A RENOWNED Scottish publishing house is winding down business due to the financial impact of Brexit and the Covid-19 pandemic.
Black Hearted Press (BHP) was set up in 2011 and grew to become Scotland’s leading publisher of comics and graphic novels. It was nominated in the publisher of the year category in the prestigious Saltire Society Awards in 2022.
Over the years the company was praised for a variety of projects, including its women in politics anthology We Shall Fight Until We Win co-published with 404 Ink.
It also published Freedom Bound, a graphic novel which tells the stories of three enslaved people living in Scotland before slavery became illegal.
Created in conjunction with the University of Glasgow with the aim of educating young people about slavery in Scotland, a copy was distributed to every secondary school in the country.
READ MORE: Keir Starmer urged to make monarchy pay slavery reparations if elected
However, in a statement released on Monday, bosses said that despite expanding into the US market in 2019, shrinking profit margins and escalating costs “exacerbated by the complexities of Brexit” had made the international side of the business unfeasible.
Challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic also contributed to the decision to close the business.
Publisher Sha Nazir said: “I've loved working with everyone at BHP Comics and I'm really proud of all we’ve achieved. It’s been a tough decision to wind the company down but we feel it’s the right one.
“Over the course of the next few months we’ll be selling off all remaining BHP stock. If you've got a gap in your collection, now’s the time to grab it.
READ MORE: Humza Yousaf's family 'trapped in Gaza' after Hamas attack on Israel
“BHP has been instrumental in opening numerous doors, and I take immense pride in its profound impact on both Scottish and UK comics publishing.
“We broke many barriers, getting wider acceptance of comics in UK publishing, increasing representation and being the only person of colour publisher in Scotland for far too long.
“BHP’s legacy lives on through the many lives it has touched. It will be around for the next few years in schools because of Freedom Bound and our titles will live on in the shelves of our readers and no doubt pop up in charity shops for years to come.”
Nazir said he would not be stepping away from the world of comics and vowed to continue his freelance publishing consultancy role for the Terry Pratchett estate.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel