Blank Slate Books

The name of the company was a pun on "drawing" or "writing" on a blackboard. BSB was one of the few dedicated original comics and graphic novel publishers in the UK.

• Status — Defunct, c. 2016 • Founded — 2008 • Founders — Kenny Penman and James Hamilton • Country — United Kingdom • Headquarters — London • Distribution — Turnaround Publisher Services • Keypeople — Kenny Penman, Iz Rips • Publications — Books, comic books • Imprints — Chalk Marks • Url — www.blankslatebooks.co.uk

Blank Slate Books (BSB) was founded in 2008 by Kenny Penman and partner James Hamilton. Penman was inspired by Fantagraphics Books of Seattle, WA, to publish books in the United Kingdom that would do for artists in Britain what Fantagraphics was doing in the US, championing independent, alternative creators who were not working in superhero or other ‘mainstream’ commercial comics genres. Penman was co-director of Forbidden Planet International, and had plenty of experience with the comics industry. He saw the mission of BSB as "supporting home-grown talent" and providing an essential outlet for work that might not be seen elsewhere. He was primarily motivated to begin the company after encountering the work of Oliver East, who had no real precedents in UK comics. The publication of Trains Are Mint by East was BSB's first release in 2008 and was critically acclaimed, with an Ignatz award nomination following soon after publication. Other notable releases were Psychiatric Tales by Darryl Cunningham, another non-genre work which was featured on Radio 4, in many newspaper articles, and eventually republished in the USA. The "collective graphic novel" Nelson, edited by Rob Davis and Woodrow Phoenix, was an experiment that became The Observer newspaper's Graphic Novel of The Month, November 2011. The Times newspaper awarded it Best Graphic Novel of 2011, it was nominated for an Eisner Award, and was voted Book of The Year in the British Comic Awards 2012. Penman's other mission was to introduce titles from European countries to the UK that otherwise might not be seen. He focused primarily upon German titles by creators such as Mawil, Line Hoven, and Ule Osterle, who starred in Germany but little known in the UK. BSB published six to eight books a year. In 2012 Woodrow Phoenix, himself an acclaimed author of graphic novels, became art director of the company, supervising BSB's design and production. Blank Slate Books ceased publishing around 2016.

• Berlin and That (vol. 3) by Oliver East (2010) • Death & The Girls by Donya Todd (Aug 2012) • Dinopopolous by Nick Edwards (Aug 2011) • The Girl and the Gorilla by Madéleine Flores (2010) • Kochi Wanaba by Jamie Smart (Mar 2012) • A Long Day of Mr. James — Teacher by James Harvey (2011) • My Skateboard Life by Ed Syder (2011) • Peepholes by Laurie J. Proud (2011) • Playing Out by Jim Medway (Aug 2012) • Proper Go Well High by Oliver East (2008) • Psychiatric Tales by Darryl Cunningham (2010) • Spleenal (vol. 6 of Slate) by Nigel Auchterlounie (2009) • The Suitcase by Dan Berry (2012) • The Survivalist by Box Brown (2011) • Swear Down by Oliver East (Dec 2012) • Take Away by Lizz Lunney (Apr 2014) • Trains Are... Mint by Oliver East (2008) • Weak As I Am (vol. 3) by Nigel Auchterlounie (2015)

• The Band by Mawil (2011) • Departures by Pierre Maurel (Apr 2012) • Luchadoras by Peggy Adam (2011) • Hector Umbra by Uli Oesterle, translated by Iz Rips (2011) • Home & Away by Mawil (2011) • Love Looks Away by Line Hoven (2013) • Sleepyheads by Randall C. (2011) • Sparky O’Hare, Master Electrician by Mawil (2008) • We Can Still Be Friends by Mawil (2008)