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'Extraordinary' response to call for Corbyn illustrations
Independent graphic novel publisher SelfMadeHero is to publish its comic-book anthology about Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn on the 25th September following an "extraordinary" response to its open call for submissions.
The publisher received "well over" 100 submissions for The Corbyn Comic Book which will feature contributions from The Guardian's Martin Rowson, Steve Bell and Stephen Collins; graphic novelists Karrie Fransman, Hannah Berry and Kate Evans; and host of up-and-coming comic artists.
Examples of comics to be included in the book include a comic of a superhuman Corbyn crushing the head of a robotic Theresa May under his boot, Corbyn giving advice on the mindfulness of jam-making and 'Corbynman' fighting back against an “inter-dimensional invasion fleet of Daily Mail death drones blasting everything with their Tory food bank rays”.
Sam Humphrey, sales and marketing manager at SelfMadeHero, told The Bookseller that the open call for submissions became a "fascinating exercise in crowd-sourcing publishing".
He said: "Our call for submissions, which asked comic book artists to submit a comic of up to three pages between 12th July and 9th August, had an extraordinary response on social media. Within 24 hours it had reached tens of thousands of people through SelfMadeHero's Facebook and Twitter accounts alone; it was shared by many more, including the influential JeremyCorbyn4PM Facebook and Twitter feeds.
"Over the month-long submission period, Twitter provided a matchmaking platform for writers looking for someone to illustrate their scripts. It became, accidentally, a fascinating exercise in crowd-sourced publishing - and it worked a treat. We received well over 100 submissions of an extremely high standard. This means that, alongside some of the biggest names in comics, we'll be publishing many more creators who are just starting out. Most of them are part of the lively grassroots comics scene that has been so central to SelfMadeHero's story over the last decade".
Published in SelfMadeHero's 10th anniversary year, the Corbyn project marks "something of a departure" for the graphic novel imprint, according to the publisher, which holds world rights to the title. It will be launched at the Labour Party Counference on 25th September priced at £4.99.
