Safety First: Railway Safety Comic, Eighteen, To Launch At MCM Birmingham This Weekend
by Olly MacNamee
Network Rail and 23red are relaunching their safety film, Eighteen, which teaches young people about the dangers of electrified railways. But, this time round, it’s also launching with an accompanying 32 page comic too.
And, that’s where Birmingham based Time Bomb Comics comes into the picture, headed by Steve Tanner. Adapting the short film into a comic book version of Eighteen follows the same storyline as the film whilst adding a fresh dimension to it by examining some scenes in more detail. Alongside Tanner is writer Richmond A Clements, artist Gary Crutchley, colourist Matt Soffe and letterer Bolt-01.
Stuart Humphreys, Senior Communications Manager for Network Rail, recognises the appeal of comic books with the public, and so its qs a no-brainer to him:
Comic books and graphic novels are not only cool, which means people are more likely to accept and read one than a leaflet, but they use visual, spatial and textual cues to formulate one solid understanding of the story. So, as well as being entertaining, these books require more investment from the reader and are therefore more memorable.
As for the comic? Well, it launches this weekend at MCM Comics Con Birmingham where you can grab yourself a free copy between 11am and 12pm on Saturday 16th November. Lookout for Steve Tanner and his Time Bomb Comic stall in the Comic Village.
