Slab-O-Concrete

Slab-O-Concrete Productions was a British independent publishing and mail-order distribution venture associated with the small-press comics and zine communities of the 1990s. Founded by Peter Pavement, Dave Hanna, Emma Copsey and Chris Tappenden, it began in Sheffield and initially circulated British underground comics, zines and related printed matter, including work connected with Pavement's own comics. The company later moved to Hove in 1995 and became closely associated with Brighton and Hove's alternative cultural scene. Rather than concentrating on conventional newsstand comic books, Slab-O-Concrete built relationships with independent publishers, zinesters, artists, alternative music labels and other subcultural networks. Its distribution activity included publications from the United Kingdom as well as imported material from the United States, Australia and continental Europe. This gave the company a role as a bridge between local small-press production and the specialist bookshop market. By 1994, Slab-O-Concrete had expanded from distribution into publishing. It repackaged selected comics and zines in formats suitable for bookshops while also commissioning and originating new work. Its catalogue included creators such as Jessica Abel, Ian Carney, Craig Conlan, Alan Moore, Woodrow Phoenix and Aleksandar Zograf. The output ranged from minicomics and graphic narratives to anthologies, exhibition catalogues, zines and prose books. It also experimented beyond print, issuing music-related products such as art-and-record packages and compact discs. The company was especially notable for projects that connected comics with political, social and international themes. In 1998 it worked with Amnesty International on four 16-page minicomics addressing human-rights issues in Burma, Brazil, the United States, Saudi Arabia and Romania. The publications were designed with card covers so that they could be sealed and mailed as postcards. In 1999, Slab-O-Concrete issued The Worm: The Longest Comic Strip in the World, a collaborative project involving Alan Moore and more than 125 British cartoonists, produced with the Cartoon Art Trust and the Swedish Council for Cultural Affairs. The work included English, Swedish and French introductory material. During the late 1990s, the publishing programme grew rapidly. Alongside comics, the company released alternative-cultural and media-related prose, including material on fanzines, alternative comics, digital television and millennial culture. This expansion increased the breadth of the catalogue but also exposed the business to the financial pressures of independent publishing and book distribution. Slab-O-Concrete collapsed in 2001 after changes in book-industry policies contributed to cash-flow problems. It is therefore remembered less as a conventional mass-market publisher than as an important British infrastructure and publishing outlet for underground comics, zines and adjacent independent cultural production during the 1990s.

Slab-O-Concrete Productions emerged from the British small-press comics and zine culture of the early 1990s. The venture was founded by Peter Pavement, Dave Hanna, Emma Copsey and Chris Tappenden and was originally based in Sheffield. Its early identity was that of a mail-order distributor, circulating British independently produced comics and zines, including material connected with Pavement's own comics work. It also imported small-press publications from the United States, Australia and Europe. The company deliberately operated outside the conventional comic-book distribution system. Instead of focusing on established superhero or mainstream newsstand titles, it cultivated links with underground publishers, individual zinesters, independent record labels and related alternative-cultural communities. This network allowed Slab-O-Concrete to function both as a distributor and as a point of discovery for readers and specialist retailers interested in experimental comics and self-published work. In 1994, the business developed into a publisher. It began repackaging small-press comics and zines in editions intended for bookshops, while also commissioning original projects. The resulting list included work by Jessica Abel, Ian Carney, Craig Conlan, Alan Moore, Woodrow Phoenix and Aleksandar Zograf, among many other creators. Its catalogue was stylistically and geographically diverse, covering autobiographical, political, satirical, experimental and alternative-popular material. Slab-O-Concrete moved from Sheffield to Hove in 1995. The relocation placed it within the cultural orbit of Brighton and Hove, which had a strong independent arts, music and publishing community. During the second half of the decade, the company broadened its output substantially. In addition to comics and minicomics, it published zines, prose books, cultural journals and exhibition-related material. It also entered music publishing, issuing releases that combined recordings with visual art or were connected to artists from the independent music scene. Several projects demonstrated the publisher's interest in using comics as a vehicle for public education and political communication. In 1998, it partnered with Amnesty International on four short minicomics. A Bowl of Rice by Ilya addressed the persecution and forced displacement of Shan rice farmers in Burma. Enrique Rodríguez's Freedom from Discrimination dealt with abuse of street children in Brazil and undocumented, unaccompanied immigrant children in the United States. Dan Jones's Just Deserts concerned a Filipino migrant worker falsely convicted and punished in Saudi Arabia. Peter Arkle's Love told the story of Mariana Cetiner, a Romanian woman imprisoned after allegedly attempting to seduce another woman. The 16-page works had card covers and could be sealed and mailed as postcards. In 1999, the publisher released Donna's Day by Donna Mathes and Peter Bagge in a similar mailable-minicomic format. It also issued The Worm: The Longest Comic Strip in the World, a large collaborative project associated with Alan Moore and a group of more than 125 British cartoonists. Created during a single working day, the wordless strip was published with the Cartoon Art Trust and the Swedish Council for Cultural Affairs. Supporting material appeared in English, Swedish and French, reflecting the project's international cultural framing. The late-1990s expansion produced a substantial list. Comics and related works included Anarchy in the UK: The Comic, The End of the Century Club: Countdown, Bulletins from Serbia, Eager Beaver, The Slab-O-Concrete Inactivity Book, Punk Strips, Spiral Dreams and XXX (Strip) Burger. The prose list included Below Critical Radar, an examination of fanzines and alternative comics, as well as Cometbus, Spy TV and journals concerning millennial culture. Music-related releases included Jackpot by Jad Fair and Jason Willett, 17%: Hendrix Was Not the Only Musician! by Billy Childish and His Famous Headcoats, and The Attack of Everything by Jad Fair and Jason Willett. The scale of the publishing programme eventually created financial vulnerability. Slab-O-Concrete collapsed in 2001, with changes in book-industry policies contributing to cash-flow problems. Although its operating life was relatively short, the company left a distinctive record as a British publisher and distributor that helped move underground comics and zines from informal small-press networks into specialist bookshops, while retaining their experimental and oppositional character.

• 2001

  Operations collapse

  [1]Slab-O-Concreteen.wikipedia.org

  The publisher collapses after book-industry policy changes contribute to cash-flow problems during a period of rapid catalogue expansion.

• 1999

  Publication of The Worm

  [1]Slab-O-Concreteen.wikipedia.org

  Slab-O-Concrete publishes a multilingual edition of The Worm: The Longest Comic Strip in the World, created collaboratively by more than 125 British cartoonists.

• 1998

  Amnesty International minicomic partnership

  [1]Slab-O-Concreteen.wikipedia.org

  Four short, postcard-format comics addressing human-rights issues are published in partnership with Amnesty International.

• 1995

  Relocation to Hove

  [1]Slab-O-Concreteen.wikipedia.org

  The company moves from Sheffield to Hove in the Brighton and Hove area.

• 1994

  The company becomes a publisher

  [1]Slab-O-Concreteen.wikipedia.org

  Slab-O-Concrete expands beyond distribution, publishing and repackaging small-press comics and zines for the bookshop market.

• 1990

  Slab-O-Concrete is founded

  [1]Slab-O-Concreteen.wikipedia.org

  Peter Pavement, Dave Hanna, Emma Copsey and Chris Tappenden establish the venture in Sheffield as a mail-order distributor associated with British small-press comics and zines.

An independent, countercultural publisher and distributor that brought underground comics, zines and related international small-press work to specialist bookshops and broader alternative-cultural audiences.

• Comics publishing · 1994

  Small-press comics and minicomics

  Slab-O-Concrete's core output consisted of underground and independent comics, including short minicomics, serialized projects, graphic narratives and creator-led anthologies. The company published both newly commissioned work and material adapted from the small-press world for specialist bookshops. Its list included politically engaged, autobiographical, experimental and humorous titles by British and international creators.

• Human-rights comics · 1998

  Amnesty International minicomics

  This 1998 group of four 16-page comics was produced with Amnesty International. The titles used accessible comic storytelling to address forced relocation and killings in Burma, discrimination and violence affecting children, the treatment of a Filipino migrant worker in Saudi Arabia, and the imprisonment of a Romanian woman accused of attempting to seduce another woman. Card covers allowed the publications to be sealed and mailed as postcards.

• Collaborative comic · 1999

  The Worm: The Longest Comic Strip in the World

  Published in 1999 with the Cartoon Art Trust and the Swedish Council for Cultural Affairs, The Worm assembled contributions from more than 125 British cartoonists working during a single day. The wordless strip was accompanied by explanatory and introductory material in English, Swedish and French, giving the project an international arts and cultural-exchange dimension.

• Book publishing · 1994

  Alternative prose and cultural books

  As its catalogue expanded, Slab-O-Concrete published prose and nonfiction connected with alternative culture, fanzines, comics, digital media and millennial thought. Examples included Below Critical Radar, Cometbus, Spy TV and publications related to The End of the Century Club. These books extended the company's remit beyond comics while retaining its independent and countercultural focus.

• Music publishing · 1997

  Music and art-record releases

  Slab-O-Concrete also issued music-related products, including recordings packaged with visual art or connected to independent musicians. The documented catalogue includes Jackpot—Songs and Art by Jad Fair and Jason Willett, 17%: Hendrix Was Not the Only Musician! by Billy Childish and His Famous Headcoats, and The Attack of Everything by Jad Fair and Jason Willett.

• 1999The Worm collaborative comics project

  United Kingdom · Sweden · International

  The publisher helped organize and issue a large collaborative wordless comic created by more than 125 British cartoonists in one working day.

  Outcome. The project was published with the Cartoon Art Trust and the Swedish Council for Cultural Affairs, with supporting text in English, Swedish and French.

  Source
• 1998Amnesty International Human-Rights Minicomics

  United Kingdom · International

  Slab-O-Concrete and Amnesty International used short postcard-format comics to communicate human-rights cases involving Burma, Brazil, the United States, Saudi Arabia and Romania.

  Outcome. Four minicomics were published: A Bowl of Rice, Freedom from Discrimination, Just Deserts and Love.

  Source

• 2001

  Cessation of operationsOther

  Background

  Rapid expansion of the publishing list coincided with changes in book-industry policies and growing cash-flow pressure.

  Action taken

  Slab-O-Concrete ceased operating after collapsing in 2001.

  Aftermath

  The brand became defunct, although its publications remain part of the documented history of British independent comics publishing.

  Source

• 1999

  Publication of The WormProduct launch

  Background

  The project was conceived as a major collaborative demonstration of British cartooning.

  Action taken

  Slab-O-Concrete published the wordless strip created by more than 125 cartoonists and partnered with cultural organizations for its presentation.

  Aftermath

  The release became one of the company's most prominent collaborative publishing projects.

  Source

• 1998

  Launch of Amnesty International minicomic seriesProduct launch

  Background

  Amnesty International sought accessible formats for communicating documented human-rights concerns.

  Action taken

  Slab-O-Concrete published four short, mailable comics in partnership with Amnesty International.

  Aftermath

  The project extended the publisher's use of comics into advocacy and public education.

  Source

• 1994

  Move from distribution into publishingStrategy

  Background

  The company had initially operated mainly as a mail-order distributor for small-press comics and zines.

  Action taken

  It began publishing original work and repackaging small-press material in editions aimed at the bookshop market.

  Aftermath

  The change broadened the catalogue and established Slab-O-Concrete as a publisher as well as a distributor.

  Source

1. 1Slab-O-Concreteen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Slab-O-Concrete at the Grand Comics Databasecomics.org