatre.

As usual, please bring money if you are interested in chipping in for takeout but also bring a donation (suggested £2) for the Madlab itself.  Hope to see you there guys.

Graphic Novel

Title: Mad Graphic Novel Group
Location: MadLab
Description: discussion group for those looking to talk, argue, debate about graphic novels, comics, comix and web-comics.
Start Time: 19:00
Date: 2012-04-03
End Time: 21:00

For April’s Mad Graphic Novel Group, we will be discussing Habibi, a book by Craig Thompson, the creator of the book Blankets that we discussed previously in our group. Thompson began working on Habibi at the end of 2004 and chose to create this book as part of a desire to better understand and humanize Islam, and focus on the beauty of Arabic and Islamic cultures, in contrast to their vilification.

The 672-page book is set in a fictional Islamic fairytale landscape, and depicts the relationship between Dodola and Zam, two escaped child slaves, who are torn apart and undergo many transformations as they grow into new names and new bodies, which prove to be obstacles to their love when they later reunite.

The book since its recent release has had mixed reviews, many praising it and some relating Craig Thompson’s artwork to that of Will Eisner’s and Joe Sacco’s quality, while others commented on the book’s treatment of sexuality as something forbidden or shameful dimension, as well as the sexual violence endured by the characters as a negative aspect.

As usual, please bring money if you are interested in chipping in for takeout but also bring a donation (suggested £2) for the Madlab itself.  Hope to see you there guys.

Graphic Novel

Title: Mad Graphic Novel Group
Location: MadLab
Description: discussion group for those looking to talk, argue, debate about graphic novels, comics, comix and web-comics.
Start Time: 19:00
Date: 2012-05-01
End Time: 21:00

For the May graphic novel group, we are going to discuss the definitive boy adventure, the intrepid reporter from Le XXe Siècle (the 20th century, a Belgian newspaper); he has no second name, for we know him only as TINTIN!!!

Tintin was created by Georges Remi (or as he is better known hergé) and was introduced to the world in 1929. Tintin’s adventures have been translated into more 50 languages and has sold more than 200 million books to date.
We are discussing two of his books, making this a TINTIN DOUBLE BILL and the two books we are going to discuss in particular are his first two stories, namely “Tintin in the Land of the Soviets” and “Tintin in the Congo”. As the names indicate, the adventures occur in the Soviet Union and the Congo. The latter book is infamous for its visual racist interpretation of the Congolese, similar to the Negro impressions from old cartoons. The former book is the first ever Tintin story ever written, with the heroic Tintin travelling to the Soviet union via Berlin to report on the sinister going ons under Stalin’s regime.
We hope to have our usual bout of discussion on the many topics in these books. We have our usual take out if you are, so bring a fiver if interested, along with a suggested £2 donation for the Madlab. Hope to see you there:)

Graphic Novel

Title: Mad Graphic Novel Group
Location: MadLab
Description: discussion group for those looking to talk, argue, debate about graphic novels, comics, comix and web-comics.
Start Time: 19:00
Date: 2012-03-06
End Time: 21:00

February’s group had a vote on suggested graphic novels for the rest of the year and after a count up and some heads or tails decision making, the books have been put in the reading order for the next few months. They will be found on the facebook page very soon.

For March’s group, we are doing A DOUBLE BILL OF HORROR (cue clichéd thunder sound effect, followed by maniacal laugh). The two books we have chosen are 30 Days of Night and Hellboy Volume 3: The Chained Coffin and Other.

Hellboy volume 3, written by the series creator Mike Mignola, is a deviation from the much longer tales that Mike Mignola writes in both Hellboy and B.P.R.D. (Both series I recommend – Arun) in which we are presented with a collection of fantastic short stories about some of the beasts and ghouls Hellboy has had to deal with when not trying to save the world from mad occultist and their ilk. Aspects of one of the stories called the corpse were actually used in the first movie. The book is filled not only with great stories but also explanations by Mignola into his passion for the occult and the research into folk tales he did to make the stories in this book.

30 days of night, Written by Steve Niles and drawn by Ben Templesmith has a more classic horror plot, tell us the story of the citizens of Barrow, where the sun doesn’t set or rise for 30 consecutive days and nights. From the darkness, across the frozen wasteland, an evil comes that brings the residents of Barrow to their knees. The only hope for the town is the Sheriff and Deputy, husband and wife who are torn between their own survival and saving the town they love.

Interestingly, both books have been part of larger series of graphic novels but are also books that either a) were turned into films or b) played a part in the creation of their film adaptations. We hope for a rather interesting group discussion.

As per usual, please bring a donation for the Madlab, along with money for food if you are interested. Hope to see you there guys.