Exhibition 1: May 23rd 2013 
Shantallow Library: Opening and launch of The World's Biggest Comic Book"

A new work by City of Culture Individual Artist,

Joe Campbell (Press Release)

“Distant Fields”

The World’s largest Comic Book

Showing at Shantallow Library, Derry-Londonderry

From May 23^rd-31^st 2013

“42 ft long and 5 and a half feet high! It must be the world’s biggest comic book” that’s how Derry artist, Joe Campbell describes his first offering for his City of Culture individual artist commission which will be on show at Shantallow Library for ten days from Thursday 23^rd May to Friday 31^st May 2013.The piece will be launched in front of an invited audience on Thursday 12 noon to 1pm.

“ It’s a difficult work to describe. You really have to see it”. Says Joe.

“I took a twelve page short story and enlarged each page up to about six or seven times the actual height of a standard comic book page. Each of the pages are free standing and when laid end to end they form a 42ft long art installation. The idea is you walk slowly along the line of pages reading the story as you go.

The basic idea was to re-present what people see as a “comic book”. By turning his graphic comic art into a large-format, public installation Joe has created something else that invites the viewer to engage with the work in a different way. You have to stand back or physically move to read the story. The piece is an object that physically occupies the room as opposed to something you can read in your hand. The piece is so large it makes you stop and stand and think and hopefully - smile

 The actual story is set in Derry and uses the city (and the artist as the main character) as a backdrop. It tells the story of two brothers from the city lost on the Somme in July 1916. Distant Fields is also a ghost story, in the best tradition of Irish ghost stories. Joe says,

“I think people like scary tales. It may come from having to find ways to pass the long winter northern nights or having to be constantly huddled around a fireside. I’m not sure, but I know most people enjoy being a bit scared now and again”.

“I also wanted the city to feature in a comic book. I’ve nearly always set my stories in Derry right back as far as the late eighties. It runs counter to the usual comic book setting of New York or some imagined American setting and it seems to work just as well and the city’s just sitting there a ready made model for backgrounds.

The story also touches on the city’s past and its history and on the ripples that still emulate from historical episodes such as World War 1 and the four Sinclair brothers who lost their lives fighting on the Western Front despite coming from a Nationalist background. Over a thousand men from Derry-Londonderry lost their lives during the Great War. Such histories still mean a lot to many people from the city and from all cultures and traditions. The piece attempts to include those histories into a short graphic story that visualises that time, the uniforms, the city and its past and hopefully will spark an interest in those particular events.

Joe has also recently exhibited at the Browse International Cartoon and Comic Art Exhibition alongside the likes of Ralph Steadman and his current work is featuring at comic conventions such as The London Super Con; the Dundee Comics Expo; New York MOCCA and The Copenhagen Comics Con. Joe is also a guest this year at Derry’s own 2D Comic Festival.

Joe is an artist who has lived and worked in Derry all his life.  He is a graduate of the Open University and is currently working as a comic book artist with a number of graphic novel publications to his credit including The Amelia Earhart Story written by Felicity McCall, published by Uproar Comics. His most recent graphic novel, Missing: Have You Seen the Invisible Man? Has just been published by Accent UK and has received strong reviews in both the UK and the US. http://test.brokenfrontier.com/reviews/p/detail/missing-have-you-seen-the-invisible-man?PHPSESSID=0e46er2rvgmhmfd2p2dlctm6e3

May 23rd 2013, after 4 months of drawing and manufacture the "World's Biggest Comic" was ready for its first outing. Lermagh Graphics had done a remarkable job with the printing and enlargement of the artwork and Billy Mc Grenary had done equally well in devising a very flexible system that not only allowed each comic panel to interlink but also stand independently. The system was also very easy to transport and put up and take down. The first exhibition was run in partnership with: The Culture Company; The Earhart Festival and Libraries NI 

A photo-montage showing the final printed panels of artwork placed against the walls of Studio 2 at Skeoge Industrial Estate. The work took between 3-4 months to make.

Shantallow Library was chosen as the first exhibition space. I felt it was important to have the work's first exhibition within a community setting. I had originally planned to exhibit the artwork on the billboard at Bloomfield Park but unfortunately that space was unavailable due to the festival and the library, being a safe, secure, community space, was an alternate, ideal venue.The opening was also officially launched by the outgoing Mayor, Kevin Campbell who very kindly praised the work and addressed some 40+ pupils from the Bunscoil (in gaelic)

Mayor, Kevin Campbell

Also speaking on behalf of Libraries NI and Shantallow Library was Stephanie McNicholl, manager of the Library. Stephanie welcomed the inclusion of a City of Culture Individual Artist as a welcome edition to Libraries Ni's 2013 schedule of events, warmly praised the artwork and encouraged the children to read the panels and look for the local landmarks contained in the work.

The Artist (yours truely) Joe Campbell speaking at the launch of the Shantallow Library Exhibition

After The Mayor and Stephanie it was my turn. I was really heartened by the interest shown by the children in how the artwork was created. I, myself loved libraries when I was young but I don't remember anything like this being part of that experience..I reiterated Stephanie's point about the importance of reading and the creative use of libraries creatively. and made points about the importance of the City of Culture year, citing that how having the confidence to compete for the award in the first place had been in effect the most crucial step, how that had demonstrated and revealed a new confidence which in itself had permeated down and back into the city.
It was this confidence I felt that would eventually mature into something new for those children in attendance.
The exhibition run for 10 days (23rd May-3rd June 2013). During that time the exhibition was seen (based on Shantallow Library estimates) by approximately 2,500 people from the Greater Shantallow area and from across the city.

Exhibition 2: June 4th 2013 
Shantallow Library: 
Closing of The World's Biggest Comic Book"

After the ten day exhibition at Shantallow Stephanie suggested we have a closing event to officially invite more schools to view the comic book. The event was well attended with pupils from no less than four schools: Bunscoil: St Patrick's PS: St Brigid's College and St Anne's PS. 100+ pupils in all including teachers. The event was launched by the incoming Mayor, Martin Reilly (his first day!) and was also attended by local community representatives and the event formed part of the Earhart Festival