Three comic creators – Shane Melisse, Claire Mead and Dave Gibbons – form the lineup for a superhero-skewed panel at the next Cartoon Museum Late event in London on Thursday, 17th October 2024, to mark the impending end of the long running Heroes exhibition.
Tickets, available here, include access to the exhibition HEROES: The British invasion of American comics, which closes on Saturday 19th October, which explores how British artists and writers invaded America and made their mark on iconic superheroes and more.
At Cartoon Museum Late: Heroes, enjoy a ‘super’ late night at London’s only dedicated comics and cartoons hotspot, and watch a panel discussion with Shane Melisse, Claire Mead and Dave Gibbons. (Unfortunately, Alison Sampson is no longer able to attend).
Dave Gibbons is one of our most prolific creators with Watchmen, Kingsman: The Secret Service and Dan Dare under his belt. His new book, Confabulation: An Anecdotal Autobiography will be on sale on the night, with a special discount for attendees.
Shane Melisse is a comic artist based in north London who has been self publishing comics for a decade. For the past three years, he’s been creating a series of illustrations called Road Knight, using traditional fantasy aesthetics to highlight, rather than escape London life. By combining street wear and armour, they’ve created a dark and gritty vibe with a touch of humour.
Claire Mead is a writer, illustrator, and the author of the webcomic, Girls’ School of Knighthood. Claire’s research as a freelance educator and curator focuses on arms and armour and military history via a queer and feminist lens which includes exploring art historical and wider cultural representations of warrior women. She shares her research on the topic via the podcast, Bustles & Broadswords, exploring women with swords throughout history and culture, as well as the YouTube channel Joust Gal Pals, looking at unexpected intersections between arms and armour, gender and women’s history. She also uses her illustration work to re-portray queer and trans historical figures informed by her research.
On the night, be sure to tour the exhibition with Captain Civilian! Find out how he became a superhero and view never-before-seen photographs and film. (Cosplayers welcome!)
Plus, as well as the usual paid bar, those of drinking age will be able to sample the fantastic Bird & Blend cocktails for free! Flavours include Vampires Blood (matcha, tequila, strawberries, lemonade) and Cherry Cola Bottles (fruit tea, vodka, cherries, lemonade), mocktails – and hot teas for those eschewing alcohol.
• The Cartoon Museum Late: Heroes 6.00 – 10.00pm Thursday, 17th October 2024 | Get your tickets here
• HEROES: The British invasion of American comics closes on Saturday, 19th October 2024 | More information here
Comic books are American as apple pie and Uncle Sam… aren’t they? Visit The Cartoon Museum this Spring to discover how British artists and writers invaded America and made their mark on iconic superheroes and more!
“HEROES: The British invasion of American comics” tells the story of early American comics such as Buster Brown, Miss Fury and Superman, how they influenced British artists and culture, and how the British took that influence and sold it back to America through comics such as Watchmen and V For Vendetta.
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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.
Categories: British Comics, Comics, Creating Comics, downthetubes Comics News, downthetubes News, Events, Exhibitions, US Comics
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