Last Thursday (20th Jan) the London Coliseum hosted a knees-up Roman style as we celebrated the launch of A Roman Rescue, a stroke of time-travelling comic book genius and the brainchild of popular children's illustrator Emma Dodd and gifted writer Kelly Gerrard. This talented duo first came up with the idea for A Roman Rescue whilst waiting to collect their children from the school gates. Initial hesitation ensued at the thought of venturing into the unknown of comic book creation but with the full support of Templar, Emma and Kelly soon clamped their teeth around the proverbial bullet and have come up with a whopper! Emma’s trademark chunky-lined illustrations have the characters spilling out of the pages and are a perfect partner for Kelly’s snappy and engaging dialogue.
And the party was no flop either!
Of course, togas and laurel wreathes were the obligatory dress code for the evening, although there were several differing opinions to be had on how to properly toga oneself… The do was held in the American Bar at the London Coliseum which boasts floor-to-ceiling wood panelling and antique mirrors that really lend the venue to its theatrical setting. And of course, what is a theatre without a performance?
The guests had a surprise gift waiting for them from Book A Poet rapper and poet Mixy who spends most of his time packing the heads of school children with rhythmical facts.
Especially for us, however, he had written both a fun rhyming verse and an educational rap, just to make sure our Roman facts were up to scratch… “Like me, kids,” he said, proffering his fun poem before switching to his serious notebook. “Now, learn something!” It was truly a memorable treat.
So, it looks like it might be time to come up with a new publishing formula for Templar: good book + good party = roaring success! How can we fail? Ok, so I might have over-simplified the process just a little… As a first escapade into comic book writing, however, A Roman Rescue certainly marks out Emma and Kelly as a flagship creative duo for Templar and we’re really excited about what the future holds for Charlie and his canine sidekick Bandit.
A Roman Rescue is available from 3rd March 2011. For more information click here.
For more photos from the launch click here.
