Blog

By Paul Bristow 12 Jul, 2023
Introducing our new project...
By Paul Bristow 24 Mar, 2023
Comics out on the streets...
By Paul Bristow 13 Jan, 2022
Going Into The Woods in 2022
By Paul Bristow 29 Nov, 2021
Local heroes to the rescue
By Paul Bristow 21 Nov, 2021
Inverclyde Storytelling
By Magic Torch Comics 18 Oct, 2021
Earlier this month, we were asked to produce some artwork for the Afrowegian Project , imagining an Afro-Futurist version of the story of real world cycling superhero, Marshall 'Major' Taylor. The comic display panels form part of an exhibition by the riverside in Glasgow throughout October. You can read more about the work of the project and how to get involved. We're looking forward to doing some more collaborative work with Afrowegian's Jim Muotone, down in Inverclyde over the next few months.
By Magic Torch Comics 18 Oct, 2021
Earlier this year, our director Paul Bristow spoke to Tall Tale films as part of CVS Inverclyde's Digital Open Studios project. Check out the short video below to hear Paul chat about storytelling, communities and his creative process for his own writing and his work with Magic Torch Comics CIC. You can also see his fairly messy home office under the stairs...
By Paul Bristow 18 Jun, 2021
Back in 2019, artist Mhairi Robertson and myself, spent some time with a group of women in Glasgow, who told us about their experience of the asylum process, and the welcome they had found in Scotland. The project was pit together by the Poverty Truth Community, and the women all wanted to focus on the positive things that had happened to them since arriving, and the actions that other could take while in the process. A booklet of their stories, which also shares information on the support which is available for people, was launched during Refugee Week 2021 at an online event. The book can be downloaded for free on our website or read on our ISSUU page . A narrated version of the book, recorded by one of the women is also available to view and there is a short preview below.
By Paul Bristow 11 Mar, 2021
Magic Torch Comics CIC are asking local young people to get involved in creating a science fiction adventure comic online. The comic, Starbound, is part of our ‘Outside The Box’ project, supported by National Lottery Community Fund. Over the last year, the project has delivered online workshops and involved young people in creating comics about life in lockdown and a collection of spooky stories for Galoshans. For this project, we wanted to do something a little different. It’s a choose your own adventure comic, where local people help create and shape the story on instagram. Every Monday evening, a short video will introduce the story so far and offer people choices for what happens next. People have 24 hours to vote, the artist creates the page and the next week we choose again, spinning the story off in unexpected directions each time. Right now, it’s still impossible to deliver face to face workshops, but if you’ve been online learning all day, you maybe don’t want to come to another online workshop in the evening. So we wanted to provide an opportunity that was easy for everyone to engage in, whatever way they want. Some people might just vote or comment on the story, or email in ideas, other people might want to get more involved and share their creations which we’ll then put out on the blog or in the weekly workshop videos. Although the focus of the project is comic storytelling, we want people to get involved in other creative ways. We’ll have story prompts and tips in the weekly workshop videos, there’s a whole world to explore, so we hope people will get inspired to create and share all sorts of work – Minecraft builds, music, moments of drama – whatever you like. Part of the reason we decided on science fiction was to open up possibilities to imagine. The last few months have been really confined, and it’s easy for your imagination to become confined too, so we wanted to help people break out of that a bit. Starbound launched on Monday 8th March on instagram , there's a new story vote every week. People can get involved on Magic Torch Comics Instagram page or by submitting ideas and suggestions directly on the project page .
By Paul Bristow 14 Dec, 2020
In Inverclyde, Hallowe’en is celebrated with a programme of community arts events which takes it’s name from an old Scottish tradition, Going Galoshans . In 2020, the festival was mostly online, and as part of our Outside the Box project, we ran a number of comic sessions and courses. Throughout September and October we pulled together a collection of scary stories, including a comic adaptation of ‘ The Buried Alive ’ a Ghost Story from Greenock born writer John Galt, first published in 1822. We also ran a number of competitions, asking people for their suggestions about what ghosts would be doing while we all stayed indoors, and many of these ideas appear in the comic. Unsurprisingly, pandemic themes weave in and out of some of the stories, the real world worries of the virus blending with traditional supernatural fears. Winter is an ideal time for telling and sharing scary stories, and we hope you enjoy while staying safe. You can download Ghost Town here, or read online via our ISSUU page. We would like to thank Youth Connections, Inverclyde Libraries and RIG Arts for their help, support and promotion of this project. You can also download another Outside The Box comic, exploring young people's experience of Lockdown . The Outside The Box project is funded by the National Lottery Community Fund and is continuing to work with young people in Inverclyde throughout 2021. During the current cornonavirus crisis, we are able to work with organisations and groups remotely if required, with all materials provided. Please get in touch to discuss how we can continue creating and collaborating in these challenging times.
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