Hyde arts hub, Pop, to auction original cartoons by Tony Husband

By John Freeman on November 27, 2023

Cartoons drawn by the late Private Eye cartoonist Tony Husband are to be auctioned off to help Pop, a community arts hub in the town where he lived.

Pop, a multi-generational arts and creative space, in Hyde, Greater Manchester, was set up in Hyde in 2017, to provide a home for original music.

Blackpool-born Tony who was a patron of the project, died from a heart attack, aged 73, last month.

Nineteen canvasses by Tony, previously part of an exhibition of Mr Husband’s work in Oldham, have been donated by his family to Pop.

The auction has yet to be finalised, but details would be posted on Pop’s website.

“Tony was a patron of Pop from day one and this donation means the world to us,” Pop’s Jackie Francis told BBC North West.

Born in 1950, Mr Husband was behind one of Britain’s longest running comic strips, “The Yobs”, in Private Eye, and co-created Oink! comic.

His funeral was held in Ashton-under-Lyne last Tuesday.

“My dad was passionate about popular culture, about Hyde and about the vulnerable,” his son, Paul, told the BBC.

“Pop does it’s very best for all those.”

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.