Lee Sullivan's satirical take on the Transformers

Here's Lee Sullivan's irreverent (heretical?) take on Transformers...care of "Spitting Image - the giant komic book" (which is filled full of strips by great names)

an introduction to Buddy comic

Stood at a car boot sale on Sunday morning with a pile of comics in front of me wondering whether to buy them or not...that was me last Sunday...I'd vaguely heard of Buddy but didn't know much about it, I knew it was a DC Thomson title and my collecting interests are based around Hulton/Longacre/IPC/Fleetway titles - there's only so much room in the house, you've got to draw the line somewhere. I could see that the seller had 20ish issues for sale, I could see they weren't all consecutively numbered but I could see they went from issue 1-40. A quick google told me that the complete set of Buddy went well beyond issue 40 so this would only be a sample of the whole run, I wasn't on the verge of completing the set with my first purchase.

Anyhow, thought I should have a quick flick through and see if I could be tempted to buy 'em...

Cover's a bit bland, who's this lad? Buddy I guess. Very DC Thomson cover. Not inspired. Pop pistol long gone.

Ooh, but hang on, turn the page and there's the Wolf of Kabul that I've heard about (I'm a cricket fan so any story involving cricket in some at will grab my attention) - and the artwork is by Mike Dorey, all those dirty, smudgy pictures that he does so well.

I'm les interested in Andy Gray - although they must cover more interesting people from time to time.

Turn the page from Andy Gray and blow me down but there's 4 pages of Denis Mcloughlin's fantastically detailed art,

Jonah? Count me in some more, I love Jonah.

Hmmm, Billy the Cat - never read it but  people enthuse about it, maybe I should give it a go.

So my quick flick through encouraged me that there was more to Buddy than meets the eye, so I took the plunge and purchased the 22 issues for a fiver, why nor give buddy a try yourself?

Joseph Merrick #6 - coming soon

It seems only the other day that Tom Ward & Luke Parker were sending out copies of 'Merrick the sensational elephantman #5', in fact it was only in May. But my copy is still sat in its wrapper as I've yet to read it, the shame, the shame!

Anyway, they haven't been hanging around as Tom has just announced that the next issue (#6) has been completed and the printed copies should all be out by the end of July. Great news for all those who backed this great Kickstarter campaign.

Here's the cover to issue 6...

There are things to buy here - and you can even pre-order issue 6 - but be warned there is a limited print run of only 500 copies - and you can only order 2 issues, so don't delay.

What else can you do in Birkdale if you don't love golf?

As it's the Open golf tournament this week, I wondered if there were comic-y things you could do if you were in the area and not interested in the golf, so the question is what else can you do in Birkdale if you don't love golf (but do love comics)?

Plenty! The original Eagle magazine specifically as this part of the North-West is where the magazine has its genesis.

Located in the middle of Southport there's the Atkinson (formerly known as the Atkinson Art Gallery) has, as part of its permanent display, a section on Dan Dare...

photo: Dan Whitehead, from his review that he posted over on Down the Tubes (here) 

Then there's The Bakery in the Churchtown suburb where the very first issues of Eagle were put together, in recent times (as Mike Burrows shows on his blog here) it's been in a pretty dilapidated state...

...but it's looking much happier now...

And there's always St James church in Birkdale where Marcus Morris was the incumbent before he left to find fame and fortune as the editor of Eagle (and many other titles eventually)

More details here on the church.

Hope that's given you a few ideas for how to pass the time when you're not trudging around the course at Royal Birkdale this week.

Tennis comics - sort of

To round off this most tennis-y of weekends here are the most tennis themed covers I could find, both are Lucky Charm covers....this 30 issue reprint series is hard work to track down, certainly harder work than it's 'brother' paper Red Dagger. It's worth it though for an introcduction to girls comics and a snapshot of stories that are not likely to be reprinted any time soon. And the Ian Kennedy covers (like issue 12 below), did I mention the Ian Kennedy covers?

I've got copies of both these volumes on my shelf but I lazily lifted these scans from the fantastic Girls comics of yesteryear website (here)

Tank Girl on the beach

Tank Girl writer and co-creator Alan C. Martin has announced that Friday 4th August (the day of his birthday) is the very day you should rush to Worthing beach!

Over on the Tank Girl facebook page (here) he explains is thus...

SIGNING! After last year's craziness, we'll be returning to Worthing Beach on Friday 4th August (my birthday) with our pop-up shop, crisps and cider! This time we'll be joined by the majestic artiste Warwick Johnson-Cadwell. We'll be happy to scribble obscene images and our illegible signatures on anything you bring along! we'll also be selling sets of our exclusive new mini-prints! Hope to see some of you there, Alan XXX

You can also check out the Tank Girl shop here for all sorts of cool Tank Girl merchandise, including this rather eye-catching badge...

Ant Wars is back!

Coming, from Rebellion, in February 2018 is one of my least favourite comic strips ever! Who demanded it? Who knows? Not me! I'm featuring this only because it was re-printed in new Eagle , so out of a misguided sense of loyalty to that here are the details, all courtesy of Broken Frontier (here), about the Ant Wars reprint coming next year...

Inspired by cult B-movies like Them!, early 2000 AD serial Ant Wars will be collected by UK publisher Rebellion in early 2018, bringing the bug-based horror favourite to an entirely new audience of readers. Written by the prolific Gerry Finley-Day and illustrated by a number of artists associated with the early days of 2000 AD, Starlord and Tornado – Jośe Ferrer (Robo-Hunter), Lozano (M.A.C.H.1), Pena (Planet of the Damned) and Azpiri (Black Hawk) – Ant Wars plays on our primal fears of the insect world with an edgy underlying ecological twist.

The story originally appeared in 2000 AD #71-85 way back in 1978 and has been reprinted a handful of times over the years, including in Eagle #217-231 (1986), the Quality reprint series Scavengers for the US market in the late ‘80s and 2000 AD Extreme Edition #4 in 2004. There was also an Ant Wars cameo appearance in 2000 AD’s Armoured Gideon serial in the mid-‘90s

This compilation also includes Simon Spurrier (Godshaper, The Spire) and the legendary Judge Dredd artist Cam Kennedy’s related Zancudo tale from the Judge Dredd Megazine in 2005. Ant Wars is a perfect complementary package to Rebellion’s ongoing Treasury of British Comics volumes.

TITLE: ANT WARS CLASSIC COLLECTION
RELEASE: FEB 2018
PAGECOUNT: 112
CREATORS: Gerry Finley-Day, Simon Spurrier, Jose Luis Ferrer, Alfonso Azpiri, Cam Kennedy
SYNOPSIS:PEST CONTROL ISN’T GOING TO FLY WHEN THE BIG BUGS BITE BACK!
When military personnel spray an untested insecticide on ants in the Brazilian rainforest, the colony mutate into super-intelligent creatures with a taste for human flesh! As the terrifying army head closer towards civilisation, Captain Villa and a young forest native race ahead in the vain attempt to warn a thoroughly unprepared world! Also includes Zancudo – bonus story by Si Spurrier and Cam Kennedy!

For anyone collecting the Quality Comics reprints, note that a different numbering system was used for the US reprints compared to the UK reprints. So, issue 10 in the US is issue 22 in the UK; issue 11 in the US is issue 23 in the UK; and so on up until issue 14 in the US which is issue 26 and is the only issue to have the Ants on the front cover, thus...

Ant Wars only appears in these 5 issues.

Pat Mills - Be pure! to be published as actual book

Update...Update...Update...

The Secret History is now available to buy from Amazon.co.uk ...

I've just ordered mine...



Great news for all fans of Pat Mills and historians of British comics...the (currently e-book only) volume Be pure! Be vigilant! Behave! not only has a smashing new, Roy Lichtenstein inspired cover by Alex Ronald but the book will shortly be going on sale in paperback! 

As Pat says"...This will just take another week or two for it to become available. I'm working on the rest of the cover design right now (spine, back cover), and our formatter is working on the book interior. Once complete (hopefully tomorrow) it gets uploaded to CreateSpace; they send us a proof copy, we okay it; and then it goes on sale."

And a few more bits of Pat-based news:

• Pat gave a talk at the Marxism Festival in London last Saturday: The Politics of 2000AD, which went down a storm. The talk was recorded and it should be available for replay soon.
• He has just completed three days in the Spokenworld Studio, narrating Be Pure! for audiobook.  According to producer Neil Gardner, Pat is a natural! The audiobook version of Be Pure! will be on sale direct from Spokenworld Audio from the second week of August, followed by Amazon a month or two later.
• In addition to the Marxism Festival and audiobook narration, Pat managed to squeeze in an interview with Afshin Rattansi, the host of RT's Going Underground show. Talking 2000AD and Be Pure!, the show will be broadcast on Saturday 22nd July

Pat Mills, Lisa Mills and John Freeman at the 2000ad con in February 2017

MACH1 reprint volume - cover reveal

Rebellion have revealed the covers for M.A.C.H. 1 - The John Probe Mission Files....

It's due out in March 2018

Starting out as a rather crude take-off (as many of those early 2000ad were) of the six million dollar man the series eventually became more interesting as John Probe well, probed, his back story to find out how he came to be the Man Activated by Compu Hyperpuncture that he was.

Script is Pat Mills, art is By Enio.

King Solomon's mines - lost Eagle magazine strip

Over on Comic Art Fans (here) there's an opportunity to spend £5k on a comic strip that was never published.
The strip? King Solomon's Mines
The artist? Frank Bellamy
The comic? It was going to appear in the original Eagle magazine

Here's what the seller has to say
Episode # 3, from a total of three unpublished strips completed by artist Frank Bellamy. Intended for EAGLE magazine, as a replacement strip for FRASER OF AFRICA, but aborted when the Editorial team decided not to go with two consecutive African-based series - and replaced by MONTGOMERY OF ALEMEIN. Image size of approximately 20" x 12", artwork in excellent bright condition on heavy CS10 illustration board.

At one point the seller owned episodes 1-3 of this strip. The strip looks fantastic and I'm only sorry that there's only 3 episodes of this strip. The seller is the same one as yesterday's blog posting - selling the Modesty Blaise tryout art by Frank Hampson.

Modesty Blaise - the earliest ever drawing

Over on Comic Art Fans (here) to be precise, the earlist known example of Modesty Blaise art is up for sale and what's better is that it's drawn by that maestro of comic art, Frank Hampson

Here's what the seller has to say...

In 1962 Beaverbrook newspapers asked Peter O'Donnell to suggest a new strip idea. He thought long and hard and came up with MODESTY BLAISE. Kennedy Aitken, who was Beaverbrook's Strip Cartoons Editor, suggested they should invite Frank Hampson (creator of DAN DARE) to interpret O'Donnell's script.

Hampson accepted the offer, but took many weeks to return his strip, giving no reason for the delay. O'Donnell was dismayed at the eventual sequence of dailies, feeling Hampson had, "totally misunderstood the character" and suggested his former partner Jim Holdaway be given the strip to illustrate. O'Donnell and Holdaway had worked together very successfully on a previous newspaper strip, ROMEO BROWN.

Of Hampson's tryout dailies, which pre-date Holdaway's published strip, eight have survived. I owned all eight at one time. This one tryout daily I kept was, to my mind, the best example - and the only one to exist as pure pencils. Of the remaining seven surviving examples, Hampson part-inked those (possibly used for practicing on in later years, as I firmly believe all of Hampson's tryout dailies were submitted for approval in pencil stage).

This daily strip is the earliest MODESTY BLAISE to exist as it was originally illustrated and presented to Beaverbrook newspapers for consideration. I am making this rare gem available for sale for a limited time and am looking for offers at or above $5,000. Image size is about 18" x 5" and the artwork is in excellent condition.

Fisrt ever Commando collectors fair/swapmeet

Saturday 16th September should be a date in the diary fro all Commando collectors as Andy Yates is holding the first ever collectors fair dedicated to all things Commando.

Where is it being held? Stoke-on-Trent....easy access from the M6 at Junction 16

Can you be a bit more precise? The venue is the Harriet Higgins Community Centre, Rotterdam Road, Poolfields, ST5 2PE Newcastle under Lyme.

Time? 10am-2:30pm

Is there a facebook group> Of course there is, just search for First UK Commando Collectors Swapmeet/Fair

Andy has promised to bring along as he puts it I will be selling approximately 2000 doubles from my own collection of Commando, War, Battle, Air Ace, Warlord,V ictor...and other assorted DC THOMSON titles...but there will be bags of space for other people to have stalls- or just turn up have a brew and swop with each other! I will release other details as I think of them....PLEASE SHARE THIS INFORMATION WITH OTHER COLLECTORS.

So go on, why don't you...

Misty - volume 2 coming soon

A cover for the 16th November (paperback, £14.99) release of the 2nd volume of Misty reprints has just emerged...

Again, this is taken from the back of the Leopard from Lime Street volume that Rebellion have just issued. These stories weren't reprinted in the Best of Misty monthly (unlike, say, the 4 faces of Eve story from the first Misty reprint volume), so this volume represents the first chance for many of us to read these stories..

The blurb on Amazon says....

Following up our hit first volume of the ‘horror comic for girls’ with another collection of two stories: The Sentinels and End of The Line.  Misty was a revolutionary concept by 2000 AD’s creator Pat Mills in 1978 and left its mark on a whole generation of young women. The two identical tower blocks, known as  ‘The Sentinels’ to the locals, stand tall over the town of Birdwood – but only one is occupied while the other remains mysteriously empty. When Jan Richards’ family lose their home they decide to hide out in the abandoned block so they can stay together, only to be sent into a parallel world where the Nazis conquered Britain in 1940… In End of the Line, Ann’s father was one of a group of engineers believed to have been killed whilst working on an extension to the London Underground but when she and her mother are invited to the opening of the new train tunnel, Ann discovers a mysterious time portal through which several workers are being kept as slaves by an evil Victorian called Lord Vicary.

Faceache - by Ken Reid

Faceache - the first hundred scrounges (available to pre-order on Amazon here) now has a cover image...

This is taken from the back of the newly published The Leopard from Lime Street and as you can see it promises Faceache strips from Jet (01/05/71 - 25/09/71) and Buster (02/10/71 - 10/03/73). Hardcover, £14.99 says Amazon. I love Ken Reid, I love Faceache, roll on the end of November (publication date is listed at 30/11/17 - not always met but what can you do?)

is an Oor Wullie annual worth this much?

The very earliest Oor Wullie annuals are particularly scarce, especially in high grade but even I was surprised to see one on offer for £25,000! The condition is superb. It's currently listed on ebay here, but if that's too much for, the seller, incredibly, has another copy...

...listed here for half the price

Still too much for you? Ok how about the seller's 3rd (!) copy of the annual, this is listed here for just £6,000

A more worn version of the 2nd book is also for sale c/o the same seller, this volume (here) is yours for £4,500

Comic Book Postal Auctions have sold publishers file copies of these 2 volumes before - in each case, the book sold for less than £5,000

Happy bidding!

Bunny vs. Monkey

The insane battles between a bunny, a monkey and all sorts of other woodland cuties (albeit often armed to the teeth with ridiculous, eye-popping end of the world weaponry) continues in Jamie Smart's Bunny vs. Monkey book 4, which is now out.

All previous volumes are available at the Phoenix comic webshop here where you can buy volumes 1-3 for £25 (here) - Bunny vs Monkey, it 's the most bonkers fun you can have in comics right now.

Judge Dredd partwork to be extended

Rebellion have today announce that the Judge Dredd partwork that Hachette have been publishing for the last 2 years will be extended by another 10 issues.

Full story is here and the link to the back issues for the series is here

The series is available to order via your newsagent or larger comics shops.

Covers below for some of the issues...

Spaceship Away part 42

...is  now out

The latest issue of Des Shaw's ace magazine related to all aspects of the original Dan Dare series has just been published. This issue has 8 pages of Tim Booth's Shakedown Cruise story, Andrew Darlington explores the complex and fascinating history of Jet-Ace Logan. Two new strips, Operation Pintos and The Golden Amazon begin, there are features on the history of early rockets, Ron Turner's Tit-Bits SF comics, a cutaway by Graham Bleathman and an amazing discovery by Jeremy Briggs. Intrigued? By the magazine now to find out more. 

More details from their website here

Rear cover art by Don Harley

Individual issues cost £8.50; email deshaw21219@aol.com; tel. 01793-642568

Summer workshops at the Cartoon Museum

Have you got a young comics creator in your house If so, Beano and Phoenix artists will be at the Cartoon Museum in Bloomsbury (here) this Summer running workshops and courses...


Summer Workshops

Our Summer workshops for children of all ages are now available for booking!

From the 26th of July to the 31st of August we'll be hosting brilliant introductions to animation, manga, comic art, caricature, and more, plus a 'masterclass,' taught by professionals, for beginner and more experienced young artists.

You can book at or
http://www.cartoonmuseumshop.org/museum-events-childrens-workshops.irc
or call us on 020 7580 8155.
Tickets are £12 - £25

For all-day sessions, please supply a packed lunch.

Children attending two half-day sessions on the same day must be collected at lunchtime
so the classroom can be prepared for the afternoon workshop.

Animated films will be viewable on the Cartoon Museum’s Youtube channel within   5-7 working days.

Please note that places are limited and get booked up extremely fast.
Book soon to avoid disappointment!
 

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July

Jul Weds 26
11am - 1pm       Ages 8 – 12  £12
Superheroes
Come and get tips for creating your own mighty heroes and deadly villains from Cartoon Museum tutor Steve Marchant, and then draw them in mortal combat.

2pm – 4pm       Ages 8 – 12  £12
Manga for Beginners
Award-winning Phoenix comic artist Karen Rubins shows you how to create a simple manga story.

                                              
Jul Thurs 27  11am - 1pm      Ages 8 – 12  £12
Make a Mini-Comic with Steve
Everyone will love the little booklet you’ll create featuring your own characters and storyline. It’s specially constructed so that its easy to make printed copies after you take it home!

Jul 27 Thurs 2pm – 4pm       Ages 8 – 12  £12
Design a Beano Cover
Join Beano artist Wilbur Dawbarn and learn how to draw your own Beano front cover featuring some favourite Beano characters.

Jul Fri 28     
11am – 3.30pm    Ages 8-12  £12
The Adventures of YOU!
Wallis Eastes writes and draws autobiographical comics.
She’ll show you how to create a comic in which you arethe star. Are you asuperhero? A zombie? A menace? Let’s  have fun finding out!
Please bring a packed lunch.


Jul Mon 31  
11am - 1pm     Ages 8 – 12  £12
Create A Comic-Strip
Rachael Ball‘s last graphic novel was a ‘Guardian Best Graphic Book’ in 2015. She’ll set you on the road to success by showing you how to create an effective one-page comic-strip.

2pm – 4pm       Ages 8 – 12  £12
Manga for Beginners
Acclaimed manga artist Takayo Akiyama returns to show you how to create a simple manga story.

August

Aug Tues 1  Ages 8-12 11am – 3.30pm  £25
Beano Masterclass
Join Beano artist Wilbur Dawbarn and learn how to draw favourite Beano characters the professional way, and then write and draw a one-page Beano story.

Aug Weds 2
11am – 3.30pm   Ages 8 – 12  £25  
Claymation
Make funny clay characters with professional animator Reza Ben Gajra and create a short animated film that you'll be able to watch next week on the Cartoon Museum's Youtube channel.
Please bring a packed lunch.
PAGE 2

Aug Thurs 3
11am - 1pm   Ages 8 – 12  £12
Manga Ghosts & Monsters
Manga artist & Japanese tutor Gavin Pollock travels down from Cumbria to present this special workshop where you’ll learn how to draw the kind of magical creatures that led to the creation of Pokemon and other favourites.

Aug Thurs 3  2pm – 4pm    Ages 8 – 12  £12
Animal Manga
Takayo Akiyama shows you how to create cute, funny and weird manga animals and
draw them in a one-page manga story.

 

Aug Fri 4     
11am - 1pm   Ages 8 – 12  £12
Manga Ghosts & Monsters
Your last chance to join Manga artist & Japanese tutor Gavin Pollock‘s special workshop where you’ll learn how to draw the kind of magical creatures that led to the creation of Pokemon and other favourites.

2pm – 4pm   Ages 8 – 12  £12
Robot Manga
Takayo Akiyama shows you Japanese robot comics from the 60s to the present day, and then you’ll design your own robot and draw a one-page comic-strip about saving the world… or tidying your room!

Aug Mon 7  
11am - 1pm  Ages 8 – 12  £12
Creating Short Strips
Richy K Chandler, writer/artist of Lucy The Octopus, shows you how to write and draw a series of 3-panel funny comic-strips. Great for beginners!

2pm – 4pm  Ages 8 – 12  £12
Manga Storytelling
Award-winning Phoenix comic artist Karen Rubins shows you how to create a 5-panel page of manga artwork that tells a complete story.

Aug Tues 8
11am – 3.30pm  Ages 8 – 12  £25  
Cut-Out Animation
Spend the day with professional animator Reza Ben Gajra and create a short animated film that you'll be able to watch next week on the Cartoon Museum's Youtube channel.
Please bring a packed lunch.

Aug Weds 9
11am – 3.30pm  Ages 10 – 14  £25   
Comic Art Masterclass with Rachael Ball
NOT FOR BEGINNERS! If you've got the basics under your belt – perhaps you've been
to our workshops before – here's where you'll learn professional methods of working and
secrets behind successful comic-strip storytelling. Suitable for aspiring manga artists, too.
Please bring a packed lunch.

Aug Thurs 10        
11am-1.30pm  Ages 8 – 12  £15

KEV F'S COMIC ART MASTERCLASS
Kev F Sutherland writes and draws for The Beano, Doctor Who and Marvel comics, and now he'll teach you how easy it is. After the end of a Comic Art Masterclass, everyone goes away with a page of their own comic art plus an individual caricature by Kev F. Learn everything he knows, so you could leave school and steal his job!

Thursday 10^th 2.30pm-5pm    Ages 8 – 12  £15
KEV F'S COMIC ART MASTERCLASS  - See details above

Aug Fri 11   
11am – 3.30pm   Ages 8 – 12  £25  
Clayfaces
Make funny clay faces with professional animator Valentina Grasso and create a short animated film that you'll be able to watch next week on the Cartoon Museum's Youtube channel.
Please bring a packed lunch.


Aug Mon 14
11am – 3.30pm   Ages 10-14  £25  
Manga Masterclass with Takayo Akiyama
NOT FOR BEGINNERS! If you've got the basics under your belt – perhaps you've been
to our workshops before – here's where you'll learn professional methods of working and
secrets behind successful manga storytelling. Suitable for aspiring comic artists, too.
Please bring a packed lunch.

Aug Tues 15          
11am - 1pm    Ages 8 – 12  £12
Animal Antics
Richy K Chandler (Wallace & Gromit, Adventure Time, Lucy The Octopus) shows you how to create successful animal characters and put them into a short comic-strip.

Aug Tues 15
2pm – 4pm  Ages 8 – 12  £12
Make a Mini-Comic with Karen Rubins
Karen started her career making mini-comics. She’ll show you how to startle your friends back at school with an
8-page mini-comic featuring your own characters and story.

Aug Weds 16
11am - 1pm  Ages 8 – 12  £12
Create A Comic-Strip
Rachael Ball‘s last graphic novel was a ‘Guardian Best Graphic Book’ in 2015. She’ll set you on the road to success by showing you how to create an effective one-page comic-strip.
        
Wed 16^th  2pm – 4pm  Ages 8 – 12  £12
Manga for Beginners
Award-winning Phoenix comic artist Karen Rubins shows you how to create a simple manga story.

 

 

Aug Thurs 17         11am - 1pm Ages 8 – 12  £12

Pencil Power
Rachael Ball‘s artwork is beautifully rendered with pencil shading. She’ll share some of her work and show you how to achieve amazing shading effects with your own artwork.

2pm – 4pm       Ages 8 – 12  £12
Make a MANGA Mini-Comic
Takayo Akiyama will show you some of her self-published comics and teach you how to make a manga-style
mini-comic of your own

Aug Fri 18   
11am – 3.30pm    Ages 8 – 12  £25  
Cut-Out Animation
Spend the day with professional animator Valentina Grasso and create a short animated film that you'll be able to watch next week on the Cartoon Museum's Youtube channel.
Please bring a packed lunch.


Aug Mon 21
Comic-Strip Masterclass with Richy K Chandler
11am – 3.30pm   Ages 10-14  £25  
NOT FOR BEGINNERS! If you've got the basics under your belt – perhaps you've been
to our workshops before – here's where you'll learn professional methods of working in a series of fun, lively exercises. Suitable for aspiring manga artists, too.
Please bring a packed lunch.

Aug Tues 22          
11am - 1pm  Ages 8 – 12  £12
Creating Characters with Steve
Comic Art curator Steve Marchant will show you around our Comic Creators gallery, and then show you some tips and ideas for creating memorable characters of your own. Great for beginners!

2pm – 4pm   Ages 8 – 12  £12
Create A Comic-Strip
Rachael Ball‘s last graphic novel was a ‘Guardian Best Graphic Book’ in 2015. She’ll set you on the road to success by showing you how to create an effective one-page comic-strip.

Aug Weds 23         
11am – 3.30pm  Ages 8 – 12  £25
Claymation
Make funny clay characters with professional animator Valentina Grasso and create a short animated film that you'll be able to watch next week on the Cartoon Museum's Youtube channel.
Please bring a packed lunch.

Aug Thurs 24        
11am – 3.30pm Ages 10-14  £25  
Manga Masterclass with Takayo Akiyama
NOT FOR BEGINNERS! If you've got the basics under your belt – perhaps you've been
to our workshops before – here's where you'll learn professional methods of working and
secrets behind successful manga storytelling. Suitable for aspiring comic artists, too.
Please bring a packed lunch.

Aug Fri 25   
11am - 1pm Ages 8 – 12  £12
Make a Mini-Comic with Steve
Everyone will love the little booklet you’ll create featuring your own characters and storyline. It’s specially constructed so that its easy to make printed copies after you take it home!


Aug Tues 29          
11am - 1pm  Ages 8 – 12  £12
Superheroes
Come and get tips for creating your own mighty heroes and deadly villains from Cartoon Museum tutor Steve Marchant, and then draw them in mortal combat.

Aug Tues 29   2pm – 4pm    Ages 8 – 12  £12
Design a Beano Cover
Join Beano artist Wilbur Dawbarn and learn how to draw your own Beano front cover featuring some favourite Beano characters.

 

Aug Fri 25 2pm – 4pm   Ages 8 – 12  £12
Joke Time!
Some of the best cartoons are single pictures that make us laugh on postcards or on the internet.
Tell Steve Marchant some of your favourite jokes and learn how to turn them into cartoons.

 

Aug Weds 30         
Comic-Strip Masterclass with Karen Rubins
11am – 3.30pm  Ages 10-14  £25
NOT FOR BEGINNERS! If you've got the basics under your belt – perhaps you've been
to our workshops before – here's where you'll learn professional methods of working in a series of fun, lively exercises for aspiring comics and manga artists.
 Please bring a packed lunch.


Aug Thurs 31        
11am – 1pm  Ages 8 – 12  £12
The Adventures of YOU!
Do you sometimes get stuck for ideas? Wallis Eates shows you how to turn your daily life into a funny comic-strip story.

2pm – 4pm Ages 8 – 12  £12
Create A Comic-Strip with Steve
Using one of our special worksheets, Steve Marchant will teach you how to quickly and easily complete a one-page comic-strip story.

 

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Praise for previous workshops:

"Thank you to the Cartoon Museum and Steve for such a great day yesterday.  My son clearly had an excellent time and came away having learnt new skills and generally had fun too.  Many many thanks!" (Ros, Parent)

"Thank you for the super workshop we had on Saturday. We all really enjoyed it, and the kids have been inspired to work on new characters at home!" (Ghislaine, Parent)

"We wanted to say a BIG thank you for Sunday. Ava and all the kids had a fab time - an experience they will remember! I know plenty of them want to come back soon." (Amber, Parent)

"It was very good and I would come again" (Comic Masterclass, Age 14)

 

"It was a great workshop, I wish I could come again." (Manga Workshop, Age 10)

 

"LET ME DO MORE!" (Claymation, Age 10)

 

"I would like to say that I love the Cartoon Museum! The teacher is awesome, the Cartoon Museum is the BEST!" (Manga and Anime Animals, Age 9)

High Command

High Command by Frank Bellamy features reprints from the original Eagle magazine (the real life, back-page, stories of Winston Churchill and Montgomery of Alamein). 

These stories were reprinted in English (softback the ISBN is 90 6332 901 6; hardback the ISBN is 90 6332 851 6) and in Dutch as well. 

The hardback is hard to get in English and the softback is hard to get in Dutch.

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A Denis Gifford selection (2)

Following on from my post last week (here) about 2 of the smaller books he wrote, here are 3 more pocket-sized volumes that he contributed to...

Denis's ITV show. Cover shown (from left to right)...Graeme Garden, Michael Bentine, Bill Tidy [red jumper] and Rolf Harris. The cover is by Chas Sinclair. The book is mainly cartooning tips and drawings By Denis but features artwork form the other cover stars.

It does what is says on the tine this one, a quiz book all about TV, questions by Denis Gifford (presumably) cartoon art throughout is by Terry Wakefield (more details here)

Another legendary comedy duo get the punning treatment from Denis in this small volume. Illustrations this time are by George Parlett (son of Harry Parlett and brother to Reg Parlett)

Go on, collect the set, why not? All should be available relatively cheaply.