What would be the ideal book on comics?

[babington]

There are a few books out there for comic collectors and fans such as title indexes and general introductions to "British Comics", histories of British comics, artist biographies, and lots of well-illustrated introductions to the genre. But is there a book missing? What would be the most interesting book on comics you would like to read? Or has everything been done already?

[colcool007]

We are not even close to having everything done yet. A perfect example of that, for me, at the weekend, was finding that pile of Look and Learns and opening a random issue from 1974 where the artist was not Don Lawrence. I knew that Don stopped around 1976 during to pay rate issues, but to find an issue in 1974 that he did not illustrate was a bit of a surprise. Also finding a glorious Frank Bellamy Lawrence of Arabia picture just goes to show how much more needs to be catalogued.

For me, the ideal book would be a cross between Alan Clark's Dictionary of British Comic Book Artists, Writers and Editors and Denis Gifford's Encyclopedia of character with the synopsis history as can be found in Kashgar and Phoenix's This Was The Wizard for each publisher. Admittedly it would be a monster of a book for each publisher, but it would be worth it to own such a tome.

[ISPYSHHHGUY]

Probably an in-depth look at the lives of the most prominent artists especially: even today with the web, not really all that much is known about a lot of the top artists [especially from the older days before the internet ] and how they lived and worked.

A lot of them are still pretty obscure in the grand scheme of things, at least in comparison to most other creative fields [musicians/actors/ etc] .


Much more is known about Disney animators, for example: there are lots of clear pictures of them in animation history books...........however in the equally skilled UK comic-strip field,* artists as prominent as Dudley Watkins or Ken Reid only seem to exist [in public] within a relatively small selection of photos......their lifestyles are pretty sketchy too in terms of historical reference.


* I personally rate Watkins and Reid on par with Disney animators.

[colcool007]

Some of them would not welcome that sort of level of interest. In my forays into researching some of the artists, I know that some of the families would not welcome that level of intrusion into their lives, while others would not mind.

Ian Kennedy is still bemused at the love that he gets at all the shows. While other artists are unable to attend events and do not know how much they are admired even now.

I would add Ian Kennedy and Carlos Ezquerra to that list.

[ISPYSHHHGUY]

I am not asking for their political beliefs or the songs they liked to sing in the bathroom, [although even these would be of some interest!] Col: but they were human beings after all, and their basic stories are of interest as such.

Artists today who wish to be known can easily attain this through the internet, but I reckon a lot of the older days artists are really overlooked and deserve wider recognition than they are getting.

If they wanted to remain obscure in the first place, they could have chosen a field that had nothing to do with the public interest........however I am convinced the vast majority of artists enjoy some recognition and appreciation in what they have worked upon: it is quite an achievement, after all.


The story of the guy who supplied the tins of peaches for my local shop in the late 60s does not especially interest me: but the story behind artist who drew Big Fat Boko for the Topper in the exact same period does.


I don't know why this is so----it just is.

[Lew Stringer]

If they wanted to remain obscure in the first place, they could have chosen a field that had nothing to do with the public interest........however I am convinced the vast majority of artists enjoy some recognition and appreciation in what they have worked upon: it is quite an achievement, after all.

Not necessarily. Remember that even when UK publishers decided that artists were allowed to sign their work, many still chose not to. Some people are very private and / or see comics as just a job that they don't want any fuss making over. I'd like to think most would appreciate recognition of some sort but you never know.

[ISPYSHHHGUY]

OK; those who wish to remain obscure can do so; oblivion can still be theirs for the taking if they so wish. Kinda negates the purpose of wanting to be an artist, though, surely?


This still leaves lots of them who signed their work if they could: Watkins/ Baxendale/ Reid/ Nixon/ Geering / Harrison.....and also a lot of the less prominent ones.

[babington]

I think a biography of Leo Baxendale would be my own first choice for a book, as he has clearly been tremendously influential not just in comics but on British culture more generally, yet with minimal recognition. Brian Bolland is currently creating an autobiography in comic form, so maybe other artists's life stories could be told that way too.

[koollectablz]

Baxendale already did A Very Funny Business, so he's kinda already covered.

I like Bolland doing an illustrated thing though, that does sound very cool.

[standby4action]

Also finding a glorious Frank Bellamy Lawrence of Arabia picture just goes to show how much more needs to be catalogued.

Hey Colcool007, I hope you're following my blog so you see new Bellamy artwork when it turns up, which it did recently and the website catalogues all his work I have seen...and I'm getting braver at sharing images....oh, and I'm up to c.35,000 words of his biography...in between work, life and a grandkid!

[colcool007]

Also finding a glorious Frank Bellamy Lawrence of Arabia picture just goes to show how much more needs to be catalogued.

Hey Colcool007, I hope you're following my blog so you see new Bellamy artwork when it turns up, which it did recently and the website catalogues all his work I have seen...and I'm getting braver at sharing images....oh, and I'm up to c.35,000 words of his biography...in between work, life and a grandkid!

Standby, I didn't realise that was your blog! It's brilliant and certainly a credit to you. I certainly used it when I did my review of the Comics Unstripped exhibition.

I am too much of a comics butterfly ever to create something like that. My best bet is to create bits so that everyone can dip in and find something to suit them. Plus I love comics too much to ignore any of them!

I do recommend you consider contacting the charity shop if you have the pennies to buy that collection of Look and Learn. I think you may find it a goldmine of uncatalogued Frank Bellamy pieces. PM me or ping me an email and we can chat more.

[standby4action]

Standby, I didn't realise that was your blog! It's brilliant and certainly a credit to you. I certainly used it when I did my review of the Comics Unstripped exhibition.

Thank you very much. I always wonder how Lew and Steve Holland and John Freeman and Kid Robson do so many!

I do recommend you consider contacting the charity shop if you have the pennies to buy that collection of Look and Learn. I think you may find it a goldmine of uncatalogued Frank Bellamy pieces. PM me or ping me an email and we can chat more.

I have all his L&L work thanks after researching extensively. in the God Bless 'Em British Library. One day I'll reveal to you the bits you wouldn't know were Bellamy until I show you proof!! Thanks again for the compliments, Norman

[colcool007]

Norman, I think that as they are all multi-subject blogs, so for them it is quite easy to find their next target. I struggle at times as I do not always have something in my back pocket for my next post. I think that my only back pocket subject is my reference series!

But I do my best to keep my blog as positive as I can so I keep looking for subjects that allow me to keep it positive and to do something that is informative.

[Lew Stringer]

Standby, I didn't realise that was your blog! It's brilliant and certainly a credit to you. I certainly used it when I did my review of the Comics Unstripped exhibition.

Thank you very much. I always wonder how Lew and Steve Holland and John Freeman and Kid Robson do so many!

Speaking for my own blog, there's a lot going on in British comics so I'm never short of news or titles to review. Even then, I don't have time to review everything (and I still have a pile of books and comics I've promised to plug). I like to focus mainly on old material though because it's in danger of being forgotten outside of a small circle of UK comic fans. It all takes time of course. All of the pages on my blog are scanned from my own collection, not nicked from other blogs or pirate DVDs as some use, so that takes time, as well as writing about them. Admittedly I don't put in the sort of research that Steve Holland does. My blog's more about the visuals and a basic history of the comics.

[comixminx]

Of course everyone replying to this will have their own thoughts on what is the big gap book-wise. Mel Gibson's book on girls comics filled a gap for me but I'd like much more Something like Roger Perry's articles on Down the Tubes, on how the offices and editorial decisions worked behind the scenes. And something about artists!

I'm looking forward to David Roach's book on Spanish artists too.