Nobrow Press

I've been meaning to write something about Nobrow Press for months and the release of the latest issue of their magazine, (also called Nobrow), seems like a good time to finally do so. I found Nobrow by accident. For several months I walked past their Great Eastern Street shopfront on my way to and from work. The shop was always closed at the times I walked past it, but on the blinds was a procession of monsters carrying shopping bags. It was such a fun and unusual image that I eventually made the effort to get there when it was open.

It turned out that Nobrow is a publisher, printer, shop and gallery that focuses primarily on making, selling and exhibiting illustrated books and screen-prints, though lately they've branched out into other products including cushions, tote bags and wrapping paper. Their books are beautifully made, with a strong emphasis on quality, the aim being that they are “not only filled with great work, but that themselves are art objects, to be coveted, collected and cherished”.

Their books are indeed lovely and if I had a small fortune in need of spending this would definitely be one of the shops where I'd be spending it. Unfortunately, I don't, so I've had to restrict myself to the occasional, carefully considered purchase from Nobrow.

Abecederia by Blexbolex (£10) is a surreal and creepy narrative about two criminals who attempt to hide from the law in the totalitarian settlement of Abcederia. I loved the horrible story, but was less keen on the minimalistic illustrations, which form an abecedarium. It's a neat touch, but it doesn't really add anything to the book.

Ouroboros by Ben Newman (£6.50) is a wordless comic with a simple, if bizarre, revenge story. The illustrations are more attractive than Abcederia's, but the story is much less compelling.

Hildafolk by Luke Pearson (£6.50) is adorable. This is the only book I've bought from Nobrow that's suitable for children and I'd highly recommend it, with one caveat - it's too short. It's about a girl called Hilda, who lives in a fantastical version of Scandinavia, and her encounter with a troll. The story is sweet and the illustrations are charming, and it did so well that Luke Pearson is going to be doing a Hilda series for Nobrow. These books will be longer and it sounds as though they'll be in a European album format. The first one, (which is actually out this week!), will be Hilda and the Midnight Giant.

Nobrow 6: The Double (£15) is the latest issue of Nobrow's biannual magazine. Half of the issue is comics and half illustrations, all based around the theme of “the double”. As with any kind of anthology it's a mixed bag – there are some artists whose work I'll look for in the future and some I won't. Honestly, I mainly bought it because of the Tom Gauld cover and poster. (All of his work is also on my imaginary-fortune shopping list.)