Maxwell the magic cat, volume 3

The four slim reprint volumes (published by Acme press) of Alan Moore's Maxwell the magic cat newspaper strips are surely high on the wants list of any Moore aficionado. Volumes 1 and 2 seem a little easier to get hold of than volumes 3 and 4 but I've long been more interested in volumes 3&4 as I knew they had Maxwell work by other artists in.

Below we have the artistic highlights of volume 3 - the original art of these images (along with those in volume 4) were all auctioned off at UKCAC87 for charity.

Art by Bryan Talbot

Art by Garry Leach

Art by John Bolton

Art by Graham Higgins (top) and Dave Gibbons (bottom)

Art by Ian Gibson

this fast-driving truck driver is clearing dead cats off the front of his cab - nice!

Celebrity comics - Ovide

I've occasionally looked at publisher Celebrity comics in the past...

Count Duckula is here

The wisdom of gnomes is here

Wanted is here

Rupert is here

and now we have Ovide comic

Ovide comic, issue #1, October, 60p

Ovide comic, issue #2, November, ??p

image not to hand - can you help?

Ovide comic, issue #3, December, 65p

the price has already gone up 5p!

Frank Hampson & the Calouste Gulbenkian gallery

I spotted this poster for sale online recently and it piqued my interest for lots of reasons, but mainly because I'd not come across this exhibition before. It wasn't on for very long, and I'm not even sure what year it was on but it does feature Pip Warwick's Mekon sculpture - see post here

I'd be delighted to find out more about this exhibition so if you can help do get in touch, thanks!

UPDATE: Friend of the blog Steve Winders has shared his recollections in an attempt to help me date the exhibition. Thanks, as ever, to Steve...

Regarding your post about the Exhibition in Newcastle, this message unfortunately cannot give you any helpful information, but I was contacted by an old schoolfriend who knew I was an Eagle fan shortly before the exhibition began. He was trying to track down original Eagle artwork, but I couldn't help him. I suggested they contact Frank Hampson, who was still alive then, but he suggested they had already done so, but Frank hadn't been able to give much help. I'm not sure that he actually had much of his artwork then. I was surprised to be contacted as this was in the very early days of fandom not long after Eaglecon 80 and I'd only written a couple of articles for Eagle fanzines and these were about the Harris Tweed Appreciation Society. I was also surprised to be contacted by my old schoolfriend, as I hadn't seen him for about nine years and I was living in Wales by then. I never found out any more about the Exhibition, although I knew that Pip Warwick was involved and we had seen his ceramic Mekon at Eaglecon '80.

It was probably 1980 or 81. It was definitely before 1983 as we moved back to the north then and I recall we hadn't been in Wales long when he rang. (We moved there in 1979). I just looked my old friend up on Facebook, but there are hundreds of Dave McGraths and none identify Newcastle in their basic info. Of course he could have moved on by then. The title of the Exhibition is rather odd (in referring to drawings).

Eric Parker & Aims of industry

Here's a comics oddity from c. 1950 - it was produced by 'Aims of Industry' (an independent lobby group for business leaders in industry - said the ebay seller). Just 4 pages in total, art by Eric Parker. A rare item this one! One for all your fans of benevolent capitalism.

You can see all other references to Eric Parker on the blog here

You can see all other references to advertising material on the blog here

UPDATED: Street Sharks comics (1997)

My ongoing quest to document all '90s comics finally reaches Street Sharks - there was a Street Sharks comic published in the US by Archie Comics. This does not look like a reprint of that. Looks like originated British material in amongst plenty of non-comics content. 

It lasted at least 8 issues - any help filling in the gaps in my covers gallery is much appreciated. 

Update for this post - cover for issue 7 identified

Street Sharks, issue #1, £1.25

Street Sharks, issue #2, £1.25

image not to hand - can you help?

Street Sharks, issue #3, £1.25

Street Sharks, issue #4, £1.25

Street Sharks, issue #5 £1.25

Street Sharks, issue #6, £1.25

Street Sharks, issue #7, £1.25

Street Sharks, issue #8, £1.25

There was also an annual (published by Grandreams)

Eric Parker - roughs (part 3 of 4)

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

and now some more roughs...

Looks like some sort of Dickensian ne'er-do-well

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 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