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I recently showed you a preview of the Smasher pages I've done for The Dandy Annual 2014 and now here's the other character I've drawn for the book. Yes, it's Keyhole Kate, one of the original Dandy stars who made her debut in issue No.1 back in 1937. (Click on the pic to see it larger.)
The three full page strips were written by David Mason and this was the first time I've drawn the character. I've followed the character designs of the excellent Laura Howell to an extent, as Laura drew Kate previously.
The Dandy Annual 2014 should be on sale early next month! Pre-order it (and The Beano Annual) now from Amazon!
looks good..
ReplyDeleteLaura Howell's artwork is pretty good most of the time.. didn't think much of stuff she did for that so-called 'Beano Manga'... I lump it with people that think Pocket book size is 'Manga style' (no offense).. people that are trying to do a style that they don't understand.. Also, to be Manga, it's gotta be Japanese.. It's like saying 'This comic done in America buy Americans is a british comic'.. but then, this is just my views.. of course, there is also the problem of sterotyping.. If people think Rumiko Takahashi is anything like Osamu Tezuka, then.. it's like saying Jack Kirby is the same as Curt Swan.. two different styles completely
Surely manga is just the Japanese word for comics? The style sn't exclusive to Japan now. Artists are influenced by styles from all over the world.
DeleteCorrect. It's the Japanese word for Comic. It isn't really a style. there are TONS and TONS of styles which people lump together under the word 'Manga'. but that word just means it's a Japanese Comic. So if it's a comic from outside of Japan? it's not Manga. Simple as that really ^_^ Most of what people think as Manga is people like Tezuka, which was based on Disney's old Cartoons. His style was spares panels, a lot of background shots setting up scenes, Big heads, big eyes, highly detailed machines, simple but effective lines. Which is completely different style to many others.
DeleteAnyway, Saying it's Manga, has to be Japanese. Cause it's Japanese for Comic. If it's not Japanese, It's not Manga. If it's Italian, it's Fumetti, If it's French, it's BD (never understood that..) If Spanish, Cómico.
Beano calls there stuff Manga, when it's not.. but they do partly admit this with the 'Chipi' style more then Japanese 'Chibi', so that's something.. sadly, for the last XX amount of years, 'Manga' has been a buzz word these days ¬_¬ annoying really. It's not a Style.. its tons of styles.. Each artist has a different style. Okay, some ghost styles but that's ghosting the style of a set artist. I can't draw and call it 'American style' art cause it could be anything from Dikto to Barks or Hembeck.. Can't pretend that are all the same style.
Atlest with Food they can get protective Name status.. If it's not from Cornwall, It's not a Cornish Pasty, it's just in the Style.
Oh and something I forgot.. atlest it's Howell's style.. I'm not sure how does Kate online for Dandy but.. That's just not the character to me.. can't see her as a Star reporter for the newspaper either.. I must admit, I'm the kinda guy that would prefer a brand new creation, over major revamps in order to use the name only for a new generation. Speedball wasn't a revamp of Spider-man, he was a new creation done in that style (no comment on.. what they did to Speedball.. please..)
Well that clears that up then. I think.
Delete^_^ sorry, a bit rantie but.. somethings bug me like that.
DeleteKeyhole Kate is drawn by Stephen White in The Digital Dandy. I actually quite like this different version of Kate, it opens the story to many new possibilities.
DeleteJust a minor errata to Manic Mans insights. In Spain we tend to refer to comics as Tebeos not comicos. It came from a long running Spanish comic called TBO. The French BD meanwhile is an abbreviation of Bandes Dessinees which means literally designed strips.
DeleteWith respect to the Manga explanation I agree. I think a more appropriate term to describe the non-Japanese efforts would be "manga inspired" rather than manga style. Japan does have its own distinctive style as do Spain or France or the US so it is reasonable to suggest that a british comic has drawn isnpiration from that style. However I can imagine that publishers might feel that that is confusing and so simply use the term manga as a shorthand.
Oh, and Speedball / Spiderman seems an odd illustration for your argument since they were of course both created by the same great mind, the unique Steve Ditko. Hence why they both had the same style.
ah, admit mistake on the language issues. should really had double checked with some guys ^_^
DeleteAnd the Speedball /Spider-Man bit isn't as much odd.. Speedball was only CO-created by Ditko. Same with Spider-Man (Spider-Man is, of course, a different character to Spiderman.. but you really don't want me to go into that ^_^) but showing one of the co-creators being behind a 'simpler' character isn't really that odd. If a character was meant to be very simpler but updated version of an old character.. isn't the original(ish) artist a good choice? ^_^
I just use comic for everything, even story papers XD. (Though if I had billions and was going to be starting up a whole range of comics of my own, one would be called something like "Manga Monday" and would have 250 pages of Japanese style art every week XD)
DeleteAnyway, I'd hate to have to be a writer on Keyhole Kate! Surely everything's been done by now?
In the early 70's I used to get the Beezer and Topper regularly but for some reason never the Dandy or Beano even though they were all DC Thompson.
ReplyDeleteSo I tootled down to Smiths and asked of the annuals. Not out until September she said.
ReplyDeleteI thought your date of July was off. :-p Wasted journey.
July 5th was the official release date given on Amazon. Don't shoot the messenger! I'm sure they'll be out well before September, just as they have been in previous years.
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