Books
Events
Events are listed by date, then city. Submit listings at least ten days before publication to suzanne.black@list.co.uk. Listings are compiled by Suzanne Black.
Glasgow
=t< Bookedl: The 7th West Dunbartonshire Literature Festival Various \cnues. West Dunbartonshire. 562 236‘). l'ntil 23 May. Times yary. l"r'ee tlinal night £3). liyents for literary loyers young and old alike. James Robertson. I.aura Marney and ('hristophet' Rush are just a few of the guests taking part.
Ewan Morrison \Vaicr'stonc‘s. I53 157 Sauchiehall Street. 332 9105. 6.30 8pm. l’rec. The filmmaker and author signs copies of his juicy first noyel. Suture.
Edinburgh
Happy Birthday Mifly! National Library of Scotland. (ieorge l\' Bridge. :26 453 l. l'ntil 3 Jun. Mon Sat l0am 5pm: Sun
2 4pm. liree. A celebration of the work of Dick Brtrna featuring art work and interactive material about his popular bunny.
The Poetry Path Scottiin l’oetry' Library. 5 (‘richton's ('losc. ('anongate. 557 2876. [hill 26 May. Mon -I-‘ri
l lam ()prtll Sat noon 4pm. I-‘ree. Photographs by Douglas May taken along the Riyer liden in (‘umbria where l2 poems by .Meg l’eacocke haye been inscribed on stories.
Glasgow
>I< Conversation Pieces: Christopher Brookmyre Royal (‘onccrt Hall. 2 Sauchichall Street. 353 8000. lpm. £5 (£4 in adyance). A chance to learn more about this author who has found success with his darkly entertaining noycls. Option of lunch ('lub‘ for pre-show chat at l l.30ani.
Edinburgh
Paul Mason Word l’ow er Bookshop. 43 West .\'icolson Street. (362 ‘)I 12. 7pm. Free. The BB(‘ Arm-nigh! business and industry correspondent launches his new title. [he llirrking or Die lighting: How I/Ir’ Her/ting ('luss Ili’lll (Ho/ml.
Live Literature: Quintin Jardine North lidinburgh Arts (‘cntre. 15a
Penny well (‘ourt. 3I5 2151. 7.30pm. £5 (£2.50 £3.50). A chance to meet the acclaimed Scottish author of the best— selling Bob Skinner detectiye stories and 0/ Blackstone mystery series.
Seventh Annual Festival of Scottish Writing Various libraries. 242 8l0-I. l'ntil 25 May. Times way. A celebration of creatiye writing with guest speakers including ('hristopher Brookmy're. Richard llolloway. Reg McKay and Aileen Paterson. Programmes ayailable from
ww w .edinburgh.govuk/l'estiyalofscottish writing.
Edinburgh
Rebus 20 “liters Mtrseum. l.itdy' Stair's ('losc. l.;l\\l]lltilrl\'L‘l. 52‘) 490]. t'ntil 2‘) Sep. Mon Sat l0ain 5pm. I'ir'ee. A special exhibition marking the 20th anniversary of the publication of Kriurs (iml (‘i-usws. lan Rankin's first Rebus mystery.
Writers with Bite Various \cnues. 225 9044. l'ntil I‘) May. Times and prices \ary. A series of ghastly talks. ghoulish w alks. ghostly performances. terrifying readings and spooky signings by authors with a dark side. See Around Town. page 23.
Monday 14
Glasgow
Creative Writing Class Borders Book. 98 Buchanan Street. 222 7700. () 8pm. £30 for six sessions. Alistair Patterson hosts a writing workshop every Monday: ‘l)iscoyer and develop the writer w ithiii'.
28 THE LIST It) ’24 May 1200/
l’or further info please call 0796‘) 8237 l 2 or email prismaticta yirginnet.
Edinburgh
Poetry Book Group Scottish Poetry library. 5 ('richton's (lose. ('anongate. 557 2876. 6.30 8.30pm. £5 (£3). [p for discussion this month is The I’m/I In the Sm by Thomas A (‘lark. in a session led by Julie Johnstone. Please book in adyance.
Edinburgh
Novel Approach: A Poetry Guide for Fiction Readers Picrshill Library. 30 l’ierslield 'I‘ert’ace. 242 8|(H. b.30pm. l-‘ree. lilspeth Murray and Richard Medrington explore the links between poetry and fiction through an entertaining selection of readings.
Young Pushkin Blackwells. 53 5‘) South Bridge. o22 8222. (rpm. l-‘rec. (‘hristopher Rush reads from his linglish translation of Yury 'l’ynyanoy's 19-13 noycl on the formatiye years of the Rtissian poet .-\le.\ander l’ushkin. Please book yia _iaki.hawker(0 blackwell.co.uk.
Wednesday 1 6
Edinburgh
Bobby Lennox WIISmith. (iy le Shopping (‘entre. 33 South (iy'le Avenue. 33‘) 8855. 5 bpni. lirec. The ex-(‘eltic legend signs his autobiography 'l’lirrly .lli'lm-
from limit/rye.
Glasgow
>i< An Audience with Iain Banks liastwood Park 'l'heatre. Rouken (ilcii Road. (iiffnock. 577 4070. 7.30 9pm. £7 l£-l.50l. The Stirling graduate and bestselling author talks about his work.
Edinburgh
The Big Word The Jan Bar. l (’hambers Street. 220 4290. 8.30pm. £4 (£3). A packed poetry and iiiusic line-up of Tim 'l‘urnbtill. lem Rolls. Tribal Tongues. l.ukc Wright and led Milroy. all hosted by Jenny l.indsay. ('ontact jennylindsaytn gmailcom or 0798‘) 503 436 for more info.
Friday 18
Glasgow
John Connolly Borders Books. ()8 Buchanan Street. 222 7700. b 7pm. Free. The horriir-cum-crime novelist signs his latest noyel 'I‘lir' I'qurirr'l.
Saturday 1 9
Glasgow
Write-Tron for All Tron 'I‘heatre. b3 'l‘rongate. 552 42(i7. I0.30am l2.30pm. £35 (£20). (‘rcaliye writing workshops for adults run by Stephen Barnes. Booking essential.
Bobby Lennox Borders Books. l'ert Retail Park. 390 l’r'oyan Walk. 773 29“). lpm. I'TL'C. See \Ved lb.
Edinburgh
Beatnix Poetry Slam The Jan Bar. l ('haiiibers Street. 220 4200. 2 4.30pm. £5 (£4). The open mic poetry and music night hosts to the Scottish heats of the first ey er BB(' Radio 4 Slam competition.
Edinburgh
Alexander McCall Smith Scottiin l’oeti‘y library. 5 ('I'Icllton's ('losc. (‘anongale 557 287(i. 7.30pm. S()l.l) ()t 'T. The hugely successful Scottiin author. in conyersation with Robyn Mai'sack. reads his favourite \\'ll Atideii poems.
Thursday 24
Glasgow
Martina Cole WllSmith. 53 55 Argyle Street. 204 0636. I230 1.30pm. l'ree. This bestselling thriller writer signs her new title. ('Imr'.
Comics
SUPERHEBO PAUL POPE Batman Year 100 (DC/Titan) oooo
Set in the year 2039. Paul Pope's futuristic vision of Batman takes place 100 years on from his debut in Detective Comics in the late 19303. In a dystopian mid-Zist century America the population has no privaCy from the dictatorial big brother government. So when the White Hoose discovers by chance the exrstence of a masked vigilante in Gotham City it unleashes the dogs of war (literally). Who is this Batman long presumed to be merely a myth? And how can he have been fighting crime for longer than a lifetime?
in fiakmbfi‘
tint 10
Pope strips away almost every scrap of Batman ixrraphernalia to create a lean. mean back-to-basics thriller. It's smartly scripted. stylishly illustrated. fast paced and black and bleakly funny. Like so many post-millennial Batman books it owes something of a debt to Frank Miller's iconographic take on the Dark Knight. but Year 100 is certainly a worthwhile addition to the canon of the caped crusader. (Miles Fielder)
CRIME. POLITICS MARTI
Calvario Hills (Fantagraphics) ooo
This is actually the itith of Fantagraphics' lgnat7 imprints. which collects cartooning from around the globe in handsome overs/ed. two—colour. jacketed editions. The first issue of Calvario Hills revives Spanish cartoonist Marti's hard- boiled fiction style character The Cabbie from the mid—80s in a new story about the
disgraced president of America. who's on the run from the law. and his pal the next pope who likes to conduct medical experiments on baby foetuses.
A second and similarly provocative satirical storyline introduces the all-American city of Calvario lllllS. where the white supremacists of the National Rifle Association go head- to head wrth the local black (:rirne kingpin and his crack-smoking hordes who are backing an Africaii«Arnerican frontruhner for mayor who wants to outlaw the second amendment. it's hilariously irreverent stuff. iMiles Fielder)
CLASSIC Rt ISSUE JAIME HERNANDEZ Maggie the Mechanic 0...
GILBERT HERNANDEZ Heartbreak Soup 0...
(Titan Fantagraphicsi
The Hernande/ Brothers invented l. ove 8. Rockets at a time when comics meant tired. cliched superheroes in a fruitless search of a storyline. i‘ iaggie the Mechanic is a collection from these books that launched these locas Maggie. Hopey. l/xy. Penny Century and their cohorts on the world. Their adventures kick off in the midst of the early 805; California punk scene and Wind through decades of twrsting. twrsted scattergun narratives. Her r'fbreak Soup has a different style and atmosphere
altogether. with the stories centring around Luba and the residents of small MeXican town. Palomar. Both books share a sense of humour. a brutal portrayal of life on the (2(l§}() EIII(l ss()iii(> expressive monochrome inking that looks as fresh as it did a quarter of a century ago. These books stand both as underground cornrc landmarks. but more importantly. as eminently readable stories that have stood the test of time. iMark Robertson)
SUPl-HHEBO
BILL JEMAS JOE QUESADA, PAUL JENKINS 8: ANDY KUBERT Wolverine: Origin (Marvell oo
ORIGI
Perhaps even more than Batman. Judge Dredd and Marv from Sin City. the X-Men's Wolverine might well be comics' most beloved antihero. A tortured amnesiac with adamantium claws and a berserker's rage. the rnan known only as Logan has been searching for his past since he was introduced in the 70s. Now Marvel finally tell the most anticipated origin story. of them all. but it's not always a success.
Set a century ago in rural Canada. we're led to believe that brutal handyman to the Howlett family Mr Logan and his mistreated son Dog have a bag part in the story. They do. but it's all part of a guessable misdirection which comes out at the end of chapter two. While Andy Kubei't's ai‘. Is lovely there's something about the character introduced here which doesn't really ring true. indicating that more money spinning fill-in tales might be a necessity.
(David Pollock)