Original pages from the “Lives of the Great Occultists“, written by Kevin Jackson and drawn by Hunt Emerson are to be exhibited at the Atlantis Bookshop in London, the world’s most famous occult bookshop.
As Peter Duncan previously related here on downthetubes, Hunt has been a leading figure in UK comics since the 1970s, starting in the world of underground comics and creating characters like Calculus Cat, a fitting tribute to George Herriman’s classic Krazy Kat newspaper strip; and the wildly inventive Hot Jazz stories that somehow managed to capture the spirit of the Jazz music around which they are based.
He’s also produced adaptations of great works of literature, adding his unique style and humour to versions of Dante’s Inferno, Lady Chatterley’s Lover, and The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, bringing new life and audiences to these classics.
But it is Fortean Times, the magazine of the strange and uncanny, which has been Hunt’s longest-standing gig. He started contributing to the title in 1974, creating the headings for the magazine’s regular columns and providing covers, as opposed to strips. The “Phenomenomix” strip has been running monthly since 1979 and, back in 2020, Knockabout published Lives of the Great Occultists, a collection from that strip.
The exhibition of related art opens on Friday 25th November and runs for a month. If you’re in London and anywhere near the British Museum, do drop in and take a look. The Atlantis Bookshop, which celebrated its 100th birthday earlier this year, is just round the corner!
• Lives of the Great Occultists – art by Hunt Emerson Monday to Saturday 11.00am to 6.00pm, Friday 25th November to 24th December 2022, | The Atlantis Bookshop, 49a Museum Street, Bloomsbury, London WC1A 1LY | Web: theatlantisbookshop.com | Facebook | Twitter
• Lives Of The Great Occultists is available from Hunt Emerson’s “Large Cow” site here | It’s also available from all good bookshops, and AmazonUK here, except you don’t get a free demon*
• Read Peter Duncan’s review of Lives of the Great Occultists
• Read Rory Milne’s interview with Hunt and Kevin about this project
• Hunt Emerson is online at largecow.com
* Still a lie. Sorry.
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.
Categories: British Comics, British Comics - Collections, Comic Art, Comics, downthetubes Comics News, downthetubes News, Events, Exhibitions
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