Wikipedia

Paul Gravett

Paul Gravettis aLondon-based journalist, curator, writer, and broadcaster who has worked incomicspublishing since 1981.

Paul Gravett
Paul Gravett, May 2017
Paul Gravett, May 2017
OccupationJournalist and author
NationalityBritish
SubjectComics,Manga
Years active1981–present
Notable works
Notable awardsUK Comic Art Awardfor Best Auxiliary Contributor (1990)[1]
PartnerPeter Stanbury
Website
www.paulgravett.com

He is the founder ofEscapemagazine, and for many years wrote a monthly article on comics appearing in the UK magazineComics International,together with a monthly column forArtReview.He has written for various periodicals includingThe Guardian,The Comics Journal,Comic Art,Comics International,Time Out,Blueprint,Neo,The Bookseller,The Daily Telegraph,andDazed & Confused.

Biography

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Gravett's career began in 1981, as he and his "longtime partner" Peter Stanbury[2]managed theFast Fictiontable at bi-monthlyComic Martsheld inWestminster 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 inEddie Campbell'sAleccomics, in which Gravett is called "The Man at the Crossroads."[3]

Later in 1981, Gravett was employed as promotions manager forPssst!,an attempt to publish a British equivalent of the lavish Frenchbande dessinéemagazines.

In 1983, Gravett and Stanbury launchedEscapemagazine[2]in an attempt to showcase the cream of the alternative cartoonists of the day. Under the Escape Publishing imprint, they co-publishedViolent CasesbyNeil GaimanandDave McKean,three volumes of Eddie Campbell'sAlecbetween 1984 and 1986 andLondon's Darkin 1988 byJames RobinsonandPaul Johnson.Titan Publishing Grouptook over the publication ofEscapein 1987, with Gravett also coming on board as an editor at Titan Books.[1]Escapelasted for 19 issues before closing its doors in 1989 (when Gravett also left Titan).The Comics Journalis quoted as saying ofEscape,"This... 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."[4]

From 1992 to 2001, Gravett was the director of the UK charity theCartoon Art Trust,[1]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.

In 2003, Gravett foundedComica,the London International Comics Festival, which he helped run until its demise in 2014.[5][6][7]Gravett coordinated a number of events surrounding Comica, likeComica Comiketand theGraphic Short Story Prizecontest, run in conjunction withThe Observer.[8]

Gravett has written a number of books on comics. He also co-editedCtrl.Alt.Shift Unmasks Corruption,a politicalanthology comicproduced in 2009.[9] Gravett and Stanbury'sGreat British Comics: Celebrating a Century of Ripping Yarns and Wizard Wheezeswas nominated for a 2007Eagle Awardfor Favourite Comics-related Book.[10]

Bibliography

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Gravett is the author, co-author, or editor of several non-fiction books on the topic of comics and sequential art, including:

  • — (2004).Manga: Sixty Years of Japanese Comics.Harper Design.ISBN1-85669-391-0.
  • — (October 2005).Graphic Novels: Stories to Change Your Life.Aurum Press.ISBN1-84513-068-5.
    • US edition:— (November 2005).Graphic Novels: Everything You Need to Know.Collins Design.ISBN0-06-082425-5.)
  • —; Stanbury, Peter (October 2006).Great British Comics: Celebrating a Century of Ripping Yarns and Wizard Wheezes.Aurum Press.ISBN1-84513-170-3.[11][12]
  • —; Stanbury, Peter (September 2008).The Leather Nun and Other Incredibly Strange Comics.Aurum Press.ISBN978-1845133207.
  • —, ed. (October 2011).1001 Comics You Must Read Before You Die: The Ultimate Guide to Comic Books, Graphic Novels and Manga.Universe Publishing.ISBN978-0-7893-2271-5.
  • — (October 2013).Comics Art.Tate Publishing Ltd.ISBN978-1-84976-056-0.
  • —; Dunning, John Harris (May 2014).Comics Unmasked.The British Library.ISBN978-0-7123-5735-7.

References

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Notes

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  1. ^abcGravett entry,Who's Who of American Comic Books, 1928–1999.Retrieved July 25, 2022.
  2. ^abEllis, Warren."Biography".PaulGravett.com....Paul, with his longtime partner Peter Stanbury, was running the small press anthology Fast Fiction, the Fast Fiction stand at the bimonthly Westminster Comics Marts where the small press books were sold, and launching Escape - an excellent European-style professional comics magazine whose book-publishing arm led directly to the careers ofJames Robinson,Dave McKeanandNeil Gaiman.
  3. ^Johnston, Rich(21 April 2019)."Peter Cannon, Eddie Campbell and Paul Gravett – The Men At The Crossroads".Bleeding Cool.The Man At The Crossroads. That was a title bestowed upon Paul Gravett by Eddie Campbell. Because what I managed to do for a couple of hours, Paul Gravett spent his Eighties and Nineties doing all the time. Publisher, curator, event organiser, retailer, Paul Gravett brought – and still brings – people together in comics more than anyone I know.
  4. ^Beaty, Bart (February 1999). "Positive Signs: Ten Worthy Translation Projects". Euro-Comics for Beginners.The Comics Journal.No. 210. p. 127.6: Escape
  5. ^Millidge, Gary Spencer(22 June 2004)."THE RETURN OF THE LONDON CON: One: ComICA! 2003".Millidge.com.
  6. ^Badham, Matt (30 October 2009)."Comica Festival 2009: London Is Bubbling Over With Comics!".Forbidden Planet International Blog.Retrieved25 July2022– via PaulGravett.com.
  7. ^Oliver, Andy (14 October 2014)."'Comics Are Truly International and Transnational' – A Guide to Comica Festival 2014 from Paul Gravett, the Man at the Crossroads ".Broken Frontier.
  8. ^"GRAPHIC SHORT STORY PRIZE".Comica: London International Comics Festival.2011. Archived fromthe originalon 11 August 2011.
  9. ^Brown, Mark (3 November 2009)."Pow! Comic-strip heroes fight against corruption".The Guardian.Retrieved3 November2009.
  10. ^"Eagle Awards Website Open for Nominations".Comic Book Resources(Press release). 5 February 2007.
  11. ^Faber, Michel (25 November 2006)."Tardis of delights: Paul Gravett and Peter Stanbury's Great British Comics is an entertaining celebration of the medium".The Guardian.
  12. ^"Great British Comics: An Introduction".Forbidden Planet International.Interviewed by Joe Gordon. July 2006 – via PaulGravett.com.

Sources

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