The ADVENT of Stan: Day 11

Nicholas Gruen @NGruen1

Stan is consulted on many important topics . 21/

To recap …

And now for something a little different. Some of you who follow me on Twitter will have seen the tweet thread below. Just letting you know that I’ll be tweeting and (depending on feedback to this mailout) perhaps Substacking a kids book for adults that I created 25 years ago, one page at a time. Like an adent calendar.

Nicholas Gruen @NGruen1

THE ADVENT OF STAN First some explanation It was 1986 The cold war was grinding on Kylie and Madonna were still 'trending' (though we didn't really use that word) TVs' 'vertical hold' still went on the blink One day a character and a cartoon popped into my mind . 1/

Nicholas Gruen @NGruen1

Then I went part-time in my job and spent 1987 cartooning away. Stan had a creation experience . 2/

Nicholas Gruen @NGruen1

Stan had a creativeness experience . 3/

Nicholas Gruen @NGruen1

Stan grew in my mind and on the page . 4/

Nicholas Gruen @NGruen1

Stan realised he should be more assertive . 5/

Nicholas Gruen @NGruen1

Halley's comet came and went . 6/

Nicholas Gruen @NGruen1

Oh and there were other cartoons . 7/

Nicholas Gruen @NGruen1

About frogs and Hamlet and that kind of thing . 8/

Nicholas Gruen @NGruen1

And flowers growing out of one's head (a moral panic of the time — along with nuclear armageddon …) . 9/

Nicholas Gruen @NGruen1

And then stan went on the blink. So welcome to THE ADVENT OF STAN, my advent calendar for the 25th anniversary of the coming into the world of my (hitherto unpublished) cartoon story book STAN GOES ON THE BLINK ________________________ . 10/

Nicholas Gruen @NGruen1

As Stan awakes one morning from unsteady dreams, he finds that his vertical hold has gone COMPLETELY BUNG! To be continued … (ie tomorrow, and the next day and so on) Will things work out for our (mildly) anxious but (tentatively) opinionated hero? Find out by Christmas!! 11/

Nicholas Gruen @NGruen1

Simple things, like eating, become a near impossibility (What will happen? Will things turn out for Stan? Or will he go from rack and ruin? What more could go wrong? Find by Christmas by following this Advent Calendar Thread!!) . 12/

Nicholas Gruen @NGruen1

Washing up, a wasteland . 13/

Nicholas Gruen @NGruen1

Shaking hands SHATTERING . 14/

Nicholas Gruen @NGruen1

Toiletry TERRIFYING!! . 15/

Nicholas Gruen @NGruen1

Stan retires that night, a tired, wrung out nervous WRECK! 16/

Nicholas Gruen @NGruen1

The next morning, while he is drying himself down, Stan’s horizontal hold begins to go . 17/

Nicholas Gruen @NGruen1

Embarrassing situations abound . 18/

Nicholas Gruen @NGruen1

Stan’s friends depart, leading to a number of "Captain Oates Moments" . 19/

Nicholas Gruen @NGruen1

The media invade Stan becomes the object of mass interest, pity, disgust, indignation and apathy. Many onlookers remain sceptical . 20/