Benjamin Read tells stories, whether they’re novels, comics, or films (or just massive fibs). He wrote the multi-award nominated graphic novel series, Porcelain, and is co-creator of the bestselling children’s book series, The Midnight Hour. One of the founder members of the Improper Books studio, he’s written a host of other comics including Briar, Butterfly Gate, Night Post, True Grit and Super 8. Ben is fuelled by tea and, increasingly, whisky and regret. 

benjaminread.co.uk

Chris Wildgoose is a comic artist, concept artist, and a co-founder of the indie comics studio, Improper Books. He is known for his work on the Porcelain series, Batgirl: Rebirth, and most recently the Ringo award winning The Hunger and the Dusk. As a concept artist he has worked on films and TV for Amazon, Disney, HBO and Paramount. Perhaps his proudest achievement, he won first prize for his raspberry jam at the Ipplepen village fair, 2023. 

chriswildgoose.com / @MrRiktus
Art Sales: geoffmart.com

Laura Trinder illustrates and edits children’s books. She even enjoys tidying them and can’t help it while browsing bookshops (curse of the ex-bookseller). She co-founded Improper Books and is half of the creative duo, Trindles & Read. Their first middle grade trilogy, The Midnight Hour, is published around the world in 20 languages and was inspired by their silent comic, Night Post. She is also a toddler mum, a volunteer mentor for MCR Pathways and guardian of a much neglected allotment. 

lauratrinder.co.uk / @Trindles_

Matt Gibbs is a WGGB award nominated writer, narrative designer, and editor. He has worked on BAFTA award winning and nominated games, and is a Partner at Talespinners, a cooperative providing writing, narrative design, and consultancy. Alongside his games work, he is part of Improper Books, a studio focused on creator-owned stories that have a touch of the fairy tale or otherworldly about them. Based in Puppet Place, Bristol, he has collaborated with other residents, puppeteers, and animators on a variety of interactive experiences, films, and theatre pieces.

mattgibbs.net  / Bluesky: @mattwgibbs
Instagram: @mattwgibbs

Sara Dunkerton is an illustrator who is known for the five-part anthropomorphic comic series, MULP: Sceptre of the Sun. She has contributed shorts to comic anthologies such as Bayou Arcana: Songs of Loss and Redemption, Dark Harvest: Resistance, Sugar Gliders Stories, and Into the Woods: A Fairy Tale Anthology. She enjoys running and rollerskating in her spare time and lives in Weston-Super-Mare with her dog, Lupin, and her partner.

saradunkerton.blogspot /  @SaraDunkerton

Bevis Musson is the writer, artist and letterer of The Dead Queen Detectives. He would probably make the paper too if he knew how, but that would just be showing off. He also illustrated Improper Books’ Knight & Dragon, a wordless comic in six paths. He lives in Manchester with his family and generally thinks making comics is a much better way of spending his time than anything else.

bevismusson.deviantart.com  /  @bevismusson

Lou Ashworth is a comic book artist and illustrator based in the UK. Primarily a colourist, they love horror, sci-fi and fantasy, and occasionally find the time to draw up their own illustrations and short stories!
Lou also has a career as a scientist in clinical microbiology, testing for infectious diseases. Any time leftover is spent baking, dressmaking and admiring chickens.

fiverarts.co.uk  /  @FiverArts

Jordan Boyd, spurred on by his nearly flunking school as a child for his exclusive use of black crayons, is now a critically-acclaimed digital colourist and programmer with a background in screenwriting and visual effects. Based out of Norman, Oklahoma, his work to date can be seen in projects from Dynamite, Archaia, Top Shelf, Dark Horse, and Monkeybrain.

boydcolors.tumblr.com

A professional letterer since 2009, Jim Campbell has been nominated for Ringo, Tripwire and two Eisner awards. In addition to many excellent titles from Improper Books, his work can also be found in 2000AD every week, and projects from Ablaze, BOOM, Dark Horse, Image, Mad Cave, Oni, Titan and Vault. He lives, works, and very occasionally sleeps, in a small English market town with a nice pub at the end of the road.

clintflickerlettering.blogspot.com

Derek Dow flirted with photojournalism, illustration and handheld/mobile game-art, before being so surprised to find out that you could get paid to colour comics that he promptly forgot how to draw. He’s determined that he’ll learn again eventually, but in the meantime takes great pleasure telling people he makes his living colouring-in.

deviantart.com/artmunki

Zoe Horn Haywood works for Read Books Ltd. and Improper Books as lead graphic designer. She has worked on a wide variety of imprints and projects, including cover designs and layouts for the ‘Origins of Fairy Tales from Around the World’ series and the ‘Writers On…’ series. Zoe designs covers and interiors, both print and e-books, for a vast range of topics, audiences and styles. Her expertise is mainly in print media, though she is also exploring the world of website design.

@zoehdesign

Rose Hewlett is the production director of Improper Books. She roams the wild woods of InDesign hunting bears. When not engaged in such vigorous activity, she can be found at home, surrounded by chickens, in a nest made of buttons, beads and fabric.

@rose_hewlett

André May is a comic colourist from Brazil. His interest in sequential art made him pursue comic colouring, which has led to his participation in series such as Improper Book’s PORCELAIN: A GOTHIC FAIRY TALE, BOOM!’s SIX GUN GORILLA, and Eisner-nominated THE SPIRE.

saerus-coloring.deviantart.com

Alexa Rosa worked for many years in the corporate world, but decided to abandon it for the calm and schedule free universe of flatting. So far her work can be seen in titles from DC, Indie productions, Image, Mecha, Medikidz, and Zenoscope.

alexasrosa.deviantart.com