Greg Griffith Introduces 'Mr Grimez The Anti-Hero'

Our very own Social Reporter/Blogger, Greg Griffith has written and published his first in what will be a line of an exciting series of comic books! Mr Grimez: The Anti Hero is hot off the press and ready for purchase at Orbital Comics.

We were delighted to discover he was writing a comic book, when he developed his idea at Social Startup Labs back in July last year. We caught up with Greg to hear about his comic book journey.

"Firstly I will give myself a pat on the back for what I have achieved since July 28th 2012. That was the date I released the Mr Griméz comic online in the digital world, which was the project I launched at Social Startup Labs. At first things were slow but I would always notice some minor changes which would help my situation to evolve.

During the time after I released the first issue many people were asking about the second issue. I felt it was not the right time to produce a second comic as I did not want to rush this project. My mission is to make as many people as possible know about the first issue. I really want to get out of my limbo situation so I was thinking of ways to gain more exposure. This included dressing up as my character Mr Griméz for the Volcano Life Arts event at the Brixton Jamm on November 7th 2012. Boy was that a good week but seriously it was a good experiment as I did get a lot of attention for my mask. Some people were scared of it, I think they got the expression I was from some low budget horror film. Plus since Halloween just passed some people thought I still had the spirit of it stuck in me. No this was not the case, I knew the mask would get attention so it served its purpose. Mr Griméz being a misunderstood character in the comic it also reflected in real life so that was interesting.

I wanted to pick up the pace and bring the story into the physical realm. I decided to print some copies and my friend told me about a store called Orbital Comics which would accept my comic. There is no way on earth I could have turned down this opportunity even though I was bit skeptical at first.

I still believe that this is just the first stage of my journey so for now I will keep in control of my destiny.That's important because it's not about other people taking control of your life. If this is the case you will never be happy and you will be stuck in a cycle of sadness.

I'm glad I'm breaking free of any restrictions, onwards and upwards."

Please check out his Mr Grimez Facebook Page for more of Mr Grimez's antics!

Martin Murphy : An Enterprising Vision for Communities of Untapped Potential

vi·sion

   [vizh-uhn] 
noun
1.
The act or power of sensing with the eyes; sight.
2.
The act or power of anticipating that which will or may come to be: prophetic vision; the vision of an entrepreneur.
3.
An experience in which a personage, thing, or event appears vividly or credibly to the mind.

"By 2030 the majority of businesses in and around 'deprived communities' are run on a cooperative or social enterprise model, are incentivised to recruit locally, and allocate a proportion of their profits to the regeneration of the local community – in consultation and collaboration with that community."

When someone says that they "have had a vision", in the past tense, in my mind it refers to some form of perceived clairvoyance on the part of a person in receipt of a revelation that is unique only to that individual; that being, in essence, something I can not share in, something I do not understand or necessarily believe in myself and therefore something that is far removed from my own concept of reality. However, when someone is heard to say that they "have a vision", in the present tense, the word suddenly takes on a far more palpable, arresting and therefore believable meaning. When looked at in this context, it really is quite amazing how much difference a single word can make when your mind perceives the potentially hidden meaning behind a simple statement.

The vision quoted above, which serves as an introduction to an article written by Martin Murphy entitled 'Encouraging Social Enterprise In Deprived Areas' and consequently published on The Guardian website at the end of September, sits firmly with the latter belief; that belief being a tangible conviction that can be viewed subjectively without any hint of being unrealistic or limited to the view of a single person. It is a compelling vision that can be shared amongst many people, considered scientifically and therefore existing as an idea that is potentially achievable through a collective investment in a common cause. It is this belief in a common cause that is a driving factor behind the work of London Creative Labs in striving toward creating a self-sufficient and sustainable economic base for 'deprived' communities all over the country, starting from the ground and working up together, as a community.

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