The two books that I was most proud to be asked to contribute to in 2011 were the two that I wish hadn't had cause to be published.
That may sound contradictory but you'll understand when I say I'm talking about two charity books that only existed because of terrible circumstances that inspired them. Firstly, Spirit of Hope, launched in the summer to raise funds for the victims of the New Zealand earthquake and the Japanese tsunami. The 116 page trade paperback brought together a diverse range of comic creators such as Jimmy Broxton (cover), Jon Haward, David Leach, Si Spencer, Jason Atomic, Leonie O'Moore, Michael Allred (variant cover), and many more. (Available here: http://www.comicbook.org.uk/spirit-of-hope/ )
The other book was 22.07 which came about not because of natural disasters but because of the actions of a deranged piece of inhuman filth who carried out a bombing in Oslo and a massacre of children in Norway on July 22nd. (The name of the scumbag will not sully this blog.)
Angered and devastated by the event Raptus Comic Festival organizer Arild Wearnes asked comic creators he knew to contribute their feelings to a book that would be sold at the September Raptus event in Bergen to raise money for the families and survivors of the atrocities. 22.07 features material by Lise Myhre, Mike Collins, Dave Windett, Charlie Abbø (cover), Siri Petterson, Mike Carey, Kim Holm and many others.
Much as I was keen to contribute I knew that my usual humour style would be completely inappropriate of course. However from viewing the news reports, and from what I knew of the Norwegian people from my several visits to Bergen over the years, I was touched by their dignity and maturity in the face of such tragedy. I decided to produce a symbolic page, showing how evil can crumble when faced with the power of positive emotions and unitity. Subtle it's not, but I hope it conveyed the right spirit...
You can read more about the book 22.7 here (although you'll need to run it through a translator if you're not fluent in Norwegian):
http://www.raptus.no/
As I said, two books I was privileged to contribute my services to, but in an ideal world would never have had cause to be published. Let's hope that 2012 brings brighter days for everyone.
Over on the website of The Birmingham Mail today, the Speech Balloons column by Paul H. Birch gives a very fair and balanced review to the Spirit of Hope book. (Which as you probably know from reading previous posts is the charity book many of us contributed to after the natural disasters in New Zealand and Japan earlier this year.)
I was very pleased indeed to read Paul's comments about the page I scripted and drew for the book:
"Flick through the hundred plus pages and you might miss that other very special story; for it only lasts a single page three-quarters of the way through. It is titled Undefeated and is by Lew Stringer.
It has been said of Stringer that he can come up with canny and corny punchlines aplenty and as often as you like. Now some will view that as recommendation, others as criticism. Either way, it has served his publishers well. That he is not only a verbal gagster but a first rate cartoonist is unquestionable.
That, like [Liam] Sharp, he goes outside his comfort zone, and swims that extra mile makes his tale special too: He uses the tools of his cartooning trade; applies some of the journalistic tricks he's picked up along the way and juxtaposes the visual and the verbal to create something that raises a smile but respectfully; taking us through a series of mixed emotions in the space of six simply outlined panels. Do I make too profound a comment on something so short, and perhaps so apparent as it rests there on the page before me? No. It's what marks the great out among the good. They don't have to act clever: they just are."
Paul goes on to be far too critical of his own work, but one always sees the flaws in one's own material. Given the chance again I'd go back and re-draw a couple of bits in my Undefeated strip as there are parts that needed to be gritter I think, but I'm pleased to see that it had a good reception as it stands.
Even though I've been freelancing in comics for 28 years it's been rare to see reviews of my work as the focus is usually on the teen/adult material, so this review made my day.
If you haven't bought Spirit of Hope yet you can order your copy from this link:
http://www.comicbook.org.uk/spirit-of-hope/
This coming Saturday (July 23rd) sees the official launch and signing of the Spirit of Hope book, a full colour softback anthology to raise money for the victims of the Japanese Tsunami and New Zealand earthquake.
The event will take place at Forbidden Planet, 179 Shaftesbury Avenue, London, at 1.00pm to 4.00pm.
Over 100 contributors have produced comic pages or illustrations for free and all profit from the title will go to help disaster victims via Second Harvest and the New Zealand Red Cross. Contributors who have said they'll attend the launch include Kev Hopgood, David Leach, Jon Haward, Jasper Bark, Steve Tanner, Peter Hogan, Si Spencer, myself, and more.
You may recall I posted more details about this worthy project a short time ago on this blog, with a full list of contributors:
http://lewstringer.blogspot.com/2011/05/spirit-of-hope-now-available-for-pre.html
See you there! If you're unable to attend, copies can be ordered here:
http://www.comicbook.org.uk/spirit-of-hope/
You can read more about the book 22.7 here (although you'll need to run it through a translator if you're not fluent in Norwegian):
