23 March 2012
Launch of Anthology One at new comics exhibition space
Photo opportunity: 6pm on Thursday, 29th March at Baxter Suite, Tower Building, University of Dundee.
An exhibition of work from Anthology One - a new collection by aspiring comic creators from Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design - will be held next week to celebrate the publication's launch.
The launch party takes place at the University of Dundee's Baxter Suite, on Thursday, 29th March. This will also be the first exhibition to be held in a new dedicated comics gallery space at the venue. In addition to artwork from the anthology, a range of pieces from the University's permanent collection of original comics artwork will be on display.
Anthology One, edited by Phil Vaughan and Dr Chris Murray, showcases the range of creative work from the Comic Art and Graphic Novels module undertaken by students at DJCAD, as well as from the winners of the first annual Dundee Comics Prize, which was awarded by the University's School of Humanities.
The 72-page, full colour comic is published by 'UniVerse', a new imprint specially created to provide exposure for the students' work.
Dr Murray said, "We are delighted to open the comics exhibition space with artwork from our new publication, Anthology One. These developments show the commitment the University has to comics studies, a relatively new field of study in which Dundee has become a leader."
Strong local traditions and expertise means Dundee can lay claim to being the spiritual home of the British comics industry. The University is helping to maintain this status, and its pioneering MLitt in Comic Studies programme is the first postgraduate degree of its kind in the UK.
An undergraduate module focusing on contemporary British comic writers and graphic novelists is also taught by Dr Murray, one of the UK's foremost authorities on the subject and the organiser of the comics conference, which takes place as part of the Dundee Literary Festival each year.
Anthology One is a joint venture between the DJCAD and the School of Humanities, and is the first in a series that will feature work from across the range of comics modules offered at the University.
Phil Vaughan, who himself has a great deal of experience in animation, computer game design and comic art, added, "The Anthology series will provide an opportunity for students to see their work through to publication, and we are excited to see work produced on the course given exposure in the exhibition and the comic."
The editors and artists will be celebrating the launch of this new series and the inauguration of the exhibition space at the opening of the show, which is organised by the Scottish Centre for Comics Studies and Museums Services.
The cover for Anthology One was provided by top comic artist Colin MacNeil, an alumnus of DJCAD. He was one of a number of leading industry professionals who hosted workshops with the students as part of the module.
Copies will be sent to leading figures in the industry, and the publication will be promoted across the country at various comics conventions, conferences and fairs, ensuring that the talent that is emerging from Dundee is given maximum exposure.
The cover price is £5.95, and the venture is not for profit, with funds from sales being put directly back into the cost of publishing promotional copies of the next issue.
Copies of Anthology One will be on sale at the launch event, which take place at 6pm on Thursday, 29th March. A drinks reception will follow the launch.
The comic can also be purchased by emailing universecomic@gmail.com.
For media enquiries contact:
Grant Hill
Press Officer
University of Dundee
Nethergate, Dundee, DD1 4HN
TEL: 01382 384768
E-MAIL: g.hill@dundee.ac.uk
MOBILE: 07854 953277 |
