LDC Dundee – Laydeez Do Crime!

Hello! Rebecca Horner from LDC Dundee here. I am one of two Rebeccas who have stepped up to help Hailey Austin run our Dundee sessions.

Our latest event was held on the 13th of March, and our theme this time was crime. We listened to a fascinating talk about the portrayal of true crime within comics (and the challenges that arise as a result), followed by a workshop where our attendees had to solve a crime through the form of comics! We also hosted a table for artists affected by the sudden postponement of Dundee Comic Con to sell their work.

Our live drawers this time were Rebecca Elise and Tori Hage, who have produced some wonderful images documenting the event.

THE QUESTION

Who is your favourite fictional detective?

A question with a wide range of answers across various media, which also made the group realise just how many television shows about detectives there are!

THE SPEAKER

Hailey then introduced our speaker, Dr. Laura Findlay, who talked about her work on the comic Roots Remain: The Hunt For the Golden State Killer (2018). The comic looks at the Golden State Killer case, and how DNA testing led to the arrest of a suspect in 2018. Laura reflected on the challenges of documenting a still ongoing case, the ethics of DNA testing being used to catch suspects, and the sensitivities involved in making the victim the focus when true crime media so often focuses on the criminal.

THE WORKSHOP

Following Laura’s talk, it was time to solve the crime! We had a painting of a crime scene, provided by Cat Laird – a layout of a building, with a blood trail leading to a body. Who was the victim? Who were the suspects? What was the murder weapon? It was up to our attendees to work it out!

There were a range of interpretations from serious, atmospheric drama, to slapstick – including a dramatic ketchup spillage and a jam-related mishap.

THANK YOUS

Many thanks to our speaker, Laura, for her time and insight! Thanks also to our live drawers extraordinaire, Rebecca and Tori, to Hailey for captaining the Laydeez Do Comics Dundee ship, and to our attendees! We have a core group of about 20 regular attendees, which has been great to see develop in the past few months.

STAY TUNED

We were lucky to have our event before everything started to shut down due to COVID-19, and while we have plans for our next few sessions, we have had to postpone these until further notice. Keep an eye on our Facebook page for future events, and we will hopefully see you on the other side!