News / 28 Nov 2024
MA Illustration with Graphic Novel graduate chairs Thought Bubble panel
MA Illustration with Graphic Novel
Blake Sampson recently graduated from MA Illustration with Graphic Novel, and took their dissertation beyond university to chair a packed-out Monster Portraiture panel talk, which put questions to high-profile comic creators at this year's Thought Bubble festival 2024.
Blake's MA dissertation explored the usage of monster as a tool of self-portraiture after being inspired by E.M. Carroll’s 'A Guest in the House'. It explores the self and its deep facets by using monstrous figures to represent aspects of ourselves which we can bicker and fight with. The dissertation attempts to prove the notion that 'the monster has become us' and that this idea exists in contemporary works by Rachael Smith, Zoe Thorogood, and ND Stevenson’s 'Nimona', to name a few, but also in classics such as Mary Shelley’s 'Frankenstein'.
During their MA, Blake was supported by MA Illustration with Graphic Novel Senior Lecturer, Beth Duggleby, and the University’s partnership with Thought Bubble. Thought Bubble's Festival Director, Chloe Green, a fellow alumna of the course, encouraged Blake to reach out and apply to speak at this year’s festival.
"Beth was fantastic. The time and expertise of Beth and my peers has led to my success. I came on to the course with lots of thoughts and ideas that I couldn't organise into cohesive thinking, but her support led to my dissertation. And I wouldn't have applied for Thought Bubble without the talk from Chloe we received during the course."
Blake Sampson, MA Illustration with Graphic Novel graduate
"It took a lot of guts for Blake to approach the festival and be chosen as well as to be up for the public speaking element. On the day, their room was really full and they asked some great questions to the guests with lots of people coming up to them after to ask to read their dissertation."
Beth Duggleby, MA Illustration with Graphic Novel Senior Lecturer
Blake was selected to host and chair the Monster Portraiture panel and met some of the comic-creators they had been inspired and wrote about in their dissertation, such as Zara Slattery, Zoe Thorogood, and Rachael Smith, fielding academic questions and discussions with them and the audience.
"I treated the panel as if no one knew what the monster portraiture concept was and made sure I and the panel explained everything clearly. Zoe was really, really good at sparking discussions, and Zara said a lot of stuff I hadn't expected which was very interesting. People in the audience were asking about how they could get hold of my dissertation which was incredible, and I am now trying to publish and promote it."
Blake Sampson, MA Illustration with Graphic Novel graduate
Blake is now working toward applying for the First Graphic Novel award 2025 in the hope of publishing their work.