Eden Court Theatre, Inverness, 2-3 February 2008

THE FIRST event of its kind in the Highlands, Hi Ex! generated a real buzz throughout the weekend with immediate calls for an annual event to be staged in the North from 2009. There was something for everyone from professional comic artists, writers and comic enthusiasts to the totally uninitiated like myself.

HI-EX!

By the end of the weekend I felt like a door had been opened on a whole genre of Art that I hadn’t really engaged with before. The assembled creativity and sense of community between those working in the industry was inspirational and it was great to see people at all stages of their careers having the opportunity to meet, view and discuss their work.

The discussion panels were entertaining and thought provoking, covering a wide range of topics on the technical, social, cultural and creative aspects of the craft. For me these were the highlight of the two-day event, which included workshops, discussions, exhibitors, screenings and a charity auction with proceeds going to Children 1st.

The convention was great fun for all ages, with Imperial Stormtroopers from the 501st UK Garrison and a menacing Predator stalking Eden Court, participants in fancy dress as Dennis the Menace, Spiderman and Batman, and workshops for children in Manga and Comic Drawing. Kev F. Sutherland’s workshop was a fantastic introduction for kids to comic drawing and using your imagination. His natural enthusiasm, humour and exuberant delivery were infectious.

As a lead in to the weekend The Beano artist also held workshops in selected Inverness schools. With so little access or training in relation to art and creative industries in our school system, contact with professional artists sends a clear and positive message. This is a job and a career with barriers to industry contact largely removed by technology. You can do this based in the Highlands or anywhere else on the planet.

An exhibition in the Blink Space at Eden Court contained some great examples of the genre. The Bosch inspired “You are Torquemada” from Dice Man RPG Issue 3 by Bryan Talbot and “Deadlock” from 2000AD prog 1220 by Henry Flint were dynamic and detailed examples of great design in black and white. The biggest misconception about comic art is that it’s for kids but seeing images like this, that myth is visually exploded. Sequential images are our earliest form of written communication and the continuing popularity of comic art is not surprising, especially in a digital age.

It is as much a part of art and human history as any other form of expression and the range of work being produced especially by small press is extremely encouraging. The artist’s room provided the opportunity to ask questions, have work signed and witness some amazing comic talent in action. It was fascinating to watch artists working on sketches including Declan Shalvey, Yishan Li, Chi-Tan, Sally Hurst, Colin MacNeil and Rufus Dayglo throughout the weekend.

Discussion panels tackled a variety of issues, including girls in comics, the future of the comic industry in the UK, the prevalence of Scots in the industry and practical sessions such as pitching ideas to publishers and portfolio reviews (which uncovered some impressive local talent!).

On day one Edinburgh based Manga creator Yishan Li and Chi-Tan, both featured in “The Mammoth Book of Best New Manga 2″, discussed Manga form with Festival organiser and Futurequake editor Richmond Clements. The differences between western comics and Manga are fascinating. The discussion looked beyond perception of a smooth technical style to look at the character-driven focus of the form, how it evolved in Japan, its increasing global appeal, the dominance of women in Manga production and Manga’s influence on western comics, filmmaking and television in recent times.

The weekend’s snow disruption prevented Alan Grant from leading a workshop in Script Writing, but artist Declan Shalvey and writers Al Ewing and Ben Clark ably lead the session which was informative, full of practical advice and very funny. The importance of characterisation, emotion and structure and the collaboration between artists and writers in comic production were stressed by all three. “Don’t get it right get it written” is a gem of advice for artists in any art form.

It was great to hear questions from aspiring artists and writers in the audience and this is really what an event like this is all about. Comic art and writing, like most artistic creation, is largely a solitary activity and this event brought people together as part of a professional network. This is especially important to artists and writers working in isolation. Contact with those working directly in the industry at the highest level creates a professional context for work to continue to evolve.

Cam Kennedy (Judge Dredd, Rogue Trooper, 2000AD, Star Wars, The Punisher, Batman, Daredevil and Lobo), Colin MacNeil (2000AD, Judge Dredd), Fraser Coull (writer and director of “Night is Day” a new sci-fi web series based in Glasgow) and Mark Harvey (Actor “Night is Day”) discussed Scottish culture and creativity in relation to the comics industry. The discussion centred on family life, communication and our unique interior climate together with storytelling traditions and the characteristically dark humour which serves the subversive aspect of comics so well.

The speakers also challenged the assumption that the only stories worth telling or filming in Scotland are about rural west coast tales or urban drug dealers. Our canvas is much broader than that. Interestingly this was also a subject discussed by film makers working in Gaelic both sides of the Atlantic at the 2007 Inverness Film Festival. It seems that in comics as in film making the only barrier to growth and development of the industry in Scotland is perception.

Organisers Vicky Stonebridge and Richmond Clements are to be congratulated for their vision and sheer hard graft in bringing an event like this to the Highlands. Both organisers and guests gave of their time and experience freely and the sense of goodwill at the event was palpable. Hi Ex! 2008 was creatively inspiring, warmly inclusive and I hope it will be the first of many.

© Georgina Coburn, 2008

Links

• HI-EX!