Alongside some great temporary exhibitions, comic art on show at London’s Cartoon Museum recently included a fantastic display looking at art in girls comics, a display which has proven very popular and will continue until the end of this year.
Art on display as part of a special “In Focus” exhibit included pages from (Princess) Tina, Girl and School Friend, such as art from “Jane Bond” by Mike Hubbard, from Princess Tina, a strip that is the focus of a new collection from Rebellion’s Treasury of British Comics imprint, The Best of Jane Bond, out next April. (More information here).
Only part of the display is still on display, including art from “Patty’s World”, the majority of the girls comics art replaced by a display of cartoons by Mary Darly, the first female pro cartoonist in Britain, and a New Yorker cartoonist – Sarah Akinterinwa – addressing the same issues in a modern way.
These images of the “In Focus” exhibit first featured on Richard Sheaf’s excellent Boys Adventure Comics blog, and are cross posted here with his kind permission.
These images of the exhibit should wet your appetite for David Roach’s forthcoming book, A Very British Affair, which will bring together some of the greatest British romance comics ever printed in one spectacular volume – many of them never reprinted before.
Scheduled for publication in January 2023 and curated by Eisner-nominated historian and artist David Roach, this sumptuous 224-page hardcover will be the first book to chart the stratospheric rise of romance comics in postwar Britain.
The Cartoon Museum is a London museum of British editorial cartoons, caricatures and comic strips from the 18th Century to the present. Please be aware they do not currently display animation. You can check their collection page to get an idea of what they have on display.
Current temporary exhibitions are Bryan Talbot’s Luther Arkwright: 50 years of a British comics legend, which runs until 2nd October 2022; and Sarah Akinterinwa & Mary Darly: A Dialogue, which runs until 13th November 2022.
• The Cartoon Museum, 63 Wells Street Fitzrovia, London, W1A 3AE | Mon: Closed Tue, Wed, Fri, Sat & Sun: 10:30am – 5:30pm
Thu: 10:30am – 8pm | Web www.cartoonmuseum.org | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube
• Pre-order A Very British Affair here from AmazonUK (Affiliate Link)
Curated by Eisner-nominated historian and artist David Roach, A Very British Affair charts the stratospheric rise of romance comics in postwar Britain with a selection of the greatest romance comics ever printed in the UK. Featuring an eclectic mix of artists from Spain, Italy, and the UK, this collection unearths the sensual art and emotional writing which delighted generations of comics readers.
Featuring over 50 comics stories – many of which have never been reprinted before – this lavish book is a stunning tribute to the often uncredited creators who crafted an industry of love. Roach shines a spotlight on the Spanish and Italian artists who dominated romance, as well as the genre’s forgotten female contributors, like Jenny Butterworth, Pat Tourett and Diane Gabbott.
Featuring art by comics icons like Shirley Bellwood (Misty), Jordi Badía Romero (Creepy) and Enrique Badía Romero (AXA), Mike Hubbard (Jane), Carlos Ezquerra (Judge Dredd), John M. Burns (Modesty Blaise), Purita Campos (Patty’s World), Jesus Blaco (Steel Claw), Pepe Gonzalez (Vampirella) Jesus Redondo (Kitty Pryde) and Blas Gallego (Black Beth).
• Pre-order The Best of Jane Bond here from AmazonUK (Affiliate Link)
It’s the Swingin’ Sixties, and there’s only one spy standing between crime and world domination – and her name is Jane Bond!
Jane Bond, Secret Agent, is the finest spy on Worldpol’s roster. Armed with her wits, her fists, and an array of futuristic tech, she is our last line of defense against a international criminal underworld. From fighting a school of super villainesses, to foiling plans to melt to Artic ice caps, to escaping the clutches of a giant mechanical lobster, there’s no shortage of dangerous missions Jane must undertake for Queen and Country!
This collection of campy espionage adventure from 1960s girls’ comic Princess Tina is lovingly restored to its full glory, and is lavishly illustrated throughout by Mike Hubbard, the artist of iconic Daily Mirror strip, Jane.
Also on downthetubes
• British Girls Comics: There Should Be A Book…
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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: Art and Illustration, British Comics, Comic Art, Comics, downthetubes Comics News, downthetubes News, Events, Exhibitions
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It’s not completely clear in the photograph as posted due to upload resolution, but the original image does include the credit box, to “Graeme Thomas’ for this page
Is this exhibition real? I went there today and was told I’d missed it – and couldn’t see any sign of the artwork shown here…?
We’ve checked with the Musuem and it’s still on – and, because of its popularity, will run until the end of the year