Colonialism In The Age of Steampunk

Steampunk, Victoriana, retro-futurism, or whatever else you may call it, has firm roots in the colonial era, but this does not mean Steampunks celebrate colonialism.

“We love the creativity of steampunk, playing with fiction and elements of Victoriana and history to create vibrant fantastical worlds. But one of those elements is colonialism, and colonialism has caused harm”.

We have created a badge to reflect the ongoing fight for social justice. 100% of all funds raised will go to support the Il’laramatak Community Concerns (NGO), who protect young Kenyan girls (Kajiado Girls) from being robbed of their basic human rights and forced into child marriages, and FGM.

Yomi Ayeni, author of Clockwork Watch has written a piece on Medium.

Sins of My Father…

Before Clockwork Watch became a massive graphic novel series, it was a humble film script that told the tale of a white man who fell in love with a black woman, in a world where such an affair was forbidden.

That woman embodied the future of humanity, the fate of an angry young Sikh boy, and the advancement of a practice called science.

The man is a scientist, the woman – an automaton. And this is the story of what happened next…

Sins of My Father” is the 9th book in the series, and the first introduction to the main protagonists in the original feature length screenplay.

Work in progress by Jennie Gyllblad, edited by Corey Brotherson, written by Yomi Ayeni

It’s That Time Again…

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For the past four years, Corey and I have braved the Wild Wild West to exhibit / launch our new titles at the phenomenon called San Diego Comic Con, probably the world’s biggest comic art convention, which is rumoured to have 180 thousand attendees every day. The experience is daunting, as we are probably the only black British independent creators in the Small Press section of the event.

Preparing for the adventure usually starts around November, when we realise it’s almost too late to get the next book ready for the Con which takes place in July. Corey (editor/adapting writer) – a very busy man, with several other writing projects on-the-go, has consistently nursed every book through to publication. Not much would happen without his support, and ingenuity, he is the backbone of Clockwork Watch.

Part of the process involves making sure our artists  (Jennie Gyllblad and most recently Ed Jiménez) has the time to finish the pages, checking-in with our letterer, Mike Stock, to see if he can fit us in, (he usually has a holiday scheduled around Comic Con time), and not forgetting our esteemed Fabio – Creative Director of FEST in Portugal, who works tirelessly to design a new title for every book.

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So, here we are again – flight and accommodation booked (at great expense), bags packed, and we’re almost ready for the ‘big off’,

Ahhh, and the new book “Evolution” is currently being printed in Memphis. It is way cheaper than shipping the books from the UK. Can you imagine the disaster IF they were seized, delayed, or returned to the UK by US customs? Perish the thought…

You can find us at  P-09 in the Small Press section,where we will have the new book, the Clockwork Watch: Omnibus, Tick Tock IPA: Omnibus, posters, and warm smiles.

For SCIENCE!

Yomi Ayeni
Creator of Clockwork Watch

#SDCC #BlackWriters #Steampunk #SDCC2017 #SDCC17

 

When Three Become One, It’s Alchemy.

As the first part of our story concludes, we’ve put together a book that includes every step taken over the past 6-years.

Behold the Clockwork Watch Omnibus, a combination of The Arrival, Breakaway, and Countenance, all part of our interactive and participatory storytelling, with a decent dose of and fantastical fun!

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Maybe It’s Because I’m A Londoner…

Just like Victorian drama’s such as Ripper St, Holmes, etc, a fair bit of Clockwork Watch is set in and around London. One of the aims of this project is to highlight and hopefully celebrate a heritage that is gradually being forgotten, abandoned, or bulldozed to make way for a upmarket housing developments.

Tick Tock IPA is mainly located around the East End of the city, and has references to landmarks that still exist. One such place is the legendary drinking hole The George Tavern, which was established in 1623.

It’s a place that has seen centuries of trends, fads, and scenes, but what is it doing in the Steampunk universe of Clockwork Watch?

The George Tavern

The George Tavern