The art of the late John Cooper – artist, gentleman and a man able to create action, cinematic style and thrills with just a pen and a brush – is to be celebrated as part of the upcoming Bridlington Comic Con on Sunday 4th September 2022.
The event will showcase an intimate display of John’s art, brought together by the family and friends of John, and lovingly curated by his wife, Lesley. The display will present copies of 2000AD, alongside sketches, artwork and photos from John’s own archives.
“For those who craved thrills, action and excitement in comics, one of the greatest exponents was artist, John Cooper,” notes event organiser Andrew Hempel.
John Cooper, who passed in 2015, was the first artist to commissioned to draw Judge Dredd (the strip held back from publication until Prog 19, over concerns about the levels of violence). He also worked on a number of other 2000AD and Battle Picture Weekly strips, on the early “Striker” newspaper strip for The Sun, as well as bringing a wide rang of TV favourites to life from Thunderbirds and Doctor Who, to Worzel Gumidge and Biker Mice from Mars.
John’s family will be present at the exhibit and will be happy to talk about his life and work.
• Bridlington Comic Con 2022 takes place on Sunday 4th September at Bridlington Spa 11.00 am – 4.00 pm | Tickets available here | Under 5s Free, Child (5 – 15 years) – £5, Adult – £8.
• Follow Bridlington Comic Con on Instagram | Facebook | Trader information
• Want to be a volunteer at the event? Find out how here
• Read the downthetubes tribute to John Cooper here
- About the Author
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John is the founder of downthetubes, launched in 1998. He is a comics and magazine editor, writer, and Press Officer for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He also runs Crucible Comic Press.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine and Overkill for Marvel UK, Babylon 5 Magazine, Star Trek Magazine, and its successor, Star Trek Explorer, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics; and has edited several comic collections and graphic novels, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”, and Hancock: The Lad Himself, by Stephen Walsh and Keith Page.
He’s the writer of comics such as 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: 2000AD, Comic Art, Comic Creator Spotlight, Comics, downthetubes News, Events, Exhibitions
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