The Cartoonists' Club

The Queens Counsel Official Lawyers Handbook

nospam@example.com (Simon Chadwick) — Wed, 16 May 2012 07:33:50 +0100

By Daniel R White & Alex Williams
Publisher: The Robson Press
ISBN: 978-1849-541701

Cartoonists Club member Alex Williams has had a regular strip, The Queens Counsel, running in The Times since 1993. Hes teamed up with Daniel R White to add another dimension of humour to an already deeply satirical publication that has seen previous bestselling success on the other side of the Atlantic.

If you didnt know this youd never spot the join as the two complement one another superbly, although because of the books dimensions Alexs strips do feel a little squashed, but that really is a minor quibble. And you dont need to know a thing about the law to appreciate the humour here. In fact, this is your education.

From guidance on becoming qualified as a lawyer to surviving in a law firm once you make it, on to drafting legal documents, creative billing and even sage advice on lawyers in love, this is an interesting insight into the profession.

Its funny because you know its so close to the truth, and Daniel R White mentions several times that the combination of honesty, revelation and satire has not gone down well with all his former legal friends. Whether thats true or not, you cant help feeling a little pleased that it might be.

Near the beginning of the book is a list of hard facts about lawyers. Number 11 reads: Most male lawyers look more like John Mortimer than Tom Cruise. 12 follows with: So do most female lawyers.

The chapters are peppered with Alexs Queens Counsel strips, offering his own take on the particular chapters theme. I particularly like one titled New Causes of Action For 2011, with children suing parents over second-hand smoke, a fat bloke suing the NHS over his obesity, a drunkard suing his landlord and then a woman suing Alan Sugar for unfair dismissal after being told,Youre fired.

And if you liked that: Visit www.qccartoon.com where you can find some more of Alexs cartoon collections

The Queen's Counsel Official Lawyer's Handbook (Book)

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Author: Alex Williams

Publisher: Biteback

Published: 2011-09-29

Number of pages: 240

ISBN: 1849541701

Price: £14.99

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Information accurate as of May 17, 2012, 8:53 am

Sendak

nospam@example.com (Ron McGeary) — Wed, 09 May 2012 21:45:28 +0100

Maurice Sendak, one of the most influential childrens artists of the 20th century, sadly has passed away at the age of 83 after a short illness. His most famous work, Where the Wild Things Are was published in 1963, and inspired an animated short directed by Gene Deitch. Many of his books were turned into TV and feature projects over the years.

Born in Brooklyn, to Polish-Jewish immigrant parents, Sendak was exposed to death and mortality at an early age because of The Holocaust. After watching Walt Disney's Fantasia at the age of 12, he decided to become an illustrator, and the first of his efforts was published in 1947, after which he spent much of the 1950s illustrating children's books written by others, before beginning to write his own stories.

He gained international acclaim after writing and illustrating Where the Wild Things Are. The book's depictions of fanged monsters concerned some parents when it was first published, as his characters were somewhat grotesque in appearance, and In the Night Kitchen, caused much controversy in several American states - and has often been subjected to censorship - for its drawings of a young boy prancing naked through the story. It was listed number 21 on the "100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 19901999."

An early member of the National Board of Advisors of the Children's Television Workshop during the development stages of the Sesame Street television series, Sendak adapted his book Bumble Ardy into an animated sequence for the series, with Jim Henson as the voice of Bumble Ardy.

Spooks: 1. The Fall of Babylon

nospam@example.com (Simon Chadwick) — Tue, 08 May 2012 22:10:26 +0100

By Rossi, Dorison & Nury
Publisher: Cinebook
ISBN: 978-1-84918-099-3

Genre mash-ups are increasingly common place these days and they're an inevitable mixed bag, so it's good to come across one that works and works well.

Set in the US at the turn of the twentieth century and the the dying days of the wild west, this is the story of a team given carte blanche to investigate a series of sinister deaths of the American elite. The dead individuals had been behaving out of character before they died and there's also an issue of curious marks that appear then vanish on the bodies.

The US President doesn't believe it warrants further investigation, so Richard Clayton takes it upon himself to look into it further and resurrects an old team - the SPecialists in the Odd and the OCcult - the Spooks.

The team is led by Englishman Morton Chapel and comprises several unorthodox individuals who specialise in the weird and wonderful - think of it like a cross between the Untouchables and Fringe.

It's compelling stuff, made more so by the gloriously evocative artwork. Lots of scene setting, character introduction and brooding menace in this opening chapter, so already looking forward to the next chapter to see where it all goes next.

And if you liked that: Have a look at Dark Horses BPRD.

Spooks Vol.1 (Book)

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Author: Fabien & Rossi, Christian Nury

Publisher: CINEBOOK

Published: 2012-03-01

Number of pages: 56

ISBN: 1849180997

Price: £6.99

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Information accurate as of May 17, 2012, 8:53 am

Hewison, McClachlan and Williams

nospam@example.com (Ron McGeary) — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 10:56:28 +0100

An Exhibition of Works by Bill Hewison, Ed McClachlan and Mike Williams.
17 April to 5 May 2012

The Chris Beetles Gallery is celebrating 50 years of the cartoonists' art of making us laugh with an exhibition of works by Ed McLachlan and Mike Williams, two of the all time great living gag artists from the halcyon days of Punch (both of whom continue to be popular regular contributors to The Spectator, The Oldie, Private Eye, The Big Issue and Saga Magazine).

Alongside McClachlan and Williams, will be works by Bill Hewison (1925-2002), the influential Art Editor of Punch from 1960 to 1984, and a significant theatre and editorial cartoonist in his own right. These latter come directly from the Hewison Estate and are on display for the first time.

The show contains over 200 hilarious cartoons, all of which are now viewable on the gallery's website - www.chrisbeetles.com

The Chris Beetles Gallery, 8 & 10 Ryder Street, London SW1Y 6QB.

Royal Mail Censors World War Cartoons

nospam@example.com (Ron McGeary) — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 12:00:53 +0100

Royal Mail bureaucrats have banned several historic seaside postcard cartoons from appearing on a special compilation of collectors stamps because they poke fun at Hitler, Hermann Goering, and The Kaiser and were considered anti-German.

Bamforth's, the saucy postcard company which created the special collection of ten limited edition stamps to mark its 140th birthday, says that the censors rejected seven because they were deemed to be offensive to Germans.

Those that fell at the first hurdle and were rejected by Royal Mail officials included five images featuring scantily clad ladies or bawdy jokes. One (opposite, swastikas removed) showed Hitler poking his head out of a dustbin to ask: "Have those naughty bombers gone, Herman?" while Goering cowers in another bin with a medal stuck to his backside. Managing Director Ian Wallace said: "We airbrushed the swastikas and they still turned it down. The official at the Royal Mail's offices in Edinburgh told me: 'You can't have this one either because it's anti-Germanic' to which I replied: 'Of course, it's anti-Germanic - there was a bloody war on! Are we supposed to airbrush out two world wars as well'?"

Of the ten postcards which would have been available, only three were passed by the censors, so Bamforth's has taken the decision not to go ahead with the collection because of the limited choice available following the ban.

Philip Parker, Head of Stamp Strategy at Royal Mail, said: "We have very clear guidelines and policies on what is acceptable for reproduction on this product range, and reserve the right to decline to print a customised sheet if we believe the content could be perceived as inappropriate or incompatible with our stamps."

Bamforth's protested to David Cameron about the ban and Mike Whitehead, Shareholder Executive with the Department of Business, Innovation and Skill, replied on his behalf saying: "Royal Mail has a number of restrictions on images which can be used in business customised sheets. These restrictions are issues like offensive material of a sexual nature or the stereotyping of particular groups like women or racial minorities."

Mr Wallace added: "At the moment, it is a stalemate - but we are not giving in."

Graphics Art Fair

nospam@example.com (Ron McGeary) — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 19:44:45 +0100

Somerset House is hosting the UKs first annual contemporary graphic art fair from today until April 1.

Celebrating graphic art in all its various guises from illustration to cartoons via comic books the fair is a great opportunity for seasoned collectors to pick up coveted pieces and new enthusiasts to get stuck into the scene. On display will be street artist Ben Eine and Jessica Albarn, fine line artist and sister to Blur's frontman, Damon Albarn.

As well as being able to pick up works of art at prices to suit all pockets (prices range from £10 to £500), there will be an array of talks, workshops and chances to see featured artists themselves at work. Choose from comic book workshops, cartooning, paper toy making, childrens illustration classes and a portrait booth from Guardian regulars Modern Toss. One of the main features of the fair is Pick Me Up Selects, an exhibition of 20 specially selected international rising stars of the graphic arts world, such as Zin and Zou and Mimi Leung, who will produce new and exclusive works specially for the exhibition.

Not only will emerging talent be given a platform, but the finest names in graphic art will also be on show on a daily basis. You might recognise the handiwork of the legendary George Hardie, the man responsible for many cult album covers from the 60s and 70s including Led Zeppelins debut and Pink Floyds Dark Side of the Moon.

Whether youre looking to buy or browse, Pick Me Up is not to be missed by graphic art lovers. If you cant make it at the weekend, they have a late night opening this Thursday.

Pick Me Up Contemporary Graphic Art Fair at Somerset House runs until April 1. For full details of the programme please visit www.somersethouse.org.uk. Doors 11-8pm every day and 11-10pm on Thursday. Somerset House, Strand, WC2R 1LA.

David Shrigley

nospam@example.com (Ron McGeary) — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 11:16:28 +0000

David Shrigley: Brain Activity
Until 13th May
Hayward Gallery
Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, London SE1 8XX

Best known for his humorous and wry illustrations, this is David Shrigleys first major London exhibition. Spanning his diverse practice of drawing, photography, books, sculpture, animation, painting and music.

Trained as a fine artist, his graphic style gives his work an immediate and accessible appeal, while simultaneously offering insightful commentary on the absurdities of human relationships. This exhibition covers the full range of Shrigley's diverse practice which extends beyond drawing to include photography, books, sculpture, animation, painting and music.

Spanning the upper galleries of the Hayward Gallery, the show will also include new artwork and site specific installations. The gallery has a limited number of David Shrigleys What Are You Like? prints available in its online shop

The Hayward Gallery is open daily 10am - 6pm and til 8pm on Thursday and Friday. Admission is £8.00 & £4.50 concessions. Please see The Hayward Gallery for further details.

Quentin Blake

nospam@example.com (Ron McGeary) — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 11:00:32 +0000

Quentin Blake: As Large As Life
The Foundling Museum
40 Brunswick Square, London WC1N 1AZ
Until 15th April

Quentin Blake is one of Britains best-loved and most successful illustrators. Well known for illustrating stories by Roald Dahl, Blake was Britains first Childrens Laureate. Quentin Blake As Large As Life presents recent work created for four hospitals in the UK and France and designed to have a therapeutic effect on their residents.

This exhibition of over sixty works, draws from four series' that were created for a childrens hospital, a maternity hospital, young people with eating disorders and older patients with mental health issues. The subject of each illustration allows visitors to reflect on artists continuing contribution to hospitals and child welfare.

Quentin Blake explained: "I think the very presence of pictures helps to make being in, or visiting, a hospital a more normal and less alien experience. What I have tried to include is a certain amount of detail, some interesting activities, and some suggestions of the little drama of relationships, so that the viewers - especially any who have to wait - may feel the desire to go on looking and perhaps even to speculate about the stories happening in front of them."

Hanging alongside Blakes work will be artwork by William Hogarth and his contemporaries who donated paintings and sculptures to the Foundling Hospital in the 1740s. The Museums art collection, spanning more than four centuries, will provide visitors with an unexpected and resonant backdrop; one that situates Blake within a tradition of great artists creating work for hospitals.

The Foundling Museum is open Tuesday Saturday 10am 5pm & on Sundays 11am 5pm. Admission is £7.50 & £5.00 concessions. Please see http://www.foundlingmuseum.org.uk/ for further details.

If you miss this, make sure you go to Quentin Blakes Swimmers exhibition at Clare Hall, Cambridge open until 30th April 2012. Showing a series of drawings made for Angiers Hospital in France Swimmers is open daily from 9am 6pm and admission is free.

H.M.Bateman Retrospective

nospam@example.com (Ron McGeary) — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 12:11:30 +0000

The Man Who Went Mad On Paper.

H.M.Bateman (Henry Mayo Bateman) is acknowledged as the first modern master of 20th century British cartooning and a major retrospective of his works is to be hosted by The Cartoon Museum, from April 11 until the 22, 2012.

The exhibition includes works from all periods of his career, covering his early theatrical subjects, right up to "The Man Who..." cartoons for which he is best known. These were a series of cartoons which featured comically exaggerated reactions to minor social gaffes such as "The Man Who Lit His Cigar Before The Loyal Toast", and raised his status to that of the highest paid and most copied humourist of the time. The retrospective also includes many examples of his wordless strips, which are masterpieces of silent comedy. On display will also be sketchbooks, ephemera and other private works never previous exhibited.

An Australian by birth, Bateman came to the UK with his parents when a baby. As he grew up, he consistently produced funny drawings that told stories and enthusiastically drew at every available moment. He was inspired by comics and developed a keen critical eye which stood him in good stead for his "TMW..." series.

Bateman died at the age of 83, on Gozo, part of the Southern European country of Malta.

The Cartoon Museum, 35 Little Russell Street, London WC1A 2HH. For more information, email: info@cartoonmuseum.org

WWI - Life On The Front Line

nospam@example.com (Ron McGeary) — Sat, 17 Mar 2012 09:09:10 +0000

The First World War (1914-18) was known as The Great War because of the destruction it brought to much of Europe, and was certainly not a laughing matter. However, a collection of cheeky cartoons and illustrations show a different side of life on the frontline. The cartoons poke fun at the office class and many of them are concerned with the supply of toilet rolls soldiers.

The 80 coloured images are mostly drawn by German artist Albert Heim, who was commissioned by Lieutenant General von Wundt of the 26th Division to show the life of soldiers outside battle. The Lt.General emigrated from Germany to the US after WWII.

Mainly drawn between 1914 and 1916, the pen, ink and gouache drawings are being sold by the late Lt Gen's great grand-daughter. Some depict Thiepval, one of the fortress villages the Germans held on the Somme front until September 1916. British bombardment destroyed the village except for one part of the chateau, which had machine gun nests in its ruins.

That wartime violence seems a world away from the more light-hearted scenes depicted in these images of day-to-day life. Officers and ranks are seen smoking, carrying food trays - and exchanging rolls of toilet paper. And in garden settings it is difficult to imagine there is a war on as the uniformed men look a picture of relaxation.

The pictures are part of a collection of 80 drawings and caricatures which are set to be auctioned at Bonhams in London on April 17. They go on sale with an estimate of £5,000.

Film-to-Cartoon software

nospam@example.com (Ron McGeary) — Sat, 17 Mar 2012 08:40:59 +0000

A clever piece of software has been developed in China to turn film into a comic strip.

Movie2Comics, developed at the Hefei University of Technology, converts any film into a comic using sophisticated technology and is the first software of its kind to be fully automated.

The process analyses a film, identifies the characters via facial recognition, and then takes screen-grabs of the action. Once completed, it shuffles and orders them to tell a coherent story, then converts them into a comic panel format. Finally speech bubbles can be added, and the finished images rendered into a chosen style - a cartoon or an anime. The resulting images are very blocky and are not animated.

A professor at the university said: "We have two future plans - firstly, to improve the performance of each component and to generate perfect clips without user interaction, and secondly, to integrate speech recognition technology so we can generate comics without movie scripts."

Darwin's Diaries: 2 - Death Of A Beast

nospam@example.com (Simon Chadwick) — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 07:38:15 +0000

By Ocana & Runberg
Publisher: Cinebook
ISBN: 978-1-84918-110-5

Well, I wasn't expecting that.

Darwin is carrying on with his investigations into the strange animal-like attacks in Yorkshire, but as the tale unfolds it becomes more and more curious as to his misdirection and apparent subterfuge. When a girl is attacked on her farm and is rushed into town for help by her desperate father Darwin dismisses it as a dog attack when it's clearly the same type of attack he has seen before. Darwin appears to be hiding something, but is it for the people's own good?

But then there's his nocturnal behaviour, involving drunkenness, brawling and prostitutes, and this all from a man that history shows us was a mild-mannered, thoughtful family man who couldn't even bring himself to publish his most famous book for twenty years for fear of the upset it would cause. But this is a work of fiction and, like Abe Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (and Doctor Who for that matter), there's a current spate of works that are lifting real life historical figures and spinning fantastical tales around them. And that's exactly what we've got here.

It is, unquestionably, stretching credulity, but is done well enough to keep you involved in the story and wanting to see how it pans out. Runberg also writes the rather wonderful Orbital series, and he's not afraid to do something a little different with his writing which is certainly no bad thing.

I'm intrigued as to where exactly they can take this next now that the revelation at the end of the book has been made, so I'll certainly be keeping my eyes peeled for book 3.

And if you liked that: Get yourself a copy of Orbital if you've not already done so.

Darwin's Diaries Vol. 2 (Book)

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Author: Sylvain Runberg

Publisher: CINEBOOK

Published: 2012-01-05

Number of pages: 56

ISBN: 1849181101

Price: £6.99

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Information accurate as of May 17, 2012, 12:06 pm

Jean Giraud

nospam@example.com (Ron McGeary) — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 12:13:15 +0000

It is with sadness that we post news of the death of Jean Henri Gaston Giraud who passed away at the weekend after a long illness, aged 74.

Giraud was a French comics artist, working in the tradition of bandes dessinées (drawn strips), and earned worldwide fame, predominantly under the pseudonym Mbius. Esteemed by Federico Fellini, Stan Lee, and French politicians Jack Lang and François Mitterand, among others, he was one of the few francophone comic strip artists to receive international acclaim.

Among his most famous works is the Western comic series Blueberry which he co-created with writer Jean-Michel Charlier, one of the first Western anti-heroes to appear in comics. He also created a wide range of science fiction and fantasy comics. Under the guise of Moebius, Giraud contributed storyboards and concept designs to numerous science fiction and fantasy films, including Alien, Willow, Tron (1982), and The Fifth Element.

Comic Stamps

nospam@example.com (Ron McGeary) — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 09:42:54 +0000

Royal Mail is launching a series of comics stamps to celebrate 75 years of the rich heritage of British comics, showcasing the comics that many of us grew up reading, with an image of the front cover and a head shot of a famous character from within its pages.

All ten First Class Comics Stamps are being offered in a colourful presentation pack which includes a fabulous miniature reproduction of 12 pages from the first edition of The Dandy in 1937. Featured comics are The Dandy, The Beano, The Eagle, The Topper, Tiger, Bunty, Buster, Valiant, Twinkle, and 2000AD.

The stamps, which are not released until 20th March, range in price from £4.60 to £5.95. For more info, click here.

Heath Robinson at Pinner

nospam@example.com (Ron McGeary) — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 11:32:52 +0000

.Once again this Spring, the Chris Beetles Gallery brings the artwork of William Heath Robinson to the heart of Pinner, showcasing the continuity of two Golden Ages of Illustration.

The exhibition at West House, set in Pinner Memorial Park, will display works by William and his brother Charles, as well as those by Quentin Blake, Nick Butterworth, Emma Chichester Clark, Paul Cox, Michael Foreman, Amanda Hall, Oliver Jeffers, Helen Oxenbury and Jane Pinkney. Like the Robinsons before them, contemporary illustrators continue to interpret the classics, work with new authors and develop their own unique characterisations, and highlights of the exhibition include illustrations to The Orchard Book of Hans Christian Andersen'’s Fairy Tales (Emma Chichester Clark), The Fantastic World of Terry Jones (Michael Foreman) and Aesop'’s Fables (Amanda Hall).

For more information visit www.westhousepinner.com. A percentage of all book and picture sales will go to The West House & Heath Robinson Museum Trust charity

The Cartoonists' Club

The Queens Counsel Official Lawyers Handbook

Sendak

Spooks: 1. The Fall of Babylon

Hewison, McClachlan and Williams

Royal Mail Censors World War Cartoons

Graphics Art Fair

David Shrigley

Quentin Blake

H.M.Bateman Retrospective

WWI - Life On The Front Line

Film-to-Cartoon software

Darwin's Diaries: 2 - Death Of A Beast

Jean Giraud

Comic Stamps

Heath Robinson at Pinner

The Queens Counsel Official Lawyers Handbook