www.1ist.co.uk/books
Events
Events are listed by date, then city. Submit listings at least ten days betore publication to suunne.black0llst.co.uk. Listings are compiled by Suzanne Black.
Thursday 8 5
Glas ow
FR Dixie Deans Borders Books. 98 Buchanan Street. 222 7700. 5.30pm. The
Celtic's Cult Heroes series continues with Dixie Deans. who will be on side to sign
copies of the book.
Edinburgh
FREE Local Heroes: The Art of the Graphic Novel National Library of Scotland. George IV Bridge. 623 3845. Until Sun 1 Jun. Mon—Fri: 10am—8pm; Sat: 10am—5pm; Sun: 2—5pm. Yap! Klang! Pow! Holy comic book exhibitions. Batman. it's a range of artwork and writing by Alan Moore. Art Spiegelrnan. Frank Miller. Alan Grant. Cam Kennedy and Grant Morrison showing the Scottish influence on the maturation of the graphic novel fomi over the last 40 years. with The BmonS. Marvel comics. Tinrin and
Ja anese Manga represented.
II in a Diflerent Light Scottish Poetry Library. 5 Crichton's Close. Canongate. 557 2876. Until Sat 19 Jul. Mon—Fri: 11am—6pm; Sat: l—7pm. An exhibition of new works exploring short phrases. comprising hand-bound books. cards and screen-prints from Julie Johnstone's Essence Press imprint. Michael Nohnann: Just a Look at . . . Rilke Scottish Poetry Library. 5 Crichton‘s Close. Canongate. 557 2876. 6.30pm. £8 (£5). A special reading group discussion of that Gennan favourite of angst-ridden young lovers. Rainer Maria Rilke. Booking required.
Saturday 10
Edinburgh FREE Dixie Deans Borders Books. Fort Kinnaird Retail Park. 657 4041. lpm. See
Thu 8 Edinbur h .
Reading roup: New Books Scottish Poetry Library. 5 Crichton‘s Close. Canongate. 557 2876. 6.30—8pm. £5 (£3). Librarian Julie Johnstone will select the pick of the library's new poetry for discussion at this montth group. This month's book is Black Moon by Matthew Sweeney. For booking and more details please phone or email
reception @spl.org.uk.
Discussion Waverley Bar. 1 St Mary‘s Street. 466 2009. 8pm. A discussion of Carson McCullers‘ The Heart is a [xvier Hunter plus musings on the question ‘how do you treat your books'."
Wednesday 14
Edinburgh
Storytelling Cate: Journey Scottish Storytelling Centre. 43—45 High Street. 556 9579. 7pm. £3. Colin Mackay hosts an evening where you can contribute or sit back and just enjoy the travel-themed music and song.
Glasgow E Anne Donovan Waterstone's.
153-157 Sauchiehall Street. 332 9105. 6.30—8pm. Book signing of Being Emily by the author of the much acclaimed Buddha Da. See preview. page 38.
FREE Andy Dougan Borders Books. 98 Buchanan Street. 222 7700. 7pm. Ticketed. Dougan is Raising the Dead. with a look at
40 THE LIST 8—22 May 2008
the science behind the fiction of Mary Shelley‘s Frankenstein which was inspired by ‘galvanisation‘ and the theory of ‘animal electricity".
Edinburgh Jern Rolls Poetry Night The Jazz Bar. 1 Chambers Street. 220 4298. 8pm. £4. Poetry perfonnance as Mr Rolls presents his new show. plus special guests.
Monday 1 9
Glasgow
Conversation Pieces: Alex Gray
Royal Concert Hall. 2 Sauchiehall Street. 353 8000. lpm. £5 (£4 in advance). The writer of crime thrillers and creator of [)1 Lorirner (often described as a Glaswegian version of Rankin‘s Rebus) talks about her work.
Edinburgh
FREE Poetry and Literature lilvis Shakespeare. 347 Leith Walk. 466 2009. 2—5pm. Readings of work by female
writers from today and yesterday as part of
Lady fest.
Tuesday 20
Glasgow Anne Donovan Mitchell Library. 201 North Street. 287 2999. 7—8pm. £5. See Thu 15.
Edinburgh
FREE Poems Aloud: lain Crichton Smith Scottish Poetry Library. 5 Crichton's Close. Canongate. 557 2876. 10am—2pm. A celebration of the much- loved poetry of lain Crichton Smith 10 years after his death. Hosted by Christine De Luca. Booking required.
FREE Inspired? Get Writing! National Gallery of Scotland. The Mound. Princes Street. 624 6200. 12.45-—l.30pm. llear
of Scotland. English-Speaking Union and Scottish Poetry Library Creative Writing Competition 2007/08 that was based on artworks from the National Galleries. FREE John Connolly Waterstone's. 83 George Street. 225 3436. 7.30—8.30pm. Ticketed. Horror-cum-crime novelist Connolly signs his seventh Charlie Parker novel. The Reapers. in which the troubled private detective goes up against an elite band of killers.
FREE DIY Stories Waverley Bar. 1 St Mary‘s Street. 466 2009. 8pm. A Ladyfest- related reading of stories with the theme
‘In the Last Year‘. which will then be made
into a pamphlet.
Wednesday 21
Glas ow
FRE John Connolly Borders Books. 98 Buchanan Street. 222 7700. 6pm. Ticketed. See Tue 20.
l M
Glasgow
FREE J David Simons Waterstone's. 153—157 Sauchiehall Street. 332 9105. 6.30—8pm. A signing with music this time for Simons' The Credit Draper. about the Jewish community in Glasgow in the early 20th century.
Edinburgh
Anne Donovan Waterstone's. 128
Princes Street. 226 2666. 6pm. £2 redeemable against purchase. See Thu 15. An Evening of Poetry About Paintings Royal Scottish Academy. The Mound. 225 6671. 7.30pm. £10. Stewart Conn. Dilys Rose and Alan Riach wax poetical about all things artistic over a glass of wine.
1 Check out the
on pages
. ’8 ‘1'. W'I“ erase?
winning entries from the National Galleries
Comics
SPY SATIRE
JOHN MILLER Secret Agent: Chronicles of Doom (Small Press) eee
You can see the work of Edinburgh cartoonist John Miller on posters and adverts hanging in the city's Deadhead Comics. but none hint
at his proclaimed double
life as the template for James Bond. with inspiration imparted to Ian Fleming once upon a time “on gin-fuelled benders round the fascist pish hooses of Natsy Germany'. What's Miller on about? We can‘t tell. His short page-Or-two strips are almost devoid of narrative. but the adventures of Munro the Crow. Bazler‘s Heroes and Jim Cranston are rich on visual reference.
m sea . if
; . I i g ’ es militia is
Taking the look of EC Comics and Jim Steranko's classic Nick Fury. they transfer the outlandish spy ‘action' to warehouses in Leith. Greyfriars Churchyard and the offices of Edinburgh Council. It's not clever, but it is a giggle. and it all looks great. despite captions which are as big as the images. Some impressive uses of colloquial swearing too. that rarely fails to raise a smile. (David Pollock)
SUPERHERO SATIRE GARTH ENNIS
& DARICK ROBERTSON
The Boys II
(Titan) me
Some 20 years ago Alan Moore asked the question: ‘Who watches The Watchmen?‘ Garth Ennis answers the question with this
anarchic superhero satire
about a gang of super- powered. CIA-backed thugs who police — with extreme prejudice — carousing spandex-clad vigilantes. Moore aside.
Ennis isn't the first to tackle this fertile subject. but his outrageous use of sex. violence and bad language coupled with a deeply ironic anti- authoritarian attitude puts The Boys in a league of their own.
This second volume collects two stories. In the first. new Scottish recruit Wee Hughie investigates the super- powered murder of a young gay man and the out-of-control libido of a Batman-alike 'hero‘. In the second. the whole gang pay a visit to Russia. where big business and the mob are involved in a super- powered conspiracy. Whether these very naughty tales will make it into The Boys movie currently in development remains to be seen. (Miles Fielder)
COMPILATION RICHARD COWDRY & VARIOUS
The Bedsit Journal No 2
(Bedsit Journal) eee
Marshalled together by the artist and writer Richard Cowdry whose previous comic seed bombs include Kanoon Cuts and Knucklehead. this funny. bitter and vulgar collection of new comic book talent proves what can be done when you don't play with the big boys. Filling in the space between the strips from other contributors - Peter Lally, Bird, Tim Levin. J Edward Scott. and Mardou & FOrtenski — Cowdry is undoubtedly
the main attraction here (some of the other material is demented and badly drawn; check out ‘I Love You Mr Chu' and ‘Chery Spap's Christmas’ if you need reassurance that anyone can be a comic artist).
‘Going Solo' and ‘How to Succeed at Failure' showcase Cowdry's talents sublimely. These are works of disturbingly attractive fatalism and pessimism. Elsewhere. bits of tatty satire ‘Fearless Bob' and ‘Martin Steals a Motor Car' let the side down but for a second issue this scattergun selection certainly has legs. or at the very least badly drawn stumps. Order a copy at http://bedsit journal.com/comics.html (Paul Dale)
FANTASY
JORDAN CRANE The Clouds Above (Fantagraphics) eee
American cartoonist Jordan Crane's all-ages graphic novella first published in 2005 makes its paperback debut complete with five previously unseen pages. It's actually a follow-up to the self- published and now out- of-print The Shortcut. picking up where that book left off and rejoining a wildly imaginative kid named Simon and his whinging cat Jack as they arrive late at school and are chased up on to the roof by crabby teacher Missus Poe.
In order to avoid a bludgeoning with a phonebook, kid and cat scamper up a rickety old staircase. and find themselves in a vaporous world of kindly cumulous clouds and malevolent storms. Boasting beautiful candy coloured artwork. it's an alternately cute and creepy flight of fantasy that's reminiscent of the great Maurice Sendak's children's books Where the Wild Things Are and In the Night Kitchen. (Miles Fielder)
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