Search This Blog

18 March 2024

Will Eisner in Hackney - FINAL WEEK

Just a quick shout-out for this exhibition (postponed from the Autumn) that is now in its final week pen at the Jam bookshop in Hackney. 

The shop is open Thursday 12-6, Saturday 12-5 and Sunday 12-4

17 March 2024

UPDATED: Artist sketchbooks

I've enjoyed looking at the various programmes that have been produced to support all sorts of comic conventions over the years - one of the highlights for me in attending such a show is to meet the artists and to (just maybe) come away with an example of their art. If you can't afford a piece of original artwork then maybe a sketchbook from them is the next best thing? I've looked at many of these sketchbooks individually but I thought it was worth bringing all these posts together - and adding a few new images in too. Enjoy!


Updated: now with sketchbook by Dave Taylor (produced back in 2014). A4 sized, full colour throughout, 52 pages. Plenty of examples of his work on Judge Dredd universe work, Batman and sketches showing his love of the work of Moebius. Worth tracking down.

This Ant Williams sketchbook...check out his website here

This Alan Davis sketchbook
it's described thus... a large size sketchbook of preliminary/unreleased/final art to covers/commissions Alan has done over the last decade or so.

I've looked at the sketchbooks of Simon Bisley before (here) and I see there are some new sketchbooks to buy, here they are...

The current sketchbook (dated 2021) is for sale here

Warning these links may have expired...

This edition (limited run of 700 copies) is available here for $40 but hurry, there aren't many left

This version (limited edition of 150 copies) is available here for $50 but hurry, there aren't many left

This version (limited edition of 150 copies) is available here for $175 but hurry, there aren't many left


Previous Bisley sketchbooks...

Simon Bisley sketchbook - 2018, 64 pages, limited edition of 400 copies



Simon Bisley sketchbook - 2018, 64 pages, limited edition of 100 copies


There also seems to have been this version too...


Simon Bisley sketchbook - 2008, 32 pages, limited edition of 1000 copies

All previous mention of Simon's work can be found on the blog here

Glenn Fabry sketchbook 1
I looked in more detail at this sketchbook here and here

Glenn Fabry sketchbook 2

Glenn Fabry sketchbook 3
I've looked at Glenn's work a few times on the blog - check out all the posts here

New addition to this post - The artbook of Glenn Fabry - limited to 100 copies and with an original retail price of 100 euro



Also new for this posting - Monograph by Glenn Fabry




Duncan Fegredo

David Millgate
Art from Sinister Dexter co-creator and Judge Dredd artist. This high quality 48 page A4 art-book, featuring concept art, sketches, 2000AD art, pencil, colour and inked work, produced with permission from 2000AD.

The first print run was just 100 copies, retailing at £14.99 plus postage (£3.00 UK), it was initially on sale at ICE Comic Con in Birmingham on 9th September 2017.
Or you can STILL pre-order a signed copy via Baden James Mellonie via Paypal badenmellonie@hotmail.com (for £17.99 UK, please ask about non-UK postage before ordering) or contact Baden on Twitter @MelMellonie

Frank Quitely

widely available - 128 pages, the Amazon blurb says

With three decades of comic art behind Frank Quitely, Drawings + Sketches selects work from Jupiter's Legacy, Jupiter's Circle, WE3, Pax Americana and more offering insights into the stories and processes behind them. Comics were invented in Glasgow. It is fitting then that Glasgow should be home to Frank Quitely, known worldwide for drawing Batman, Superman and X-Men. A standalone beautiful and inspiring art book, a must-have for any fan or aspiring comics creator.

John Higgins sketchbook
I didn't get this from an actual comic convention in Moscow, instead I got it at the 2000AD 40th birthday event in 2017, A5 sized, 44 pages

Chris Weston sketchbook, US comic book size, 40 pages, colour plus black & white illustrations

rear cover...
I looked here at this sketchbook in some more detail 

Boo Cook sketchbook - A5 sized
As it says inside "...sketches from 32 sketchbooks over 27 years"


Graeme Neil Reid sketchbook (2010), US comic sized, 28 illustrations
limited edition of 30 copies

Graeme Neil Reid sketchbook (2008), US comic sized, 28 illustrations

Graeme Neil Reid sketchbook (2012), US comic sized, 28 illustrations



Gary Erskine sketchbook, A4 sized, 60 pages, colour 

Which was then reprinted (and enlarged) and looks like this...
You can buy it here

Cam Kennedy sketchbook 1

Cam Kennedy sketchbook 2
I looked at these sketchbooks in more detail here

Brian Bolland sketchbook
Only 500 printed (according to the seller on ebay where I've swiped this image from)

Staz Johnson
You can buy this here

These two I picked up at the recent Lawless convention - sketchbooks by D'emon D'raughtsman D'Israeli 


All sketchbooks can be found on the blog here

16 March 2024

Christmas with the Buds #3

A recent spot on ebay...The seller described it thus...

This is for issue 3 of "Christmas with the Buds", a 12-page
promotional comic for Budgens supermarket from Christmas 1986.

It contains a 4 page comic strip by Sid Burgon as well as jokes
and promotions.

Page 2 is an advert for Doctor Who Adventure Comics, given
away with Golden Wonder crisp multipacks. The ad features a
few comic frames featuring the Tardis, a Cyberman and the sixth
doctor, Colin Baker.

Never seen this before so I'd love to know if anyone has examples of
issue 1 and 2 (and maybe even an issue 4 - if it exists???)






15 March 2024

Eric Parker pubs (part 2 of 2)

I've recently begun a lengthy series of blog posts all about renowned illustrator Eric Parker (check out his Wikipedia entry here) who had a 50 year (!) career as a comic illustrator.

I've looked at Roughs (part 1) here
Roughs (part 2) here
Roughs (part 3) here
Roughs (part 4) here
Female heads (part 1) here
Female heads (part 2) here
Female heads (part 3) here
Female heads (part 4) here
Pubs (part 1) here

and now we turn our attention to the start of a series of illustrations of pubs...I'd love to think that some of these are for pubs that would appear in Sexton Blake stories but I can't be certain





This looks like a Sexton Blake era image to me