read yourself RAW - Profile: Nabiel Kanan

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NABIEL KANAN
Biography | Essential Reading | Selected Bibliography

BIOGRAPHY: Nabiel Kanan (1971- ), pronouced "na-BEEL ka-NAAN", now publishes his own comics under his New Flame Publishing imprint. In the 1990's he produced the award winning Exit series before releasing the Eisner Award nominated Lost Girl and The Birthday Riots graphic novels. He lives and works in Derby, UK, where he divides his time between comics, graphic novels and commercial illustration work. He does not grant interviews and prefers his work to speak for itself. Resources: Nabiel Kanan NBM Publishing Reviews: The Comics Reporter: The Drowners Paul Gravett: The Birthday Riots Ninth Art: The Birthday Riots		ESSENTIAL READING:
		The Drowners Image, 2006 James Quinn has built himself a dotcom empire. But when that empire starts to fall, dark secrets from his past emerge, not least of which is the drowning years earlier of a beautiful, mysterious young woman whose presence still haunts him. "Kanan is young and British, lives in Derby in the Midlands, makes his living as a commercial illustrator, plays the guitar badly and does not do interviews. He wants his work to speak for him, and it does, eloquently, in a strong, subtle, singular voice. I had the luck to meet him and get to know him a little this year during his first visit to France's Angouleme Comics Festival, helping him cope with the culture shock of experiencing comics as a vibrant medium and multi-faceted industry. He impressed me as a thoughtful, sensitive young man, quietly passionate about making comics and telling stories in his own way." Paul Gravett

		The Birthday Riots NBM, 2001 It is a time of upheaval and civil unrest, but for Max Collins life is sweet. As campaign advisor to London mayoral candidate Thom Conran, he can always escape the pressures of the political arena and London city life to his country retreat. There he can enjoy life and watch the world go by, far from the madding crowd. But when his errant daughter, whose fifteenth birthday is imminent, becomes embroiled in the politics of change that is sweeping the nation, when the problems show up literally right in his own backyard, Max's true colours begin to surface as he becomes torn between his current political allegiances and his more radical past. And all the while, the madding crowd is getting closer. "Kanan is spot on with his dialogue, recording the pauses, hesitancy and individuality of natural speech, allied with perceptive physical interaction and with telling facial expressions, albeit usually unmelodramatic and understated. Above all, The Birthday Riots proves Kanan's ever growing mastery of every element of comics' vocabulary." Paul Gravett, The Comics Journal #245 "Ultimately, The Birthday Riots is the unflinching portrayal of a man who isn't perfect, and what he does when he finally realises that. While elements are tragic, the story as a whole is a great deal more than that. One part political diatribe and one part character study, its literature with a capital 'L', and quite unlike anything else on the market. That alone should be recommendation enough." Ninth Art

		Lost Girl NBM, 1999 Lost Girl is the story of a young girl, close to womanhood, on vacation with her family, who is befriended by another girl. Freespirited, mysterious, even possibly dangerous, her new acquaintance is fascinating and her rebellious ways alluring, yet she remains frustratingly elusive. "A surprisingly complex mystery often advanced by Kanan's smart cinematic frames." Kirkus Reviews

		SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY:
		Graphic Novels: The Drowners (2006) The Birthday Riots (2001) Lost Girl (1999) Exit : Under The Sun (1996) Short Stories: Shock Of Recognition (2004) in The Comics Journal Special #4 Periodicals: The Drowners #1-4 (2003-2004) Now & Then #1 (2004) Exit #1-5, epilogue (1995-1997), Caliber Comics Exit #1-8 (1992-1994), Taxi Comics