Acid Box, a darkly comic adventure through club culture, spanning space and time.
Written by Sara Kenney, with art by James Devlin, Ria Grix, and Emma Vieceli, colors by Sofie Dodgson, and letters by Hassan Otsman-Elhaou.
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200 pages, paperback with french flaps, full colour throughout, 156 x 239mm
Jade Nyo just wants to listen to some music and to get wasted. Then, while out clubbing with her brother, she meets a trio of women who control portals through space and time, and give her an Acid Box, which controls geological features on earth. Now it’s all up to her to travel through time and avert global disaster. But the box is broken, and Jade travels through the past, present, and future in a quest to fix it, finding along the way friends who can help through music. And as she tries and tries to change things for the better, she finds that the work and pressure of changing history might be too much for just one person to fix. . . .
Telling a story that combines music, time travel, and adventure, Acid Box is a powerful work about the state of climate change around the globe, and a commentary on personal responsibility.
“Dancefloor history meets family history via psychic reality-skipping quest. Take your brain to another dimension. Pay close attention.” – Kieron Gillen, The Wicked + The Divine
“It’s a monster of a comic.” – Alex Paterson, The Orb
“I was too young to go out raving in the 90s, so I soaked up club culture via things like 2000ad and characters like Milton and Bradley, or through artists like Jamie Hewlett or Robert Bliss, and writers like Peter Milligan. The link between club culture and UK comics was such that 2000ad even had their own club column, so UK comic book culture will always be inextricably linked to the broader outsider dance music phenomenon that I’ve devoted my life to. Acid Box feels like a long-overdue return to that tradition, and it’s a really fun read.” – Man Power, DJ & Producer
“Fun, insightful, off the beaten track, resonant, meaningful, original and skilful. Would match a Coldcut sound track. ;)” – Matt Black, Coldcut & Co-Founder Ninja Tune
“Love this—as addictive as a TB303 bass line, hits all the right notes.” – Jon More, Coldcut & Co-Founder Ninja Tune
“A welcome depiction of the transcendental nature of electronic music culture where transformation is always possible and hope is carried by the poetry of sound.” – Justin Robertson, DJ, Broadcaster, Artist
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Our Kickstarter for Kit Anderson’s Second Shift has just gone live and we’re really excited to share this dazzling sci-fi story with you!
This is the first full-length graphic novel from Safer Places creator Kit – if you enjoyed her contemplative, magical stories in that collection we think you’ll love this book.
There’s a handful of signed and sketched copies of the book available, and Kit’s illustrated some really lovely additional rewards too, so read on…
From the time when the station wakes her up, Birdie Doran is on the clock. It’s just her and one or two others on Terracorp’s isolated outpost, processing comets. So she slips into virtual reality, with the station creating adventures for her as she does repairs, routine maintenance, and checks the status on all the systems.
But when Birdie discovers another abandoned station just within walking distance of her own, she begins to question her isolation, and her own memories of what her job-and her life—really is. And at every turn, she starts finding the things the station has been hiding from her.
Ignatz Award-nominated author Kit Anderson presents a psychological science fiction exploration of the lines between reality inside and outside the mind.
“Moving, eerie, and contemplative, these short comics zero in on the experiences of loneliness and the subsequent longing for connection across a dizzying array of genres.” – Booklist, Top 10 Graphic Novels of 2024
“Settle in with a cup of tea and an open mind… you’re in for a treat.” – The Beat, Best Graphic Novels of 2024
About Kit:
Kit Anderson is a cartoonist from Boulder, Colorado. Her short stories have been published by Parsifal Press and collected by Avery Hill in the graphic novel Safer Places. Kit lives near Zürich with her partner and tiny dog where she enjoys walking in the woods and making comics about memory, nature, and wizards sometimes, too.
Check out this trailer for the project:
There is also a wonderful selection of extras and add-ons that you can get when you back the various reward tiers! Kit has drawn this stunning signed bookplate and this gorgeous signed print:
Kit was also offering some original sketches, but these sold out very fast. Thank you to everyone who pledged for a sketch already!
As usual we’ve created a special bundle of Avery Hill books that complement Second Shift. The bundle gets you a great discount on this excellent selection of sci-fi/space-themed items, including some stickers and postcards!
You can add this bundle at check-out. It includes:
A choice of a signed A3 print, by Tillie Walden or Claire Scully!
The Hard Switch, by Owen Pomery
The Wilderness Collection, by Claire Scully
Infinite Wheatpaste Vol. 1 – Catalytic Conversions, by Pidge
Goatherded, by Charlo Frade
Each of these books is also available to add on individually at check-out!
We’re absolutely thrilled that Tim Bird’s Adrift on a Painted Sea has been named as one of the best graphic novels of 2024 by both NPR and The Guardian!
Safer Places by Kit Anderson was also named a best graphic novel of the year by Booklist, who featured the cover art on their ‘Graphic Novels for Libraries’ Guide this year!
Tim Bird’s Adrift on a Painted Sea exhibition at the Mercer Gallery in Harrogate will continue to run until the 5th January. It’s free entry, so definitely pop in while you can!
A huge thank you to everyone who’s supported Avery Hill’s books this year, whether it’s by buying a book, backing a crowdfunding campaign or posting about/reviewing our books online. See you next year!
We’re excited to announce our first graphic novel release for Spring 2025 – Second Shift by Kit Anderson.
Out 5th June 2025
132 pages, paperback, full colour throughout, 160 x 220mm
Birdie Doran’s life on the station is the same routine every day… until she starts finding secrets in this science fiction graphic novel.
From the time when the station wakes her up, Birdie Doran is on the clock. It’s just her and one or two others on Terracorp’s isolated outpost, processing comets. So she slips into virtual reality, with the station creating adventures for her as she does repairs, routine maintenance, and checks the status on all the systems.
But when Birdie discovers another abandoned station just within walking distance of her own, she begins to question her isolation, and her own memories of what her job- and her life—really is. And at every turn, she starts finding the things the station has been hiding from her. Ignatz Award-nominated author Kit Anderson presents a psychological science fiction exploration of the lines between reality inside and outside the mind.
Events!
Avery Hill creators have been involved with all sorts of events lately! Tim Bird and Kat Chapman spoke about their work at P&G Wells Booksellers and the Cartoon Museum respectively. Kit Anderson will be on a panel on the 14th November at LibraryCon, talking about Sci-Fi and her upcoming book Second Shift. You can register to take part in this online event here.
Dates for your diary
It’s November – Thought Bubble month! You’ll be able to find us at table C39 in the Travelling Man Hall. As usual we’ve created a handy map to help you locate all the Avery Hill creators who’ll be at the festival later this month!
B. Mure will be taking part in an excellent-sounding panel about folklore in comics. Don’t miss this on the Saturday!
Also, a reminder for all those arriving in Harrogate on Friday the 15th before the festival – Tim Bird will be launching his beautiful book Adrift on a Painted Sea at the Mercer Gallery that evening. It’s also the opening night of an exhibition showcasing paintings by Sue Bird and artwork from the graphic novel. Join us on the 15th from 6-8pm for a glass of fizz and a chance to get a copy of the book signed by Tim! The exhibition will then continue until 31st March 2025.
In other news…
We had a great time at the SPX comic festival in Maryland in September. Two Avery Hill artists took part in panels this year, and the panels are now available to watch on YouTube! Check them out here:
Tim Bird wrote a wonderful piece on Electric Lit where he recommended 8 graphic novels about parent-child relationships. Check it out here!
Finally, we have a treat for you from our own podcast Signals from the Hill! Kat speaks to Tim Bird about family, memory, loss, art… and making quiet comics, in celebration of his new graphic novel Adrift on a Painted Sea. The podcast is available to watch below or listen here!
The Scrapbook of Life and Death by J. Webster Sharp was reviewed on Four Color Apocalypse: “2024’s most VITAL, most CONFRONTATIONAL, most PERSONAL, most DARING work is here.”
Adrift on a Painted Seaby Tim Bird was reviewed on Publishers Weekly: “An elegant and eclectic tribute to art as antidote to grief.”
Adrift on a Painted Sea was also reviewed on Shelf Awareness: “With obvious admiration and poignant longing, British comics maker Tim Bird memorializes his late mother, artist Sue Bird. Mother and son produce a lingering homage to family, creativity, and the everlasting power of art.”
It was also reviewed in the Herald Magazine: “Tim Bird is the cartoonist of British domesticity; his comic strips are a symphony of street lights and motorway service stations, supermarkets and seaside towns. This sweet, sad story is a quiet marvel, one that lingers long after you’ve turned the last page.”
The Hard Switch by Owen D. Pomery was reviewed on Solrad: “Striking. An interesting blend of two science fiction standards: post-apocalypse and space opera… I appreciate playing with tropes, especially if they’re done in a way that makes me wonder why they haven’t been done before.”
In this episode we talk to Tim Bird, the creator of Adrift on a Painted Sea, which came out on the 1st October 2024. Kat talks to Tim about family, memory, loss, art… and making quiet comics.
In this episode we talk to J. Webster Sharp, the creator of The Scrapbook of Life and Death, which came out on the 3rd September 2024. We talk about newspaper clippings, the secret lives of humans, and art as exorcism.
In this episode, Avery Hill Publishing’s Ricky Miller talks to Katriona about the cultural influences on her work in comics. Kat picks a favourite book, play, film, comic, and TV show to discuss.
In this episode, Avery Hill Publishing’s Ricky Miller talks to Pidge about the cultural influences on her work in comics. Pidge picks a favourite book, film, comic, TV show and podcast to discuss.
The Kickstarter for the new UK edition of Tillie Walden’s Spinning has just gone live, and we’re thrilled to share this deeply personal and beautifully illustrated memoir with you! This incredible hardback edition brings together Tillie’s Eisner Award-winning graphic novel in a stunning new format with an all-new cover design. There are also some great bonus items to accompany the book, so read on…
A competitive figure skater for twelve years, every day was the same for Tillie Walden. Sports, school, and family, with no chance for her to stop and think. But when Tillie met her first girlfriend, it changed her whole life. She broke out of the reinforced sameness of a routine into a new relationship and a new interest in making art. She began to be sure her life should be different.
A poignant, honest autobiographical graphic novel about realising you can reinvent your life.
Specifications: 400 pages, hardback with a brand new cover design, 153 x 216mm
Praise for Spinning:
“A coming-of-age classic.” – The Guardian “Gripping.” – The Washington Post “A queer coming-of-age memoir that’s hauntingly, vividly resonant.” – Publishers Weekly “An engrossing, gorgeously quiet memoir.” – The New York Times “A stirring, gorgeously illustrated story of finding the strength to follow one’s own path.” – Booklist “A raw and intimate memoir.” – The Daily Dot
Tillie Walden is a cartoonist and illustrator from Austin, Texas. Her gorgeously illustrated, deeply personal graphic novels have won the Eisner Award and the LA Times Book Prize. She teaches at the Centre for Cartoon Studies and lives in Vermont, where she is the state Cartoonist Laureate.
We’ve produced a set of A5 bookplates featuring line art by Tillie based on the book. These will be numbered and signed.
We’ll also have a limited number (30) of signed/sketched copies of the book available!
