The recent World Cup visit of Scotland’s Tartan Army to cities such as Boston and Providence sparked discussion about the changing nature of urban life, particularly nightlife. Commentators reflected on declining nightlife, rising living costs, social isolation and the loss of communal spaces. Similar questions lie at the heart of Karl Krumpholz’s In the City Part 5. In In the City Part 5, Karl Krumpholz … Continue reading The Pub Where I Was Born
Auld Alliance Comics Festival 2026, Edinburgh What a pleasure it was to attend the Auld Alliance Comics Festival 2026. Organised by La Belle Adventure bookshop in partnership with the Institut Français d’Écosse, the festival brought together Scottish and French comics creators in one of Edinburgh’s most beautiful cultural venues. La Belle Adventure is an amazing shop in Leith Walk specialising in bande dessinée and stocking … Continue reading Streets of My Town: Auld Alliance Comics Festival 2026
Virginia Woolf’s Orlando adapted by Jules Scheele The world seems gripped by a struggle: the forces of conservatism versus the forces of progress. Anti-movement versus movement. Perhaps we can take comfort in the fact that movement never stops, no matter whether we wish it to or not. Not the movement of mountains and tectonic plates, and certainly not the movement of human societies. Change, existence, … Continue reading Against Stillness
Mort by Travis Brown, Nate Walkington and Marina Leon It’s late at night, a dame walks into the office. Jet black hair, a red dress that’s to die for and a set of pearly whites that really catch the eye – in fact they might be the last thing you see before you breathe your last breath. She is perilous, a real vamp, definitely not … Continue reading Cold Case
Otherkin by Marco Vito Oddo and Victor Costa A mysterious individual arrives in London. A librarian has a boring evening shift turn into a chaotic life or death struggle. A sadistic killer stalks them both – and behind the killer lurks a bigger conspiracy and a mysterious entity named The Wizard. Welcome to the world of Otherkin. The occult lingering at the edges of our … Continue reading Sigils and Sorcerers
So Buttons 15 by Jonathan Baylis It was a pleasure as always to receive the latest So Buttons from Jonathan Baylis – an Eisner nominated autobiographical anthology. This issue, subtitled “Who is my Daddy and what does he do?” centers around father-son relations. The Barry Windsor-Smith Machine Man tribute cover by C.M. Campbell is amazing and sets an appropriately nostalgic but fantastic tone. The opening … Continue reading In the Neighbourhood
Armaveni, by Nadine Takvorian A couple of weeks ago I was in Istanbul. This ancient city is full of the layers of history. Greek, Roman and Turkish. It is home to many nationalities and amongst them can still be found Armenians. Hidden behind high walls you can still find Armenian churches, Armenian craftsmen still work around the Grand Bazaar. If you go to the right … Continue reading Tales of Exile and Survival
Edinburgh Zine Fair – Nov 1st 2025 Comics and zines – close relatives but different in many ways. Like homo neanderthalis and homo florensis. A comic can be a zine and a zine can be a comic, or not. For me the essence of being a zine is DIY. Scalpel and Pritt Stick, printer and photocopier. The ever present Risograph – I mean if you … Continue reading Three Chords and a Photocopier (or a Riso machine)
Jon McNaught event for his book Hors Scène (Off Stage) at La Belle Adventure, Edinburgh The heavy rain marked the slow end of summer, but a cosy crowd filled one venue in Leith Walk to celebrate comics. La Belle Adventure in Edinburgh’s Leith Walk specialises in bringing the thriving French comics scene to British readers. The shop is filled with a curated selection of the … Continue reading The Lion, the Rain and the Bookshop
The Sequential Scotland comic convention is a new addition to the shifting lineup of cons here in the exotic lands north of the wall. There is a sharper divide between the autograph/funkopop/labubu type cons and those which feature actual comics these days. This comic-con 2.0 world means there are more great events like Sequential where you can find small press and emerging comic talents. Or … Continue reading Sequential Scotland
The Writings and Ramblings of Ben Herman
This is a blog dedicated to what I have been lucky enough to find out about comics. I might add in some other geeky goodness, but it's mainly about the comics.
Comics with a British focus
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Comic Writer
Feeding the habit one issue at a time
Comics with a British focus
Daredevils and Warriors 