Comic fans now have a new issue to collect as the latest instalment of a popular Hull Maritime cartoon series is published – this time telling a very odd tale about the city’s seafaring history.
As part of the ‘Hull/Ravenser Odd: twin cities, sunken pasts’ exhibition at Hull History Centre, the new comic tells the story of the lost town of Ravenser Odd, East Yorkshire’s very own Atlantis.
Hull’s medieval neighbour, it was a short-lived city on an island in the Humber that rose from the sea to become a bustling port, before being abandoned and sinking beneath the waves more than 600 years ago.
Both Ravenser Odd and its surviving neighbour gained their charters from King Edward I on the same day – ironically, 1 April 1299 – making this year the 725th anniversary of that royal approval.
Alongside the exhibition – which runs until 30 May 2024 – Hull Maritime commissioned ‘1235: A Spurn Oddity – Lily and Jacob in Search of Ravenser Odd’, the third Maritime Tales comic featuring the two cartoon youngsters as they discover the history and folklore of the city’s maritime heritage.
In 2021, local illustrator Gareth Sleightholme created comics linked to major maritime events, including The Hull Kraken, when giant inflatable sea creatures took over the city’s streets and attractions. Originally from Withernsea, in East Yorkshire, and now living in Hull, Sleightholme’s cartoons quickly became a hit.
Now the latest – which is available at the exhibition – follows Lily and Jacob as they discover Ravenser Odd and explore the forgotten history of a city lost to the sea that once rivalled Hull.
It aims to bring to life the story of the forgotten island and the archival documents on display in the exhibition, which is open Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursday, 9.30am – 4.30pm, as well as Saturday 18 May between 9.30am – 4.30pm.
More about the comic can be found at https://bit.ly/3UQQQsj and for details on the exhibition, visit https://bit.ly/3JTyT69
For all tourist information about Hull, see www.visithull.org
Photo, above, and below: Gareth Sleightholme
