I've been working on a number of one-off jobs recently. All needed fairly quickly, but after the past few years I couldn't afford to turn them down. Not that I'd want to reject them anyway; each job was very enjoyable and I can't wait to show you previews when I'm allowed to do so.
While we wait until I can show you snippets of those secret projects, are there any of my past strips you'd like me to show on this blog? Bear in mind I can't show full runs of strips for copyright reasons but I'd be able to show one or two examples of each strip.
Also, if there's any questions you'd like to ask about my 39 years in the business, fire away. Leave a comment below and let me know....
7 comments:
I’ve a question - what was it that drew you to humour comics / working in humour In the first place? Have you ever been tempted or experimented with any other art styles??
Lew - I’d like to see more Fartacus, but there rarely seem to be many issues of Toxic on eBay :(
Cheers,
Geoff
Okay, I got a nice one.
While your first publish in a 'mainstream' (not a fanzine) comic/magazine was an original gag panel, I can't remember if your first strip was an original creation you had created or one you were comissioned to do (like the difference between doing Macho Man or Captain Wally, compared to doing Bash street Pups or Rasher).
So what was the various issues and feeling of pressure when submitting an totatlly original creation compared to when you work on 'someone elses' creation.. If you understand what i'm trying to get at
Hi Russ,
I think I just naturally gravitated towards humour. When I was a little kid and making my first comics they'd be a mix of humour and superhero. Then, when I was in my teens, I did have intentions to only focus on serious stuff but frankly I soon realised I wasn't very good at it. My first published fanzine, After Image, in 1978 saw me trying to do a realistic style but I couldn't get the hang of it. I found humour much more comfortable so that's the direction I went in and noticed that my style started to develop quickly then so it must have been the right path to take.
Hi Elliesdad,
I'd forgotten about Farticus. Was that one of my villains in Team Toxic? I came up with so many characters over the 16 years the strip ran for that I've forgotten half of them.
Hi Ryan,
My first professionally created character was George the Spider; the spider who bit Peter Parker and gained his awkwardness and timidity. It was a one-off in a UK Spider-Man comic in 1984. Next thing was Captain Wally and Snail-Man, both created at the same time for the same comic. I've always found creating new characters very easy, so it was a pleasure more than any pressure. It might take a while to get them right before submitting them but there was little frustration involved. There is more pressure in working on established characters like Lord Snooty and Pup Parade because of the legacy of the strip and hoping I can do a decent job following on from the legends who created them.
Good questions, folks! Hope my replies are OK.
Lew - what Beano character (past or present) would you most like to draw? I think Bananaman would really suit your style and the Three Bears must be due for a relaunch.
Thanks Lew.
First mention of Fartacus I’ve seen was https://lewstringercomics.blogspot.com/search?q=Fartacus - in April 2014.
I never read Toxic (any sealed comic/magazine doesn’t let me have a quick skim through is highly unlikely to get my ££’s), but I never see this issue on eBay… ☹️
Cheers,
Geoff
Hi Elliesdad,
My Toxic comics are all out of order but if I find that one I'll show the full two pages on my blog.
Hi Steve,
I hadn't really thought about which characters I'd like to do, but, yes, considering my history of superhero spoofs, Bananaman would be good. I'd like another crack at Calamity James too. I drew one story 20 years ago for the Fun Size Beano and enjoyed it. At the moment though both characters are in safe hands so it's not going to happen. I recently drew eight Biffo the Bear mini-strops fopr the Beano Annual 2023 and found that to be good fun, so a run on Biffo would be appreciated if he came back to the weekly.
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