Birmingham comic art show - Watchmen

I've looked before at many of the brochures that were produced over the years to accompany various comics conventions (check out all the reference to "convention" here on the blog)

What I didn't realise until very recently was how interesting this particular programme was in relation to the history of Watchmen. I'll let ace ebay seller Ewan Brownlow (check out his shop here) explain...

BIRMINGHAM COMIC ART SHOW UK no.3

Original vintage 28pg convention booklet, May 1986

Super-rare - print run <200

Featuring unpublished elsewhere art & features

Dave Gibbons "Watchmen: Doctor Manhattan, Black Freighter skull & cross-bones, Silk Spectre, Nite Owl, Rorschach, Smiley, Radio-active symbol, The Comedian, Ozymandias" 9-panel art

1st full appearance Watchmen

1st Watchmen Smiley

1st "9 panel" format

This very early black & white promotional art by Dave Gibbons (first published in this booklet) was used many years later for the cover of the Watchmen "Deluxe Edition" albeit in an amended form with the "Smiley" panel removed (see comparison in 2nd pic, book not included)

Early timeline

1). Mar 1985 - Speakeasy no.50 fanzine (1st "Watch Out For The Watchmen" news feature)

2). Aug 1985 - KOOKS no.2 fanzine (features 3 images of Dave Gibbons' "photocopied pencils" showing Rorschach, Doctor Manhattan and Nite Owl)

3). Sep 1985 - DC Spotlight no.1 (Watchmen Preview)

4). May 1986 - Birmingham Comic Art Show no.3 (1st full appearance of all Watchmen)

5). May 1986 - Speakeasy no.62 fanzine (The Comedian cover and "30 Seconds To Doomsday" feature)

6). Sep 1986 - Watchmen no.1 published

Obviously this booklet is literally hundreds of times rarer than the DC Spotlight comic!

Plus...

Brian Bolland art

Kevin O'Neill "Metalzoic" art

Alan Davis / Paul Neary "Batman" art

Lew Stringer "Brickman Saves the Day!" strip

Forbidden Planet 1 & 2 advert with Brian Bolland photo

"Friends Of The Comic Art Show" listing feature including Neil Gaiman (very early mention)

Mark Farmer art

John Bolton art

Julius Schwartz feature

"Timetable" schedule mentioning "Due to the ever present threat of Libyan terrorism Dick Giordano & Julie Schwartz have been advised to pull out" & "Sunday includes plans for a Watchmen panel with Alan Moore & Dave Gibbons"

John Ridgway art