15/06/2026
OK Comics Public Service Announcement.
Gigs is out this week.
It's published by Top Shelf Productions / IDW Publishing
It's available to order from OK Comics now. (link below).
And, we're hosting a launch event for the book on Thursday 18th June, from 4pm. All are welcome!
In a society where more and more professions and careers have been taken over by artificial intelligence, how do people make a living? What's their purpose?
In this frighteningly relatable book, to qualify for basic income, people are forced to take on temporary tasks, short term jobs... Gigs. There's an app for it.
It's a range of interconnected short stories; a young woman befriends an elderly punk in a retirement home, a long distance runner delivers an important package, a graffiti artist whitewashes over their own work again and again, activists peacefully reclaim an abandoned oil rig for a botanical project...
It's a dark, oppressive dystopian future, but the human spirit shines through. It's an uplifting book.
Gigs is created by two lads local to Leeds.
Si Smith has been quietly creating comics for decades. I've heard his style described as somewhere between Raymond Briggs and Frank Quietly. That's a great comparison, It's cartoony and detailed. He's spent years working on Gigs, and it shows on every perfect panel.
Mark Johnson (writing as Mark Mosedale) well... he's been one of my best mates for over twenty years. He was one of the first members of staff at OK Comics and helped define the shop we know. He introduced me to the woman I would later marry. Our lives and friendships have become intertwined.
I see Mark every few weeks. I thought reading Gigs would feel like one of the many conversations we'd had over the years. I thought I'd hear Mark's voice in the characters. But I didn't. Within a few pages these people became real, unique individual voices. Each having a different way of drawing you in, making this seemingly unavoidable future feel all the more real.
I read it a while ago, and again more recently, the second time spotting subtle elements and connections I'd missed the first time. Its an impressive book.
It's weird when one of your best mates decides to have a go at writing a graphic novel and it ends up being one of the best books of the year. But that's what's happened, and I couldn't be more proud.
It's the prefect book for fans of Black Mirror, The Hard Switch, West World, Love & Rockets, 2000AD, and anyone who likes good, character driven, relatable sci-fi and speculative fiction.
The book is released on Tuesday 16th June, with a launch event at OK Comics on Thursday 18th, from 4pm.
Si and Mark will be there signing books. There will be a special Gigs IPA thanks to our pals at Tartarus Beers, and post-event drinks at Grindhouse Leeds.
All pre-ordered copies of the book will be shipped after the event to ensure that everyone gets a signed copy.
Order the book here...
https://okcomics.co.uk/products/pre-order-gigs-by-mark-mosedale-and-si-smith?_pos=1&_sid=90c111c5e&_ss=r
