Charlie “Chas” Grigg was a cartoonist who drew Desperate Dan, Korky the Cat and many other characters for the DC Thomson’s comics – Dandy, Beano, Topper and Judy, from the 1960s to 1980s. Now a new book about his life and work has just been published – and his family are dedicating half the proceeds The Alzheimer’s Society and Dudley-based dementia support group, Me, Myself & I.
His much-admired work will also be celebrated at a special event at the Wolverhampton Literature Festival next year.
Books
New “Beano Booktopia” book subscription service launched
Beano has today launched Beano Booktopia – a new book subscription service for kids offering newly published books across a wide range of authors and genres. The tailor-made programme will include fiction and non-fiction books specifically chosen by Beano experts based… Read More ›
Charlie Adlard chooses LIFE over Walking Dead
LIFE is a new hardcover by Charlie Adlard, a collection of art from Charlie attending life art evenings at Hive Shrewsbury using various techniques
Katie Kirby’s “Hurrah for Gin” gets licensing deal
Licensing agency Riverside Brands has just added the popular online parenting series, Hurrah for Gin, to its portfolio, a comedic pastiche of modern day parenthood survival by Katie Kirby
Crowdfunding Spotlight: “Bods” by Greenspike hits target in just six hours
After the crowdfunding success of the illustrated guide to the hidden world of the trolls of Oxford, The Oxford Trollomicus, it’s great to see the first novel set in the same world, Bods, has smashed its target goal within six hours of launch
Sir Lenny Henry writes comics!
Just out in bookshops is Sir Lenny Henry’s memoir, Who Am I, Again?, which is not only a terrific read, but also includes comic vignettes of his life story, written by the comedian, drawn by Mark Buckingham and lettered by Todd Klein
Bag of Holding Fundraiser under way to support games publisher Battlefield Press after arson attack
Bundle of Holding, a company that presents time-limited collections of tabletop roleplaying games, or books by RPG designers, as DRM-free ebooks, is running an offer to help support award-winning games publisher Jonathan Thompson, the owner of Battlefield Press after an… Read More ›
Tricks of the Trade: Writing a Comics-inspired Novel, by Steve MacManus
Former Tharg, comics editor and writer Steve MacManus shares his experience of writing his first novel, The Sheerglam Conspiracy, a story set inside the world of 1970s British comics. 40,000 words long, it took 14 long months to write –… Read More ›
Steve MacManus parodies 1970s British comics in “The Sheerglam Conspiracy”
Former Tharg Steve MacManus is back on our reading list here in the downthetubes dungeon, this time with his first novel, The Sheerglam Conspiracy, a thoroughly scurrilous jab at the British comics industry in the 1970s. London, 1973. For 40… Read More ›
Dark Metropolis novel trilogy launched by comics retail veteran and publisher Howard Lee
Howard Lee, a Chicago-based champion of pop culture both British and American, founder of Tomatovision TV and Nexus Entertainment Group Publishing, has just self published the first in a trilogy of SF novels under the umbrella title “Dark Metropolis”. The first, Planetsong, is available now