15 Dec
2010

Posted in: Blog, Pictures, Words
By Fanton    6 Comments

The Knight Before Christmas

AND SO begins the special, festive TWO-PAGE George vs Dragon, which appears in the bumper SEVENTY-SIX page Dandy – on sale from TODAY, for the next two weeks! Ho-ho-ho-hooray!

Getting two pages in the BIGGEST EVER issue of The Dandy is quite the festive treat for me, even if the strip did prove a bit tricky to write. I foolishly opted to write the whole thing in verse (in a parody of ‘The Night Before Christmas‘) but failed to take into account how tricky that’d be! I had to first write a good, solid poem (with a story!) and then effectively illustrate the thing – it was almost like writing a condensed kids’ book in a dozen or so panels. Hopefully it works though, and I ho-ho-hope you enjoy it!

Speaking as just a big fan of comics, I have to say the entire Christmas issue of The Dandy has bowled me over somewhat. From the lovely wraparound cover, to the cut-out-and-keep decorations and The Dandy pantomime, the whole package looks excellent and super-Christmassy. Plus, of course, there is SNOW on the LOGO, which always delights me and heralds the Christmas season in my eyes.

SNOW! Snow on the logo! HOORAY!

Craig, Michelle and everyone at Dandy HQ should be very proud to have put out a truly excellent, properly SPECIAL Christmas special – it’s really very, very excellent indeed.

It’s a much stronger issue than the Christmas Beano, I’m sad to say, which weighed in at a mere 48 pages, of which only about over half were comics. What was there was great, though (and yes, there WAS snow on the logo) and I do like the Beano beanie hat that came with it…but compared to the Dandy’s effort, it just feels a little less special, somehow. Maybe I’m just biased, I don’t know.

Anyway, go and buy both, each will keep you (or your little ones) entertained thoroughly over the Christmas holiday! Promise! Find them in any good stockist for £3.99 apiece!

Talking of Christmas, as well as my double-page festive George vs Dragon, I’ve also knocked up a little Christmassy Carrotty Kid comic strip for you all to enjoy – just click on these words you’re reading right now to read it!

I don’t know, I’m like some sort of skinnier, less-bearded Santa, or something.

MERRY CHRISTMAS, all!

- Fanton.

9 Dec
2010

Posted in: Blog, Pictures
By Fanton    6 Comments

It’s That Time Again!…

YES, it’s Dandy day again, and you know what the means? MORE MEDIEVAL MADNESS!

In this week’s George vs Dragon (previewed above) the ever witless Wirlin the Wizard returns to once again mess up George’s plans. Poor George, what a tin-plated toerag he is.

Elsewhere, Phil Corbett’s excellent take on Korky the Cat finally gets a full page to itself, while Lord Sugar goes and fires Santa Claus! Plus all the usual hi-jinx and hilarity, for a mere £1.50!

Next week, The Dandy’s Christmas issue hits the stands, boasting a HUMONGOUS 76-pages, for £3.99 – including my very own TWO PAGE George vs Dragon festive special, so look out for THAT! It’ll be more stuffed with goodness than your Christmas Turkey, I’ll bet.

Elsewhere, I’ve done a little guest blog over at the Trapped by Monsters website, a wonderful place run by a group of excellent childrens’ authors, including Tommy Donbavand (writer of the spine-chilling Scream Street series of books), Joe Craig (the Jimmy Coates series) and Ali Sparkes (Shapeshifters, Monster Makers et al) and many other authors and artists besides. It was very kind to be offered a spot on their blog, and you can read me waffling on about comics and The Dandy by clicking right..about…HERE.

That’s all for now. I’m off to go and send my letter to Santa. I hope he’ll bring me that moon on a stick I wanted!

Laters!

- Fanton.

6 Dec
2010

Posted in: Blog, Pictures
By Fanton    12 Comments

Tom vs Dragon

WHEN IT comes to influences on my creative skills, there are three names that instantly spring to mind – Roald Dahl, Stan ‘The Man’ Lee, and Tom Paterson.

Everyone knows the first two, but I’ll wager there’s not many who recognise the third name on the list, yet you may well have seen his work if you read ANY British humour comics over the past thirty years or so, and he’s definitely the biggest artistic influence in my life, for sure.

Tom is one of the first artists whose work really stood out for me, catching my young eyes with his wonderfully deranged style, his panels crammed full of brilliant detail and so, so funny. I mean, not just chucklesome, but laugh out loud, gut-achingly hilarious.

Just look at this Calamity James page below, pulled from one of the hundreds upon hundreds of Beanos in my collection. Look at the grotesque detail whenever James is pummelled, the little signs everywhere and the ubiquitous smelly sock and Little Squelchy Thing which he’d work into nearly every strip. It’s all just so BRILLIANT.

Calamity James from 'The Beano' (c) DC Thomson & Co

From Sweeny Toddler in Whooppee!, to the brilliant covers for Buster comic, and his crowning glory (in my mind) the aforementioned Calamity James for The Beano, I was completely and utterly entranced by his work, and would pour over those pages for hours, copying my own wonky tributes to his characters in my sketchpad.

And so the wonky tributes continue, with my rough approximation of Tom’s style in my picture of George (from my Dandy strip George vs Dragon) at the top of this post. I’ll never be as good as ‘the master’, but I hope I haven’t disgraced myself too much. If I have, I expect an anvil to drop on me at any moment, or a runaway steam-roller to mow me down.

Tom is still working today, producing his wonderful pages in The Beano, including occasional work on the comic’s iconic Dennis the Menace. And he still continues to inspire me hugely, and influence me all the time (as evidenced maybe by my penchant for background gags in my own strips).

So, here’s to you Tom – thanks for unwittingly inspiring me to pick up a pencil, and long may you keep on working, and squelching!

- Fanton.

Peter Gray has an awesome collection of Tom Paterson’s work for you to admire, by just clicking here.