As it's Halloween I thought you might like to see these old pages of mine that appeared in the Halloween issue of Buster back in 1990!
The pages that celebrate a special occassion are always my favourite ones to draw, whether it be Christmas, Easter, fireworks, or in this case Halloween. In 1990 I decided to have The Vampire Brats as suitable guest stars in the Tom Thug story. Tom's exploits didn't usually involve supernatural shennanigans but I made an exception sometimes. Script and art by me. Creating a new title banner for the occassion was something I felt need doing too. I didn't get paid any extra for stuff like that as it was my choice to do it, but I felt that if the issue was going to have a theme then the title banners should reflect it.
The Vampire Brats also appeared in their own regular strip in that issue. Script by Roy Davis, art by me. Writers never had a credit in Buster, which I felt was unfair, so I added Roy's initials next to my signature. It was my idea to add a rhyme to the title panel though.
Back in those days I was colouring my Buster pages with Dr.Martin's water colour inks. I was never completely satisfied with the results on the larger areas as the colour tended to be patchy. In retrospect I wish I'd learned to use acrylics like some other artists did. Anyway, it's a moot point now because since I bought my first Mac in 1999 I've been colouring with Photoshop, which I find far more enjoyable, and the results are exactly what I want.
As an extra today, I thought I'd post this following strip again, which has appeared on this blog before a few years back. Monster Mash originally appeared in Oink! No.13, for Halloween in 1986! The first appearance of Pigswilla! Script by the late Mark Rogers, art by me. Mark had originally sent me an idea for a story called The School Dinner Monster and asked if I had any ideas to add to it. I added a few bits and bobs to the plot and dialogue, and thought the title Monster Mash was catchier. I gave the name 'Pigzilla' to the giant robot pig, although Mark changed that to the much more inspired Pigswilla...
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4 comments:
Fun read :)
Mr Lew,
it is amazing you remember so many details from 30 years ago of who wrote what and the extra features you added. Is it purely from memory or you recorded such things on index cards or some other filing system.
As to the textures achieved by the inks I feel it adds something to the art, some individuality; which flat paint never can.
Now I will go and read the strip.
regards
ms
Thanks. Yeah, it's from memory. I didn't write anything down about this although I do have loads of rough drafts of scripts and early ideas in notebooks. I should dig them out sometime and publish the more legible ones perhaps.
Coincidentally Lew, I've just purchased a page of your Buster artwork featured. It's the Tom Thug Halloween from the 26th October 1991 featuring your weird & wonderful monsters trick or treating.
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