The job of the skin is to keep things in...

On the buttoned-down island of Here, all is well. By which we mean: orderly, neat, contained and, moreover, beardless.

Or at least it is until one famous day, when Dave, bald but for a single hair, finds himself assailed by a terrifying, unstoppable...monster*!

Where did it come from? How should the islanders deal with it? And what, most importantly, are they going to do with Dave?

The first book from a new leading light of UK comics, The Gigantic Beard That Was Evil is an off-beat fable worthy of Roald Dahl. It is about life, death and the meaning of beards.

(*We mean a gigantic beard, basically.)

A book for anybody who's ever had a beard, thought about a beard, seen a beard, not had a beard...

About the Author

Stephen Collins was born in 1980 and grew up in Penge, South London. He began cartooning for The Times in 2003, and has since won several awards, including the Jonathan Cape/Observer Graphic Short Story Prize 2010. His work has appeared in many publications worldwide, and he contributes regular comics to the Guardian Weekend and Prospect magazine. He lives near Hertford with his wife and a well-charged beard trimmer.

For up-to-date news and work, visit
www.stephencollinsillustration.com

Reviews
It's part satire, part parable, part nursery rhyme and part disaster movie, and it's an utter joy to read. -- Tom Gatti * The Times *
Clever, funny and beautiful to look at... A fairytale for adults that children will also adore, The Gigantic Beard That Was Evil is surely destined to become a classic. -- Rachel Cooke * Observer *
As splendiferous as its title... An inspired swirling of the mundane with the surreal, the plot may be simple but his satire on modern life is witty and thoughtful. -- Larushka Ivan-Zadeh * Metro *
Collins' wonderful debut unfolds with slow and simple elegance through black-and-white panels. -- James Smart * Guardian *
It reminds me of nothing so much as a Roald Dahl novel. -- Alex Hern * New Statesman *


Awards
Winner of 9th Art Award 2013 (UK). Short-listed for Waterstones Book of the Year 2013 (UK).



Book Information
ISBN 9780224096287
Author Stephen Collins
Format Hardback
Page Count 240
Imprint Jonathan Cape Ltd
Publisher Vintage Publishing
Weight(grams) 1213g
Dimensions(mm) 305mm * 220mm * 26mm