Burning Down the House: How Music Fuels Comics' Wildest Creators

The ARC Contemporary Comics Festival's "Art, Poetry, Music: Visualising Time and Performance" panel in Peckham, London, proved creativity thrives in unexpected places. Chaired by Dr Maggie Gray, cartoonists Anaïs Sière, Anu Ambasna, Josephine M. K. Edwards, and Miranda Smart revealed their chaotic, deeply personal ties between music and comics.

Punk cartoonist Josephine M. K. Edwards, creator of "evil women" comics, declared that creating is like "playing The Sims and burning the house down." For Edwards, it's raw, unbridled energy. She embraces the natural rhythm of comics, directly translating song lyrics—from "flies landing in my eyes" to "wristwatches in a thunder storm"—into her visual narratives. She balances 80s ambient music for drawing with trash TV for shocking inspiration.

French cartoonist and musician Anaïs Sière sees music as pure world-building. When creativity stalls, music frees her to craft immersive worlds you simply "feel." This intuitive approach then feeds her comics. She even co-founded an "illustration rock band" with other artists, a daring collaborative experiment.