''Escape'' magazine was a British
comic strip
A comic strip is a sequence of drawings, often cartoons, arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions. Traditionally, throughout the 20th and into the 21st ...
magazine founded and edited by
Paul Gravett
Paul Gravett is a London-based journalist, curator, writer, and broadcaster who has worked in comics publishing since 1981.
He is the founder of ''Escape Magazine'', and for many years wrote a monthly article on comics appearing in the UK magaz ...
and
Peter Stanbury. Nineteen issues were published between 1983 and 1989.
Eddie Campbell
Eddie Campbell (born 10 August 1955) is a British comics artist and cartoonist who now lives in Chicago. Probably best known as the illustrator and publisher of ''From Hell'' (written by Alan Moore), Campbell is also the creator of the semi-au ...
,
Phil Elliott
Phil Elliott (born 1960) is a British comic book creator who was published in ''Escape Magazine''. He was part of the British small press comics scene in the 1980s.
Career
After contributing spot illustrations to comic fanzines such as '' Bemusi ...
and
Glenn Dakin were amongst the many
cartoonist
A cartoonist is a visual artist who specializes in both drawing and writing cartoons (individual images) or comics (sequential images). Cartoonists differ from comics writers or comic book illustrators in that they produce both the literary and ...
s published within its pages. Escape Publishing also released a limited number of graphic novels in the period 1984–1989, some co-published with
Titan Books
Titan Publishing Group is the publishing division of Titan Entertainment Group, which was established in 1981. The books division has two main areas of publishing: film and television tie-ins and cinema reference books; and graphic novels and c ...
.
Origins
''Escape'' has its origins in the explosion of
small press or
minicomic
A minicomic is a creator-published comic book, often photocopied and stapled or with a handmade binding. In the United Kingdom and Europe the term small press comic is equivalent with minicomic, reserved for those publications measuring A6 (105& ...
s that occurred in the UK in the early 1980s.
Paul Gravett
Paul Gravett is a London-based journalist, curator, writer, and broadcaster who has worked in comics publishing since 1981.
He is the founder of ''Escape Magazine'', and for many years wrote a monthly article on comics appearing in the UK magaz ...
was running a stall at the
Westminster Comic Mart in London called
Fast Fiction
''Fast Fiction'' was a market stall, magazine, mail order distributor and news sheet that played a key role in the history of British small press comics. It existed in its various forms from 1981 through to 1990 under the stewardship of Paul Grave ...
where he would sell other people's self-published comics for a small cut. These would generally be short-run publications, usually photocopied and assembled by hand, by creators who couldn't find a professional outlet for their work with many coming from an art school background with unique approaches to comic art.
At the same time awareness was growing of international developments in the medium.
Art Spiegelman
Art Spiegelman (; born Itzhak Avraham ben Zeev Spiegelman on February 15, 1948) is an American cartoonist, editor, and comics advocate best known for his graphic novel '' Maus''. His work as co-editor on the comics magazines ''Arcade'' and '' Ra ...
and
Françoise Mouly
Françoise Mouly (; born 24 October 1955) is a Paris-born New York-based designer, editor, and publisher. She is best known as co-founder, co-editor, and publisher of the comics and graphics magazine ''Raw'' (1980–1991), as the publisher of ...
's ''
RAW magazine
Raw is an adjective usually describing:
* Raw materials, basic materials from which products are manufactured or made
* Raw food, uncooked food
Raw or RAW may also refer to:
Computing and electronics
* .RAW, a proprietary mass spectrometry dat ...
'' had started pushing the boundaries in the USA while European anthologies such as ''
Métal Hurlant'', ''
Charlie Mensuel
''Charlie Mensuel'' (or simply ''Charlie'', "mensuel" being a French term for a monthly periodical) was a French monthly comics magazine. Its publication began in February 1969, and ceased in February 1986.
Tagged ''"The newspaper full of humour ...
'' and ''
PLG'' showed not only radically different styles of comic art to the usual UK/US variety but a more mature and analytical approach to the medium.
Gravett brought his knowledge and enthusiasm while his partner
Peter Stanbury, employed at the time at ''
Harpers & Queen'', brought experience in print design and production and together they decided to publish, from their flat, a magazine featuring this home-grown talent along with showcasing examples of new and interesting comics from around the world.
The importance of BD
Short for
bande dessinée
(singular ; literally 'drawn strips'), abbreviated BDs and also referred to as Franco-Belgian comics (), are comics that are usually originally in French and created for readership in France and Belgium. These countries have a long tradition ...
, BD became the ideological anchor for ''Escape''. Gravett wanted to apply the values of and respect attributed to French comics to his new breed of British artists. Visually this was reflected in the work of
Phil Elliott
Phil Elliott (born 1960) is a British comic book creator who was published in ''Escape Magazine''. He was part of the British small press comics scene in the 1980s.
Career
After contributing spot illustrations to comic fanzines such as '' Bemusi ...
and
Rian Hughes
Rian Hughes is a British graphic designer, illustrator, type designer, comics artist and novelist.
Overviews
Hughes has written and drawn comics for '' 2000 AD'', Vertigo CMYK and Batman: Black and White, and designed for DC Comics and Marv ...
, but it also infused the whole attitude of the magazine, that some comics at least deserved to be taken seriously. By identifying with the relatively exotic and beautifully produced volumes from Europe, ''Escape'' distanced itself from the action-adventure style of
''2000AD'' and the American
superhero
A superhero or superheroine is a stock character that typically possesses ''superpowers'', abilities beyond those of ordinary people, and fits the role of the hero, typically using his or her powers to help the world become a better place, ...
es of
Marvel
Marvel may refer to:
Business
* Marvel Entertainment, an American entertainment company
** Marvel Comics, the primary imprint of Marvel Entertainment
** Marvel Universe, a fictional shared universe
** Marvel Music, an imprint of Marvel Comics
* ...
and
DC and established itself not only as something new but also important.
''Pssst!''
In 1981, having passed the
Fast Fiction
''Fast Fiction'' was a market stall, magazine, mail order distributor and news sheet that played a key role in the history of British small press comics. It existed in its various forms from 1981 through to 1990 under the stewardship of Paul Grave ...
stall and distribution to
Phil Elliott
Phil Elliott (born 1960) is a British comic book creator who was published in ''Escape Magazine''. He was part of the British small press comics scene in the 1980s.
Career
After contributing spot illustrations to comic fanzines such as '' Bemusi ...
and before starting ''Escape'', Gravett was employed as promotions manager for ''
Pssst!
''Pssst!'' (styled as ''pssst!'') was a short-lived British comics magazine published by Never–Artpool in 1982. ''Pssst!'', which lasted ten monthly issues, was an attempt to publish a British equivalent of the lavish French bande dessinée ma ...
'', an attempt to publish a British equivalent of the lavish French
bande dessinée
(singular ; literally 'drawn strips'), abbreviated BDs and also referred to as Franco-Belgian comics (), are comics that are usually originally in French and created for readership in France and Belgium. These countries have a long tradition ...
magazines. While disillusioned with the direction, or lack of, ''Pssst!'' was taking, his job brought him into contact with many more new and innovative cartoonists around the UK. To some of these, such as
Glenn Dakin in
Manchester
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
, he introduced the concept of self-publishing small press comics and sending them out to like-minded souls, thus widening the net for
Fast Fiction
''Fast Fiction'' was a market stall, magazine, mail order distributor and news sheet that played a key role in the history of British small press comics. It existed in its various forms from 1981 through to 1990 under the stewardship of Paul Grave ...
. ''Pssst!'' was forced to close after 10 issues, leaving Gravett with a good idea of how ''not'' to run a magazine and a pool of talent.
The A5 years
The first seven issues of ''Escape'' were published between 1983 and 1985 as
A5, or
digest-sized
Digest size is a magazine size, smaller than a conventional or "journal size" magazine but larger than a standard paperback book, approximately , but can also be and , similar to the size of a DVD case. These sizes have evolved from the printin ...
,
book
A book is a medium for recording information in the form of writing or images, typically composed of many pages (made of papyrus, parchment, vellum, or paper) bound together and protected by a cover. The technical term for this physical arr ...
lets of between 56 and 84 pages in length with black and white interiors and colour covers. The covers were wrap-around and, for the first five issues, hand-separated by Stanbury until full-process colour became viable. The smaller size was chosen to physically differentiate it from other comics around at the time with a nod to the photocopied small press comics that usually came in this format. It was also easy to put in your pocket. The first issue had a print run of 2000 and had a disproportionate reaction from the music and style media bringing in subscribers and advertising, notably the ''
NME
''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...
'' and ''
Time Out''.
While the contents of each issue followed a pattern of running homegrown talent alongside features on comics from around the world (with an emphasis on European BD and American "art comics") the roster of artists changed regularly with new creators being brought in every issue. Despite, or more likely, because of the wildly different styles and approaches embraced by the magazine ''Escape'' had a solid identity and loyal, if disparate, readership. As the landscape of the comics industry changed through the 1980s ''Escape'' was there to report it and try to influence where people should be looking.
The Titan years
In 1986 ''Escape'' changed to the larger industry standard American magazine format (8.25"x11") enabling them to reprint work by the international creators they'd previously only written about.
Jacques Tardi
Jacques Tardi (; born 30 August 1946) is a French comic artist. He is often credited solely as Tardi.
Biography
Tardi was born on 30 August 1946 in Valence, Drôme. After graduating from the École nationale des beaux-arts de Lyon and the Éco ...
and
Gary Panter
Gary Panter (born December 1, 1950) is an American cartoonist, illustrator, painter, designer and part-time musician. Panter's work is representative of the post- underground, new wave comics movement that began with the end of '' Arcade: The Com ...
appear in issue eight and
George Herriman
George Joseph Herriman III (August 22, 1880 – April 25, 1944) was an American cartoonist best known for the comic strip '' Krazy Kat'' (1913–1944). More influential than popular, ''Krazy Kat'' had an appreciative audience ...
's
Krazy Kat became a regular feature. The logo also changed to a bold new design with extra prongs for the E and A and the magazine took on a more professional feel. Of the twelve issues published in this format eight had covers by non-British illustrators as ''Escape'' moved away from its small press origins and fully embraced a more international, Art-based ideology.
A year later, and after protracted negotiations, ''Escape'' became the first periodical to be published by
Titan Books
Titan Publishing Group is the publishing division of Titan Entertainment Group, which was established in 1981. The books division has two main areas of publishing: film and television tie-ins and cinema reference books; and graphic novels and c ...
,
[Plowright, Frank. Opening Shots: And As Ye Reap, So Shall Ye Sow," ''The Comics Journal'' #122 (June 1988), p. 11.] a graphic novel repackaging house responsible for collections of ''
Judge Dredd
Judge Joseph Dredd is a fictional character created by writer John Wagner and artist Carlos Ezquerra. He first appeared in the second issue of ''2000 AD (comics), 2000 AD'' (1977), which is a British weekly anthology Comic book, comic. He is the ...
'' and American titles such as ''
Swamp Thing
The Swamp Thing is a superhero in American comic books published by DC Comics. A humanoid/plant elemental creature, created by writer Len Wein and artist Bernie Wrightson, the Swamp Thing has had several humanoid or monster incarnations in v ...
''. Gravett and Stanbury retained complete editorial control over the contents and direction of the magazine (despite some pressure from Titan). Despite a 60% sell-through on predominantly London-based newsstands, Titan were reluctant to push for wider national distribution
and after two years and ten issues, they parted company. A third, more ambitious, incarnation was planned but failed to find a backer, and ''Escape'' folded in 1989.
Aborted return
In a late 2009 interview Gravett described his plans for 2010 which involve launching Escape Books followed, eventually, by a return of the magazine:
To this date, ''Escape'' has not yet returned to publication.
Escape Publishing
Alongside the magazine itself, Escape Publishing served as an imprint for self-contained graphic novels. These included the following:
*''Alec'' by
Eddie Campbell
Eddie Campbell (born 10 August 1955) is a British comics artist and cartoonist who now lives in Chicago. Probably best known as the illustrator and publisher of ''From Hell'' (written by Alan Moore), Campbell is also the creator of the semi-au ...
(1984)
*''Alec: Love and Beerglasses'' by
Eddie Campbell
Eddie Campbell (born 10 August 1955) is a British comics artist and cartoonist who now lives in Chicago. Probably best known as the illustrator and publisher of ''From Hell'' (written by Alan Moore), Campbell is also the creator of the semi-au ...
(1985)
*''Alec: Doggie in the Window'' by
Eddie Campbell
Eddie Campbell (born 10 August 1955) is a British comics artist and cartoonist who now lives in Chicago. Probably best known as the illustrator and publisher of ''From Hell'' (written by Alan Moore), Campbell is also the creator of the semi-au ...
(1986)
*''Doc Chaos 1'' by
Phil Elliott
Phil Elliott (born 1960) is a British comic book creator who was published in ''Escape Magazine''. He was part of the British small press comics scene in the 1980s.
Career
After contributing spot illustrations to comic fanzines such as '' Bemusi ...
, Lawrence Gray and
Dave Thorpe
Dave Thorpe (born 1954) is a British writer who is best known for his work on ''Captain Britain''.
Biography
David Thorpe's career began when he joined Marvel UK in 1980 as an assistant editor and art assistant. He soon started writing Captain ...
(1985)
*''London's Dark'' by
James Robinson and
Paul Johnson (1989, co-published with
Titan Books
Titan Publishing Group is the publishing division of Titan Entertainment Group, which was established in 1981. The books division has two main areas of publishing: film and television tie-ins and cinema reference books; and graphic novels and c ...
)
*''The Night Of The Busted Nose'' by
Phil Laskey (1986)
*''
Violent Cases
''Violent Cases'' is a short graphic novel written by Neil Gaiman and illustrated by Dave McKean. It was McKean's first published work in comics. Though drawn by McKean in shades of blue, brown, and grey, when it was first published by Escape ...
'' by
Neil Gaiman and
Dave McKean (1987, co-published with
Titan Books
Titan Publishing Group is the publishing division of Titan Entertainment Group, which was established in 1981. The books division has two main areas of publishing: film and television tie-ins and cinema reference books; and graphic novels and c ...
)
Two exhibition booklets were also produced under the ''Escape'' banner:
*''Comic Iconoclasm'' for the "Swiped! Comics in Art" exhibition at the
ICA in London. This was also printed in ''Escape'' issue eleven (1987).
*''The Black Island'' for the "Britain in Bande Dessinées" exhibition at the
French Institute in London.
Legacy
The influence of ''Escape'' on subsequent publications and movements is not in doubt, but somewhat hard to pin down.
Publications such as ''
Deadline
Deadline(s) or The Deadline(s) may refer to:
* Time limit, a narrow field of time by which an objective must be accomplished
Arts, entertainment, and media Comics
* Deadline (DC Comics), a fictional villain
* ''Deadline'' (magazine), a British ...
'' and ''
Heartbreak Hotel
"Heartbreak Hotel" is a song recorded by American singer Elvis Presley. It was released as a single on January 27, 1956, Presley's first on his new record label RCA Victor. It was written by Mae Boren Axton and Tommy Durden, with credit being ...
'' shared the combination of comic strips by relative newcomers and
lifestyle
Lifestyle often refers to:
* Lifestyle (sociology), the way a person lives
* ''Otium'', ancient Roman concept of a lifestyle
* Style of life (german: Lebensstil, link=no), dealing with the dynamics of personality
Lifestyle may also refer to:
Bu ...
articles designed to reach a non-comics audience.
There are notable influences too on
Fleetway
Fleetway Publications was a magazine publishing company based in London. It was founded in 1959 when the Mirror Group acquired the Amalgamated Press, then based at Fleetway House, Farringdon Street, London. It was one of the companies that merg ...
's experiments with comics for more mature audiences. Later issues of ''
Crisis
A crisis ( : crises; : critical) is either any event or period that will (or might) lead to an unstable and dangerous situation affecting an individual, group, or all of society. Crises are negative changes in the human or environmental affair ...
'' featured
Paul Grist and reprinted European work while the short-lived ''
Revolver'' employed ''Escape'' regulars
Rian Hughes
Rian Hughes is a British graphic designer, illustrator, type designer, comics artist and novelist.
Overviews
Hughes has written and drawn comics for '' 2000 AD'', Vertigo CMYK and Batman: Black and White, and designed for DC Comics and Marv ...
and
Julie Hollings amongst others.
While, with the exception of
Eddie Campbell
Eddie Campbell (born 10 August 1955) is a British comics artist and cartoonist who now lives in Chicago. Probably best known as the illustrator and publisher of ''From Hell'' (written by Alan Moore), Campbell is also the creator of the semi-au ...
, the core group of artists associated with ''Escape'' did not necessarily go on to great riches, the magazine did publish early work by notable creators including
Neil Gaiman,
Dave McKean,
Paul Johnson,
James Robinson and
Rian Hughes
Rian Hughes is a British graphic designer, illustrator, type designer, comics artist and novelist.
Overviews
Hughes has written and drawn comics for '' 2000 AD'', Vertigo CMYK and Batman: Black and White, and designed for DC Comics and Marv ...
.
For the
British small press scene ''Escape'', along with
Fast Fiction
''Fast Fiction'' was a market stall, magazine, mail order distributor and news sheet that played a key role in the history of British small press comics. It existed in its various forms from 1981 through to 1990 under the stewardship of Paul Grave ...
, had been an important focal point both artistically and socially. This continued into the 1990s with the magazine holding a pivotal place in the history of the scene.
International distribution brought ''Escape'' artists American exposure, most notably to the cartoonists informally known as the
Highwater Books
Highwater Books was a small but influential independent comic book publisher based in Somerville, Massachusetts, noted for its arty editorial direction and production values under publisher Tom Devlin. Highwater began in 1997 and folded in Novembe ...
scene. Highwater publisher
Tom Devlin and cartoonist
Tom Hart both cite ''Escape'', and
Glenn Dakin in particular, as influential in forming their attitudes towards comic art. Canadian cartoonist
Seth wrote about the influence Chris Reynolds had on him.
[Seth (2005) "Chris Reynolds: An Appreciation" '']The Comics Journal
''The Comics Journal'', often abbreviated ''TCJ'', is an American magazine of news and criticism pertaining to comic books, comic strips and graphic novels. Known for its lengthy interviews with comic creators, pointed editorials and scathing r ...
'' 265.
It should, however, be remembered that ''Escape'' was part of a wider and at the time quite vibrant environment in British comics and that artists did move freely from publication to publication. While the magazine did carve out an important niche and break new ground, the work of
Knockabout Books and ''
Warrior
A warrior is a person specializing in combat or warfare, especially within the context of a tribal or clan-based warrior culture society that recognizes a separate warrior aristocracies, class, or caste.
History
Warriors seem to have be ...
'' and aspects of the
Harrier Comics
Harrier Comics (officially known as Harrier Publishing) was a British comic book publisher active in the mid-to-late 1980s. Harrier was notable for putting out black-and-white comics in a mold more similar to American comics than to typical Brit ...
line should be taken into account.
The ''Escape'' artists
The core group of artists featured in ''Escape'' came mainly from the British
small press and
underground comix
Underground comix are small press or self-published comic books that are often socially relevant or satirical in nature. They differ from mainstream comics in depicting content forbidden to mainstream publications by the Comics Code Authority, ...
scenes of the late 1970s and early '80s.
*
John Bagnall
John is a common English name and surname:
* John (given name)
* John (surname)
John may also refer to:
New Testament
Works
* Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John
* First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John
* Second E ...
*
Eddie Campbell
Eddie Campbell (born 10 August 1955) is a British comics artist and cartoonist who now lives in Chicago. Probably best known as the illustrator and publisher of ''From Hell'' (written by Alan Moore), Campbell is also the creator of the semi-au ...
*
Glenn Dakin
*
Phil Elliott
Phil Elliott (born 1960) is a British comic book creator who was published in ''Escape Magazine''. He was part of the British small press comics scene in the 1980s.
Career
After contributing spot illustrations to comic fanzines such as '' Bemusi ...
*
Hunt Emerson
Hunting is the human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, or killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to harvest food (i.e. meat) and useful animal products ( fur/ hide, bone/tusks, horn/antler, ...
*
Paul Grist
*
Myra Hancock
*
Rian Hughes
Rian Hughes is a British graphic designer, illustrator, type designer, comics artist and novelist.
Overviews
Hughes has written and drawn comics for '' 2000 AD'', Vertigo CMYK and Batman: Black and White, and designed for DC Comics and Marv ...
*
Shaky Kane
Michael Coulthard is a British writer and psychedelic artist who best known for his work as a comic and graphic artist under the pseudonym Shaky Kane, as well as Shaky 2000.
Biography
After working for independent comics and magazines like Ps ...
*Bob Lynch
*
Woodrow Phoenix
Woodrow Phoenix is a British comics artist, writer, editorial illustrator, graphic designer, font designer and author of children's books.
Phoenix is best known for ''Rumble Strip'', published in 2008, a non-fiction look at the difficult social ...
(aka Trevs Phoenix)
*
Ed Pinsent
Ed Pinsent (born 1960, Liverpool, England) is a British cartoonist, artist, and writer.
Biography
Ed Pinsent is the son of the classical scholar John Pinsent and was brought up in the city of Liverpool.
Pinsent has written and drawn his own sm ...
*
Warren
A warren is a network of wild rodent or lagomorph, typically rabbit burrows. Domestic warrens are artificial, enclosed establishment of animal husbandry dedicated to the raising of rabbits for meat and fur. The term evolved from the medieval A ...
and
Gary Pleece
Gary may refer to:
*Gary (given name), a common masculine given name, including a list of people and fictional characters with the name
*Gary, Indiana, the largest city named Gary
Places
;Iran
*Gary, Iran, Sistan and Baluchestan Province
;Unit ...
*Chris Reynolds
*
Savage Pencil
Edwin Pouncey (born June 1951), also known by the '' nom de plume'' Savage Pencil, is an English comics artist, musician, and music journalist.
Biography
As Savage Pencil and otherwise, Pouncey has contributed to magazines such as '' Sounds' ...
*
Carol Swain
Carol Miller Swain (born March 7, 1954) is a retired professor of political science and law at Vanderbilt University. A frequent television analyst, she is the author and editor of several books. Her interests include race relations, immigration, ...
See also
*''
Fast Fiction
''Fast Fiction'' was a market stall, magazine, mail order distributor and news sheet that played a key role in the history of British small press comics. It existed in its various forms from 1981 through to 1990 under the stewardship of Paul Grave ...
''
References
Notes
Sources consulted
*Campbell, Eddie (2001) ''Alec: How To Be An Artist''. Eddie Campbell Comics. .
*Gravett, Paul (2003) "The Great Escape" ''
The Comics Journal
''The Comics Journal'', often abbreviated ''TCJ'', is an American magazine of news and criticism pertaining to comic books, comic strips and graphic novels. Known for its lengthy interviews with comic creators, pointed editorials and scathing r ...
Special Edition'' 3 46-61
*Gravett, Paul and Stanbury, Peter (eds) ''Escape Magazine'' 1 - 19
*
The Comics Interpreter
''The Comics Interpreter (TCI)'' was a zine of comics criticism, published and edited by Robert Young. Published from 1999 to 2004, it focused on alternative comics, and was characterized by interviews and reviews of greater length and detail than ...
#1 Vol. 2 Print review of Glenn Dakin's "Abe: Wrong For All The Right Reasons"
*
External links
* {{gcdb series, id=32406, title=''Escape''
Long interview with Dylan Horrocks- reprinted from ''The Comics Journal'' issue 244. His time with the ''Escape'' "gang" is about a third of the way down.
Kingly Books- Publishers of recent works by ''Escape'' artists
Ed Pinsent
Ed Pinsent (born 1960, Liverpool, England) is a British cartoonist, artist, and writer.
Biography
Ed Pinsent is the son of the classical scholar John Pinsent and was brought up in the city of Liverpool.
Pinsent has written and drawn his own sm ...
,
John Bagnall
John is a common English name and surname:
* John (given name)
* John (surname)
John may also refer to:
New Testament
Works
* Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John
* First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John
* Second E ...
and Chris Reynolds
Comics anthologies
British small press comics
1983 establishments in the United Kingdom
1989 disestablishments in the United Kingdom