’nuff said.

x

gf

A chat about politics is not what you come to this comic for.

Like opening a packet of biscuits and finding a mouse: whatever you may feel about the cuteness of said mouse, a mouse isn’t what you were aiming for.

However I also think that, on the eve of a general election in the country that I both live and work in, mentioning a couple of issues that relate to the comics I create is probably fair. In fact I think I’d feel like a doofus if I didn’t.

I won’t talk about the proposed policies of the varying parties involved, there are far too many to be fair and to remain relatively unbiased. Hell, I’m not even going to tell you who I’m voting for. What I do feel I should bring to your attention is two pieces of legislation that our Labour government introduced in the past few years that have had a bearing on me and other creatives working in the UK.

Section 63 of the Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008, also known as the extreme pornography ban, and sections 62-68 of the Coroners and Justice Act 2009, also known as the child cartoon pornography law.

Superficially both sound laudable, but in effect they are both far too vague, resulting in laws that are either ridiculous or frighteningly far-reaching. Part of the extreme porn ban means that images may or may not be illegal depending on whether the creator of that image found it arousing: in effect making a consensual BDSM film illegal whereas a far more gruesome hollywood slasher flick remains legal. Part of the child cartoon pornography law claims that an image where a child is “in the presence”  of a sexual act is illegal: because a child in UK law is anyone under 18 this means that existing publications like Alan Moore’s “Lost Girls” or “Watchmen” could be illegal, or following the letter of the law this could theoretically criminalise anything from stickman comics to bawdy seaside postcards. Aside from these and other specific objections both acts were also unnecessary: a version of the Obscene Publications Act has been part of UK law since 1857.

According to these laws my fetishman comics aren’t illegal, but that isn’t the point. The point is that whilst they may not be definitely illegal, they aren’t absolutely safe either. Although this doesn’t bother me or you, it may bother comic shop owners and bookshop buyers and magazines editors. And if it bothers them enough, then selling and promoting not-illegal-but-perhaps-not-safe comics will get a lot more difficult. To get round this artists will adopt varying levels of self-censorship, at which point everyone misses out on creative works which might have been legal, but because it wasn’t “safe” the artist chose not to run with it. For example, renaming Lactose Intolerant Boy as Lactose Intolerant Man may sound stupid but I have a hunch I might eventually be asked to do that (even though the more logical answer is of course to only ever draw him with stubble and a ciggy).

Many factors will affect how we choose to vote. Our knowledge of the local candidates, the information we can decipher from various media channels, our experiences of how their parties have previously behaved, the pledges these candidates and their parties have made and so forth. However, I also think another important fact to consider is that a recent Labour government introduced the above laws. I think it’s a reason not to vote for Labour MPs, not least because of the possibility that they may create more similar legislation if re-elected.

This is just one issue, but if I’ve added it to the many other issues that voters were weighing up then my work here is done.

Laters my lovelies!

x

geof

Comics-wise there’s been a wee hiccough and thus whitby saw the arrival of only 100 new pre-issue 11′s, we’re a couple of weeks off the true launch of the brown issue, but they were well received and i have a hunch you’ll all be pleased. So true launch will be at the Bristol Expo and the MCM expo at the end of may!

http://www.thefallenangel.co.uk/spexpo/

http://londonexpo.com/

Talking of which a preview of one of the pages will be previewing in We Are Words + Pictures’  ”Paper Science 2″ for free comic book day this saturday!

http://wearewordsandpictures.com/2010/04/26/new-paper-science-free/

… shit, that’s 2 days to fix the islandofdoctorgeof.co.uk website … AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!

xx

gf

the official stuffs: http://wgw.topmum.co.uk

more stuffs: http://www.darkdaisypromotions.co.uk/page_1260211526249.html

even more stuffs http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=112182408799977#!/event.php?eid=317466998235&ref=ts

leisure centre location: http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=54.488071,-0.622833&num=1&t=h&sll=54.488314

also if you’ve got a mo and fancy doing me a favour my crazy science job needs you to do an online experiment. no pressure, but you know, not doing it would make my supervisor cry and that would be mean.

http://www.islandofdoctorgeof.co.uk/science/gPairExpt2010.php

xxx

gf

The seemingly innocuous ”coroners and justice” bill which contained the worthy-sounding cartoon child porn legislation. It does sound like a good idea doesn’t it? Except the version they created and put into law isn’t: not only does this, through simple unremitting vagueness, lead open the possibility of criminalising things from carry-on films to seaside postcards, but more importantly it sets the precedent that the crime is no longer acting in a criminal manner but thinking in a criminal manner.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/04/06/cartoon_law_live/

I have no doubts that my fetishman comics are perfectly fine (it’s almost as if  ”it’s not porn, it’s a comic”), but for shits and giggles please feel free to show genteel disapproval by circulating this weeks fetishman comic:

http://www.fetishman.co.uk

laters!

x

gf

http://www.skintwonorth.com/SkinTwoNorth2010Backstage/skintwonorthspringball71.html

much  as i shouldn’t replicate it at every event (the “draw me!” tags are a) in the bin now and b) really just an “alice in wonderland” thing) i sort of want to. Photographs are by the guy who did most of the photographs for most everyone that night, John Wilson, who also did the publicity photos for the “sh!” exhibition last easter.

http://johnwilsonphotography.com/

Last saturday was the uk web and mini comix thing, after which i headed on to white mischief to ply my steampunk-y wares, ably assisted by both Mavis and Alex, and later joined by Hannah.

The presence of the new stall-case-shelf-tm confused me into bringing more stuff than I could carry (ow! damn my own stupidity yes, but nevertheless: ow!), but damn is it lovely.

A quick tea-and-a-bacon-sandwich mission set me up reet fine for Thing and the day was spent amiably nattering with Mal from Fallen angel media and, on realising we’d almost sold all the tea mugs we could have flogged at Mischief, also spent drawing tea-related originals for said same event. Which we then sold at Thing. Which was good but made me rue my somewhat comics-laden load out.

http://www.ukwebcomixthing.co.uk/

http://www.thefallenangel.co.uk/famprint/

Anyhoo, Mischief was brilliant. The building was beautiful, the set dressing was perfect, the costumes were often stunning, and the other performers and artists were a pleasure. And based on my limited experience of this and Lincoln last year i have to say the average civilian at these events is just very lovely, all making for a delightful night!

http://www.whitemischief.info/

Now i could go on about it at length, but we both know i have the next issue of fetishman to draw so i’ll leave it at a) the bbc were recording so there is a ver brief snapshot of my gurning face b) overal the stoof was well received and so I’ve got me horn on to do a big pile more un-historical nonsense c) I”ve spent the last couple of days listening to The Men Who Will Not Be Blamed For Nothing’s new album and so should you, it cracks me up and will probably be the anthem to issue 11.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/8593305.stm

http://en-gb.facebook.com/blamedfornothing

right, comic,

laters!

x

gf

In the short term all you need know is that the skin two ball was an hoot, and this saturday is another hectic pile of awesome win! And this time in our nations fine capital! (hmmm, sarcasm doesn’t transmit well on the web does it? don’t get me wrong, i do love it, but i think we can safely say that my affection could best be described as  ”in a grubby way”)

In the daytime, call it 10 til 5 because that’s what it is, i’ll be at the uk web and mini comix thing pimping teh comics, drawing teh peoples and apparently appearing on a panel. maybe about scifi. woo?

http://www.ukwebcomixthing.co.uk/

Then, as surely as 8pm follows 5pm, I’ll be setting up at white mischief’s “grand exhibition”, where I’ll be drawerising and roistering in a similar but officially steampunk way!

http://www.whitemischief.info/

If you need any more encouragement I’d say that a) i’ve made posters again b) the stall is in the first stages of its marvellous revamp c) issue 11 of fetishman is currently brewing and d) i’ll be fully minion-ed with the mighty Mavis and a bevvy (two! count them! two!) of lovely ladies! Any more questions may be answered by this cunning page of the fetishman site until i get a certain plugin uploaded to this site as well:

http://www.fetishman.co.uk/fm/events/

laters my lovelies!

x

geof

Well time has truly come for the site overhaul (I should be able to make time this december/january)  so before I commit fully to any one scheme or another I was wondering if any of you ad any requests? things you like? things you loathed? things you longed for that weren’t about – feel free to comment or just drop us a line in the contact form:

http://www.geofbanyard.com/contact.php

cheers good people,

x

gf