NEWS


ESCAPE MAGAZINE ON FACEBOOK

Posted: July 11, 2010

The hugely influential Escape Magazine, co-edited by Paul Gravett and Peter Stanbury, published 19 issues between 1983 and 1989 - back when specs were big! The photo above was taken at London’s ICA in Summer 1987 during an Escape Workshop, which was part of the art-and-comics exhibition Comic Iconoclasm. Pictured above is a young Paul Gravett (r) with UK artist Ed Pinsent, whose own site features his visionary comics and loads of assorted Fast Fiction-era small press covers.

You can find out more about (and share your own thoughts on) the impact of Escape Magazine at its new Facebook page.

PAUL GRAVETT ON THE BEAT

Posted: January 10, 2010

Paul Gravett contributes to The Beat’s 2009 Year End Survey:

2010 Projects?
Curating exhibitions on the Moomins, Jack Kirby and Hypercomics. Preparing some major new books about comics. Planning the next evolution of the Comica Festival. And above all, relaunching Escape Books, the seminal publishing company I ran with Peter Stanbury between 1983 and 1989. It’s the perfect time to bring this back. We’ll be putting out graphic novels, new books of our own about comics, and reviving Escape as an anthology showcase for the internet age. Because we all need an Escape.

What was the biggest story in comics in 2009?
I guess either Disney buying Marvel or Crumb illustrating Genesis, but to me the biggest under-reported story was the banning by an Egyptian court of the country’s first adult graphic novel by Magdy El Shafee entitled Metro.

What will be the biggest story in comics in 2010?
The impact of the Apple e-reader.

What guilty pleasure (of any kind) are you looking forward to in 2010?
Indulging my lifelong love of Jack Kirby and luxuriating in original art for this exhibition, co-curated with Dan ‘Picture Box’ Nadel, for the Fumetto Festival in Lucerne, Switzerland.

When I think of comics in the 00s I think of:
The medium coming into its own more and more internationally, resulting in utterly unexpected, wonderful comics I’d never dreamt I’d see - I have to keep pinching myself.

DAZED & CONFUSED

Posted: November 18, 2009

Paul Gravett spills the beans about his plans for Escape Books in an online interview at Dazed Digital:

Dazed Digital:
You are relaunching Escape Magazine again this year. What has inspired you to do this?

Paul Gravett:
The time seems right. There’s such a wealth of comics creativity here in the UK that needs showcasing nationally and internationally. Escape helped launch major names like Eddie Campbell, Dave McKean, Neil Gaiman and Jamie Hewlett in the 80s, and there is a similar abundance of talent now.

Dazed Digital:
What are your plans for Escape Books and the magazine?

Paul Gravett:
Peter Stanbury and I are reviving Escape as an independent publishing house early next year. We’re envisaging presenting both some of the former Escape artists from the original incarnation, and new artists who have emerged since or are emerging now. A number of projects are hatching including the first in a line of Comica reference books about comics and a range of graphic novels and graphic short story compendiums, and related events and exhibitions. Further ahead, the magazine itself will be relaunched. It’s a very different landscape for publishing now thanks to the internet and Escape will change and adapt to this exciting climate while remaining true to its original focus on comics of style and vision.

ESCAPE BOOKS: COUNT DOWN TO LAUNCH

Posted: October 3, 2009

Welcome to the news blog of Escape Books, a UK-based publishing company focused on comics and graphic novels, founded in 2009 by Paul Gravett and Peter Stanbury. The finishing touches are being put to our publishing plans, so keep checking this blog for all the latest Escape Books news.