The Smasher (2015)

It always felt a privilege being assigned to create new stories of the classic comic characters I'd read as a child. One such character being The Smasher, a strip that was drawn by Hugh Morren in the 1960s. Other artists had drawn him in subsequent decades including the great Brian Walker, and several years ago I was asked to create new Smasher stories for The Dandy Annual.

Here's a two pager I did for The Dandy Annual 2016, that I drew in 2015. Script, art and lettering by me, and I also did the logo which I digitally remastered from one of the 1960s Smasher logos. 

The Smasher was basically The Dandy's answer to Dennis the Menace, but I redesigned his appearance a little. Always favouring sci-fi, I came up with Smasher fantasising about a situation that enabled me to include aliens and a giant robot that I thought would lend some visual impact to the pages. I hope the readers enjoyed it. 

Click / tap on the image above to see it at a much larger, readable size.

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74 years of Menacing

Today marks the 74th Anniversary of Dennis the Menace's first appearance in the Beano! I don't think I've ever drawn a Dennis strip but I have drawn him many times as a guest star in other Beano strips (such as Rasher) and in a few activity pages. 

Here's an activity page I was particulartly pleased with. The script was written by someone at the Beano but I drew it, designed it, and lettered the whole page. (Lettering was done using Tim Sale Lower, a Comicraft font that the Beano were using a lot at the time. https://www.comicbookfonts.com/Tim-Sale-Lower-font-p/bl025i.htm ) 

I did this page for an issue back in 2012 so it was 13 years ago now but I thought I'd post it here in case you missed it.  

Before anyone asks, no, I'm not in the Beano these days. I enjoyed my years with the comic though. One of the highlights of my career.

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Full guest list revealed for MACC-POW 2025

This morning, cartoonist and event organiser Marc Jackson revealed the full guest list for Macc-Pow 2025 and it features comics creators with a diverse variety of styles. A true representation of the UK comic scene, PLUS top tier guests from American comics Tom Scioli and Michael Lark! 

You'll find us all at Macclesfield Town Hall on Saturday June 28th! The show runs from 10am to 4pm and it's free entry!

This year Macc-Pow celebrates its 10th Anniversary and it's been my privilege to be a guest at every show. I'm really looking forward to being there again.

Here's the link:

https://maccpow.co.uk/ 

 

Viz! Daleks! Marvel UK and more in this week's art auction

I've put more of my original artwork up for auction for collectors to obtain. This week there's a Suicidal Syd page from Viz comic from 2009, a Macho Man strip I did for Marvel UK's Secret Wars comic back in 1986, a Captain Scarlet parody written by Kev F and drawn by me from the 1990s, a Daft Dimension strip from Doctor Who Magazine featuring Daleks... PLUS a page by the late great Jimmy Hansen that he drew in 1990 for Buster comic featuring the popular Ricky Rainbow character.

All original hand drawn artwork produced for the comics. Not facsimilies, not prints. 

The auctions end on Sunday night (March 16th). All bids are much appreciated. 

Here's the link...

https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?item=203554298786&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2562&_ssn=graphite47

Suicidal Syd from VIZ (2009). One of the last Viz pages I have left.

Superghero parody Macho Man, created for Marvel UK in 1986.

Captain Scarlet spoofed as a theatrical luvvie! (1990s)

A recent Dalek strip I did for Doctor Who Magazine (2025)

Stunning artwork drawn by JIMMY HANSEN for Buster (1990)

On the Tel-Lee

The documentary The Life and Death of Christopher Lee that I drew a sequence for was repeated on Sky Arts last night. (Originally broadcast on 24th October 2024.) I'd done my drawings in full colour but they chose to broadcast them in black and white, presumably because my bit was set in the 1940s. A nice programme to be part of though!

 

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Original OINK! artwork! Auction ends soon!

 

Only a short time to go to bid on the original artwork of a Pete and his Pimple story I drew for Oink! in 1988. Both pages of this complete story are in the auction as one lot. Bidding ends on Sunday 9th March at 9pm UK time. Good luck!

Here's the link where you can see more images in close up:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/205328204156?itmmeta=01JNVCX6ZFRWF0SRZZNQ7ZKZDG&hash=item2fce83c17c:g:hIYAAOSwWO5nxJDW

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Pits of Peril!

The latest issue of Toxic (No.401) reprints the Team Toxic story Pits of Peril that I did for issue 288 of the magazine back in 2017. Eight years is long enough for a new generation of readers who won't have read the story before.

Speaking of pits, as I've mentioned before, one of the pitfalls in working for mainstream comic publishers is they don't pay reprint fees, or even tell contributors when the material is being re-used. But I knew that when I started out so it's too late to complain now. I'm just happy that a new generation will get to see those stories. (I wish they'd reprint the serials in order though, but thankfully most episodes were self contained.)