The latest issue of The Jester, the monthly magazine of The Cartoonists’ Club of Great Britain, available to members, sees the results of a challenge to members to come up with cartoons about moles.
Members cartoons, including the cover by Steve Dean, are complemented nicely by an article by Mark Warby on moles in British strip cartoons, animals that have featured prominently ever since the mouse “Teddy Tail” made his debut in the Daily Mail, back in 1915. Some have achieved huge popularity, others are less well-known.
From among the latter category, Mark’s article in the June 2025 issue of The Jester celebrates the “forgotten” moles who have appeared regularly in a multitude of cartoon strips, including “Rupert the Bear” in the Daily Express and “Pip, Squeak and Wilfred” in the Daily Mirror, and features in British newspapers over the last 100 years or so. Just like Mark’s previous article on the newspaper strip, “Jane”, it’s a fascinating item for newspaper strip fans.
Members are also treated to an item by Vilnis Vesma on submitting cartoons to US newspapers and magazines; and more tips on using Affinity software to create art, presumably something the CCGB must be considering collecting up as a useful guide at some point.
The new issue comes ahead of the “The Shaftesbury Fringe Cartoon Exhibition“, the next CCGB Exhibition of cartoons, which is part of the Shaftesbury Fringe from 18th – 20th July, which will be in the Town Hall of the beautiful hilltop town of Shaftesbury, Dorset. Shaftesbury Fringe is an open access performing arts festival that takes place every summer, a a celebration of all things creative, which means anyone with a story to tell can put on a Fringe event. Check out shaftesburyfringe.co.uk for details of all the various Fringe shenanigans.
The Cartoonists’ Club of Great Britain is open to new members, offering not only The Jester magazine but regular online hook ups to discuss matters comic (and potential job opportunities, such as an appeal from the British Army’s 77 Brigade for new cartoonists for their work conducting “psychological operations”; and real world gatherings are offered, too, including, as noted above, exhibitions of members work. Several new designers and illustrators have joined lately.
• Web: www.thecartoonistsclub.com | Twitter: @CartoonistsGB | Facebook | Instagram
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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.
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