Phill Hall (born April 1962) is a British pop culture writer, editor, and publisher. He was a long-time editor and columnist for the British comics magazine Comics International, as well as the creator and editor of the comics magazine Borderline,[1] He ran his own publisher, Borderline Press, from 2013 to 2015. In addition, he has worked for DC Comics, Marvel UK, and a number of small independent publishers in both the UK and US.
| Phill Hall | |
|---|---|
| Born | Phillip Hall 1962 (age 61–62) United Kingdom |
| Nationality | British |
| Area(s) | Writer, editor, publisher |
Notable works | Comics International news editor Borderline editor/publisher Borderline Press publisher |
| Awards | Best Specialist Magazine or Website National Comics Award (2002) |
From its inception in 1990, Hall was the copy, news, and features editor at Comics International and created a number of iconic comics magazine columns, such as "Movers & Shakers", "Hotshots", and "Networks," for the magazine.
He left CI in 1997, and in 2001 launched the online journal Borderline. Borderline was a cross between The Comics Journal and the NME[citation needed] with a heavy mix of mainstream American/British and international comic books. The magazine spotlighted comic books and creators from countries such as Brazil, Poland, and the Philippines, alongside American and British comic book icons; Borderline was, in part, responsible for a number of previously unknown cartoonists obtaining professional contracts.[citation needed] In the spring of 2002, Borderline became part of the Cool Beans World network of websites.[2] Despite winning the "Best Specialist Magazine or Website" award at the 2002 National Comics Awards,[3] however, Borderline ceased publishing in 2003.
Hall left comics in 2003 to pursue a career in social work, but later returned to write a column for the comics website Comics Village. Hall's book, My Monthly Curse — A Personal Comic Book History, mostly focusing on his time at Comics International and Borderline (culled from entries in his blog, A Life in Comics), was published in digital form in August 2011.
In July 2013, Hall launched Borderline Press Ltd., a registered company dealing with the publishing of new European comics talent. The press had distribution issues, however, which were alleviated when Hall reached a deal with Fanfare in 2015.[4] But continued scheduling issues forced Borderline Press to go on hiatus in May 2015.[4] Borderline Press was sold to Fanfare in August 2016.[citation needed]
Hall currently lives in Northampton, England.[citation needed]
Borderline Press titles (selected)
edit- 566 Frames by Dennis Wojda (Nov. 2013, ISBN 978-0-9926972-0-4) — autobiographical graphic novel
- Zombre (Nov. 2013, ISBN 978-0-9926972-2-8) — anthology featuring a number of UK, US, and European comics creators
- Hunger House by J. M. Edenborg and Loka Kanarp (2014, ISBN 978-0-9926972-4-2)
- Zombies Can't Swim by Kim Herbst (2014, ISBN 978-0-9926972-6-6)
- Verity Fair by Terry Wiley (2014, ISBN 978-0-9926972-8-0)
- City of Crocodiles by Knut Larsson (Apr. 2014, ISBN 978-0-9926972-5-9)
- Spoko by Tomas Prokupek, et al. (Aug. 2014, ISBN 978-0-9926972-7-3) — anthology
- Seth & Ghost by Jamie Lewis (Mar. 2015, ISBN 978-0992697297)
Further reading
edit- Johnston, Rich. "Borderline Press And The Reputation Of Phill Hall," Bleeding Cool (November 13, 2013).
References
edit- ^ Lent, John A. (2003). Comic art of Europe through 2000: an international bibliography. ABC-CLIO. p. 951. ISBN 978-0-275-98221-8.
- ^ Danvers, Xyzandra. "Borderline Finds A New Home At Cool Beans World," Comics Bulletin (March 29, 2002). Retrieved Dec. 2, 2020.
- ^ Sutherland, Kev F. "NATIONAL COMICS AWARDS 2002: THE 5TH NATIONAL COMICS AWARDS RESULTS," 2000ADonline.org. Archived at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved Nov. 30, 2020.
- ^ a b Johnston, Rich. "Borderline Pressed," Bleeding Cool (May 5, 2015).