Paul Gravett
Encyclopedia
Paul Gravett is a London
-based journalist, curator, writer and broadcaster who has worked in comics publishing and promotion for over 20 years.
He is the founder of Escape Magazine
, and writes a monthly article on comics appearing in the UK magazine Comics International
. He has written for various periodicals including The Guardian, The Comics Journal, Comic Art, Comics International, Time Out, Blueprint, Neo, The Bookseller, The Daily Telegraph and Dazed & Confused.
table at bi-monthly comic marts held in London's Westminster Hall. Gravett invited artists to send him their homemade comics, which he would sell from the Fast Fiction table with all proceeds going to the creator. His role in the British indie comics scene is depicted in Eddie Campbell
's Alec comics, in which Gravett is called "The Man at the Crossroads."
In 1983, Gravett launched Escape Magazine
with Peter Stanbury, in an attempt to showcase the cream of the alternative cartoonists of the day. Under the Escape Publishing imprint, he co-published Violent Cases by Neil Gaiman
and Dave McKean
, three volumes of Eddie Campbell's Alec between 1984 and 1986 and London's Dark in 1988 by James Robinson and Paul Johnson
.
The magazine lasted for 19 issues before closing its doors in 1989. The Comics Journal
is quoted as saying of Escape, "This now-defunct London based anthology remains one of the most sorely missed comics of all time not simply because of its tremendous track record of translating European comics but simply because it was always good in so many ways."
From 1992 to 2001, Gravett was the director of the UK charity The Cartoon Art Trust, dedicated to preserving and promoting the best of British cartoon art and caricature and to establish a museum of cartoon art with gallery, archives and reference library.
Gravett has written a number of books on comics. He also co-edited Ctrl.Alt.Shift Unmasks Corruption a political anthology comic.
He helps run the Comica comics festival and coordinates a number of events surrounding it, like Graphical Short Story contest, run in conjunction with The Observer
.
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
-based journalist, curator, writer and broadcaster who has worked in comics publishing and promotion for over 20 years.
He is the founder of Escape Magazine
Escape Magazine
Escape magazine was a landmark British comic strip magazine founded and edited by Paul Gravett and Peter Stanbury. Nineteen issues were published between 1983 to 1989...
, and writes a monthly article on comics appearing in the UK magazine Comics International
Comics International
Comics International was a British news and reviews magazine about comic books. Founded in 1990, it was published monthly by Quality Communications until 2006...
. He has written for various periodicals including The Guardian, The Comics Journal, Comic Art, Comics International, Time Out, Blueprint, Neo, The Bookseller, The Daily Telegraph and Dazed & Confused.
Biography
His career began in the 1980s as he managed the Fast FictionFast Fiction
Fast Fiction was a market stall, magazine, mail order distributor and news sheet that played a key role in the history of British small press comics...
table at bi-monthly comic marts held in London's Westminster Hall. Gravett invited artists to send him their homemade comics, which he would sell from the Fast Fiction table with all proceeds going to the creator. His role in the British indie comics scene is depicted in Eddie Campbell
Eddie Campbell
Eddie Campbell is a Scottish comics artist and cartoonist who now lives in Australia. Probably best known as the illustrator and publisher of From Hell , Campbell is also the creator of the semi-autobiographical Alec stories collected in Alec: The Years Have Pants, and Bacchus , a wry adventure...
's Alec comics, in which Gravett is called "The Man at the Crossroads."
In 1983, Gravett launched Escape Magazine
Escape Magazine
Escape magazine was a landmark British comic strip magazine founded and edited by Paul Gravett and Peter Stanbury. Nineteen issues were published between 1983 to 1989...
with Peter Stanbury, in an attempt to showcase the cream of the alternative cartoonists of the day. Under the Escape Publishing imprint, he co-published Violent Cases by Neil Gaiman
Neil Gaiman
Neil Richard Gaiman born 10 November 1960)is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, graphic novels, audio theatre and films. His notable works include the comic book series The Sandman and novels Stardust, American Gods, Coraline, and The Graveyard Book...
and Dave McKean
Dave McKean
David McKean is an English illustrator, photographer, comic book artist, graphic designer, filmmaker and musician....
, three volumes of Eddie Campbell's Alec between 1984 and 1986 and London's Dark in 1988 by James Robinson and Paul Johnson
Paul Johnson (artist)
Paul Johnson is a British comic book artist.-Biography:Paul Johnson orbited the peripheries of the British comic book industry in the early Eighties, self-publishing and appearing in influential but short-lived publications such as Psst! and Escape Magazine...
.
The magazine lasted for 19 issues before closing its doors in 1989. The Comics Journal
The Comics Journal
The Comics Journal, often abbreviated TCJ, is an American magazine of news and criticism pertaining to comic books, comic strips and graphic novels...
is quoted as saying of Escape, "This now-defunct London based anthology remains one of the most sorely missed comics of all time not simply because of its tremendous track record of translating European comics but simply because it was always good in so many ways."
From 1992 to 2001, Gravett was the director of the UK charity The Cartoon Art Trust, dedicated to preserving and promoting the best of British cartoon art and caricature and to establish a museum of cartoon art with gallery, archives and reference library.
Gravett has written a number of books on comics. He also co-edited Ctrl.Alt.Shift Unmasks Corruption a political anthology comic.
He helps run the Comica comics festival and coordinates a number of events surrounding it, like Graphical Short Story contest, run in conjunction with The Observer
The Observer
The Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-Origins:The first issue,...
.
External links
- Profile by Everett True
- Journalisted - Articles by Paul Gravett
- Chaired the first ever Pride London Festival Fortnight comic event, Pride Illustrated, July 1, 1830 at Foyles bookshop
Reviews
- Great British Comics in The GuardianThe GuardianThe Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, November 25, 2006