Out and about in December

We're out and about! Find our agents in many locations! Buy comics (they are the best xmas presents)!

Saturday 2nd December: Lubber Fiend Christmas Market 12pm-8pm

Saturday 2nd December: Make & Mend Market, 9am-5pm, Grainger Market

Sunday 3rd December: Fiesta Whitley Bay from 11am, Park View Shopping Centre & St Paul's Church

Sunday 10th December: Star & Shadow Market 11am-3pm

Thursday 14th December: our December meetup, from 6.30pm, Tilleys

Our next anthology, mythology-themed, is coming together nicely - about thirty pages are done, more to come shortly, expect a launch early next year.

New home: Tilleys

After testing it out in October, general opinion was yeah, seems alreet, SO: Paper Jam is now holding its monthly meetings at Tilleys (NE1 4AG). 

It's pretty central, has a separate little room with doors, the staff are friendly, it has good beer.

Our November meeting will be 9th (and our December meeting with be 14th).

Any queries or problems, just drop us an email!

Travels

The Split Chimp micropub has sadly closed. It was a great home for the last year or two and we are sorry to see it go.

We will be investigating other venues till we settle on a new regular home. October 12th meeting will be in Tilleys.

We'll also be appearing at some markets and events soon, starting with the Star & Shadow market on 8th October.

Launch party thanks!

The Paper Jam Comics Collective is a collective and no one is in charge, and whatever happens happens by virtue of enough of the collective deciding that it's happening. I've been part of Paper Jam since it started (in January 2007 - gosh, I feel old), and, due to that, have become The Guy Who Sends The Emails. I have had the  privilege of seeing Paper Jam do quite a lot of stuff (both directly and in adjacent projects like Canny Comic Con and Newcastle Science Comic), and though the exact constituent people vary over time - the stuff works on the basic principle of people getting stuck in and having a nice time.

Over the last year, Paper Jam has slowly got going again, new folk have got involved, and this culminated in making The Sea ...And That, our first anthology since 2019. Our launch party yesterday was A DELIGHT.

 

It's strange how much my sense of who I am is tied up with doing daft comics and arts stuff. The last few years have been tough for many people in many ways but one thing I'd missed more than anything is doing stuff like this. There have been points where I didn't think I'd' do them again. So it was genuinely moving to be at the launch yesterday and feeling the buzz of just people clarting about drawing and chatting and reading comics (and getting temporary tattoos of boats).

I'd like to thank everyone who attended, it was lovely to see so many folks getting along (travelling distance, amending other plans, dodging covid, dragging members of their family along, etc) to say hello, pick up our comics, draw some seamonsters. And huge respect to all fellow Paper Jammers who contributed to the anthology or helped with the running of yesterday, I am so proud of the comic and the event and you all. Apologies to anyone if I was flaky and didn't chat enough, I was a bit overwhelmed (and had had some beer), but I really do appreciate all of yous turning out, was wonderful to see everyone.

Anyone who came along or was involved in any way: it happened because you helped make it happen.

Anyway, some of the amazing results of the drawing games shenanigans:

SEAMONSTERS!

AQUARIUM!

BROKEN TELEPHONE!

(This is hard to represent, might do a video or something, come along to the meeting to see it!)

MEGA JAM!

Outstanding.

On the theme of things happening if people make them happen, here' a bit of info about us, and about places and groups we like:

Paper Jam meets monthly on the second Thursday of each month at the Split Chimp micropub in Newcastle (near the station). If you fancy getting involved, then just come along (or drop us a message if you have any queries). No artistic skill is required. Bring a pen. We generally chat, do a few drawing games and plan anthologies and events. No pressure to come every time - everyone's always free to be as involved as they feel like. More info about it all here.

You can buy anthologies at meetings or via our online shop https://paperjamcomics.bigcartel.com/ or (usually) from Travelling Man comic shop in Newcastle

Many of our older out-of-print anthologies can be read free online https://issuu.com/paperjamcc

Individual members generally have contact details in the anthologies, and their are links to current regulars on the right side of this blog.

Some local venues and events that we like and have been involved with at various points:

Laurels - our launch party hosts, they put on fantastic theatre, comedy, club nights in Whitley Bay https://www.laurelswhitley.co.uk/

Star & Shadow - cinema and arts venue in Shieldfield https://www.starandshadow.org.uk/

The Lubber Fiend - gigs and more in the west end of Newcastle https://www.thelubberfiend.com/

Split Chimp micropub - we meet here! good beer https://www.splitchimp.pub/contact

The Make & Mend Market - monthly craft and arts pop-up market in the Grainger Market https://makeandmendmarket.co.uk/

Readers of the Lost Art - Newcastle City Library graphic novels reading group https://readers-of-the-lost-art.org.uk/

North Tyneside Writers' Circle - monthly meetup for prose/poetry writers in North Shields Library https://www.facebook.com/NorthTynesideWritersCircle/

The Late Shows - annual Newcastle culture crawl https://thelateshows.org.uk/

Travelling Man (Newcastle) - comic shop (with a great small press section) - where Paper Jam started! https://travellingman.com/pages/our-shops


Finally, here's the aquatic-themed playlist we came up with, ideal listening for when you're reading the new anthology:

New anthology launch - The Sea ...And That at the seaside!

 

Paper Jam is back with a brand-new anthology - The Sea ...And That! 36 pages (well, including covers)! Loads of different creators interpreting the topic of the sea in loads of different ways!

And to celebrate, we'll be having a launch party at the fantastic Laurels arts venue in Whitley Bay (a mere few minutes walk from THE ACTUAL SEA).

It's Saturday 13th May (Eurovision day, for those that observe it), from 1pm to 6pm(ish).

It's free in! It'd be nice if you fancy buying the comic (four quid - or less if buying as part of a bargainous multi-buy deal with some of our older anthologies!) but honestly no pressure. Drop by, say hello, see what we're all about.

Comics will be for sale! Obviously The Sea ...And That, but our previous anthologies - covering a wide variety of topics, and many comics by many individual creators from within the collective.

Collaborative drawing games! No skill required! Various art jams, and stupid games, drawing sea-monsters or something! "Oh, I can't draw" - NO, I BET YOU CAN! YOU CAN! Let's go! (Though no pressure if you really don't want to, but honestly, our whole vibe is that everyone can get involved and drawing and comics are fun)

Sea-themed playlist! Only the most nautical of tracks!

Beverages!

Suitable for kids! While the anthology is aimed at adults, we do have kid-friendly comics and the drawing games and whatnot will be fine for bairns.

There will be other opportunities to pick up this fine publication, but this will be THE BEST and THE CLOSEST TO THE SEA (AND FISH AND CHIPS ETC).

Here's the full contents! Check out all this goodness!

My Dad, the sea and me by Ian Mayor [TW: @IanMayor]

Agnus Dei by Rafael Lima (illustrations) [IG: @rafalima831] & Gabriel Paredes (writing) [IG: @chimeracomics]

It’s not that the sea doesn’t like you… by Michael Dodsworth [deviantart.com/dodsy84]

Sea Story by Andy Houghton [IG: @snapped_lead]

Tynemouth Mermaids by Masked Emerald [maskedemerald.co.uk]

Fin by Coleslaw

Deep Sea Bubble-gum by Jack Waugh [ko-fi.com/jwaugh123]

The Plague by sidestep [IG: @_sidestep]

Sea Bloke by Ben Clark [magicbeanscomics.blogspot.com]

Eh, João! by Jon Sapsed [IG: @sapsedjonathan]

Cullercoats by Andy Law & Michael Duckett [IG: @mrmrduckett]

Golden City by Britt Coxon [britthub.co.uk]

Lost Cargo by Andrew 'Noggin' Gardner [IG: @shakeyournoggin]

There's plenty of fish (and sewage)…  by Grace L.

Der Einzug by Torgo Wells [linktr.ee/torgowells]

untitled by Sara Qaed [IG: @saraqaed]

Been Down by Oscillating Brow [oscillatingbrow.blogspot.com]

Cube of Sea by Paul Thompson [hollowearth.co.uk] & Robin Coxon

Quite Some Time Since We Last Spoke by Adam Fallows [adamfallows.com]

The Truth About Mermaids by Lauren Matthews [laurenjmatthews.com]

Miscellaneous jam by Team PJCC

Front cover & contents by Andy Houghton [IG: @snapped_lead], back cover by Torgo Wells [linktr.ee/torgowells], compiled and prepared by Britt Coxon [britthub.co.uk]