[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":11},["ShallowReactive",2],{"blog-post-olympics-small-press-comics-so-much-happening-this-summer":3},{"_type":4,"body":5,"bodyHtml":6,"excerpt":5,"featuredImage":5,"publishedAt":7,"slug":8,"tags":9,"title":10},"blogPost",null,"\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/queen_parachute-eb2404ff87.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nSo did everyone watch the Olympic Opening Ceremony the other night? When I first saw the fields of hobbit-y, happy farmers, I thought, \u003Ci>uh, oh\u003C/i>. Like my writer friend \u003Cb>Candy Gourlay\u003C/b> said \u003Ca href=\"http://www.rappler.com/move-ph/ispeak/9396-olympics-a-britain-not-too-cool-to-be-proud\">in an article on Rappler\u003C/a>, she thought it might be painfully twee (\u003Ca href=\"http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=twee\">\u003Ca href=\"http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=twee\">definition of 'twee'\u003C/a> for non-Brits\u003C/a>). But then it all kicked off, and there were huge industrial smoke stacks, and Kenneth Branagh reciting \u003Ca href=\"http://quiteirregular.wordpress.com/2012/07/29/caliban-and-brunel-kenneth-branaghs-speech-at-the-olympics-opening-ceremony/\">Caliban's lines from \u003Ci>The Tempest\u003C/i>\u003C/a>, \u003Ca href=\"http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-19021660\">Mr Bean's brilliantly stupid musical number\u003C/a>, hundreds of Mary Poppinses, beautiful bicycle-driven giant doves... it got more and more exciting and, well, I was hugely taken with the whole thing. It had cheesy moments, but they didn't stop it from being an absolutely amazing spectacle. I bet it will spark off countless cartoons, but here's another great one of the Queen's parachute jump with Mr Bond, by \u003Ca rhef=\"http://illustratorpod.co.uk/\">Alex Paterson\u003C/a>:\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/Alex_Paterson_queen-ccccdd9b71.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nLots going on around here this summer! Are you going to \u003Ca href=\"http://caption.org/\">Caption Comics Festival\u003C/a>? It's in \u003Cb>Oxford on the weekend of 18-19 August\u003C/b>, and it's a wonderful place to meet comic creators and find out more about comics. It's one of the very first comics events I ever went to and where I decided that small press comics are definitely something I'm very interested in. \u003Ca href=\"http://jabberworks.livejournal.com/118755.html\">Here's a comic\u003C/a> I made about Caption my first year, and if you follow this tag, you can see \u003Ca href=\"http://jabberworks.livejournal.com/?skip=5&tag=caption\">my reports from years past\u003C/a>. And I've designed the t-shirt this year! \u003Ca href=\"http://caption.org/2012/14-order-your-caption-2012-shirt\">Go ahead and buy one\u003C/a>, whether you're going or not. But I hope you can come! \\r\n\\r\n\u003Ca href=\"http://caption.org/2012/14-order-your-caption-2012-shirt\">\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/caption_tshirt-788426082f.jpg\">\u003C/a>\\r\n\\r\nAnd to back up that small press interest, here's a comic to which I've recently contributed six colour pages. My copy of \u003Ca href=\"http://inkpluspaper.com/\">ink+PAPER, Issue 2\u003C/a> just arrived this morning! It's looking FABULOUS. You can order a copy \u003Ca href=\"http://inkpluspaper.bigcartel.com/product/ink-paper-2\">here\u003C/a>! Be sure to browse the \u003Ca href=\"http://inkpluspaper.com/\">lovely website\u003C/a> created by its editor, \u003Cb>David O'Connell\u003C/b>.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Ca href=\"http://inkpluspaper.com/\">\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/inkPAPER_issue2-4ef28ac9e1.jpg\">\u003C/a>\\r\n\\r\nSo while I certainly wouldn't call myself a sportswoman in any way, I've had my own little role in the Olympics this week, with \u003Ca href=\"http://jabberworks.livejournal.com/495807.html\">StoryCloud over at the Discover Children's Story Centre\u003C/a> in Stratford. And I got called into give an interview about it on the Breakfast Show on the Olympics site with \u003Ca href=\"http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbclondon/\">BBC London radio\u003C/a>, how exciting! I'd stayed up very late watching the Opening Ceremony, so the early morning start was a bit hard-going. But I was surprised by how many sport fans were already on the rail station platform, and how wildly jubilant they all were. It all got incredibly silly. At 7 IN THE MORNING.\\r\n\\r\n\u003C!--more Click here for lots more under the cut!-->\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/olympics_german_sportsfan-92b41debaa.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nI met up with \u003Cb>Racheal Brasier\u003C/b> from Discover, and we stopped to admire the new Olympic Park:\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/olympics_park-84cc06cfa4.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nThe BBC radio hut was just off to the right. \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/olympics_bbc_guestpass-b955ab5617.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nAnd here's our presenting team, the lovely \u003Cb>Joanne Wood\u003C/b> and \u003Cb>Simon Lederman\u003C/b>. \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/bbc_radio_london_3-b9468b494b.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nAnd the presenting crew, who were all very friendly! That's Racheal there with the laptop, to show off the \u003Cb>StoryCloud story library\u003C/b> (which you can read, free, \u003Ca href=\"http://storycloud.co.uk\">online here!\u003C/a>).\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/bbc_radio_london_1-f2e1ceb6fc.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nHere's the broadcaster, \u003Cb>Stevan Bennett\u003C/b>, who asked me to sign him a copy of \u003Ca href=\"http://www.jabberworks.co.uk/vernlettuce-book.php\">\u003Ci>Vern and Lettuce\u003C/i>\u003C/a>, lots of animals running around in a parallel-universe London.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/bbc_radio_london_2-5ad07172ee.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/vernlet_bus_sm-d616437a9f.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nGosh, Stratford is really buzzing! \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/olympics_stratford-08dee87d76.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nI like how the Olympics have hired people with the sole job description of standing around pointing at things.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/olympics_steward-39875f6d49.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nInside the shopping area, there's a big portrait of the young Queen in jelly beans. Very clever. \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/olympics_queen_jellybeans-9c3e71b201.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nI've been cycling up and down the Thames, just to see what's going on. Here's a peek at a modified Greenwich, all set for the games. Check out these new walkways over the road by the Royal Naval College:\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/olympics_greenwich-e732617289.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nAnd the deer park fencing appear to have gone viral! Getting into the National Maritime Museum is like going through Checkpoint Charlie, complete with soldiers. \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/olympics_greenwich_cages-b5b0391dbe.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nThis foot tunnel used to be the only way to cross the Thames around Greenwich without a boat:\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/greenwich_foottunnell-a7ce450d4c.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nBut now you can soar high over the river by cable car! I MUST try this, my studio mates Gary and Lauren have both gone on it and say it's fabulous. \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/olympics_cablecar-42c7c325d6.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nSuch beautiful construction, I love it.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/olympics_cablecar_2-42f327ffe8.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nAnd a last parting summery shot of one of London's fine beaches. We're a city well known for our beaches, oh yes. \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/london_beach_canarywharf-22631d316e.jpg\">","2012-07-30T12:56:00.000Z","olympics-small-press-comics-so-much-happening-this-summer",[],"olympics, small press comics... so much happening this summer!",1776628724051]