So the good news is I found a printer that wasn't offended by the comic and it's currently being made into a real thing right now. This is after it was rejected by another two separate printing companies for the same reason. As for the actual launch I've had to put it back to the 24th October but there will be an exhibition showing work from the comic in London, check the Facebook event for details. You can also pre-order the comic here.
I've been in contact with a few ex-servicemen who have been (surprisingly?) enthusiastic about the book. Joe Glenton, (first British soldier to refuse to return to Afghanistan) and Ben Griffin, (ex-SAS resigned from service in Iraq after witnessing war crimes, and who now runs Veterans for Peace UK), have both expressed their support for the project and have been helping me promote it. It's reassuring to know that the comic isn't just a case of me ignorantly heckling from my ivory tower, and it makes sense to people who have actually been in the middle of it.
If you have a bit of time I fully recommend you watch Joe being interviewed on BBC's HardTalk and Ben addressing the Oxford Union as to why he would not fight for Queen & country. Actually brilliant.
And there's now a website for the comic! www.bethemeat.co.uk
If you're interested in that type of thing, I'm also selling army themed mugs over at my online shop.
The printers have refused to print my anti-army comic "having seen the content of your artwork".
This leaves me in a bit of a situation as they were the only printers I've been able to find who can print and fold an A5 20 page concertina booklet. I'm currently looking at French printers, as they're less likely to refuse a job on the grounds that it insults the British Army.
It is of course utterly maddening that a printer would refuse to print something they disagree with politically, but obviously I understand that legally and commercially they have right to decline whichever job they like. I do think however that this incident says something about the way people regard the army as an almost holy institution and therefore what I'm doing as a kind of blasphemy.
For now I've decided to put back the launch of the comic until the 26th of September. Hopefully I'll be able to sort something soon even if I have to fold each comic by hand.
If you happen to know a large format printer that might be able to help me on this please email me: darren@spellingmistakescostlives.com or leave a message in the comments. Thanks.
