A man from Norwich has created and self-published a comic about his father's adventures as the last eel-catcher in the Fens.
Chris Spalton, 38, from Norwich, is a user experience consultant and designer by day and has been working on his original project in his spare time.
His first published comic, The Eelman Chronicles, is a collection of true short-stories about his father's unusual profession.
Mr Spalton said the comic conveys 'the absurd trials and tribulations that are seemingly part and parcel of life as the last eelman in the Fens'.
He admits that the subject matter of his work is a little obscure, but explains there is plenty for all sorts of readers to enjoy.
'The sheer weirdness of the Fen wilderness, combined with my dad's pretty unusual way of approaching life, resulted in often hilarious encounters with a rag-tag assortment of folk – from minor celebrities, to the fen underworld, and even a few major royals.
'I didn't really set out to create a 'real' comic, but rather thought it would be funny to get something down on paper to give friends and family a giggle – but the treasure trove of yarns generated by my old man's life as an eel-catcher means the project has just snowballed.'
Speaking about the positive reception of his comic, Mr Spalton said: 'One reviewer mentioned that reading my comic made him want to visit his dad who he hadn't seen for years; another even went so far as to say it's a comic about the human condition – I just set out to tell it how it is, but nevertheless that's the best feedback I could ever hope for.'
The Eelman Chronicles is currently available to buy in the Book Hive shop on London Street and the comic book shop Abstract Sprocket on St Benedicts Street.
It is also available to order from Mr Spalton's online shop: gumroad.com/cspalton
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