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The Sub-MarEEEner!

March 12, 2014, 9:26 am
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Several years ago, Ade Brown used to compile an annual publication called Just 1 Page which featured contributions from loads of comic folk in aid of charity. Here's my contribution for one of them. I thought I'd have a crack at a couple of Marvel characters. Hope you like it. (Yep, I know Sub-Mariner isn't pronounced like that, but a lot of people thought it was, including me when I was a kid, so that's part of the gag.) 

As for the fonts used on this image, they're part of the great range available from Comicraft. 
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Sheffield sketching

March 17, 2014, 5:02 pm
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Just a quick post to announce that I've been invited as a guest at the Sheffield Film and Comic Con this summer. It's a two day event at the Motorpoint Arena on the 30th and 31st August, but I'll be there for the Saturday only (Aug.30th).

I'll be selling sketches on request at my table, and I'll probably bring along some of my old original art pages too. I'll also be happy to sign a few of my comics if you bring them along. Drop by for a chat if you're attending. It'll be good to meet up with old friends and put faces to the names of people I haven't met before. 

The convention website with full details is here:
http://www.sheffieldfilmandcomiccon.com/ 

I'll be attending a couple of other comic shows as well during the year. More news soon!
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See you at the Lakes!

March 19, 2014, 6:52 am
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I'm very pleased to say that I've been invited as a guest at this year's Lakes International Comic Art Festival in Kendal, Cumbria, over the weekend of October 17th to 19th. I've heard some very good things about the event from people who were there in 2013 so I'm looking forward to it. I hope to see some of you there! 

All the details are at the official website: http://www.comicartfestival.com/

Here's the press release with the latest info:


Kendal, UK, 19th March 2014: Britain has a long tradition of humour comics such as The Beano, Dandy and VIZ– so it should come as no surprise that the cheeky gang at the Lakes International Comic Art Festival have lined up a number of comic creators well known for delivering a chuckle or two thanks to their work (as well as, on occasion, a more sober tale).

The latest guests announced to join a stellar line up of comics talent in Kendal in October are Guardian cartoonist Stephen Collins, Nick Abadzis (creator of the critically-acclaimed Hugo Tate and the incredible Cora's Breakfast, pictured above), Beano and VIZ artist Lew Stringer, Cornwall’s Donya Todd (creator of Death & The Girls), Lizz Lunney (creator of many a surrealist animal!) and Flemish cartoonist Peter van Heirseele, the brains behind the absurdist comic Cowboy Henk.

The Lakes International Comic Art Festival (17th – 19th October 2014) is a new kind of comic art event in the UK. Modelled on a European-style festival it aims to take over the market town of Kendal, on the edge of the Lake District, with comic art presenting the widest range of genres. Events include a 24 Hour Comic Marathon, children’s comic workshops, talks, signings, Great War in Comics art exhibition and a Comics Fair.

Previously announced guests for the Festival include The Walking Dead artist Charlie Adlard; Fables artist Mark Buckingham; acclaimed independent comics creator Oliver East; Watchmen co-creator Dave Gibbons; top designer and comics creator Rian Hughes; 2000AD artist Jock; self-taught Japanese artist Junko; Dutch underground comics artist Joost Swarte; writer Robbie Morrison; artist Sean Phillips; digital comics frontiersman Scott McCloud; leading US comics writer Gail Simone; Jeff Smith; COSTA Award winner Bryan Talbot; Vampire Academy artist Emma Vieceli; and Jonathan Edwards, who has designed the event’s “Mascot Family”.

"I'm excited to be asked to attend The Lakes Comic Art Festival - it's an honour,” enthuses Nick Abadzis. “I've heard lovely things about the 'Angouleme of the North' and in anticipation of seeing old friends and meeting many new ones to celebrate the art and language of comics, I'm greatly looking forward to my visit to Kendal."

"'I'm really excited to be coming to the Festival," says Donya Todd, "joining in all the fun and drawing with a bunch of cool people.'
• Tickets for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival go on sale from 25th April 2014. 
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When Titans Clash!

March 21, 2014, 4:57 am
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American comics have often made a big deal of their characters interacting with each other but it's something that's been going on in British comics for a long, long time, right back to the 1930s at least. Back in 1987 I had my two Oink! characters meet for the first time. Tom Thug encountering Pete and his Pimple! 


They met again a few times after that, but this is their very first encounter from Oink! No.34. These photos are from the original artwork which I have for sale on eBay at present if you're interested. (Click on the photos to see them larger.) Bidding ends on Sunday:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ORIGINAL-ARTWORK-for-the-very-first-TOM-THUG-PIMPLY-PETE-meeting-OINK-1987-/201053860620?pt=UK_Books_comics_Magazines_UK_Comics_ET&hash=item2ecfbe730c
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London in July

March 23, 2014, 10:28 am
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I'm listed for another convention date this summer: the London Film and Comic Con on 12th July 2014 at Earls Court 2. I'll be there as part of Aces Weekly's "caravan tour", - although I don't think it means we're arriving like a circus. 

There'll be a whole bunch of fellow Aces there too of course, as you can see from the flyer shown above. Come along for a chat, a sketch, and, if you're not a subscriber already, to subscribe to Aces Weekly! Oh, and a guy by the name of Stan Lee will be a guest too. You may have heard of him.

The event lasts the whole weekend although I'm there for Saturday only. Full details at the London Film & Comic Con website:
http://www.londonfilmandcomiccon.com/news/247-aces-weekly-caravan-tour

For more info on Aces Weekly visit this site:
http://www.acesweekly.co.uk/
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In the shops now!

March 26, 2014, 11:01 am
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I have work published in a couple of comics today so here are quick previews of the strips. Above is a panel from The Thing from Below, the latest two-page Team Toxic story in Toxic magazine, published by Egmont.

Then, over in this week's Beano, that menacing pig Rasher nicks Dennis the Menace's jumper from the washing line. That pig is always fun to draw.
Support British comics! We don't have many traditional ones left. 
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Something for everyone

March 27, 2014, 3:58 am
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Detail of the original art.
Over the years I've worked on comics for every age group, and that's reflected somewhat in the two pieces of art I have for sale on eBay this week. First up, there's a World Cup Willie strip that I did for adult comic Viz several years ago. No, this isn't THE World Cup Willie, - just a Viz spoof on the name, - and it's not for the nervous!

Then there's a puzzle spread I did for a Coco-Pops promotion, aimed at the very young. I showed the coloured version of this last year on this blog (see here) and now I've found the original pen and ink version.
See here for more details and photos of the items. Two pieces of original art, both up for auction until Sunday. All bids nuch appreciated. Good luck!  
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Music Mad Jo

March 29, 2014, 9:35 am
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Having written and/or drawn thousands of pages over the past 30 years it's perhaps understandable that some strips slip the mind. Such was the case with Music Mad Jo and Her Personal Stereo, a one-off character I did for Oink! No.23, back in 1987.

Thanks to Phil Boyce's Oink! Blog I was reminded of that strip today, so I thought I'd share it here. I remember now that editor Mark Rogers suggested the advisory at the end of the strip, therefore turning it into something of a public health warning. That was fine with me, as perhaps the ending was too brutal and abrupt without it. 

Looking at it now, the colouring is a bit raw and undisciplined in places. I much prefer colouring with Photoshop, but of course it wasn't around back in 1987! I hope you enjoy the page anyway.

If you want to see more classic pages from Oink!, check out Phil's excellent blog which he updates regularly with a posting on each issue: 
http://the-oink-blog.blogspot.co.uk/ 
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The biggest influence of all

March 30, 2014, 10:21 am
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Blackpool, 1961.
It's a tough day, being the first Mother's Day since my mum passed away, but I couldn't let the day go by without posting something about her. I was extremely lucky in that my mum (or my mam as I always called her, as we do in these parts) had such a kind and gentle soul and was always supportive in everything I did. 

Mam bought me my first comics, taught me to read before I started school, and encouraged me to draw. I produced my own comics as a child, in biro on folded sheets of cartridge paper, and mam would stitch the pages together with needle and thread because we didn't have a stapler. When, at age 20, I quit my dead-end job, mam encouraged me in my ambitions to be a comic artist.

Blackpool, 1966.

We were always a small, close family. My dad had died suddenly in 1974 and mam never remarried. My Aunt Joan, who lived a street away, had slight learning difficulties so mam and I were always around to help or just give her guidance. Mam was devoted to looking after Joan, moreso as they grew older and Joan's arthritis affected her walking. Although I bought my own house in 1990 it was only a few minutes walking distance away so that I could help out too. 

Aunt Joan passed away in 2006, and mam's health deteriorated after then too, so caring for her increasingly took up more time as I'd see her several hours every day. Not that I minded. As you can appreciate from the few things I've mentioned here, I owe my mum everything. I would never have gained an interest in comics without her initial encouragement in my reading and drawing, and I would certainly never have pursued a career in comics without her unwavering support. She was not only my mother, she was my best friend, with a great sense of humour, always young at heart, and good company.

Mam, 1996.
As I posted here last year, mam died last May after a nasty fall in her kitchen (possibly caused by a stroke, but I'll never know for sure as the brain damage was too severe). No family left now. Having been so close to her all my life, the grief is still there every day. I know it's hard for some people who haven't been in that situation to understand such loss, or if they rarely see their parents, or have never been too close to them, but there are no rules when it comes to grieving. 

My mam, who never put herself first, who selflessly devoted her life to my grandad, my aunt, my dad, and me, would want me to keep going. So I carry on, because as I said, I owe her everything. 
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The 7 Ages of Fan

April 3, 2014, 5:40 am
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Thanks to Alex De Campi for reminding me on Twitter yesterday of this cartoon I did back in 1998. It was drawn for the con booklet of that year's United Kingdom Comic Art Convention (UKCAC) and auctioned off for charity. I can't remember who bought it, but if you're out there, thanks!

Speaking of Alex, check out her current comic series Grindhouse: Doors Open At Midnight from Dark Horse. Good trashy adult comic horror! The latest issue (Flesh Feast of the Devil Doll) features artwork by Gary Erskine, so what's not to like? 
http://www.darkhorse.com/Comics/22-748/Grindhouse-Doors-Open-at-Midnight-7
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He must be Joe King!

April 6, 2014, 5:53 am
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If you buy today's Mail on Sunday with its free 32 page all-new Beano you won't find any strips by me in there unfortunately BUT you will find a series of little vignette head drawings that I did, running along the foot of several pages. It's the return of Joe King to The Beano, and recently I was commissioned to supply numerous head shots of the character to accompany the joke strips that now appear at the end of each story. 


They use six of those drawings in the free issue, and I presume you can expect to see the others over the coming weeks in the regular Beano. I've noticed that reader surveys often show they'd prefer more jokes in the comic so this is a good way of including them without taking up a page. Reminds me of the gags that would run across the foot of some pages in the early issues of Wham! Sure, some of those jokes aren't exactly new to us, but for The Beano's young readership they'll be as fresh as a daisy.

As an aside, it reminds me that I can still clearly remember the first joke I was told, 50 years ago at infant school. Yep, it was the old "Why did the chicken cross the road" gag. Told to me by classmate Dave Gadsby, in the playground. I was five years old. I thought it was hilarious. Like most of us, I soon took jokes for granted, especially when the same ones kept rolling around, but the memory of that first one still remains. That gag was ancient even by 1964, but I guess when you're that young, every joke is someones first! 
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Second chance to buy Brats

April 8, 2014, 7:29 am
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Looking ahead

April 8, 2014, 4:04 pm
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Work on the comic annuals has always been done way in advance due to various scheduling reasons including printing. All the strips for the 2015 dated annuals were completed last summer, even though they won't be out until July to September of this year. 

Today, I was commissioned to produce a bunch of pages for the Dandy Annual 2016 and three for the Beano Annual 2016. Yes, 2016 cover dates, - books that won't be in the shops until late summer next year! Stories that many readers won't actually see until Christmas Day 2015, if they have the annuals as Christmas presents. 

I won't reveal any more at present as I've yet to write the scripts, then they have to be approved before I set to work drawing them. However, it's shaping up to be a very busy time over the next six weeks so if I don't get the chance to update my two blogs very often you'll know why. I'm sure you're as pleased as I am to hear that although the weekly Dandy was axed in 2012, the annual still survives.

In the meantime, above is a quick glimpse of Smasher, back in the next Dandy Annual! 
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Rasher Returns

April 15, 2014, 5:52 pm
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After being absent for the last two issues, my Rasher mini-strip returns to The Beano today. I'm not sure why it skipped a couple of issues. Replaced by an ad? Squeezed out by Beano fun-power overload? Anyway, the pig is back! Hopefully he'll stick around now until the end of his run.

The latest issue of Britain's longest-running comic, The Beano, is out now. £2.00.   
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Behold... Fartacus!

April 16, 2014, 11:21 am
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Kids who like gross humour in comics (which is a lot, according to sales figures) will hopefully enjoy the debut of a new baddie in my Team Toxic strip this week. Fartacus is his name, and his deadly bottom-burps have made him the champion of the arena on Planet Stinky!

It all begins when Bog, Team Toxic's resident living poo, is abducted by a UFO to fight in the galactic farting games. Don't miss Slave of Planet Stinky in Toxic No.236, on sale now! 40 pages of features and fun plus gifts for just £2.99. (Although check your receipts as the WH Smith I bought mine from rang up £3.99 on the til until I challenged them about it. They blamed the barcode.)  

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Original Viz artwork

April 17, 2014, 5:39 pm
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There's just one piece of my artwork on eBay this weekend, but it's a special festive illustration I did several years ago for a Christmas issue of Viz. It features various Viz characters. In fact it's the only time I've drawn some of them, such as Roger Mellie, Gilbert Ratchett, Nobby's Piles, Fat Slags, etc. 

Remember, Viz is for adults only so the cartoon is a bit rude in places! Don't bid if you're easily offended or a child. And if you are a child, what are you doing with an eBay account you fraud? Off to the draughty step with no jam butties and a ban on your Z-Box, (or however naughty kids are dealt with these days). 

If you are interested in bidding on this illustration, here's where to go:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ORIGINAL-ARTWORK-FOR-VIZ-COMIC-No-141-CHRISTMAS-THEME-Signed-/201072866513?pt=UK_Books_comics_Magazines_UK_Comics_ET&hash=item2ed0e074d1

Good luck! Auction ends on Sunday.
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At last, a Toxic Annual!

April 19, 2014, 8:23 am
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I didn't want to mention it until the publisher broke the news but now that the book is on Amazon I can tell you that there will be a Toxic Annual out later this year. Although Toxic magazine has been published regularly since 2002, there has never been an annual before! 

I've written and drawn a brand new 4 page Team Toxic strip for the book, featuring the Team up against Techno Troll (above) and Butt-Face!

More info about Toxic Annual 2015 on my other blog:
http://lewstringer.blogspot.co.uk/2014/04/the-toxic-annual-is-coming.html
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Tom Thug's Easter: Buster 1992

April 20, 2014, 1:55 pm
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Beano boost

April 23, 2014, 8:56 am
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Here's a panel from my latest Rasher strip that's in today's Beano. I've enjoyed drawing the fat pig over the three series it's run but I sent off my final one this week. Yes, Rasher's having a rest, and the last one will appear in June. 

All is not doom and gloom though. I'm still doing another mini-strip for the weekly, and hopefully that will be starting soon. Also, I have a lot of pages to write and draw for next year's annuals. The first scripts have been approved and I'll be drawing The Smasher tomorrow for The Dandy Annual 2016.

On a wider scale, I was pleased to read that thanks to the recent free special issue in the Mail on Sunday, The Beano's sales have increased 25%! It's also gained 1,400 new subscribers. Proof that if more kids are aware of the comic, more will buy it! Never Be Without A Beano!
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Mini Marvels

April 25, 2014, 7:15 am
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One of my most enjoyable gigs was being commissioned by Panini UK in 2006 to write/draw new Mini Marvels when they'd reprinted all of Chris Giarruso's strips in Rampage. I only did a few before Rampage was revamped, then cancelled, but I was then asked to do a second run in 2008 for the Spectacular Spider-Man comic.

I showed a few on this blog last year, and here's another one above, pencil rough and finished inked art. I had to 'ghost' Chris' chubby character style to an extent, but it was still fun to be drawing Spider-Man for Marvel! 

And, seen for the first time, here's one that didn't get approved, so I didn't draw it beyond the pencil rough stage...
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