Glasgow, the eighth day of August. Give thanks: Sequential Scotland returned for a second outing! I was impressed by the debut event last year and made sure I got along to this one. The day saw dozens of artists tabling their comics plus panels and competitions. It was great to pick up some new books from creators I have not encountered before but also cool to catch up with those whose work I have already enjoyed. 

The word ‘community’ gets thrown around a lot in connection with comics but to be honest sometimes it is there and other times not so much. It’s subjective of course, but I felt that sense of community today. The pandemic was like a forest fire for much of the existing comics network: conventions folded, opportunities disappeared, and creators and fans were pushed online.  Now we are seeing healthy new growth beginning to emerge. Kudos go to organisers of events like Sequential Scotland for making this happen. It’s not accidental – cheers to Faye Stacey and her team.

Other signs of that community in action have been seen in what I have just decided to call the Leith Comics Renaissance. As well as the Auld Alliance Fest from La Belle Adventure, at Sequential I also came across Out of the Blueprint – a risograph printing studio based at the Out of the Blue arts hub in Leith. Great to chat with them about their community work in Edinburgh and how they have nurtured young artists.

 I picked up a couple of excellent books from them. Boglands by Flora Dewer is a beautiful ode to the mossy wilderness that sustained human communities for centuries before the rich enclosed the land for agriculture and drained the fens. Profitable for them and disastrous for fen dwellers and nature alike. I also grabbed Kali from Coocoora, a burst of playground anthropomorphic energy. Coocoora has a real eye for panels and composition and draws with a distinct manga-inspired line.

I haven’t read everything I picked up yet but a shout out to The Feed from Kit Frith. A tale of vampire capitalism. Not far removed from that subject matter is Did Somebody Say Just Work by Tom Humberstone. Subtitled the Gig Economy, Platform Capitalism and the Battle for Worker Rights the book is an accessible dissection of a group of workers who put their lives on the line every day for our convenience.

It was also nice also to catch up with old pals Steven Ingram, Joan Edam (thanks for the book!), François Giro, Simon from Blue Fox and Gustaffo Vargas. Gustaffo is a founding member of the collective group around Skrawl Comix Magazine and I can’t miss the opportunity to say that there is a new issue Kickstarting now and available at Thought Bubble – Tom Humberstone is also in this issue along with a host of other comics talent.

Sequential Scotland is a well-thought-out event, and another sign that the comics ecosystem in Scotland is putting down new roots and letting the commons flourish. Long may it grow.