Blog Layout

Ghost Town

Paul Bristow • December 14, 2020

What scares us?

In Inverclyde, Hallowe’en is celebrated with a programme of community arts events which takes it’s name from an old Scottish tradition, Going Galoshans.

In 2020, the festival was mostly online, and as part of our Outside the Box project, we ran a number of comic sessions and courses. Throughout September and October we pulled together a collection of scary stories, including a comic adaptation of ‘The Buried Alive’ a Ghost Story from Greenock born writer John Galt, first published in 1822. 

We also ran a number of competitions, asking people for their suggestions about what ghosts would be doing while we all stayed indoors, and many of these ideas appear in the comic. Unsurprisingly, pandemic themes weave in and out of some of the stories, the real world worries of the virus blending with traditional supernatural fears. Winter is an ideal time for telling and sharing scary stories, and we hope you enjoy while staying safe. 


We would like to thank Youth Connections, Inverclyde Libraries and RIG Arts for their help, support and promotion of this project.

You can also download another Outside The Box comic, exploring young people's experience of Lockdown.

The Outside The Box project is funded by the National Lottery Community Fund and is continuing to work with young people in Inverclyde throughout 2021.  During the current cornonavirus crisis, we are able to work with organisations and groups remotely if required, with all materials provided. 
Please get in touch to discuss how we can continue creating and collaborating in these challenging times.

MTC Project Blog

By Paul Bristow September 26, 2024
The Inverkip Witch Trials
By Paul Bristow June 24, 2024
Sharing Accessible Stories 1
By Paul Bristow March 28, 2024
One year. One story. Unlimited ideas...
By Paul Bristow July 12, 2023
Introducing our new project...
By Paul Bristow March 24, 2023
Comics out on the streets...
By Paul Bristow January 13, 2022
Going Into The Woods in 2022
By Paul Bristow November 29, 2021
Local heroes to the rescue
By Paul Bristow November 21, 2021
Inverclyde Storytelling
By Magic Torch Comics October 18, 2021
Earlier this month, we were asked to produce some artwork for the Afrowegian Project , imagining an Afro-Futurist version of the story of real world cycling superhero, Marshall 'Major' Taylor. The comic display panels form part of an exhibition by the riverside in Glasgow throughout October. You can read more about the work of the project and how to get involved. We're looking forward to doing some more collaborative work with Afrowegian's Jim Muotone, down in Inverclyde over the next few months.
By Magic Torch Comics October 18, 2021
Earlier this year, our director Paul Bristow spoke to Tall Tale films as part of CVS Inverclyde's Digital Open Studios project. Check out the short video below to hear Paul chat about storytelling, communities and his creative process for his own writing and his work with Magic Torch Comics CIC. You can also see his fairly messy home office under the stairs...
More Posts
Share by: