The Spider by Reg Bunn © TimeUK

Sadly, working from his studio in isolation for 20 years had a toll on Reg. He developed depression and he died from complications after spending nearly a year in Rubery Hill Mental Hospital, Birmingham) in 1971.

Here’s an extract:

Reginald “Reg” Bunn was a fantastic British comic artist best known for being the co-creator next to Ted Cowan of the anti-hero The Spider. His popularity seems to have grown over the years, but very little is known about his life. Although by no means comprehensive, this blog post brings together the bits and pieces of information scattered around the net and in some ‘old fashioned’ books to give a biography of one of the most prolific British artists.

We know that Reg Bunn was born in King’s Norton, Birmingham, in 1905. Apparently, Reg did not come from a well-to-do family and led an impoverished life. He was married, although his wife’s name does not appear written anywhere. In 1944 he was involved in a serious car accident that left him paralysed from the neck down. The doctors told him that he would never walk again. Nevertheless, after developing some movement in his index finger, Reg taught himself to walk once more although his back continued to give him problems for the rest of his life. For this reason, Reg had to take a sedentary job.

During the following years he had three children: Ian (1944-2013), Julia (1950), and Trevor (1955). Information regarding his formal training as an artist is missing, but it seems that after the accident he turned to his artwork, which he produced from a studio set in his own home…

• Read the full article: Artist Highlights: Reg Bunn – Comic Creators Project UK

John Freeman

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.

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Tags: Comic Creators Project UK, Reg Bunn, Ted Cowan, The Spider, WebFinds