The fifth annual Herne Bay Cartoon Festival has announced that Martin Rowson – “the UK’s most controversial cartoonist” – is now coming to the event next month to meet Britain’s most unexpected MP. There are also several great cartoon exhibitions in connection with the Festival in the town over the next two months.
The Herne Bay Cartoon Festival offers live cartooning on the pier, and much more, on Sunday 6th Aug 2017.
Rosie Duffield will be hosting/ compéring Rowson on Rowson at the King’s Hall, Herne Bay on Saturday 5th August 2017.
A comedy writer and satirist herself, Rosie overturned a 10,000 majority to become the first non-Conservative Member of Parliament for Canterbury and Whitstable since 1885.
According to stand-up comedians like Mark Thomas and Phil Jupitus, Martin Rowson is “an inky Ninja” and “the best cartoonist working in Britain today”; while Tory Grandee (and frequent victim), Lord Baker hails him as: “a brilliant cartoonist who is just as funny in person as he is on paper”.
Martin and Rosie will be appearing together at 3.00pm on Saturday 5th August at The King’s Hall, Beacon Hill, Herne Bay, CT6 6BA. Admission is free, but tickets can be reserved here.
An exhibition of Martin’s work is being hosted at Beach Creative in Hearne Bay from 25th July until 13th August, joining several other cartoon-related exhibitions in the town.
These are this year’s “The End of the Pier Show“, with the theme “Fake News”; “Cartoonists all at Sea” at the resort’s Seaside Museum, open now until 10th September; “Mona Lisa Not Happy” at the New Street Gallery (4th August – 2nd September); and “The Shoal of Fish for Eaten Fish” in the Rossetti Room at Beach Creative (25th July – 13th August), the latter in aid of refugee cartoonist #EatenFish.
Earlier this year, illustrators rallied behind an Iranian cartoonist known as Eaten Fish, who has been living in Australia’s mandatory offshore detention centre on Manus Island since 2013. The 25-year-old has been a victim of Australia’s policy of detaining all asylum seekers who arrive by boat for processing and the Professional Cartoonists Organisation and Cartoonists Rights Network International called on illustrators worldwide to post cartoons on Twitter using the hashtag #AddAFish, inspired by his work.
Eaten Fish had his refugee claim rejected by Australia in December, despite suffering from mental illness. According to a website updated under his name, he has made claims of assault and sexual harassment suffered while in the camp. He has been on hunger strike since January.
• For all you need to know about the annual Herne Bay Cartoon Festival find it on Facebook or follow the Festival on Twitter @hbcartoonfest
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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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