Pre-order Ellipsis from Solipsistic Pop Books

Solipsistic Pop editor Tom Humberstone has finished the first chapter of his six part comic series Ellipsis…

El•lip•sis (noun). From Ancient Greek (elleipsis) to leave out, fall short.

1. a mark or series of marks used to indicate an intentional omission, unfinished thought or a trailing off into silence. The ellipsis can also inspire a feeling of melancholy or longing.
2. a sudden leap from one topic to another.
3. a comic composed of six standalone but interconnected short stories by Tom Humberstone.

Issue One: Pregnant Pause. A young woman contemplates the transient and incongruous nature of airports as she begins a new chapter of her life.

“A wry yet heartfelt examination of the subtext whenever anyone says ‘the journey’s more important than the destination’” – Kieron Gillen (Phonogram, Journey into Mystery)

ISBN 978-0-9570519-1-1 / £5.00 / Published by Solipsistic Pop Books / 24 pages

A three page PDF preview can be downloaded here.

A press release for the book can be downloaded here. If you would like to receive a review copy of the book as a physical or digital edition please contact solipsisticpop*at*gmail*dot*com.

The book will have a launch party at Gosh! Comics in London on Friday 27th July followed by an official release on Monday 30th July. A digital edition will also be available to download on the Monday. Those who attend the Gosh event will be able to have their copies signed and will also receive an A5 signed & numbered colour print incentive.

You can pre-order your copy of the book here. The first 100 pre-orders will also receive the A5 signed & numbered print incentive. All pre-orders will be dispatched so they arrive on July 27th to conincide with the Gosh event.

An Ellipsis subscription is also available for those who would like pre-order all 6 issues of the book and a collected edition when it is complete. Subscribers will receive copies signed & sketched, plus incentive prints, plus a chance to buy or win original artwork from the series. For more details please go here.

Solipsistic Pop FCBD

To celebrate Free Comic Book Day this Saturday, Solipsistic Pop will be sending editor Tom Humberstone to Gosh! Comics in London to contribute to the ambitious Gosh! window mural and take part in the informal comic workshops they have planned all day (more details can be found here).

There will also be extremely limited free copies of the Solipsistic Pop Funnies newspaper section that came with Solipsistic Pop 2. If you never had the chance to grab hold of that volume, this is your opportunity to get a piece of that sold out edition!

Featuring work from
Stephen Collins, Joe Decie, Marc Ellerby, Tom Humberstone, Mark Oliver, Matilda Tristram, Anne Holiday, Anna Saunders, Julia Scheele, Lizz Lunney and Matthew Sheret.

This is exclusive to Gosh! Comics so be sure to get down there early…

The Making Of Solipsistic Pop 4

There is a small exhibition of original artwork up at Orbital Comics from December 9 to January 15 which includes an extensive look at John Mier’s creative process in developing the folder design for the book (part of which is featured in the above flyer).

There won’t be a private view due to an extremely busy December for both Orbital and the contributors of Solipsistic Pop but there may well be a “closing night” event on January 15 – watch this space…

Solipsistic Pop 4 Launch Party

SOLIPSISTIC POP 4: MAPS

LAUNCH PARTY

TUESDAY NOVEMBER 8

7.30pm – 12

Help us celebrate the launch of the new SOLIPSISTIC POP – the UK’s leading alternative comics anthology. The theme for Book 4 is Maps and includes 80 pages of original comics from 30 of the finest comic artists living and working in the UK.

Be the first to get a copy of the book, have it signed by the artists, and enjoy some live music at:

CONCRETE
56 SHOREDITCH HIGH STREET
LONDON E1 6JJ

LIVE MUSIC FROM
– TIGERCATS
– MOUSTACHE OF INSANITY
– ACE BUSHY STRIPTEASE
– OWL + MOUSE

DJS
– NO PAIN IN POP

HOSTED BY TOM BELL

£5 ENTRY

Or pre-order the book (which will be posted to you before the launch party) and get on the guestlist by visiting: http://www.indiegogo.com/sp4

Facebook event here.

(Flyer images by Luke Pearson and Stephen Collins)

Ministry Of Stories Comic Workshops

The wonderful Lucy Macnab and Ben Payne have joined forces with Nick Hornby to open a London branch of Dave Egger’s 826 Valencia. If you’re unaware of the Once Upon A School project, or 826, you should watch this TED talk by Eggers as it’ll probably be the best thing you watch all day. If you’re already familiar with 826 then you’ll understand how exciting it is to have our own store in London.

The Ministry Of Stories is a wonderful thing – and, as with all 826 centres, comes equipped with a fake storefront selling themed products. The London variation? Why, a monster supply store of course (I would imagine Chloe Noonan and the Ministry have managed to establish an uneasy truce).

Solipsistic Pop are incredibly proud to announce that we will be teaching a two day comics workshop on the 11th and 12th December as part of the “re-opening” week of the Hoxton Street Monster Supplies store.

Several SP contributors will be on hand to help 8-11 year olds create their very own monsters. It’s going to be a lot of fun. And gives us a great opportunity to put our money where our mouth is and engage children with comics face-to-face. Hopefully, if this weekend goes well, this will be the start of a long collaboration with the Ministry. Be sure to get down there and show your support by volunteering or buying some Zombie Fresh Mints!

Thought Bubble 2010

Solipsistic Pop Books have a table at the Leeds Thought Bubble this year. We’ll be situated next to the We Are Words + Pictures team and joined by John Cei Douglas with some of his own tote bags. Several other contributors to the book may stop by and join the table including Rob Davis who will have some beautiful Solipistic Pop 3 posters for sale.

The majority of the Solipsistic Pop 3 contributors have their own tables at Thought Bubble so it will be possible to have your copy signed and/or pick up longer works by any of the artists who piqued your interest.

There are an overwhelming amount of interesting workshops and panels throughout the weekend – many of which involve Solipsistic Pop artists as guests/speakers/tutors. Be sure to look at the full programme and plan your weekend accordingly.

We look forward to seeing you there and saying hello in person – Thought Bubble is one of our favourite festivals to attend and – due to it’s place in the convention calendar – provides a perfect opportunity to look back at the year, take stock, and plan the year ahead.

On that note, this will mark a year since Solipsistic Pop 1 was launched. As such, there will be an anouncement here this time next week regarding the future of Solipsistic Pop and the plans for year two.

Solipsistic Pop 3 Launch

On Friday 12th November, we will be celebrating the launch of Solipsistic Pop 3 with a party in Camden’s Black Heart (NW1 0AP). Entry is £3 and the doors open at 8pm.

The book will be on sale for £12 and will come with a free bag of penny sweets from the Solipsistic Pop Tuckshop (while stocks last). For maximum enjoyment, you are encouraged to consume your sugary treats while digesting Solipsistic Pop 3.

The fantastic comedians Bec Hill and Terry Saunders will be performing, as will the wonderful MJ Hibbett. We’ll also be joined by DJ Bitter Fingers who’ll see us through to the 12.30 close.

There are plans to teach several comic workshops for children and young adults – run by Solipsistic Pop contributors –  at the end of November/early December to coincide with the launch. The workshops will be run in collaboration with The Ministry Of Stories. More details about this nearer the time.

We hope to see you at the launch!

Flyer artwork by David O’Connell. Design by Tom Humberstone

The Art of Solipsistic Pop Exhibition

Original artwork from books one and two of Solipsistic Pop will be on display in the Orbital Comics Gallery from May 14. The exhibition will last for two weeks.

There is a private view on the opening night where many artists will be available to talk to. Prints, comics and original artwork will be on sale from the majority of contributors, plus there will be music and refreshments.

We look forward to seeing you there.

Solipsistic Pop at TCAF

This weekend (May 8-9) is the now annual Toronto Comics Art Festival. Held for the second consecutive year in the impressively large and welcoming Toronto Reference Library. It is free to attend, features a wonderful line-up, and has always been one of the best comic festivals I’ve had the pleasure to attend. If you’re in the area, make sure you stop by.

Solipsistic Pop contributors Julia Scheele, Adam Cadwell, Marc Ellerby, Lizz Lunney and Howard Hardiman all have tables at the event and will be armed with copies of Solipsistic Pop 1 and 2. Be sure to grab a copy from them if you haven’t done so already.  They will all have new work of their own on sale which will, of course, be worth picking up immediately.

There are also a bunch of exciting comic-related events tied to the festival happening this week. Check the website for more details.

Free Comic Book Day

We Are Words + Pictures are offering a new edition of Paper Science on Free Comic Book Day this Saturday (May 1st). The newspaper features 16 pages of work from some of the best alternative comic artists in the UK (many of whom are Solipsistic Pop contributors).

Mark Oliver and Tom Humberstone will be joining Matthew Sheret at Orbital Comics on Saturday for a Drop In + Draw session. Be sure to come by for your copy and say hi.

Saturday May 1st is Free Comic Book Day, and to celebrate We Are Words + Pictures will be once again releasing the talents of UK comics press on you all with a new edition of Paper Science.

Sporting a brand new cover by Philippa Rice, we’ll be setting ourselves up in London’s Orbital Comics, with 500 free copies to distribute to anyone who comes in. We’ll also be running a Drop In + Draw day there, featuring Tom Humberstone and Mark Oliver as well as the Mobile Library.

This new edition of Paper Science has been created with the generous assistance of Newspaper Club. They’re printing us a 16page, full-colour edition of 500 in time for the event. We’ll also be offering a print-ready PDF of the paper on this site on Saturday under a Creative Commons license, for you to read onscreen or to take to a printer. You can knock up a run wherever you are, just let us know.

We Are Words + Pictures are joined in this madness, in order of appearance, by Philippa Rice, Francesca Cassavetti, Joe Decie, Octavia Raitt, Becky Barnicoat, Daniel Locke, Anne Holiday, Matthew Sheret, Tom Humberstone, Luke Pearson, Adam Cadwell, Geof Banyard, Mark Oliver, Liz Lunney, Douglas Noble, Kristyna Baczynski, Anna Saunders, Kieron Gillen, Jamie McKelvie, Sean Azzopardi, Edward Ross and Marc Ellerby.