A couple of days ago I told Tom the name of my next comic, and he wrote the following piece.
“When David first handed me a copy of Dump: The Difficult Turd Album, from his Fred Egg Comics imprint, I wondered how this guy I knew, a guy who hosted these comic meetings out of a library had produced his own one. I remember thinking “He must be rolling in it. Selling these off at a fiver a piece. He must have hundreds of these and just punting them around everywhere making a name for himself” I envisioned all of these comic shops and book shops stacked with copies of Dump and them being picked up alongside every book order and people grabbing the newest instalment the second it hits shelves.
Although I would later learn about and fall in love with the indie scene and find out that’s not EXACTLY the case, it still holds true in some respects.
I have been friends with Dave, Mr Fred Egg Comics himself, for some time now. He has kindly gifted me his newest comic each time he brings a new one out. I have been with him in comic shops as he speaks to those in charge and hands them a stack of the latest Fred Egg published instalment to be sold in their store. We have spoken about how he has travelled to places and just so happened to have comics with him to hand into the local shops. These comics can be found all over and that really does make me smile. It brings so much joy because I know that people will see these tremendous works first hand. They will see not just the newest comic but the highly impressive volume of work the precedes it. Not only does Dave produce his own comics, not only does he write, draw, put together, collaborate with other artists he enjoys to showcase their talents, edit, work with printers to make sure every aspect is perfect, sell in stores and online, distribute and much else any self publisher worth their salt, takes part in to make sure their work gets out there. But he does so at such a high rate. These things come thick and fast. It shows two things very clearly. One is that Dave has so many ideas just bursting to get out that he gets them down on paper as quick as possible and the second, following on from that, is the ethic and sometimes words to live by “There are a thousand reasons to not make comics and only one reason to… because you have to”
This “get up go/just get on with it” and “make your comics, now” attitude completely exudes off the pages of every one of Dave’s comics. Whether it’s the friends exchanging magic paint for their battling robots in Berserketron, taking a school library on a leap forward in time in the pages of Bell Time, exploring the local comics scene in Dundee Comics Comic, finding out the history of The Tay Bridge Disaster and certainly in the many anthologies like Break The Cake, Mount a Rescue, Booze Ha Ha, Zero Sum Bubble gum and many many more, one message is always clear as hell… Enjoy comics. Read them, make them, smell them, talk about them. The thought of that being available in many different comic shops and online. The fact that someone will hold those comics in their hands, pour over them and be able to take that influence away, even subconsciously is tremendous and we have Dave’s endless ideas, passion, sheer fastidiousness and mastery of the craft/art to thank for it.
“Reject All” is another in the long line of Fred Egg Comics manifestos that I for one look forward to picking up the minute it hits shelves and soaking it in, becoming even more inspired with each turn of the page.
Long may it continue. ”
Thank you, Tom.
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