Ka-Boom - the art of creating comics (part 1)

Currently running at the Story Museum in Oxford is "Ka-Boom - the art of creating comics" - details here. There's plenty of original art featured in the exhibition, here's an initial selection...

Here's Minnie the minx as drawn by Laura Howell

Here's more Minnie the minx as drawn by Laura Howell

Here are some pages for The Phoneix by Zak Simmonds

Here's Leo Baxendale drawing the Bash Street kids

Here's David Law drawing Dennis the Menace

'The secret of the samurai' - a Julius Chancer adventure, collected at last?

Over on Twitter @GarenEwing has tweeted this image 

with the intriguing accompanying message...

I wasn't 100% sure this was happening, but a parcel just arrived from Brussels - 'Secret of the Samurai' in English, French, Dutch, German and Spanish

The strip was original published in 4 parts ( with 5 pages a week) in The Phoenix comic back in 2013 so this will be a slim reprint volume but would still be a lovely addition to the shelf of any Rainbow Orchid fan (like myself).

Those Phoenix back issues, just so you know what to look out for.

The Phoenix comic, issue 75, 8 June 2013

The Phoenix comic, issue 76, 15 June 2013

The Phoenix comic, issue 77, 22 June 2013

The Phoenix comic, issue 78, 29 June 2013

Evil Emperor Penguin almost takes over the world!

The creator of (star of the Phoenix comic) Evil Emperor Penguin, Laura Ellen Anderson, has been announced as a participant of the Richmond Literature Festival 2019 (see the official website here)

The session (on Saturday 23rd November 2018 @ 3pm) promises the following....
​Meet the weird and wonderful characters in author-illustrator Laura Ellen Anderson’s brilliantly imagined tales. Amelia Fang, the bravest little vampire in the kingdom, is back in a gorgeously gothic new story, Amelia Fang and the Lost Yeti Treasures. Meanwhile, Evil Emperor Penguin is trying to take over the world from his Antarctic lair.

Join Laura and her captivating characters for live drawing, storytelling tips and fun-filled book cover design.

​Laura is the creator of Evil Emperor Penguin and illustrator of Witch Wars, as well as many other children’s books. The bestselling Amelia Fang is her first series as author-illustrator.

A family event suitable for ages 7+ 

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.

What I've bought recently (part 2)

Merrick the sensational elephantman #5, fresh from a successful kickstarter campaign, is now up to issue 5. I only started buying this recently but I'm really looking forward to this British version of Hellboy (at least that's what it looks and feels like to me). The artwork may not be to everyone's taste but this is a series that deserves to be more widely-read...

Fresh from my posting about English-language reprints of Thorgal (before Cinebook arrived on the scene) is the 2nd volume in the series. I didn't even realise there were 3 volumes when I posted and it's always a pleasure to use the blog to discover titles you didn't know about. There's a buy it now on ebay for £8 (plus postage) - I think I bought the cheaper copy that was up there the other day. The 3rd volume appears to be harder to get hold of in the UK, so some more searching required.

Finally, it's this week's copy of the Phoenix...

The adventures of John Blake

(from the back cover of this week's issue of the Phoenix - issue 283 (03/06/17)

...has been getting a lot of good coverage recently (here's the link to the review by the Observer's Rachel Cooke) so I thought I'd see what images I could come up with for this tale, by renowned author Philip Pullman, of time travel on the high seas, from the children's weekly comic, the Phoenix...

Here's a teaser poster from the back cover of issue 226 (30/04/16)

Here's a teaser poster from the back cover of issue 227 (07/05/16)

First time on the cover - issue 228 (14/05/16)

Second time on the cover - issue 233 (18/06/16)

My favourite of all the images - front cover to issue 236 (09/07/16)

Last front cover - issue 240 (06/08/16)

Dan Boultwood

To celebrate Dan Boultwood drawing the cover for this months issue of 'Tales from the Tardis' (see below), I thought I'd see what other art by him I could lay my hands on...

The collected 'It Came!' published by Titan Books (March 2014) - this collects the 4 issue series 'It Came!' - Dan's ace retro sf tale

From The Phoenix (issue 166, 7 Mar 2015) we have the first episode of Dirk Lloyd - the dark Lord (described as by Dan Boultwood, created by Dave Morris and Jamie Thompson)

Example page of Dan's art

Also from the Phoenix, here we have, from issue 181 (20 June 2015), Squid Squad

new comics (6) - Sgt. Chip Charlton & Woofles

new from ace comics creator Gary (Derek the sheep, Julius Zebra, Gary's garden, Teenytinysaurs) Northfield is news that he has now become a comics publisher as well!
He has just published "Sgt Chip Charlton and Mister Woofles" strip (Jim Medway draws and scripts) which has been collected together from the pages of the Phoenix comic, and is now available to buy courtesy of Gary's new imprint Bog Eyed books. If you've never read the Phoenix, here's the concept...


Scared of horses but driven to fight crime and seek justice?
What is a young Canadian to do?

Chip Charlton joins the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, picking his daschund buddy over the conventional equine sidekick. Sgt Chip soon proves the naysayers wrong, and time after time, crime after crime, demonstrates how even a weak stomach* is no obstacle to following your dream.


*Mister Woofles has the weakest stomach in comics and is always being sick

More details here
http://bog-eyed-books.com/
https://twitter.com/bogeyedbooks
  

Jim has also posted some 'behind the scenes' type illustrations here looking at logo design..
https://www.skillshare.com/classes/design/Logo-Design-New-Ways-to-Create-Custom-Vintage-Type/1289592301/projects/27899?via=user-profile

Bog Eyed books have also reprinted the hilarious Derek the sheep...

and are promising a volume 2 in spring 2017, woo-hoo!


Good luck to Gary in his new publishing venture.