Panel Borders Catch Up: Historical Comics with Alice Loxton and Teresa Robertson

By John Freeman on August 26, 2023

Promotional image for Uproar! by Alice Loxton / cover of Brexit, Betrayal, Booze and Babies by Teresa Robertson, and excerpt from The Comical Eye’s British Monarchy by Robertson and Leo Schulz

A recent Panel Borders show titled Historical Comics looked at comics from and about history, as Alex Fitch talked to a pair of female creators about their work last month.

Alice Loxton discussed her book, Uproar! Satire, Scandal and Printmakers in Georgian London, which delves into the lives of early cartoon satirists – Thomas Rowlandson, Isaac Cruikshank and James Gillray – in an interview recorded at The Cartoon Museum.

Uproar! Satire, Scandal and Printmakers in Georgian London by Alice Loxton

UPROAR!: Satire, Scandal and Printmakers in Georgian London is a brilliant new history of Georgian Britain through the eyes of the artists who immortalised it. Set against a backdrop of royal madness, political intrigue, the birth of modern celebrity, French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars, UPROAR! follows the satirists as they lampoon those in power, from George III and Napoleon, to the Prince Regent and Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire.

Alice Loxton is a 27-year-old historian, writer and presenter. She is passionate about bringing history to mainstream audiences and has worked with History Hit, NBC, Channel 4, Call of Duty, LadBible, Minecraft, Xbox, BBC Bitesize, The National Trust and many other charities and organisations. She shares her love of history via her social media channels, where she has over a million followers.

Plus, in a Q and A recorded at Cartoon County, Teresa Robertson chats about her autobiographical comics, and illustrating the educational pamphlet The Comical Eye’s British Monarchy from Alfred the Great to Charles III, written by Leo Schulz, that relates the history of the royalty in Britain, published by SelfMadeHero.

Teresa Robertson is a freelance illustrator, based in Highbury, Islington, London.

Her story, ‘Dying’, was entered for the Observer/Cape/Comica graphic short story prize in 2014, became a finalist for the John Ruskin Prize 2015 and was sold at The Big Draw exhibition.

‘Tarquin’ was a finalist in the Observer/Cape Comica prize in 2015. These two stories, plus ‘Revenge’ and ‘New Boots’ are available as a 16 page book from Teresa’s Folksy shop.

She regularly illustrates piano music books for FJH publishers in the US, through the agency Arena, and more recently has been illustrating activity books for Bloomsbury through Frilly Fish publishing.

The Comical Eye’s British Monarchy from Alfred the Great to Charles III, written by Leo Schulz, illustrated by Teresa Robertson

The Comical Eye’s British Monarchy from Alfred the Great to Charles III, written by Leo Schulz, illustrated by Teresa Robertson (SelfMadeHero, 2023)

Which kings couldn’t speak English, or stammered when they could? Who were “Softsword” and “Sailor Bill”? Which king had 10 children with his mistress but none with his queen? Which kings were crowned twice? Which queen reigned for only nine days? Which king disappeared?

The Comical Eye’s British Monarchy is a comic strip with a difference, an alternative (and funnier) Bayeux Tapestry tracing every king and queen from Alfred the Great to Charles III – each of their vivid pen-and-ink-portraits encapsulating the personal quirks and dramatic social change of their reigns.

This single-sheet poster-sized booklet unfolds the politics, passions, and pageantry of the English and later British Royal Family, from 871 to 2023: the tyrants, eccentrics, warriors, and murderers, as well as the saints, scholars, patrons, and philosophers, whose joint story this is. Or, rather, their joined-up history, as the graphic artwork on the back illustrates, showing the complete Family Tree of the families and dynasties of our island story.

• Originally broadcast 5th July 2023 on Resonance 104.4 FM / DAB (London), listen to Panel Borders – Historical Comics here | For more formats to stream or download, please visit archive.org

• Teresa Robertson is online at teresa-robertson.co.uk

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.