Happy Superman day

To celebrate Superman day let's have a look at this recent Superman painting by ace artist Chris Weston that was up for sale on his ebay store (here) very recently. Great art as always from Chris.

Paranoid Gardens signing with Chris Weston

This is tonight! Have fun if you're going!

Gosh! comics have announced a signing with artist Chris Weston in April...

Let's see what they have to say about this event...

We are thrilled to announce we have a signing with superstar artist Chris Weston for our Gosh! exclusive bookplate edition of Paranoid Gardens, the latest comics opus from Gerard Way, Shaun Simon, Chris Weston and Dave Stewart. Join artist Chris on Friday 25th April 2025, from 6-7pm to get your copies signed!

Writers Gerard Way (The Umbrella Academy) and Shaun Simon (The Fabulous Killjoys), join forces with Illustrator Chris Weston (The Filth), colorist Dave Stewart (Hellboy), and letterer Nate Piekos (Black Hammer) to present an all-new surreal comic book experience that's ER meets Dr. Who... on acid.

Loo is a nurse at the most bizarre care-center around. The staff are not entirely human, and the cases downright unearthly. Aliens, ghosts, superheroes, and more creatures plague its hallways as both doctors and patients and the hospital itself seems to be somewhat self-aware. Loo believes that despite a recent failure at her job she’s been given some sort of higher calling in this mysterious place, and decides to rise to the challenge. Along the way she must fight her way through corrupt staff members, powerful theme park cults, and her own personal demons and trauma to meet this challenge and discover what secrets the gardens hold.

Collects issue #1–#6 of Paranoid Gardens.

Chris will be signing copies of the book here in the shop on Friday 25th April, from 6pm. You can pre-order a signed bookplate edition of Paranoid Gardens from our website for mail-order or collection by clicking the link here.

Paranoid Gardens signing with Chris Weston

Gosh! comics have announced a signing with artist Chris Weston in April...

Let's see what they have to say about this event...

We are thrilled to announce we have a signing with superstar artist Chris Weston for our Gosh! exclusive bookplate edition of Paranoid Gardens, the latest comics opus from Gerard Way, Shaun Simon, Chris Weston and Dave Stewart. Join artist Chris on Friday 25th April 2025, from 6-7pm to get your copies signed!

Writers Gerard Way (The Umbrella Academy) and Shaun Simon (The Fabulous Killjoys), join forces with Illustrator Chris Weston (The Filth), colorist Dave Stewart (Hellboy), and letterer Nate Piekos (Black Hammer) to present an all-new surreal comic book experience that's ER meets Dr. Who... on acid.

Loo is a nurse at the most bizarre care-center around. The staff are not entirely human, and the cases downright unearthly. Aliens, ghosts, superheroes, and more creatures plague its hallways as both doctors and patients and the hospital itself seems to be somewhat self-aware. Loo believes that despite a recent failure at her job she’s been given some sort of higher calling in this mysterious place, and decides to rise to the challenge. Along the way she must fight her way through corrupt staff members, powerful theme park cults, and her own personal demons and trauma to meet this challenge and discover what secrets the gardens hold.

Collects issue #1–#6 of Paranoid Gardens.

Chris will be signing copies of the book here in the shop on Friday 25th April, from 6pm. You can pre-order a signed bookplate edition of Paranoid Gardens from our website for mail-order or collection by clicking the link here.

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

UPDATED: Artist sketchbooks

I've enjoyed looking at the various programmes that have been produced to support all sorts of comic conventions over the years - one of the highlights for me in attending such a show is to meet the artists and to (just maybe) come away with an example of their art. If you can't afford a piece of original artwork then maybe a sketchbook from them is the next best thing? I've looked at many of these sketchbooks individually but I thought it was worth bringing all these posts together - and adding a few new images in too. Enjoy!

Updated: now with sketchbook by Dave Taylor (produced back in 2014). A4 sized, full colour throughout, 52 pages. Plenty of examples of his work on Judge Dredd universe work, Batman and sketches showing his love of the work of Moebius. Worth tracking down.

This Ant Williams sketchbook...check out his website here

This Alan Davis sketchbook

it's described thus... a large size sketchbook of preliminary/unreleased/final art to covers/commissions Alan has done over the last decade or so.

I've looked at the sketchbooks of Simon Bisley before (here) and I see there are some new sketchbooks to buy, here they are...

The current sketchbook (dated 2021) is for sale here

Warning these links may have expired...

This edition (limited run of 700 copies) is available here for $40 but hurry, there aren't many left

This version (limited edition of 150 copies) is available here for $50 but hurry, there aren't many left

This version (limited edition of 150 copies) is available here for $175 but hurry, there aren't many left

Previous Bisley sketchbooks...

Simon Bisley sketchbook - 2018, 64 pages, limited edition of 400 copies

Simon Bisley sketchbook - 2018, 64 pages, limited edition of 100 copies

There also seems to have been this version too...

Simon Bisley sketchbook - 2008, 32 pages, limited edition of 1000 copies

All previous mention of Simon's work can be found on the blog here

Glenn Fabry sketchbook 1

I looked in more detail at this sketchbook here and here

Glenn Fabry sketchbook 2

Glenn Fabry sketchbook 3

I've looked at Glenn's work a few times on the blog - check out all the posts here

New addition to this post - The artbook of Glenn Fabry - limited to 100 copies and with an original retail price of 100 euro

Also new for this posting - Monograph by Glenn Fabry

Duncan Fegredo

David Millgate

Art from Sinister Dexter co-creator and Judge Dredd artist. This high quality 48 page A4 art-book, featuring concept art, sketches, 2000AD art, pencil, colour and inked work, produced with permission from 2000AD.

The first print run was just 100 copies, retailing at £14.99 plus postage (£3.00 UK), it was initially on sale at ICE Comic Con in Birmingham on 9th September 2017.

Or you can STILL pre-order a signed copy via Baden James Mellonie via Paypal badenmellonie@hotmail.com (for £17.99 UK, please ask about non-UK postage before ordering) or contact Baden on Twitter @MelMellonie

Frank Quitely

widely available - 128 pages, the Amazon blurb says

With three decades of comic art behind Frank Quitely, Drawings + Sketches selects work from Jupiter's Legacy, Jupiter's Circle, WE3, Pax Americana and more offering insights into the stories and processes behind them. Comics were invented in Glasgow. It is fitting then that Glasgow should be home to Frank Quitely, known worldwide for drawing Batman, Superman and X-Men. A standalone beautiful and inspiring art book, a must-have for any fan or aspiring comics creator.

John Higgins sketchbook

I didn't get this from an actual comic convention in Moscow, instead I got it at the 2000AD 40th birthday event in 2017, A5 sized, 44 pages

Chris Weston sketchbook, US comic book size, 40 pages, colour plus black & white illustrations

rear cover...

I looked here at this sketchbook in some more detail 

Boo Cook sketchbook - A5 sized
As it says inside "...sketches from 32 sketchbooks over 27 years"

Graeme Neil Reid sketchbook (2010), US comic sized, 28 illustrations
limited edition of 30 copies

Graeme Neil Reid sketchbook (2008), US comic sized, 28 illustrations

Graeme Neil Reid sketchbook (2012), US comic sized, 28 illustrations

Gary Erskine sketchbook, A4 sized, 60 pages, colour 

Which was then reprinted (and enlarged) and looks like this...

You can buy it here

Cam Kennedy sketchbook 1

Cam Kennedy sketchbook 2

I looked at these sketchbooks in more detail here

Brian Bolland sketchbook

Only 500 printed (according to the seller on ebay where I've swiped this image from)

Staz Johnson

You can buy this here

These two I picked up at the recent Lawless convention - sketchbooks by D'emon D'raughtsman D'Israeli 

All sketchbooks can be found on the blog here