Biography

Born and brought up in Edinburgh, Malcy Duff published his first comic, ‘Zero Termite’, when he was 19. He is now one of Scotland’s best-regarded independent cartoonists, and his work has been described as ‘oblique, grotesque and at times downright eye-poppingly scary’. He himself has been described as ‘visionary and pioneering’.

Malcy trained in illustration at Telford College. After graduation he worked as a cartoonist and started producing and selling comics. In those ten years Malcy has gained a reputation within the genre and has developed a keen following and an interest in his work. He doesn’t attempt to explain his work, preferring to let people think for themselves, as he puts it, ‘I respect my readership by not caring what they think of my work.’

Malcy’s work sits squarely within the fine UK tradition of self-produced underground comics. He has exhibited his work throughout the UK and internationally, and in particular, has received acclaim for his exhibitions at London’s Institute of Contemporary Art. With the help of a grant in 2007, Malcy set up his publishing house, Missing Twin, and released the first comic The Blackest Gnome, which was inspired by the cancellation of the last Black And White Minstrel Show in Scotland.

How the Award Helped

The Dewar Arts Award will enable Malcy to produce a body of work to exhibit at the MOCCA comic convention this year and to develop his talent as a cartoonist.

Since the Award

Malcy writes that the award “made it possible for me to concentrate on my work first and foremost, relieving the financial strain making it easier to accomplish what I had put in front of myself for my planned year’s work…..[and that it made] possible for me to fulfil the promise I made to myself of really exploring fully what a website can do for me, how it can help my work and my publishing house. This project is now an ongoing concern and will continue to assist my work as I stretch myself creatively.”

For more information about Malcy’s work, see his website: www.missingtwin.net.

Malcy’s work was showcased as part of our 10th Anniversary Exhibition, Roots to Shoots. Find out more here.