A perfect Sunday with...Laura Bailey
Pop Tarts, the Land of Merlin and history hits
Every week, a top writer, artist or creator reveals how they’d fill their perfect Sunday, sharing their favourite comfort reads, movies, food… anything that would make their weekend great.
Today it’s the turn of 2000AD writer, Laura Bailey.
Laura’s perfect Sunday… brunch
Two chocolate pop tarts and a cup of black tea. Only the pure chocolate variety, NOT the marshmallow chocolate combo. Perhaps nostalgia is fooling me into thinking that Pop Tarts are delicious; it was a big deal to get them as a kid, and it made them taste twice as good. I’ve recommended this delicacy to various people over the years and the feedback unanimously is “it’s like chewing cardboard”. In the pop tart’s defence, I will say there is a fine art to getting it right; the toaster must crystalise the icing without making the Pop Tart’s corners turn black, else there is a slightly soot-like aftertaste. It's an extremely rare brunch for me because they tear my stomach to shreds.. but I love them
Laura’s perfect Sunday… read
My comfort read is Folklore Myths and Legends of Britain published by Reader’s Digest in the 70s. It’s an amazing object in itself; the front cover is embossed with a creepy horned demon thing and the book is heavy enough to be used as a blunt weapon. It’s crammed to the margins with concise mythology explanations, and my favourite sections are the geographical region-specific legends of the U.K. The chapter titles for Devon and Cornwall are “The Summer Land” and “Land of Merlin” with only a couple of words, it reframed my whole way of thinking about the area I live in.
Laura’s perfect Sunday… comic
It’s a toss-up between Tomie by Junji Ito, and The Ballard of Halo Jones by Alan Moore and Ian Gibson, published by 2000AD. Halo is one of the most relatable characters for me, but the beautiful and disgusting Tomie I love for different reasons. Deep down I wish I were her...
Laura’s perfect Sunday… movie
Depends on when I get to watch the movie, if we’re talking Sunday night it’s got to be Battle Royale. The way the movie looks is a big factor but it’s the concept that I find compelling. It's a realistic depiction of the social dynamics of High schoolers taken to the extreme. Also, with the amount of characters and weapons involved, it comprehensively explores Battle Royale experience. The only minus point is that I wish Mitsuko made it out alive. If my Sunday movie experience occurs during daylight hours my choice changes to Dumb and Dumber.
Laura’s perfect Sunday… TV binge
It would be a whole lot of cartoons, something like Wacky Races/Wile Coyote & Road Runner/Astro Boy. Ideally, Bugs Bunny and Yosemite Sam going at it. All of them are beautiful works of art.
Laura’s perfect Sunday… podcast
Dan Snow’s History Hit is the only podcast I listen to as I tend to listen to audiobooks instead. In general, my education was pretty shit, but my lack of knowledge about history bothers me more than my illiteracy and numeracy struggles. On Dan's podcast, historians are interviewed about their favourite areas of interest and expertise, so it’s a great way to get a small insight into a broad range of events. I particularly enjoyed an episode with Hallie Rubenhold detailing the lives of the five women murdered by Jack the Ripper.
Laura’s perfect Sunday… album
Right now, it would be Renaissance by Beyonce. I'm a big fan of classic disco and house music, so it’s pretty much impossible not to love the album. It’s rare these days in mainstream pop to have an album that feels like a complete body of work instead of a collection of singles, and I love the experience of listening to it from start to finish more than any particular song. So much so I got tickets for the tour and was completely blown away by the total energy of just everything that occurred within the stadium.
Laura’s perfect Sunday… treat
I’d take my other half and our two dogs to one of our favourite beaches in Devon. If the sea isn’t too rough, the dogs and I will swim while my fella waits on dry land, watching our heads bobbing along the waves together. Then we’d grab some ice creams and give the dogs one to share… being careful that the Labrador doesn’t manage to snatch the whole thing.
Demarco: No Smoke Part One by Lauren Beukes and Rob Richardson is currently running in Judge Dredd Megazine.
Mega-City One, 2146 AD. Galen DeMarco was once a Judge, a rising star operating out of the corrupt dumping ground that was Sector House 301. But she quit the force after one romantic indiscretion too many and set herself up as a private investigator. A recent case left her fighting for her life, and as she takes on other cases, it seems her assailant isn’t finished with her yet…
Since winning 2000 AD's writing competition in 2017, LAURA BAILEY has written numerous stories for the Prog and Megazine such as DeMarco P.I, Tales of the Black Museum, Future Shocks and Quilli. She also works as a Private Investigator around Devon and Cornwall.