Clare’s Comics Catalogue – The Eelman Chronicles
As you may know by now, I’ve made the acquaintance of many figures in the UK small press comics scene over the last couple of years. As well as producing some insanely good comics they are pretty good banter on twitter too. One such is Matt Garvey. You’ll know the name from my reviews of things like The Ether and white NOIR. He is a champion for all those thinking about making their own jump into the world of comics, and a few weeks ago he was fielding questions from others about how to get published etc. Someone asked about getting their comics to reviewers and, well, obviously I immediately jumped in with both feet and said “send them to me”. The creator in question did, and what landed in my inbox was The Eelman Chronicles by Chris Spalton.
The Eelman Chronicles
The Eelman Chronicles are a series of short (3-6 pages), black and white comics, all detailing true stories involving his dad, the last remaining eel catcher in England. Yes, that’s really a thing. The comics are equal parts touching recollections and laugh out loud hilarious. I don’t know about you, but I have this one colleague at work who always tells the most bonkers stories about her family. The kind that no-one would believe weren’t made up if you put them in a book. Well The Eelman Chronicles are those sort of stories in comic form.
And for anyone outside the UK who might read these comics, yes, they really are true!
I’m not going to go into too much detail plot wise. I’ll leave it to you to discover the true joys of the eelman. If these teasers whet your appetite, details of how you can get hold of the stories are at the end of the post.
1 – A Shot in the Dark
The first of the eelman’s adventures involves a very well known true crime story. Spalt the eelman encounters one of the two men who tried to burgle Tony Martin on that dark, fateful night.
2 – The Furious Ferret Fiasco
Issue 2 takes a look at some of the animal companions Spalt acquired over the years. A predilection for pets from the mustelidae family causes some bother and heartache in the Eelvan.
3 – A Right Royal Rigmarole
The Eelman meets her Majesty. Showcasing some stunning blagging talents, Spalt the Eelman gets permission to work on the Royal Estate at Sandringham and has a Royal encounter.
4 – A Double Dose of Jackanory
Continuing his exploration of his father’s furry friends, issue 4 is all about dogs. I think this one ties with issue 2 as my favourite, and it’s definitely the funniest. There were actual tears of laughter by the time I was through with this one.
Summary
So there you have it, four tiny teases of some really enjoyable, heart-warming and very funny comics. Going in I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect, especially given the title. What I found was a comic with fantastic storylines, great humour and a lot of potential.
If these have whet your appetite and you would like to read the adventures of Spalt for yourself then head on over to Chris’s site. You can choose how much you want to pay for each issue. Might I suggest trying issue one first. If you enjoy it and want the rest, please consider paying a little bit more for them when you do.
We’d also like to wish a very happy birthday to the Eelman himself. Hope you have a great day Spalt, eat some chocolate buttons for us!
