Fiction and Folklore
Characters, themes and stories echo all across the world, regardless of where we are. There is a shared language in stories, a common ground and this collection celebrates that. Compiled with the help of the New Scots community in Inverclyde and published by Inverclyde Community Development Trust with the support of the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
The book is available to read for free online, and you can also hear recorded versions of the stories.
Haunted Voices
Spooky lamplighter tale 'The Leerie' features in this collection of Scottish Gothic storytelling from Haunt Publishing. For the authentic fireside story experience, it is also available as an audiobook.
The Superpower Project
With the help of a wisecracking, steampunk robot, two accidental superheroes discover that they have inherited some amazing, if unusual, abilities. Computer whiz Megan can fly (mostly sleep-flying, but she's working on it) while her best friend Cam can (in theory) transform into any animal, but mostly ends up as a were-hamster.
Meet them all and hear about some of the strange things going on in your home town...
Wee Nasties is an early years book, introducing younger readers to some of the myths and legends of the West Coast of Scotland.
With weeks until he and his colleagues are made redundant, he has chosen to explore the life and legend of the doomed Scottish pirate, Captain William Kidd.
Using contemporary documents such as letters home, poetry, propaganda and military records, this graphic novel explores the story of the catastrophic Gallipoli campaign, and the involvement of the 5th Argylls.
Suggested for mature audiences due to scenes of warfare which some people may find upsetting or disturbing.
Originally funded by Heritage Lottery Fund. 2016 CAHG Award Winner for Innovation.
Artwork Andy Lee.
Hardcover, 44 pages, A5, black n white.
There’s a war on. Well, two wars really.
There’s the one everyone knows about, with soldiers and bombers, and then there’s the other one, with spells, magical swords, zombies and giant ravens.
The Rowan Tree Legion are here to help us win both.
Artwork Andy Lee.
64 pages, A4, full colour throughout.
The Superpower Project
With the help of a wisecracking, steampunk robot, two accidental superheroes discover that they have inherited some amazing, if unusual, abilities. Computer whiz Megan can fly (mostly sleep-flying, but she's working on it) while her best friend Cam can (in theory) transform into any animal, but mostly ends up as a were-hamster.
Together they must protect the source of their ancestral powers from a wannabe evil mastermind and his gang of industrial transformer robots who've disguised themselves as modern art installations on their Greenock estate.
It isn't easy to balance school and epic super-battles, not to mention finding time to search for other super-talents and train with their Mr Miyagi-esque were-tiger coach. Can Megan and Cam beat the bad guy, defeat his robot transformers and become the superheroes they were born to be?
The Superpower Project was my first childrens book, it was shortlisted for the Kelpies Prize in 2014. and featured in the Summer Reading Challenge and First Minister's Reading Challenge. It is available via amazon. A new print edition and comic adaptation are forthcoming.
Wee Nasties
There's all sorts of Wee Nasties hiding around Inverclyde, a bogle with smelly feet, a grumpy old wizard casting cheeky spells, and even a (mostly) friendly monster in the river.Meet them all and hear about some of the strange things going on in your home town...
Wee Nasties is an early years book, introducing younger readers to some of the myths and legends of the West Coast of Scotland.
You can listen to a recorded version here and purchase via Magic Torch Comics.
Comics and Graphic Novels
(unless otherwise stated, available for purchase via Magic Torch Comics shop)
I Thought I Was Undone
Mark is organising the final exhibition in a museum which is about to close.With weeks until he and his colleagues are made redundant, he has chosen to explore the life and legend of the doomed Scottish pirate, Captain William Kidd.
As he digs into the strange story of the pirate, and wanders the blurred line between fact and fiction, history and myth, Mark begins to realise there is something strange going on at the museum...
Featuring buried treasure, secret maps, sea shanties, courtroom drama, creatures from beyond and unreliable photocopiers, this story about the history and mystery of Scottish pirate, Captain William Kidd, will be published in 2021, raising funds for mental health support services in Inverclyde.
Featuring buried treasure, secret maps, sea shanties, courtroom drama, creatures from beyond and unreliable photocopiers, this story about the history and mystery of Scottish pirate, Captain William Kidd, will be published in 2021, raising funds for mental health support services in Inverclyde.
1820 - Paisley Radicals
Throughout 2020 and 2021, Paisley is recognising and celebrating the vital part it played in the Radical War of 1820.
This comic, supported by Renfrewshire Council Community Heritage and Events Fund, explores the story of the Paisley Radicals. A digital version was released in April 2020 and it is available to read for free online.
An expanded physical edition will be made available free to libraries, schools and community venues across Renfrewshire in 2021.
Artwork by Dylan Gibson.
Aye, It Wis Aabody - A Story of Scotland's Role in the Slave Trade
‘Aye, it wis aabody’ is a community heritage project that explores Scotland’s links with chattel slavery in the Caribbean, through the experience of one rural community and their school. It was developed and run by Birse Community Trust and funded by National Lottery Heritage Fund.
Artwork by Mhairi Robertson.
The Stowaways
The Arran left Greenock in April 1868, bound for Quebec. Seven boys stowed away on board. Not all of them came home. This is their story.The comic version was adapted from John Donald’s The Stowaways and Other Sea Sketches (1928) with artwork by Mhairi Robertson. A digital version is available to read for free online.
Achi Baba - Gallipoli 1915
In 1915, Allied forces attempted to end the stalemate on the Western Front by advancing into the Ottoman Empire. The campaign was a failure.Using contemporary documents such as letters home, poetry, propaganda and military records, this graphic novel explores the story of the catastrophic Gallipoli campaign, and the involvement of the 5th Argylls.
Suggested for mature audiences due to scenes of warfare which some people may find upsetting or disturbing.
Originally funded by Heritage Lottery Fund. 2016 CAHG Award Winner for Innovation.
Artwork Andy Lee.
Hardcover, 44 pages, A5, black n white.
The Skeleton Key - An Adventure of the Rowan Tree Legion
“We shall fight them on the beaches...and in the caves, and the castles, and in the graveyards and the tombs, and all across the ever darkening sky. We shall never surrender.”There’s a war on. Well, two wars really.
There’s the one everyone knows about, with soldiers and bombers, and then there’s the other one, with spells, magical swords, zombies and giant ravens.
The Rowan Tree Legion are here to help us win both.
Artwork Mhairi Robertson
44 full colour A4 pages. All ages.
44 full colour A4 pages. All ages.
Tales of the Oak
A terrifying selection of stories adapted from and inspired by Clyde valley folklore and legends. Within are cursed treasure maps, serpent worshipping cultists, trolls, ghosts, undead pirates and graverobbers.Artwork Andy Lee.
64 pages, A4, full colour throughout.
You can read much more of my comics work on Magic Torch Comics ISSUU page - including ghost stories, lockdown tales, Gaelic folklore, stories of mental health awareness, kinship care and more.
