Calculus Cat collected

Published in time for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival last week was Hunt Emerson's Calculus Cat, a smartly produced A4 book consisting of 112 pages collecting all of his strips of the aforementioned moggy and new material to boot!

The book was funded through Kickstarter, as I mentioned here back in June, and managed to reach its target of £10,000 thanks to 338 backers. The standard edition is in paperback, but those who pledged over £20 received a limited hardback edition. 

I've been a fan of Hunt's work since the 1970s when I first saw his strips in the underground comics produced by the Birmingham Arts Lab. His distinctively energetic, surreal, and genuinely funny work raises the spirits and is pure comics. This collection of Calculus Cat strips, ranging back over 30 years and including brand new material, is a prime example of Hunt's best humour work. What is also evident is how Hunt has mastered the art of black and white comics. No colour is necessary; this is superbly balanced work. 

To add a bonus to the volume, Hunt invited a bunch of us comic types to contribute our own spin on Calculus Cat for a gallery section in the back of the book. My own humble effort is there and I'm proud to share pages with such great talents as Kevin O'Neill, Gilbert Shelton, Dave McKean, Graham Higgins, Roger Langridge, Phil Elliott, Kate Charlsworth, Steve Pugh and many more.

Calculus Cat is published by Knockabout and is available to buy now.

Directly from Hunt Emerson:
http://largecow.com/shop/books/calculus-cat 

From Knockabout books:
http://www.knockabout.com/featured/calculus-cat-by-hunt-emerson/

or from Knockabout's eBay store:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CALCULUS-CAT-Hunt-Emerson-/201200904836?pt=UK_Books_Comics_Magazines_US_Comics_ET&hash=item2ed8822a84

Calculus Cat Kickstarter Campaign

Hunt Emerson is without a doubt the most brilliant cartoonist in the universe. Even though we haven't explored the universe yet and we don't know if there are eight-armed octo-toonists out there with 4-D pens dipped in funny ink. Hunt would still come tops anyway. 

If you're only aware of Hunt's work through his current strips for The Beano and Fortean Times you've only sampled a smidgen of the man's talent. One of his greatest creations was Calculus Cat, which first appeared in the 1980s in comic mags such as Escape. A collection of those strips, entitled Death to Television, was published by Knockabout years ago but is long out of print. Now, Knockabout want to produce a new edition, and they'd like our help. 

There's a Kickstarter campaign up and running where people can pledge their money to get this brilliant book back into print. There's a series of incentives for pledges, starting at £5 for a digital copy increasing to more for the paperback, hardback, and numerous extras. 

You can find out more about Calculus Cat and this campaign, including a short video from Hunt himself, at this address:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1436027074/calculus-cat

Let's get Calculus Cat back in print!

Comics Unmasked!

This Friday sees the start of a comics exhibition set to run all summer. Comics Unmasked: Art and Anarchy in the UK is at the British Library from May 2nd to 19th August 2014.

The exhibition focuses on the anti-establishment edge that British comics have often featured, from children's comics such as Action to adult 'underground' titles such as Knockabout Comics. 

Sounds great! I'll definitely be visiting at some point. Here's the info from their website:

Comics Unmasked is the UK’s largest ever exhibition of mainstream and underground comics, showcasing works that uncompromisingly address politics, gender, violence, sexuality and altered states. It explores the full anarchic range of the medium with works that challenge categorisation, preconceptions and the status quo, alongside original scripts, preparatory sketches and final artwork that demystify the creative process.

Enter the subversive and revelatory world of comics, from the earliest pioneers to today’s digital innovators.

Parental guidance

Parental guidance is advised for visitors under 16 years of age due to the explicit nature of some of the exhibits on display. Within the exhibition, there is a separate section examining sexual themes which visitors can by-pass if they wish.

Please be aware that the Library retains the right to request proof of age. Visitors under 16 years of age who are unaccompanied by an adult will not be admitted.

For more information see here:

http://www.bl.uk/whatson/exhibitions/comics-unmasked/

Below: From my own collection, Zip Comics No.1 (1973). Cover by Rand Holmes. A British underground comic that was available in newsagents.