list.co.uk/festival Stripped | FESTIVAL FEATURES
BARE There’s a raft of graphic novelists visiting Edinburgh to take part in Stripped, the International Book Festival’s celebration of comics. Henry Northmore highlights the names to look out for
‘Neil Gaiman’s i rst published book was a biography of Duran Duran’
EMMA VIECELI Although born in Essex, Vieceli specialises in manga art. She has worked on reinterpretations of Shakespeare’s Hamlet and Much Ado About Nothing, reinvigorating them with Japanese style illustrations alongside her own Dragon Heir series and work on Princess Ai and Vampire Academy. She’s also worked on several books on art techniques, such as Draw Manga, so should have plenty of tips while leading this workshop for ‘budding graphic novel artists’.
Key Work: Hamlet (2007) Vieceli’s manga adaptation of Shakespeare’s classic.
Insider information: It’s not all literature, manga and vampires – Vieceli has also illustrated several My Little Pony titles. Charlotte Square, 0845 373 5888, 25 Aug, 4.30–6.30pm, £7.
NEIL GAIMAN Another 2000AD alumni, Gaiman’s lefti eld collaborations with artist Dave McKean showed what a singular talent he had for bizarre l ights of fancy. His i rst big US project was Black Orchid; a total reinvention of the character now cast as plant / human hybrid. This lead to Gaiman’s most celebrated work: the 75 issues of The Sandman. Gaiman still dabbles in comics but most of his time is spent writing books, while Stardust, Coraline and MirrorMask have all been adapted into feature i lms and he’s written two episodes of Dr Who over the last couple of years. The big news for Gaiman ai cionados is that the Sandman will be making a return in prequel Overture soon.
Key Work: The Sandman (1988-1996) Gaiman’s world of dreams, myths and magic. Insider information: Gaiman’s i rst published book was a biography of Duran Duran.
Charlotte Square, 0845 373 5888, 25 Aug, 8–9pm, £10 (£8).
15–26 Aug 2013 THE LIST FESTIVAL 15
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