Hard Case Cunningham! (Darryl Cunningham, that is…)

By John Freeman on January 16, 2013

Samsonite Cityscapes Suitcases – art by Darryl Cunningham

Comics have always been a source of imagery for use in other medium – but suitcases? That’s a new one on me.

Ace creator Darryl Cunningham (of Psychiatric Tales fame etc) was commissioned to create some eye-catching designs for a range of suitcases for major maker Samsonite, and here’s the result.

The case features a bird’s eye view of the Big Apple’s hustle and bustle as rendered by artist and street architect Darryl. The three-piece set contains one each of a 20 and 24 and 28″ spinner.

Definitely a colourful rendition of classic New York icons!

Speaking as someone who wants to make their suitcase stand out on airport carousels, definitely something to be considered.

• When we first posted this story in 2012 the luggage wasn’t available in the UK, but is is now – buy it from AmazonUK here (Affiliate Link)

• Check out Darryl Cunningham’s books on AmazonUK

• Darryl Cunningham is online at darryl-cunningham.blogspot.com

• Darryl has a Patreon where you can support his work. Why does he need a Patreon when he’s a published author, I hear you ask? Surely the internationally renown cartoonist Darryl Cunningham must be rolling in money?

Er…no. Far from it.

“I am published in a few countries, but I’m not a best seller,” Darryl explains. “My books sell a respectable amount – enough to make publishers happy, but not enough to generate a living for me. Because an author only gets a tiny amount from each book sold, you really have to sell in the tens of thousands, or even better, hundreds of thousands in order to make a living from cartooning alone, and I’m far from that.

“So this Patreon site will help me financially. If you like my work and would like to see me do more, then please consider being a patron. Access to the private backer blog. Extra posts where you will be able to see current work long before it’s published, plus tons of little seen or never seen artwork. Plus exclusive and incredible content that I haven’t thought of yet, but watch this space.”

About the Author
Latest Posts

John Freeman

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.