‘A Brief History of UFOs on the Isle of Man’ is a non-fiction comics project and exploration into modern-day folklore and social history by award-winning graphic artist and illustrator, Ali Hodgson.
Everyone loves a mystery and the Isle of Man has always, and will hopefully continue, to have a global reputation as a place of mysterious happenings - including UFO phenomenon.
With a population of 84,000, the Isle of Man is situated in the exact centre of the British Isles: neatly enclosed by Scotland, England, Ireland and Wales, but with a history all of its own.
This project delves into the mysterious reputation of the Isle of Man through gathered research, interviews and eye witness accounts with the very real human stories behind them, eerily illustrated into a comic book that will explore the space between the known and unknown - and leave you with more questions than answers. Prepare to have your understanding of reality challenged!
Have you seen something strange in the Isle of Man skies?
Or perhaps you know someone who has? Please share your stories!
I’m currently gathering stories to add to the comic - big or small - I’d love to hear your sightings. Please fill out the form via the ‘Share Your Story’ button below, or contact me here. All participants will be kept anonymous and I will keep you up-to-date with when the project will be released.
Are you a publisher or the media and interested in this project? I currently have funding for the book from Culture Vannin and I’m looking for publishers or media partners to help get the book out and spread the word! If you’re interested or want to know more, please contact me here.
Below is a sample of some of the pages from ‘A Brief History of UFOs on the Isle of Man’.
(Please note these pages are still a work-in-progress.)
"This is very different to Ali's previous work, underlining her versatility as an artist. Note the gentle way she draws you in as a point of contact character, re-enforcing that link between reader and page. Definitely want to see more of this!"
- Andy Oliver, Broken Frontier
Storytelling will always be a powerful way of connecting to place and time, and the Isle of Man has a uniquely rich folklore history, perhaps closer to the surface of people’s awareness than in many other parts of the world.
‘A Brief History of UFOs on the Isle of Man’ is a book project and modern-day celebration of native legends that will appeal to anyone who is curious about unexplained phenomenon. Containing eyewitness accounts of strange sightings in the sky gathered from research and numerous written and spoken interviews with members of the public who were willing to share their stories.
The sightings start from as far back as Celtic legend and the first ever recorded sightings of something strange in the Isle of Man skies, in the form of ‘spinning wheels of fire’ - right though to present day local news reports and interviews of UFO sightings.
From eerie first dates at a local reservoir, to cherished but strange shared childhood memories, all of these stories are woven together by the common theme of witnessing something unexplainable. This book will be both a visual and written record of some of these stories and capture the essence of why our paranormal history on the British Isles is so unique, unusual, and worth celebrating.
"I have a deep love of storytelling, mystery, folklore and social history - all of which have been themes in my work for many years. The idea for ‘A Brief History of UFOs on the Isle of Man’ began shortly after I moved to the Island in 2019 and was struck by how many people I met who seemed so open to talking about experiences where they had witnessed something strange in the Island’s skies, as if it was a normal part of everyday life. And so the project was born.”
About Ali Hodgson
Ali Hodgson MA(RCA) is a values-led, award winning multidisciplinary graphic artist and graduate of The Royal College of Art, London. Ali is a visual storyteller with a particular interest in communicating complex social, psychological or environmental issues and some of her previous clients include the World Fair Trade Organization, The Scotland on Sunday, Resurgence & Ecologist Magazine and many more.
Aside from her own freelance work as a graphic artist, Ali is regularly involved in comics projects, publications and collaborations, such as her graphic memoir-in-progress, Jumping Mouse (longlisted for the 2021 LDComics awards), and recent contributions to Colossive Press and the inaugural publication from the Drawn Together collective. She currently lives on the Isle of Man and works, teaches and exhibits internationally.
14th January 2001 - Snaefell Summit
On the 14th of January 2001, a number of eyewitnesses reported a large object colliding with the masts at the top of Snaefell’s summit - the highest point on the Isle of Man. The reports where serious enough that a search and rescue helicopter was scrambled from Wales but nothing was ever found (or reported to be found). This story is accessible in multiple news sources from the time, and many locals remember the event.
Artwork from ‘A Brief History of UFOs on the Isle of Man’ was recently featured at a solo exhibition titled Telling Tales: Unexpectedly Illustrated Stories from the Isle of Man & Beyond by Ali Hodgson. The exhibition featured a number of visual storytelling projects and ran during the Autumn of 2022 at Artea in Port Erin, the Isle of Man.
A series of fine art giclée prints are still available from the exhibition, including the Snaefell Summit pictured here.
A Brief History of UFOs on the Isle of Man
A comic by Ali Hodgson - COMING SOON!
Have you seen something strange in the Isle of Man skies?
