Posted in: Comics | Tagged: Comics, entertainment

Why I Create British Comics, By Jamie Me

Published Sat, 10 Dec 2016 10:00:33 -0600

Last updated Thu, 22 Dec 2016 08:40:50 -0600

Jamie Me writes,

My name is Jamie Me, and I am a comic creator born in Yorkshire. My local area, the west of the county, is a utopia of character. If you want weed or something a little stronger it won't take you long to find it. A little man, with his wrist all the way up his arm, walking around like he's the sh*t will hook you up.

It isn't all bad though. The people are raw, and I see an honesty, at times, in that that I enjoy. In fact the term "I'm going to be honest with you" is often used, and often followed by "you look like a right twit", or something similar.

When I started writing comics I immediately knew I wanted to create comics set in, or inspired by, my own culture. That was why I fell in love with Japanese manga. I was reading fantasy interpretations of a creator's culture.

Eventually I created START AGAIN, and that is set in Leeds. A city I consider to be my adopted hometown, or at least I believe I should be able to say this… I spend sh*tloads on comics, games and stuff there.

So, START AGAIN is a superhero romance set in Leeds, and tells the story of the UK national superhero Jump. He meets Natalie in a nightclub, and they hit it off… really fast. "Events" spiral out of control, a national incident occurs and life is changed for everyone involved. The comic explores fame, social media and anxiety all wrapped around the iconic superhero machine. It is very British, and very not safe for work. It features artwork by Toni Doya (IDW's Back to the Future inker) and colours by Sean Callahan.

I'm currently on Kickstarter with that and all my other comics, so if you fancy throwing some support you can check it out here.

It is a magical time in comics, in my opinion, and I think that stories don't have to be set in New York, Shinjuku or wherever to be popular. Places like Kickstarter allow creators like me to explore themes and locations that might not traditionally be created. Maybe one day I can write that MMA comic set in Britain, and it'll do well. Who knows!

I'd love to hear from creators that set comics in their hometown's (or readers that have comics in their towns!). Please link them in the comment section, or hit me up on Twitter @JamieMeWrites.

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