Eric Parker overseas (part 7 of 10)

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
Pubs (part 2) here

Overseas (part 1) here

Overseas (part 2) here

Overseas (part 3) here

Overseas (part 4) here

Overseas (part 5) here

Overseas (part 6) here

and now we turn our attention to the start of a series of illustrations of foreign climes...

This was painted in Calpé (in Spain) and shows the nearby Penon de Ifach

This was painted in Calvi (in Corsica)

This was painted in Calpé (in Spain)

more Blacksad - a calendar

I've looked at Blacksad before...

the books here

the sketchbooks here

...and now I've discovered there was a calendar produced for 2011 as well - would love one of these!

UPDATED: Clearmark comics - Tom & Jerry

I've looked at some comics published by 'Clearmark comics' in the past...

Popular fairy tales here

Were Bears here

The world of Wym here

Rupert here

Tom and Jerry here 

Cookie here

Henry's cat - fun to cook here

They published at least one other title though...Tom & Jerry comic. Michael Carrol (here) records it at lasting 7 issues. So, here's the start of a covers gallery for Tom & Jerry comic.

Now updated with the cover of issue #2 and #3

Tom & Jerry comic, issue 1, May 1990, 80p

Tom & Jerry comic, issue 2, June 1990, 80p

Tom & Jerry comic, issue 3, July 1990, 80p

Tom & Jerry comic, issue 4, August 1990, 80p

Tom & Jerry comic, issue 5, September 1990, 80p

Tom & Jerry comic, issue 6 October 1990, 80p

image not to hand - can you help?

Tom & Jerry comic, issue 7, November 1990, 80p

image not to hand - can you help?

Lawless 2024 - the photos, part 1

Hard to believe it's another 11 months to Lawless, boo! While we're waiting for the time to pass here's part 1 of my photos from Lawless 2024. We start with the artists...

Dave Broughton

Pye Parr

Chris Weston (standing), Mike Collins (black t-shirt) and Keith Burns (check shirt)

Andrew Sawyers and the incredible 'sketch' he did for me - what a legend! And near neighbour!

Mike Dorey (left) and PJ Holden (centre)

John Higgins

The 77 tables

Commando - Falken, Braddock & Flint

To celebrate the release (last week I think) of Commando issue 5759 (below) and the inclusion of Kampfgruppe Falken in it I thought I'd log the other back issues of Commando that feature other DC Thomson 'heritage' characters.

Have I missed any? Just let me know!

I'm missing 5759, 5697, 5665 & 5287

Commando 5759

Braddock has two issues so far

Commando 5269

Commando 5267

Lord Peter Flint has appeared in 2 issues as well

Commando 5255

Commando 5263

Cadman has 2 issues as well

Commando 5697

That cowardly cad returns! From the pages of The Victor to Commando, Cadman the Fighting Coward looks skyward to escape the trenches - but he soon finds that life in the Royal Flying Corps isn't any easier or safer than on the ground!

5665 - interior art by Mike Dorey, cover art by Mike Dorey & Neil Roberts

Union Jack Jackson

Commando 5287

Comic festival 2003+4

I've looked a few different conventions before....

Bristol comic expo (2004-2014) is here

London comic festival 2003 is here
Kev Sutherland festival original art is here
A 'Lawless 2019' miscellany is here
Boys and Girls exhibitions of the 1950s and '60s is here
Glasgow comic art convention is here
Edinburgh art convention is here
Hi-Ex convention is here

UKCAC - part 1 - is here
UKCAC - part 2 - is here

UKCAC - part 3 - is here

BICS convention is here

Glasgow comic con is here

Kapow! comic con is here

British comic conventions 1970-76 is here 

British comic conventions 1977-81 is here 

Comic conventions miscellany is here

Comics 101 is here

Strips 78 is here

Comicon 1972 is here

Eaglecon 80 - part 1 - is here

Comicon 1971 is here

Comicon 1970 is here

Bristol comic expo 2023 is here

ALL the Lawless 2023 posts can be found here

Alexandra Palace in 1992 is here

11th British comic convention (1979) is here

6th British comic convention (1973) is here

Comic fest 2001+2 is here

2003 & 2004 saw Kev Sutherland expand his efforts into producing 2 huge festivals a year...

Here's the May 2003 cover image - again, this was a piece of A2 paper folded into an A5 size leaflet (which included the voting form for the 6th national comics awards). The guest list was, as ever, enormous. Star guests were Jeff Smith, Bryan Talbot & Jim Lee. 

cover art for the one-day festival in London in November  2003, cover art by Mark Buckingham. Usual A2 piece of paper folded up into A5 size.

The last Bristol event, sob! A2 sized piece of paper folded up as usual. Voting form for the awards, loads of guests, panel etc.

The last one! A2 sized piece of paper folded up as usual.

Sean Phillips painting

I really should feature the work of Sean Phillips on the blog more (sigh) but he seems to be doing ok without my help.

Anyway, I spotted this painting up for sale on that ebay (here) with bids starting at £500 and thought I'd flag it up to all you fans of Sean's work. Bidding ends on Tuesday night, good luck if you bid!

Here's an image from Sean's website showing the painting 'Nude, 2005' 

The Euro 96 comic that never was

As Euro 2024 is well underway now I feel it's a great opportunity to re-post this piece on a lost comic from Euro 96...

As today marks the start of Euro "2020" this blog asks the question that no-one else is...do you remember the Euro 96 comic? 

Given pride of place on the cover of Comics International #67 (dated April 1996) - and with details inside (see below) of this pan-European project...

The answer is that you shouldn't be able to remember it because it was never printed. 

I wonder if anyone out there knows what happened to this? Was it published elsewhere in Europe? Get in touch if you know.

Adventure stories for boys

This is a recent acquisition...

(first published 1967, 2nd impression 1968), hardback, 360 pages, sort of A5 sized and one in a series of similarly titled books.

why? Well, I was intrigued by the acknowledgements which clearly states that the material had all first been published in Eagle and Boys' World

The 2 titles had merged together on 10th October 1964 but I wondered if the text stories had first appeared in Eagle and Boys' World separately OR if they's appeared in the combined title? The stories are...

1). The Crime wave - Fielden Hughes

2). The speed kings - Robert Bateman

3). Adventure incorporated - James Kenner

4). Spell of magic - Harry Harrison

5). The ship that vanished - Odhams Press, 1963

6). High quest - Odhams Press, 1963

7). Hoodoo on the rangers - Odhams Press, 1964

8). A man's job - Odhams Press, 1964

A look at page 159 of this book...

...helped me put some dates to the stories above...

The ship that vanished ran in Boys' World volume 1 issue 1 to issue 10 [26/01/63 to 30/03/63]

Spell of magic then ran from (volume 1) issue 11 to issue 23 [06/04/63 to 29/06/63]

The speed kings then ran to (volume 1) issue 34 [06/07/63 to 14/09/63]

Adventure incorporated then ran to issue to (volume 1) issue 48 [21/09/63 to 21/12/63]

Hoodoo on the rangers then ran from (volume 1) issue 49 to volume 2  issue 13 [28/12/63 to 28/03/64]

A man's job then ran to (volume 2) issue 17 [04/04/64 to 25/04/64]

So that leaves The crime wave and High quest as stories to identify - I'm sure they're not in Boys' World but I can't find them in Eagle either - a mystery!

Comic Festival 2001+2

I've looked a few different conventions before....

Bristol comic expo (2004-2014) is here

London comic festival 2003 is here
Kev Sutherland festival original art is here
A 'Lawless 2019' miscellany is here
Boys and Girls exhibitions of the 1950s and '60s is here
Glasgow comic art convention is here
Edinburgh art convention is here
Hi-Ex convention is here

UKCAC - part 1 - is here
UKCAC - part 2 - is here

UKCAC - part 3 - is here

BICS convention is here

Glasgow comic con is here

Kapow! comic con is here

British comic conventions 1970-76 is here 

British comic conventions 1977-81 is here 

Comic conventions miscellany is here

Comics 101 is here

Strips 78 is here

Comicon 1972 is here

Eaglecon 80 - part 1 - is here

Comicon 1971 is here

Comicon 1970 is here

Bristol comic expo 2023 is here

ALL the Lawless 2023 posts can be found here

Alexandra Palace in 1992 is here

11th British comic convention (1979) is here

6th British comic convention (1973) is here

The A5 brochure (which really was a single piece of A2 paper folded up) unfolded to produce a pair of A3 sized posters. Art by Kev walker.

Art by Trevor Hairsine

The A5 sized, 32 page brochure for Comics 2002 is graced with a Frank Quitely cover. Yet again Kev Sutherland put together an absolutely massive event across Bristol with over 150 writers, artists, editors, publishers and the like

UPDATED: Popeye the sailor - Marvel UK

Michael Carroll's timeline of Marvel UK comics (here) has an array of interestingly short-lived comics on that I thought I should create cover galleries for them. Sometimes this is easier said than done but let's look at the 8 issue Popeye comic from 1989.

Updated with the cover to issue #2

Popeye the sailor, issue #1, February 1989, 45p

Popeye the sailor, issue #2, March 1989, 45p

Popeye the sailor, issue #3, April 1989, 45p

image not to hand - can you help?

Popeye the sailor, issue #4, May 1989, 45p

image not to hand - can you help?

Popeye the sailor, issue #5, June 1989, 45p

Popeye the sailor, issue #6, July 1989, 45p

Popeye the sailor, issue #7, August 1989, 45p

Popeye the sailor, issue #8, September 1989, 45p

There was also, it turns out, a Winter Special too - 32 pages in length