Go your own way: the self-publishing comic book mogul, Sammy Stein

Illustrator Sammy Stein is an example of how self-publishing your work, starting a zine, or initiating a collective of artists are all great alternatives to promote your practice. The Paris-based comic book artist has achieved all three, developing his own route to “experiment with different narrative mediums”.

This narrative Sammy describes is often joyfully nonsensical. By creating his own platform to sell his work Sammy has built a fanbase that expects no rules or regulations, they go to him for unconventional comics unavailable elsewhere. Back in 2009 he co-founded Collection Revue an independent magazine showcasing contemporary drawings as well as Lagon Revue in 2014 a collective project of exploratory Risograph and silkscreen comics.

Within the illustrator’s own series The Work storylines are depicted in long formatted comic strips, with curious drawings and diagrams that you can’t help but scroll further and further down to find out more. The illustrator additionally uses an unfamiliar colour palette compared to most comic drawings. Sammy chooses a deadpan selection of colours, browns and beiges frequently combined with a vibrantly popping centre piece to draw the readers eye to a subject. Within The Work this can be seen in varied objects from hands, architecture or a rose, whatever Sammy sees fit.