UK publisher Markosia has just released its latest graphic novel, Here There Be Monsters, written and illustrated by one of America’s longest-serving cartoonists, Neil Grahame, who turned 90 earlier this year.
Was the terrifying Flatwoods Monster an alien creature whose spaceship crashed on a rugged mountaintop in West Virginia? Or, as the experts decided, merely a meteorite streaking across the night sky?
Was the Mothman a benign apparition sent to warn of the impending collapse of the Silver Bridge or was it an arcane flying creature, as the frightened citizens who reported hundreds of sightings to the authorities described it.?
Both creatures disappeared as mysteriously as they appeared, never to be seen again… Are they gone forever…or do they still lurk in the forested depths of North America’s oldest mountain range?
Born in 1934, The Daily Cartoonist notes Canadian Neil Graham headed south to Florida from Toronto in the early 1960s, working on several newspapers before becoming the chief photographer for the Naples Daily News by 1969. (Photography, both professionally and for personal pleasure, would be a lifelong pursuit). He was also freelancing as an editorial cartoonist for The Marco Island Eagle at the same time, continuing to contribute cartoons to that paper into the 1980s.
Neil moved on to the Fort Myers News Press in 1972, where he was hired as staff cartoonist and illustrator, soon becoming the paper’s graphic art director, signing aboard to (Cocoa/Florida) Today as editorial art director by the end of the decade.
Although he went freelance for a while, he was drawn back into regular work for Gannett in the early 1980s, on titles including the Clarion Ledger and Jackson Daily News, working as a Sunday cartoonist, illustrator and editorial art director, which is when he began drawing comic strips. His “Grahame’s Gallery” sports panel ran on Wednesdays from August 1984 to August 1985 and “Oglethorpe & Co.”, a Sunday comic strip (in daily format), created with Clarion-Ledger business editor H. M. McCall ran until September 1986, Neil left then again going freelance.
In addition to his editorial cartoons for The Marco Island Eagle, Neil then began contributing multi- and single-page comics to CARtoons magazine through the 1980s, leading to him pencilling comic books, including The Real Ghostbusters, New Kids on the Block and Read My Lips! – The Unofficial Biography of George Bush, written by Matt Tolbert, released by Malibu in 1992, artist Mark Braun also listed as a contributor.
He returned to newspaper work at the turn of the century, becoming the graphics director and editorial cartoonist for The Times Record and Roane County (WV) Reporter until 2012 , when he semi-retired. Neil’s cartoons there saw him earn spots in various Best Cartoons of the Year volumes (2007, 2009, 2012). He continues to contribute editorial cartoons for Spencer Newspapers.
Semi-retirement doesn’t appear to have slowed him down; he started drawing monthly comic strips for trade journals, such as “Rod McTackle” for Fishing Tackle Retailer, and “J. Magnum McGunn” for Shooting Sports Retailer. He also contributes a comic strip for Hildreth Supply, Inc. advertisements, and has now moved into creating graphic novels.
This latest phase in a long career began with a historical graphic novel, Nancy…The Life and Times of West Virginia’s Confederate Girl Guerrilla, published by the Hur Herald, a local digital newspaper, followed by Here There be Monsters, now collected by Markosia.
A third graphic novel, The Odd Job Men, also published by Markosia, will hopefully appear later this year.
Markosia was established in 2005 and has become one of the UK’s leading publishers of graphic novels. Based in London, we have gained a reputation for producing a diverse range of comic books and graphic novels that cover almost all genres.
• Here There Be Monsters is out now and available from the links on the Markosisa website – or buy it direct here from AmazonUK (Affiliate Link)
• Check out markosia.com for more information on Markosia and all their releases | BlueSky | Facebook | Instagram | Linkedin | X
• Daily Cartoonist: Neil Grahame, Our Newest Senior Stripper
The founder of downthetubes, which he established in 1998. John works as a comics and magazine editor, writer, and on promotional work for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He is currently editor of Star Trek Explorer, published by Titan – his third tour of duty on the title originally titled Star Trek Magazine.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Babylon 5 Magazine, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics. He has also edited several comic collections, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”.
He’s the writer of “Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies” for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs” with Dave Hailwood.
Categories: British Comics, British Comics - Collections, Comic Previews, Comics, Creating Comics, downthetubes Comics News, US Comics
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