Untold, But Not For Much Longer

I hope to finally bring Part 4 of my untold secrets blog posts very soon- I've been negotiating. Stay tuned.

And on Monday I Drew...

Here's one of those 'other' projects I do. At Christmas INTU ran a competition for 'impossible' gifts- and one of them was "You're the star of your own comic book!" For the promotion I drew the 'Charlie's World' example. Last week the winner, Will, was announced, and on Monday I drew his gift. Eagle-eyed blogviewers will spot the distinct Ditko and Kirby influences at work here, to which I can only reply "Who else?!"

If It's Saturday It Must Be Slap-Up Feast Time

I started this Annual unofficial Beano/Dandy freelancers dinner
in 2009 and although we've missed one or two years, and some
invitees never do reply or attend, possibly suspecting a fiendish trap of some kind, we have had quite a few memorable moments.
This year we welcomed
Alan Ryan, Laura Howell, Lew Stringer, Nigel Auchterlounie, Danny Pearson, Barrie Appleby, Paul Palmer, Hunt Emerson, Emily McGorman-Bruce, Gordon Volke and "Beano Betty" herself, shoe designer and dog sitter, Claire.
We nearly had Sam Emms (Spectra), Tommy Donbavand, Andy Fanton, Hugh Raine, Leslie Stannage, Duncan Scott, Steve Bright, Nika Nartova and even Dave Sutherland too, but they all had to decline for various very good reasons!
Maybe next year we'll have all of them and even more.

Comic Con Appearances for 2019

Here is a list of my Comic Con appearances in 2019.

Some will also feature Nika, my colour artist. 

2/3 March   London Olympia
8/9/10 March Liverpool

6 April Northwich, Cheshire

27 April  Wythenshawe, Manchester

11/12 May  Enniskillen, Northern Ireland

18/19 May  Sheffield, S Yorkshire

1/2 June  Shrewsbury, Shropshire

8 June  Nantwich, Cheshire

22 June  Macclesfield, Cheshire 

29/30 June  Blackpool, Lancs

27/28 July  London Olympia

3 August Wigan
10/11 August  Sheffield
17/18 August  Glasgow

7/8 Sept Cardiff

28/29 Sept  Norwich, Norfolk

20 Oct  Buxton, Derbyshire
23/24 Nov London Olympia

Whatever Will Be

On November 1st 2000 I had an idea! For some reason, my sister's favourite song went through my mind, the Doris Day song, Que Sera, Sera. And then I imagined if Bea was asking her brother instead of Doris asking her mother, and voila, a 2 page feature for the Dennis the Menace Annual 2002, published in September 2001.



Here's the rough I sent to the Beano editor, and the finished page, just about the only Beano work I wrote, drew, lettered and hand coloured myself.

2019 NEWS

The news is out! 
I will be doing some Comic Cons in 2019, and if all goes to plan, Nika will be joining me for some!

2018 In The Flesh

Fewer Comic Con appearances this year for me and Nika-  I've already done the first one, at Liverpool Exhibition Centre.

The next one is March 31st in Northwich, in Cheshire, nothing in April yet, let's see how this one goes.

Then we're doing Blackpool and Oldham in May, and in June, Macclesfield and a special event in Bradford which includes an appearance by just me at the Bradford Literary festival on 30th June. And in July we'll be somewhere or other.

There will be others, but for now that's the list. Nika fans should know she may not be at all or indeed any of these venues, as she now has an 11 week old to look after!

Cuddles and Dimples, Snot Fair

The final page of an unpublished three page Cuddles and Dimples from 2007. Yes, it's just what it looks like, they're knitting a snot jersey at Granny's house. Who knows why. Colours by Ruth who replaced Nika for a year or so.

Channel4 News: Dennis Still a Menace

After several months Channel 4 finally did their Beano piece about focus groups with CEO Emma Scott bigging up the brand and reassuring parents. Meanwhile Jon Snow (no, obviously not that one) used the M word and our hurridly drawn, probably only to languish on the shelf and not used anyway
comic strip, was not used anyway. So here it is, exclusively. Written by Nigel Auchterlounie, drawn by me.

Revealed: Secret of The Pencil!

The Secret Life of The Pencil was published last week- a hardbound book of super-close-up photos of PENCILS! Not any old pencils though, these belong to artists, photographers, architects, designers, writers, why there's even a cartoonist or two. (Yes, I am in it, on the same spread as Peter Blake!) Most of those included you will have heard of; Gerald Scarfe, Paul Smith, William Boyd, Anish Kapoor, David Bailey, Tracey Emin and so on. And there are brief interviews and doodles and stuff. Who would have thought huge blow-ups of pencil tips could be a) so intriguing and b) all look so different!
These photos were in an exhibition in London a couple of years ago, and seeing my little pencil at the GIGANTIC size of 3 foot by 2 foot in the foyer was quite something!