Hi, I’m Julian Hanshaw.

“When I’m drawing and make a bit of a mistake, I instantly go to ‘Command, Undo’, as if I am working on a computer.”

Sat on the mezzanine, in the Kino, I meet the multitalented Julian Hanshaw. To be honest, I am not sure which title to give him; comic author, graphic novelist, cartoonist, maybe dream weaver!

Images from Julian’s latest graphic novel Free Pass.

From studying Fine Art at Wolverhampton, how did you become focused on comic illustration?

Julian. My interest in comics started with my foundation course at Watford before studying fine art. I met a lad there who introduced me to The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers and U.S. underground indie stuff; I hadn’t seen comics like them before. The comics that I was familiar with were all Battle Action and things like that until that point.

I went to Wolverhampton to become a sculptor. In the first year, you studied different practices, and I fell into experimental filmmaking. I brought comics into that and started to do my animation, scratching onto a 16-millimetre film with a compass. We would develop our films and do all that kind of stuff. So I was in animation; what do I do with animation?

Next, I joined the animation course at the National Film and Television School. They take five students a year; I was initially rejected, but later accepted when someone else dropped out; I found this out when I broke into the tutor’s office to look through the files. It encouraged me, it made me like the runt, like I shouldn’t have been there.

The course was three years which gave me three films by the end of the course. You had to pitch each project to your tutors; you keep going back to them until they greenlight your idea. At the school you’ve got all the processes of making films, set design a music department, etc. So you tap into all these talented people to help make your films. It’s a pretty heady three years. I finished my film and it did well, it won an award over in Los Angeles.

In Warner Brothers L.A., a guy told me that I could get in the studio, but said “I don’t think you’re going to like it. You should be doing your own stuff. Looking at your show-reel; this isn’t for you.” I listened to him, I kind of regret maybe not going over there for a year, but he did make the right call not to enter the studio system. I found that out back in England; instead.

I did around 13 years over here, worked on BAFTA winning animation shows and all that kind of stuff. But I had to leave in the end; I didn’t enjoy the studio set-up or the backstabbing, the hierarchy and politics.

“The producer fired me while she was eating a jacket potato.”

A couple of weeks later, I stood on the desk on my last day, and I told everyone what I thought about them. I left the office and that was the end of my animation career. So it was time to reevaluate and remember how much that I loved comics.

I built up a relationship with Dan Franklin at Random House because they published Chris Ware and Daniel Clowes and that is where I was kind of aiming. I kept applying, but it was not quite the right fit. He suggested that I try the Observer Comica Graphic Short Story Prize; I hadn’t heard of it. The closing deadline was two to three weeks away. So, I put together my story, which I based on the Sound Mirrors of Denge, and it won!

Can you tell us about your next book, Free Pass?

Julian. A young couple working in Big Tech, both of them have different political views. One feels that he can’t express his true political ideals because he is witnessing censorship within his job, and he’s applied self-censorship to himself. So the book is about the dialogue, censorship, and morals that play out while an election is taking place. Also, the couple gets an A.I. sex robot that can morph into anybody you choose with an internet presence, so they have to come up with a free pass list, deciding who they will invite into their bedroom; that list could potentially involve friends and celebrities. Are they being honest with each other? Are they being honest with each other politically as well?

You can find your comics within Rye Harbour Nature Reserve; how did that come about?

Julian. I had written several short stories in my GN I’m Never Coming Back; one of the stories is based around the Rye Harbour Pillboxes. Like many people that have moved down to Rye, you become curious about the history of the place. So, I began reading about the Second World War and the stories about how Rye and this whole coastline featured. I spent time at the Imperial War Museum reading stories from people stationed down here.

I pitched them to the Arts Council, who suggested the National Heritage, and they got on board with it. When I walk through there, which I do a lot, I love to see people reading them; it’s very gratifying.

Julian Hanshaw’s new graphic novel Free Pass is out Spring 2022, to keep up to date follow him on Instagram @hanshawjulian and check out his other titles: The Art of Pho, I’m Never Coming Back, Tim Ginger and Cloud Hotel.