| The Flowfield Unity | |
|---|---|
| Author(s) | Adam York Gregory |
| Website | http://www.theflowfieldunity.com |
| Current status / schedule | Monday - Friday and Sunday |
| Launch date | 2005 |
| Genre(s) | Absurdist humor Non-fiction |
The Flowfield Unity is a hand-drawn, web and print comic by Adam York Gregory which began in 2005. The strips initially appeared in several UK-based publications such as the Paper Tiger Comix Anthology[1] and The Orphan Leaf Review[2] before debuting in US literary journals such as The Florida Review[3] and the Backwards City Review[4]. The Flowfield Unity moved online in 2005, initially hosted at Comic Genesis, then Smack Jeeves before becoming a member of the Transplant Comics collective in September 2006.
Contents |
Whilst The Flowfield Unity adheres to a set style visually, utilising monotone line drawings with heavy black inking, the subject matter varies greatly, however there are several recurring themes, notably the future, the failure of technology, social dislocation, puns and wordplay.
As of April 2008 The Flowfield Unity is available as a print collection. However, rather than rely on a traditional publishing route or print on demand services, the author hand makes every 80-page book himself, stating that 'The aim is to make each copy an individual and to keep the ethic of the comic itself alive in print'. Adam invites his readers to select any of the 300 or so strips available online for inclusion in their copy of the book, essentially making it totally customisable. Whilst this seems to have been a successful approach online, it has caused problems concerning ISBN and ISSN definitions. The method of publication, and the inherent variability of the content means that it can be considered both a book and a serial publication. Sally Brown of ISSN UK Centre, British Library[5], states, 'this is an unusual publication in the way that it is produced, and is not something we have come across before'. It looks likely that a compromise will be reached with a standardised release available through traditional retail outlets whilst the customisable versions will still be available for the comic's website.
As well as static comics, Adam also creates the occasional animation. These have mostly been music videos for various bands, most notably for the song My Black Dog by The Adventures of Loki. There have been persistent rumours on the comics site about a fully animated version of The Flowfield Unity, however other than an early version of the strip Corporate machine[6] this has yet to materialise.
On 20 January 2008 a strip apparently depicting believers of religion with empty heads was posted. The strip, Input Out[7] was used and displayed by several atheist websites and blogs, generating a heated discussion which resulted in several personal attacks against the artist. Adam York Gregory has repeatedly pointed to the blog post initially displayed below the strip which discusses the strips origin in relation to his own personal Humanist beliefs.
Adam York Gregory lives in the North West of the United Kingdom. He graduated from Lancaster University in 2001 and, after a brief stint as a biochemist, left to join the video Brighton game development company Wide Games (Now Zoe Mode) as a designer. He left Brighton in 2003 and took up employment as a typesetter at a small publishing house which is where he became interested in self-publishing and comics. It was also during this time that he started reviewing other comics for RedEye (formerly published by Accent UK[8]).