ELCAF 2018 - Who to look for....

Back to the irregular series of articles about who you need to look for at the East London Comics Art Festival (ELCAF) 2018. This great festival will soon be happening in trendy East London at The Round Chapel, 1d Glenarm Road, London, E5 0LY.

(A self portrait by the artist himself - you’ll see more mentions of read later.)

Do you like drinking tea? (Told you.) Do you like big ideas told with gentility and thoughtfulness? Then Andy Poyiadgi may have what you are looking for. I’ve been following Andy’s work for years and he’s the guy who introduced me to Angela at Nobrow many moons ago. I started reading his work with the short fold-out comic ‘Tea Pot Therapy’. A book that snatched moments of time and presented them to you with warmth and insight. In fact every single thing this guy produces is worth your time and money. From the stark and heartbreaking moments of ‘Veripathy’ to the meticulously coloured suburban moments of ’Lost Property’. 

You’ll see from his website (details at the bottom of the page) that he is also a busy filmmaker with many credits to his name. Andy’s is always a table to drop by and chat. 

If I had to choose a book from him it would probably be ‘Veripathy’. A sci-fi idea that is not what you would expect. It’s a big idea that could, in other less careful hands, be stretched out to an entire series. But Andy crafts the ideas with such beautifully economic lines and soulful honesty that it’s a brief read but one that will make you linger in your day and think about. I refuse to spoil.

(A page from Andy Poyiadgi’s one-shot comic Veripathy.)

Highly recommended.

Here’s what his website says about him;

‘Andy's first comic Teapot Therapy was shortlisted for the Observer Graphic Short Story Prize and was coloured with genuine English Breakfast tea. It has been exhibited at the Mall Galleries and Foyles bookstore in London and at the The Lakes International Comic Art Festival.

He has contributed to various anthologies and produced a strip for Shots magazine, taking an irreverent look at the world of advertising and film.

His debut book, Lost Property, was published by Nobrow Press. It was nominated for Best Comic at the 2015 British Comic Awards and was voted Best One-Shot at the Broken Frontier Awards.

Above all else, he likes a good brew.’

I can’t wait to see what else he has in the planning.

Find more about Andy at http://www.ajpoyiadgi.com/comics/ or follow him on Twitter @ajpoyiadgi