Oli Frey - Dan Dare cover artist

Oli Frey is well known as a computer magazine covers artist AND he's well known as a comics artist (I'm think of his run on new Eagle in late 1983) but he also had the very occasional opportunity to combine both talents. But only when there was a new Dan Dare computer game to promote, anyway, here are 2 of the covers that he drew for 2 of the iconic computer games magazines of the 1980s...

Bryan Talbot signing tonight

This is on tonight folks, don't forget...

London's Orbital comics have just announced (here) that Bryan Talbot will be coming to Orbital Comics this November for an extraordinary exhibition of his incredible artwork!

Talbot’s graphic novel series Grandville not only received overwhelming critical acclaim, but won the Prix SNCF award for best graphic novel, and was twice nominated for the prestigious Hugo award, propelling it to the ranks of “must-read” titles.

Grandville: Force Majeure represents the fifth and final instalment of this incredible series, and features our heroic Detective Inspector LeBrock on the run, wanted for murder, and out to save the country against insurmountable odds.
Bryan Talbot will be in store on Wednesday 15th of November for a signing and official book launch for Force Majeure. So be sure to clear your calendar, this event is not to be missed!

The Badger is back!
A gang war rages as, wanted for murder, truly alone and outside the law, Detective Inspector LeBrock is on the run from both the police and gangster assassins, the victim of a diabolical scheme to annihilate himself and everyone he holds dear, engineered by mastermind crime lord Tiberius Koenig, one of the most despicable villains in the history of detective fiction.

A fiendishly ingenious story of love, tenacity, treachery and tragedy, this fifth, final and longest stand-alone volume of the Eisner and Hugo Award nominated Grandville series by master storyteller and graphic novel pioneer Bryan Talbot is a veritable roller coaster of a detective thriller, featuring Grandville’s trademark fusion of high- octane excitement and humour, plus deduction on a Holmesian scale as we finally meet LeBrock’s mentor, Stamford Hawksmoor, and discover LeBrock’s untold backstory. Fan favourite characters, Detective Sergeant Roderick Ratzi and LeBrock’s vivacious fiancée, Parisian prostitute Billie, are joined by a new badger in town! Enter Tasso, an Italian badger who’s bigger, meaner and uglier than LeBrock – but is he a force for good – or evil? A battle royale ensues as LeBrock fights against truly outrageous odds. How can he possibly survive?

Battle cover by Joe Colquhoun up for sale

Got £495 burning a hole in your pocket? Fancy treating yourself to an early Christmas present? Then I could have the answer! Just point your browser over here and partake in this great opportunity to acquire an original Battle cover (for 31st October 1981) from the pen of the very talented Joe Colquhoun.

Cheaper than other boards that have been advertised for sale recently but then you are getting a lot less 'down and dirty in the trenches' penwork from the incomparable Joe Colquhoun.

I'm not selling it and I won't be buying it but if either of those categories apply to you then good luck!

Massimo Belardinelli art for sale

I'm not selling this magnificent piece of Massimo Belardinelli artwork (for sale here), and sadly I won't be buying it either but it's just so amazing I wanted to share it here...

What did make it on to the cover of prog 74...

Lee Sullivan, Andrew Cartmel & Ben Aaronovitch signing this afternoon

Don't forget this signing early this afternoon...

Forbidden Planet have announced (here) a signing based on the Rivers of London universe created by Ben Aaronovitch in a series of police procedural / magic crossover novels.

They say...BEN AARONOVITCH, LEE SULLIVAN and ANDREW CARTMEL will be signing RIVERS OF LONDON CRY FOX #1 FORBIDDEN PLANET JETPACK VARIANT at the Forbidden Planet London Megastore on Sunday 12th November from 1 – 2pm.

The bookstore smash-hit returns for a brand-new story, picking up the threads from the most recent bestselling Rivers of London novel, The Hanging Tree!
Peter Grant, apprentice magician and freshly-made detective, tackles supernatural crimes for the London Met, walking the fine line between two worlds to keep the peace!

Also available on the day will be the signed mini-print Hardback edition of the latest collection, Detective Stories - exclusive to Forbidden Planet!

Wimbledon comic art festival is TODAY!

Don't forget that this is happening today people, maybe see you there?

I'm looking forward to seeing Matt Garvey (whose work I showed here, here, here and here

Dan Broughton has had his worked praised here and here

Gareth Brookes has his work raved about here



Just a quick shout-out for Wimbledon Comic Art festival which is happening next Saturday the 11th Of November from 10:30-4:30

To keep up to date the website is here

The venue is the Merton Art Space (which is at the back of Wimbledon Library - itself only about 2 minutes walk from Wimbledon train / tube / tram station)

Come for comics, sequential art, cosplay, workshops and more!

It's free!

There's a facebook page here and twitter here

Among confirmed exhibitors you can expect to see...

Gareth Brookes - creator of 'A thousand coloured castles', reviewed here

Dan Butcher – creator superhero web comic Vanguard and co-host of indie comics podcast the Awesome Comics Podcast.

David Broughton - a small press artist and writer who has created his own comics, such as Shaman Kan. He is also co-creator of Spectre Show and Martillo. He has also drawn various comic strips for 2000AD fanzines Zarjaz, Dogbreath and many other small press publications.

Matt Garvey – writer of the incredible Cordelia Swift series as well as Chunk, Transfer and The Ether.

Ben Tobitt – Merton based comics illustrator Ben will be bringing loads of cool comics and illustrations for your delectation.

Rik Jackson – creator of web comic Rock In Purgatory, indie comic artist Rik will be launching the print edition at our event.

Full details can be found here

Porcelain signing is announced @ Gosh

The Gosh facebook page here has just announced a signing by the creatives behind Porcelain, as it says on the website...

The creative team behind the fantastical, gothic fairytale Porcelain, Benjamin Read and Chris Wildgoose will be joining us for a signing on Thursday the 30th of November, 6-7pm!

Porcelain: Ivory Tower, number three in the much loved series (out right now from Improper Books!), continues to explore the themes of consciousness, self-determination and the corruption of power in a beautifully illustrated and tightly plotted journey through a fully realised and troubled world. Mixing gothic horror, sci-fi, a fairy tale sensibility and an epic sense of scale we're certain the Porcelain series is a future classic of young adult fiction so we're thrilled to have the creators with us!

Ben and Chris will be here on Thursday, 30th November, 6-7pm. If you can't make it but would like a signed copy, drop us an email to info@goshlondon.com to arrange a reservation or a mail order.

Freeway Fighter signing @ Forbidden Planet, London

As Forbidden Planet say on their website (here) ...join a fabulous Fighting Fantasy line-up at Forbidden Planet, signing Titan Comics’ FREEWAY FIGHTER on Saturday 25th November from 1 – 2pm!
Forbidden Planet are pleased to welcome back Gamesmaster Ian Livingstone and artist Jim Burns, bringing us the last leg of this furious road trip.

Celebrating 35 years in 2017, Fighting Fantasy brought together choice-driven storytelling with a dice-based role-playing system to create a world in which ‘YOU are the hero!’ The series sold over
18 million copies worldwide and has been translated into over 30 languages.

In the new comics series, an unknown virus has wiped out over 85% of the world’s human population. Former I-400 Driver Bella De La Rosa is one of the 15% – living every day as if it were her last. Now, eighteen months after the collapse of civilisation, faced with a new world order where violence and chaos rule the Freeway. She must hone her racing skills and survive any way she can!
Also available ONLY at the event are two very Limited Edition Prints!

Stepping away from the usual mix of orcs and goblins, FREEWAY FIGHTER is a road trip like no other. Dare you take it? If yes, turn to paragraph 132!

Kev O'Neill exhibition in London in 2009

Rescued from the back of the cupboard here we have the flyer and price list from a Kevin O'Neill exhibition held back in 2009 at the Illustration Cupboard...

My notes from the show record the following entries in the guest book...

Alan Moore "...Lovely space, lovely show"

Steve Moore "...terrific stuff, Kev - wish you every success"

Rivers of London signing this weekend @ FP London

Forbidden Planet have announced (here) a signing based on the Rivers of London universe created by Ben Aaronovitch in a series of police procedural / magic crossover novels.

They say...BEN AARONOVITCH, LEE SULLIVAN and ANDREW CARTMEL will be signing RIVERS OF LONDON CRY FOX #1 FORBIDDEN PLANET JETPACK VARIANT at the Forbidden Planet London Megastore on Sunday 12th November from 1 – 2pm.

The bookstore smash-hit returns for a brand-new story, picking up the threads from the most recent bestselling Rivers of London novel, The Hanging Tree!
Peter Grant, apprentice magician and freshly-made detective, tackles supernatural crimes for the London Met, walking the fine line between two worlds to keep the peace!

Also available on the day will be the signed mini-print Hardback edition of the latest collection, Detective Stories - exclusive to Forbidden Planet!

Wimbledon Comic Art festival

Just a quick shout-out for Wimbledon Comic Art festival which is happening next Saturday the 11th Of November from 10:30-4:30

To keep up to date the website is here

The venue is the Merton Art Space (which is at the back of Wimbledon Library - itself only about 2 minutes walk from Wimbledon train / tube / tram station)

Come for comics, sequential art, cosplay, workshops and more!

It's free!

There's a facebook page here and twitter here

Among confirmed exhibitors you can expect to see...

Gareth Brookes - creator of 'A thousand coloured castles', reviewed here

Dan Butcher – creator superhero web comic Vanguard and co-host of indie comics podcast the Awesome Comics Podcast.

David Broughton - a small press artist and writer who has created his own comics, such as Shaman Kan. He is also co-creator of Spectre Show and Martillo. He has also drawn various comic strips for 2000AD fanzines Zarjaz, Dogbreath and many other small press publications.

Matt Garvey – writer of the incredible Cordelia Swift series as well as Chunk, Transfer and The Ether.

Ben Tobitt – Merton based comics illustrator Ben will be bringing loads of cool comics and illustrations for your delectation.

Rik Jackson – creator of web comic Rock In Purgatory, indie comic artist Rik will be launching the print edition at our event.

Full details can be found here

When Roy of the Rovers sponsored a football club

A recent social media post by ex-Fleetway editor Barrie Tomlinson alerted me to the football programme below, art by John Gillatt

Which then got me into looking for other football programmes that Barrie must somehow have been involved in the production of, here's a couple for you...

artist unknown to me - any ideas?

is this Barrie Mitchell artwork? It's the style of the grass that makes me think he's done it.

I'm hoping that Barrie will spot this and fill us in on a few more details of how Roy of the Rovers came to sponsor a real life football club.

Update...Update...Update...
Barrie DID spot this post and has provided an update as follows...
Just caught up with your blog about St.Albans City Football Club programme covers.   How did it happen? The first one is easy. I was born and bred in St.Albans and followed the club.  In chats with the chairman I got Roy of the Rovers made a Vice President of the club.  I then asked John Gillatt to provide a cover for the match programme.    That's really all I know.  After I was booted off Roy of the Rovers, I discovered that Roy of the Rovers was a now sponsoring the club...hence the two other progamme covers which appeared. There may have been more.  Why the Roy of the Rovers publishers wanted to sponsor the club is a mystery to me. Were they doing it just to give me another boot up the bottom or was there some other reason? I never found out. Most people thought it was me who had arranged the sponsorship. But it wasn't!  Anyway, I like the John Gillatt artwork for the first programme.  The other covers make the ground look a bit too grand!  Sometimes, life is a mystery!

Graphic novel special in the Observer this Sunday

This Sunday The Observer is celebrating 10 years of the Observer / Jonathan Cape / Comica graphic short story prize with a graphic novel special section within its New Review section

You can currently see finalists work at Orbital Comics

As they say on their website...
Orbital Gallery is very pleased to announce that we are once again previewing the finalists in this years Observer Short Story Graphic Prize.
In association with Jonathan Cape publishing and the Observer newspaper, this will be the 10th anniversary of the award, which has been a springboard for many now well established Graphic Novelists and cartoonists. The exhibition will run 24th October – 5th November.

Join us on Sunday 5th November for the exciting reveal of the winner!

Below is a list of the finalists and their respective graphic short story:
4.42AM – Peter Cline
Dennis and June – Emily Bob
Greedy Guts – Tom Eaton
Haunted – Andrew Watson
I Think Collin has Dementia –
If You’re so Wise, How Come You’re Dead? – Tor Freeman
Madame and Me – James Albon
Mister-e Car Wash – Oliver Elliott
My Father in Berlin – Astrid and Jonathan Goldsmith
On a Friday – Panosbaros
Plop – Stref
Prim – Andy Hixon
Sea Change – Ginny Shinnel
The Slug Finger – Lily Shaul
Start Up – Peter Duggan
The Three Ravens – Alé Mercado
Tom and Gerry – Jessica Barrah
Varicose Veins – Jessika Green

Robert the Devil - but where the devil was it published?

Here's a puzzle from the Book Palace and the pen of Mario Capaldi...their latest listings pointed to these pages of art and the following note (here) ...

The complete first appearance and origin of the character Robert The Devil. Loosely based on the Medieval French legend. A Norman knight who discovers he is the son of Satan. His mother, despairing of heaven's aid in order to obtain a son, had asked for help from the devil.

Robert's satanic instincts propel him into a violent and sinful life, but he eventually overcomes them to achieve repentance. This is a fairly light-hearted take on the tale.

Exact publication details yet to be determined, probably from a weekly Fleetway / IPC comic of the 1970's. The opening page is especially fine.

All your for £350 but the question is where did the strip appear - can anyone help?

Gilbert Shelton signing announced

Gosh comics have announced a rare opportunity to meet comics counter-culture icon Gilbert Shelton, here's what they have to say...

Counter culture hero Gilbert Shelton will be with here from Saturday the 27th November, 1-2pm, signing his work to celebrate fifty freakin' years since the Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers!

For those who've been in a green haze since 1960, Gilbert Shelton might be considered one of the godfather's of stoner comics, starting with the Superman parody strips Wonder Wart Hog, in 1961 followed by the equally iconic Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers and the spin off Fat Freddy's cat in 1977. He never made it to Vietnam (as was considered unfit after admitting to having taken LSD), but his cartoon creations did, becoming a significant part of the cultural and emotional resistance that defined the era. He was also active in San Francisco music scene, after moving to the city in 1978, designing LP covers, for the Grateful Dead's 1978 Shakedown street among others. 

Free tickets to Paul Trevillion event tonight!

Over on the "Black Gallery Tring" facebook page (here) there's still (just!) about time to book tickets to the private view of their new exhibition. The event is TONIGHT but does feature the opportunity to meet a man their new artist in residence, a man they describe as the Leonardo of line, yes it's legendary sports illustrator Paul Trevillion!

Perhaps best known for his 'You are the ref' (and sister strip 'You are the Umpire') Paul has worked in sports illustration for 60 years

Paul has drawn for Eagle, TV21, Tiger and Roy of the Rovers.

His immediately recognisable style and speed (I've been to one of his talks and he's a great character and still pretty quick on the draw) can be further enjoyed at his websites here and here

Norman Thelwell - Chicko, part 2 of 2

The second batch of Norman Thelwell's Chicko strips from Eagle - a shame they're not signed  Thelwell.