The Immigrant? - I'm Only Happy When it Rains comic cover

Whatever people say I am: The Immigrant?

That's what I'm not!

I'm Only Happy When it Rains

'I'm Only Happy When it Rains' is the story of Korola, a Hungarian migrant who comes to work in the UK after the Brexit referendum. Based on interviews with European migrants, it explores how new and emerging communities integrate into the host nation and the challenges they might encounter. The comic was funded by the Police and Crime Commission with the aim of challenging prejudice by putting a face to migrant statistics.

Although James Walker and Paul Fillingham have worked on numerous projects together, this is their first writer/artist collaboration. Production techniques have evolved since Paul first drew comics as a teenager during the power-cuts of the 1970's. This return to the genre after several decades was accomplished using a combination of mobile, Macbook and iPad design applications.

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Meet the team

Writer: James Walker

James has worked in education for the past decade and is eager to make academic research more accessible. As a digital storyteller he loves experimenting with form and getting the most out of each medium. His most recent work includes adapting Alan Sillitoe's classic short story to Twitter as 'The Loneliness Of The Lockdown Runner' (@Lockdown_Runner) and the YouTube story 'Lockdown Stories: The Strawberry Thief'.

James Walker

Artist: Paul Fillingham

Paul has collaborated with James on various digital storytelling projects. Originally trained in the Bauhaus tradition of multi-disciplinary art practice, his projects sit at the intersection of technology and the humanities. In recent years he has become involved in the digital transformation of UK Government services with a particular interest in user experience design, and tackling issues around accessibility and digital inequality.

Paul Fillingham

New and Emerging Communities

New and Emerging Communities is a multi-agency project exploring the impact of European migration on public services and policing. It is funded by the Police and Crime Commission with the aim of promoting inclusion and breaking down social or cultural barriers. This was achieved through an interpretivist framework, principally using qualitative focus groups and one-to-one interviews to seek perceptions and viewpoints of a selection of ethnic minority communities with reference to integration, connectedness, criminal victimisation, perceptions of and access to public services and cohesion.

Lead Researcher: Dr. Loretta Trickett

Dr Trickett's research interests include masculinity, the fear of crime and victimisation, and social inclusion for marginalised groups. She is a member of various working groups on hate crime in Nottinghamshire. Policing is another area that she is interested in. Loretta said: "The police get a lot of criticism and they're under many constraints with limited resources and time. I want my research to help them by drawing on evidence of good practice."

Researcher: Amanda Hanson

Amanda is an Associate Lecturer in Criminology at Nottingham Trent University (NTU) and has been teaching at both an undergrad and postgrad level for the last 6 years. Amanda has experience in conducting research with a number of vulnerable/marginalised communities. Research projects completed include a health-based evaluation of the 'Living Well' Service (funded by Age UK) and Trickett, L. & Hanson, A. (2019) 'New and Emerging Communities'. Amanda is currently conducting her doctoral research on the issue of Disability Hate Crime.

Research Assistant: Mahad Haq

Mahad is a PhD student at NTU who is currently conducting his doctoral research on the issue of knife crime. Mahad is also an hourly paid lecturer and in his first year of teaching Law at undergraduate level. Mahad's previous research experience is as an admin assistant for Dr Loretta Trickett's 'Evaluation of Living Well Service' project.

Features Researcher: Selbi Durdiyeva

Selbi is a researcher with a background in transitional justice and human rights, working within academia and for NGOs. Selbi is interested in theory and feminist writing. For the past 16 years she has been a migrant in different countries and will most likely continue to be one for the rest of her life. Therefore, this story has personal resonance for her.