Glasgow, Scotland-based indie publishing house BHP Comics is boldly stepping into a new universe of exciting new one-shot comics, crowdfunding now on Kickstarter. With each book promising its own jam-packed adventures with exciting and unique characters — including Britain’s first south-Asian superhero — the Bold Universe Collection then combines to tell a bigger story within a shared universe that explores the dynamics and consequences of power.
Made possible by funding from the National Lottery through Creative Scotland, which allowed BHP Comics’ Publisher, Sha Nazir, and Creative Producer, Gary Chudleigh, to seek out diverse talent throughout Scotland, England, and Spain. “I’m delighted that we have gotten the chance to highlight these emerging creators and thrilled with what they’ve accomplished,” said Nazir in a press release. “Together, we have created brilliant contemporary comics that will launch our emerging talents’ careers.”
What was your first experience with comics? Was there a particular book that inspired your love for the medium?
Nazir: My first experience was a Scrooge McDuck french style anthology, I was 5 or 6. It traveled everywhere with me. I still have it. I read the Beano from the age of 7 and then got my first Asterix book when i was 8 and that was my tipping point which made me fall in love with reading comics. I didnt get onto Amercian super books till i was 12/13.
Chudleigh: It was reading material way above my age! I first started taking interest in comics through Deathhead published by Marvel UK in the ’90s when I was 9 or 10. My cousin would buy the issues and I became fascinated by them.
Tell us about the comics industry in Scotland? Why is it important to you that BHP continues to carve out its space within it?
Nazir: It’s tiny here. A small population (<6million) and what’s so surprising is we produce a lot of creative people. And within those creative arts, comic makers have grown to be a significant proportion. Publishing-wise, it’s a one-horse town, there are lots of indie pubs across all genres, but comics is a tiny percentage. So it’s important, I feel, to advocate the growth and cultural normality of reading comics for pleasure and learning.
Chudleigh: The industry in Scotland is small but very passionate and very loyal. Scotland is a geographical hotspot for comic talent, with many big industry names coming from this wee country. But those names became successful through US publishers. It’s important for BHP to carve out a space so that IPs are created locally and talent has a place to thrive locally. Then, if we get bigger and more successful, we’re culturally exporting to the world. I think that’s a great legacy to leave behind.
Mentorship plays an important role in BHP. In what ways do you support your talent and help shape their future in the industry?
Nazir: I’ve always mentored or tried to help others around me. There was nothing there for me when I was coming up, and it’s in my nature to want to share knowledge. We support talent in lots of ways, from practical help, advice on pitches and their journey and importantly opening doors and shedding light on the industry knowledge I’ve accumulated.
Chudleigh: There’s no traditional education or employment route into the comic market. It’s navigating a maze, experiencing failure and learning from it. We don’t want talent to get lost in the maze. By mentoring people, we can help fast track them past some of the trickier parts and overcome obstacles easier.
When you took on your talent scouting process for the Bold Universe, what were you looking for in the creator portfolios you reviewed? Obviously, there were some that stood out, but did you find creative voices that truly surprised you with what they had to offer? How so?
Nazir: that’s a good question. We didn’t have any preconceived ideas apart from quality, the look of each book and who we assigned to the projects for script and art duties almost came as a gut feeling. That the artist had something to offer the characters and the writer challenged but not out on a limb.
The Bold Universe is a series of one-shots, which is your publishing preference over ongoing series. What is the rationale for this?
Nazir: In the UK, it’s very difficult to sustain an ongoing series. Covid and Brexit both played a part in this form of publishing. Allowing us to reduce costs in shipping and production, allowing us to be greener by only printing what we need and creating the one shots as a suite which could be combined into a collected book which makes sense in the book world as well as comics stores.
Your submissions page indicates an aversion to superhero comics, yet there are many superhero elements to the titles within The Bold Universe. What’s up with that seeming contradiction to your publishing mandate?
Nazir: We never wanted to make superheroes until we felt we had something that we really cared about. I need to update the website basically, but our subs are closed till mid 2023. These will be our first ever super books.
Chudleigh: For me, I think the general feeling at the time was that there’s just nothing new you can do with superheroes. There were the big famous ones and then there were loads of indie and small press heroes too. It was stale. We moved into that space because it just felt right. The stories came alive and this was our moment to test those waters.
Gary, tell us about the process that went into your role as Creative Producer on this collection.
Chudleigh: Of course! I worked with BHP in development and editorial on this project. I helped outline the pitch bibles (logline, synopsis, character bios, plot outline) and story edit each issue. I also helped with the ‘Kevin Fiege’ part of subtly tying each book together into a shared universe.
What can backers look forward to when the Kickstarter campaign launches?
Chudleigh: Backers can get the comics months before they hit comic stores, as well as a better-discounted price when buying all four. Plus, higher-tier backers can get special prints, retro cover versions of the comics, T-shirts, and more!
Boldly step into the Bold Universe with their Kickstarter, and discover everything else BHP Comics has to offer at www.BHPcomics.co.uk .
