A Comic No One But Me Is Going To Care About: UON student’s honest comic catches national attention

One creative student at the University of Northampton (UON) has turned heads with a refreshingly honest and witty autobiographical comic that’s resonating far beyond the classroom.

Third year Illustration student, Shariyah Moore, has produced an autobiographical comic as her final major project at the University of Northampton, where putting pen to paper offered her the opportunity to share her candid take evolving relationships and her identity as an artist.

Bluntly titled A Comic That No One But Me Is Going To Care About, its pages explore Shariyah’s relationships with others, with herself and with her creative process, all through a candid and reflective tone.

Shariyah explains: “Earlier this year, I did a lot of reading on autobiographical comics and graphic novels, and how artists use their own experiences to illustrate a visual story that has a universality that anyone can relate to.

“I always struggled a bit with reading, writing and spelling through the earlier years of education, so having a format that prioritised images alongside smaller segments of text was a lot less overwhelming for me and allowed me to locate an area of communication I could thrive in.

“This opened up a new avenue of comics for me, demonstrating how realistic and relatable narratives could be just as compelling and engaging as the fantasy elements we often see within comics.

“I wanted to focus my work on the changing of relationships and offer reassurance and comfort to those who read it.”

Sharyah’s comic headlined an article celebrating four decades of emerging creative talent by It’s Nice That, a leading online global platform for the creative community.

Shariyah’s comic was featured as part of their coverage of New Designers, a major London-based showcase that has launched countless creative careers over its 40-year run. The annual event, held this year from 2–5 and 9–12 July, celebrates emerging talent across fashion, illustration, textiles, ceramics, furniture and more – and Shariyah’s work was right at the heart of it.

The recognition comes on the heels of a successful internship with Scriberia, a London-based agency specialising in strategic visual communication, an experience that helped Shariyah hone her storytelling craft.

Seeing her work featured within a prominent online publication has offered Shariyah the chance to reflect on all she has achieved in three years of study at UON.

“I’ve had a really positive experience studying at UON. I was part of quite a small year group, which made it very easy for us to get to know and become comfortable with classmates and our lecturers, who were greatly supportive, especially in our final year.

“A personal highlight of the course at UON has been the vast range of resources on offer including print rooms, access to photography equipment, drawing tablets, and specialised software. All of this allowed us to explore many different creative processes across the years as we figure out what kind of illustrators we want to be.

“My creativity has really flourished, allowing me to work on self-directed briefs and develop at least one comic per year to find my creative voice, which I’m excited to use to make an impact in the industry.”

Now preparing to take her next steps as a professional illustrator, Shariyah is excited to keep using comics to connect with readers. Her business, Moore Illustrations, is already sharing more of her thoughtful, character-driven work across Instagram, Cara, and her website: www.mooreillustrations.co.uk.

Find out more about studying Illustration at the University of Northampton.