Improper Books!

Steady now. This isn't a post about 'spicy' mags sold by men in dirty macs. We're still talking respectable comics, and some great stuff too. 

Last week, when I blogged about how diverse and busy the current British comics scene is, I was recommended to check out a company called Improper Books. I looked, and I liked what I saw, so I thought I'd give them a plug.

As their website explains, "Improper Books is a collective of comic creators formed in 2009 by Benjamin Read (Writer), Laura Trinder(Artist) and Chris Wildgoose (Artist). While collaborating together on the set of UK independent feature ARMISTICE, the trio discovered a mutual love for comics, illustrated books, and the darker side of fairy tales and set about making their own.

From that, the idea of Improper Books came about; a collective of writers, artists and designers with the know-how to make comics, books and apps, all of which have a touch of the fairy tale, the Gothic or the macabre, and focused on a creator-owned model that is fair to all involved."

The quality of their work looks fantastic. There's the cover of Night Post above, and here's an interior page by Laura Trinder...

Here's a page from Briar drawn by Chris Wildgoose...

...and the cover of Porcelain: A Gothic Fairy Tale, also illustrated by Chris Wildgoose...

There's so much going on in the British comics industry these days with the independent scene that it's easy to miss gems like these so I'm glad they were brought to my attention. The traditional system of comics in newsagents isn't reflective of how the industry is buzzing with a variety of graphic novels for various ages. There's life in the comics industry yet!

For more information on Improper Books, and previews of the content, visit their website:
http://www.improperbooks.com/

(The images on this post are from the Improper Books website.)