Stephen Collins will blow you out of the water – with his beard

Meet Dave. Dave lives in a place called Here, an island where not a lot happens. It’s surrounded by a grey, ambiguous expanse called There, which the residents of Here avoid thinking about. Until one day, something issn’t quite right, and thoughts of the unknown begin creeping into Dave’s head…

The world of pruned hedges, and perfectly-parked cars begins to seem absurd, and Dave’s typically hairless face starts to grow a beard. It starts off with one hair, and within a day, he’s grown a fully fledged beard any man would be jealous of. The beard grows, and grows, and grows, and as a result, Dave becomes the centre of attention in this otherwise orderly town.

At first labelled a freak, the people of Here begin to realise that in fact, the abnormal “evil” beard is something to be celebrated. Stephen Collins’ graphic novel The Gigantic Beard That Was Evil is a witty and surreal response to conformity, and how we should embrace our differences. Accompanied by incredible pencil drawings, you will be blown away by the quality, and be humbled by the underlying message. The book will be available from May 9, published by Jonathan Cape.