Thank you, 2018:
Apparently I still have a lot to say about comics. I went yakkedy yak on four Podcasts/radio shows (Altering, Who Does That? (for Dublin City FM), FANGS for BramStoker, and Phoenix FM)
4 x Comic Labs @DCAF happened in 2018. The drawing table and comic swop tables are a fun and free (unless you want to make a donation!) part of the fair, and they keep the Lab spirit alive while we make new plans for it in the wings.
October 27 Did a sell-out Reading at Bram Stoker Festival with my Stray Lines comrades Elida Maiques, Paddy Lynch, Phil Barrett, Katherine Foyle, and quite a frightening bird mask Elida made
October 6 Organised (with the marvellous Una Woods) Illustrators Ireland Drink and Draw and AGM at A4 Studios featuring the wonderful Alan Dunne, Philip Elliot, Una Gildea, fairy lights and some beer
September 2 Live Comics Reading with Stray Lines at Electric Picnic Mindfield, the Manifesto Tent attended by some hungover festival-goers and my friends Caroline and Oisin
May 2018 chaired Panel Discussion with Aoife Dooley and Celine Palusinski The Future of Comics at Alliance Française Comic Book Festival Dublin Ireland, and took part in the evening of live comics too
6 July 2018 I gave a talk for Health Librarians Engaging with Medical Graphics for Improved Literacy Workshop with Jane Burns, what a pleasure to work with she was, (take that syntax!)
May 29 2018 I performed a Comic live, at Mam behind the Mic, (Mother Artist Maker Fundraiser) Smock Alley, Dublin 2, the only visual artist in a room of drama people. They were friendly! 🙂
April 2018 More Live Comic Readings with Stray Lines at OFFSET Bord Gais Theatre Dublin 4, despite the ungodly hour (it had gone forward), it went well. Appreciated the doughty souls who turned up, particularly Una Woods and Jennifer Farley.
February 2018 Live Comic Readings Kilkenny Animated Cleere’s Theatre Bar Kilkenny. A! Ticketed! Event! Our first, and a really good turn-out. A very well run and fun festival. More of this sort of thing!
January 2018 On Tour! Live Comics Readings in the beautiful surroundings of Source Art Centre Thurles by invite of our pal Ale Mercado.
And.. I sold my comics, I have none left, in fact. I made some chapters of GHOSTING and read them to actual live people, (not trained monkeys, not stuffed shirts or cardboard cutouts, real humans, you understand), at festivals.
I made this comic about my father.
I tweeted and instagrammed like thing obsessed/possessed for ILLUSTRATORS IRELAND in my role as Promotions Officer, Social Media.
As for 2019.. if we don’t get hit by a meteorite, I hope to fit in more drawing, publish at least one part of GHOSTING, and see some big plans for The Comics Lab be realised, while we dream up some more.
Be lucky in 2019, everyone. Thank you for your support in 2018. I feel very fortunate to have found you, my tribe.
Debbie