Words by Olly MacNamee
On Saturday 9th April at 6.30pm, graphic novelist & author Mike Carey (X-Men, Lucifer) comes to Birmingham’s High Street branch of Waterstones – signing to sign copies of his latest novel, Fellside.
The Mike Carey signing (or M R Carey as he is known as a prose writer) is a free event, organised in conjunction with The Birmingham Comics Festival. For direct info from Waterstones, click here
Carey’s writing career has seen him writing for Marvel (Fantastic Four, The X-Men), Rebellion (2000AD) and DC Comics offshoot Vertigo (Lucifer – now a FOX TV series). Amongst the comic book fans of this world, he’s something of a name.
Carey is much more than a comic book writer though and has also found the time to forge a successful career as an author – hence this signing of Fellside, a thriller set in a maximum security prison on the edge of the Yorkshire Moors.
Carey’s most notable prose work to date is arguably his 2014 novel The Girl With All The Gifts, which is currently being adapted into the film She Who Brings Gifts, starring Glen Close, Gemma Arterton and Paddy Considine. The film was partly filmed in the mean streets of Birmingham itself last summer, when a portion of Brum’s streets were turned into a facsimile of a dystopian future.
Arguably, Carey is as well known as an author as he is a comic book creator – and probably about to become even better known once She Who Brings Gifts hits cinemas later this year. I will always fondly remember the time I met Neil Gamain on his tour for his novel American Gods, back in the day. It’s doubtful I would ever get such a chance again, and this signing could be a similar one-off opportunity to meet Mike Carey.
The M R Carey signing a free event, but it will be ticketed and I’d make sure you book before venturing into town.
Having made his name as a comic book writer, I expect this will be more intense than your average signing – with plenty of comic book fans ready in the wings with arms full of things to be signed. You may find yourselves standing in a slower moving queue than expected.
Either drop into Waterstones or phone and reserve your ticket on 0121 633 4353. Alternatively, you can tweet your request to @waterstonesbham
For more information, visit https://www.waterstones.com/events/meet-m-r-carey/birmingham-high-street
For more on Mike Carey / M R Carey, visit http://mikeandpeter.com/
