Colossive Cartographies 5th Birthday Bash

Colossive Press are proud to be celebrating five years – and 66 issues (and counting) – of their Colossive Cartographies series with a birthday bash at the amazing Gosh! Comics in London’s Soho. Come and join us on Friday 20th June 2025, from 7-9pm.

Featuring work from comics creators, writers, illustrators, photographers and designers, Colossive Cartographies is a collaborative book arts project that uses a format called the Turkish map fold. This creates a neat little hand-folded A6 zine that pops open into a tactile, interactive A4 treat.

The series quickly flourished as a diverse range of creators got to grips with the format and used the various folds and planes to create incredibly original work. The zines have subsequently featured twice in Broken Frontier’s list of ‘Ten UK Small Press Comics You Need to Own!’ and have been nominated for ‘Best Periodical Series’ in the site’s annual awards. They’ve also been collected by institutions including the National Art Library at the V&A, the Wellcome Collection, Columbia University (US), the Feminist Library and the London College of Communications.

“It’s always a thrill to see what people have done with the format – and we’re never disappointed,” says Colossive’s Jane Gibbens Murphy, who’s finally got to grips with the Turkish map fold after watching Tom do all the folding and sticking by himself for the best part of four years. “Each issue is one of a series of six, and people can subscribe to get all six for just a tenner. That way, you get to discover new artists and ideas, as well as enjoy the work of your favourite creators.”

So come and join us on a lovely* midsummer evening to have a drink, get your zines signed, chew the fat with some of your favourite small pressers and discover your next obsessions! The guest list includes:

Olivia Sullivan
Sean Azzopardi
Jane Gibbens Murphy
Victoria Sellar
David Bray
Lucy Sullivan
Gareth Hopkins
Tom Murphy
Henry & Stan Miller
Peony Gent
Tim Bird
Miranda Smart
Simon Russell
Hannah Lee Miller
Patrick Wray
Aleesha Nandhra
Bungaloworld
Chiara Ambrosio
Douglas Shaw
Ed Pinsent
Yolanta Gawlik
Lior Locher
Joe Stone
Wallis Eates
Hayley Gullen
Judy Powell
John Bently (Liver & Lights)
Julian Payne
Harriet Merry
Lily Zee Hughes
Davidt Dunlop

Colossive Press is an eclectic nanopublisher based in Penge, South London, run since 2017 by Tom and Jane Gibbens Murphy, under the disdainful gaze of their feline CEOs Gertie and Gracie. They have published nearly 70 issues in the Colossive Cartographies series, featuring some of the small press comics scene’s most renowned creators in a tactile book arts format. Their wider catalogue includes humour, satire, personal memoir, photo books, hand-sewn riso-zines and the unofficial history of Croydon Spaceport.

Join Colossive Press for their Birthday celebrations on Friday 20th June, from 7pm.

You can keep up to date with all news over on our Facebook event page.