About the Book
Every day we pass a thousand people in the street or squash up against strangers in the underground. Like every city, London is teeming with life: diverse, beautiful, messy, incongruous life, and every face seen fleetingly in the crowd carries a story or two. Some are sad, some are funny, some are boring, but none are ever quite what you would guess.In Biscuits, Jenny Robins takes a look at a handful of women's stories in the city as they defy and comply with our expectations, and as they step out of the cookie cutter mould of what it means to be a woman today. What can a relentlessly positive supermarket employee, a strong-minded mother with a secret, a mistress of distraction (and oversharing) and a miss-adventurer in bi-sexual dating do in one long, hot summer? What can they learn from each other and from the colourful cast of women (and the occasional man) in this book of interweaving stories?
About the Author :
Jenny Robins is an illustrator, comics artist and teacher. She was born in Brighton and grew up in Henfield, Sussex. She has a BA in Illustration from Southampton Solent University, where she developed an obsession with birds. She trained to be a teacher in 2010 at the Institute of Education, which she followed up with an MA in Art and Design Education in 2014. She now lives in London. She has contributed to various publications and comics collections including Dirty Rotten Comics, Solipsitic Pop, Over the Line, and Meanwhile.Biscuits (assorted) is an ensemble comic about the courage and incongruity of women living in London, side by side but worlds apart.
Review :
'A delicious, grin-inducing joy – as well as one of the most effortlessly accessible and all-inclusive celebrations of friendships that I've ever been blessed to stumble across. It has leapfrogged, legs akimbo, over hundreds upon hundreds of other comics to find itself quite startlingly in my Top Twenty Favourite Graphic Novels of All Time.' – Stephen Holland, Page 45. 'In Biscuits Jenny Robins has brought women's lived experiences to life in an incredibly vibrant, beautiful book. [An] exquisitely crafted graphic novel.' – Ruth Wainwright, The Feminist Bookshop. '2020 has been an abnormal year for everyone, the perfect time for Biscuits (Assorted), a book that celebrates the everyday lives of normal people. Some characters know each other, some don't, some just pass each other by. Much like people in every town, they have their own quirks, attitudes and idiosyncrasies, all of which are expertly explored by this first-time graphic novelist.' – Jared Myland, OK Comics. 'An epic story full of short, sharp scenes and quiet moments, with such a huge ensemble cast. The result is immersive, funny and hugely affecting.' – Teddy Jamieson, Herald Scotland. 'While we can't review a BF team member's work on the site, I can assure you it's one of the standout releases of the year and a remarkably assured debut book. Cleverly constructed, ever playful with the form's language, and employing some sparkling dialogue and characterisation, it's a graphic novel you will return to time and again. In fact, this joyous, witty, poignant and, most importantly, very human story is the book we all needed as a counterpoint to the challenges of 2020.' – Andy Oliver, Broken Frontier. 'It's an incredibly multi-layered, beautiful, heartfelt and cool, with great poo and wonderful sex jokes. Everyone really ought to have that assortment in their lives.' – Wallis Eates. 'As a first graphic novel this is a remarkable piece of work. Complex, thoughtful, daring, and at times funny. It's a stark reminder that wherever we come from, we are all so alike, sharing the same hopes and fears, and a desire for companionship. If this book has a legacy then it should be to give people pause, and consider those around them, to serve as a reminder that they're not all that different from you.' – Simon Chadwick, The Cartoon Club. 'A warm, well-observed, wonderfully illustrated lens on contemporary London life. Jenny's attention to detail lends this graphic novel an authenticity and energy which set it apart. Highly recommended as a real-world alternative to Marvel!'-Ben Tallon, Arrest All Mimics Podcast. 'Jenny Robins is an exciting new comics creator. Biscuits is intricate and engaging, a London story of women going about their complicated lives, getting sweetly entangled with each other, listening, loving, and weathering the ups and downs of London life. This is a very auspicious debut.' – Audrey Niffenegger. 'Sanguine and moving... Jenny Robins's characters stumble and shine in her deft volume of linked stories. A deeply satisfying read.' – Shelly Bond. 'Jenny beautifully illustrates moving and funny experiences that leave you smiling and wanting more. Lockdown is a lonely world, but getting to read these snapshots of life is a genuine delight.' – Danielle Tute, OK Comics. 'The perfect lockdown treat… sometimes bitter-sweet but never saccharine. Each woman depicted is authentic and instantly recognisable and individualistic. Apart from these beautifully crafted characters, there’s another love affair, with the city itself. This is a book for a cosy armchair and several mugs of tea. It comes with a warning: you will miss your friends; you will miss your home town and there’s a chance you might miss hobnobs.' – Lynne Walsh, Morning Star. 'The art is really cool in this comic but the comedy is next level. The one-liners are great. This would be a really cool TV miniseries.' – RAMZEE, author of LDN. 'Insightful, acerbic, poignant, silly, super-duper creative. A delight!!' – Isabelle, Goodreads. 'Jenny thank you for creating such a brilliant book. I will be eagerly awaiting whatever you are making next – a true true talent. If you are after an excellent graphic novel then I urge you to seek this one out.' – Emily, Busy Mama Book Club, Bookstagrammer. 'The overall idea and title for the graphic novel is amazing; this cookie cutter shape, this mould that we are meant to fit doesn’t work because the "perfect" woman doesn’t exist.' – Literary Lucie, Bookstagrammer. 'Funny, compelling and hella relatable.' – Jodie Reads Books, Bookstagrammer. 'This was such a funny, relatable read that I just love.' – Rebecca, The Shelf Ldn, Bookstagrammer. 'Biscuits (assorted) is a collection of women's stories showing that there is no mould for the everywoman and every individual is unique. The women in this story all raise their voices in their own way to make this book feminist, fun and moving in all the right places. This was exactly the kind of read I needed whilst life has been madness.' – The Feminist Nook, Bookstagrammer. 'Hope no one expects me to do any work this afternoon just got my pre-pub copy of Biscuits by Jenny Robins and settling down for a wonderful read!' – Gnash Comics. 'It’s excellent and a great example of "comics for people who don’t read comics". Following the occasionally intersecting lives of several women over the course of one balmy London summer, it has the feel of something like Michael Winterbottom’s Wonderland or Alison Bechdel’s Dykes To Watch Out For (but is still very much its own thing).' – Dylan W Owen, Instagram. 'Outrageously funny and terrifying elucidating, rude in all the right ways and places and able to break your heart and jangle the nerves with a turn of a page. Biscuits (assorted) is a brilliant and revelatory picaresque voyage that is impossible to put down and certain to become a classic of graphic literature. It’s also the most fun you can have with your brain fully engaged.' – Win Wiacek, Comics Review. 'Biscuits is a delight. A hilarious and heartwarming trip through the once-bustling streets of London, with all the secrets and stories its inhabitants contain. And a much-needed escape from our poorly written dystopian plotline into something resembling normality. The equivalent of cracking open a tin of Quality Streets to find an assortment of friendly faces.' – Eleanor, Graphic Novel Staff Picks for 2020, Turnaround UK.
