17 Nov
2010

Posted in: Blog, Pictures, Words
By Fanton    10 Comments

News Knight

A picture of me pretending I'm working, taken for The News.

THIS YEAR really does seem to be the ‘Year of Weird Things Happening To Me That I’d Have Never Expected’.

Not only do I wind up drawing comics for one of my favourite comics, The Dandy, and not only did I find myself showing a hundred-plus kids how to draw monsters, but today I can add ‘appearing in a double-page spread for the local newspaper’ to that growing list of oddities.

The local newspaper in question, The Portsmouth News, interviewed and photographed me for a really lovely two-page feature about myself and my work for The Dandy, which saw print today. It’s a really good piece, with the lovely reporter, Rachel Jones, covering everything from The Carrotty Kid to George vs Dragon, and even including a mention for my decidedly NON child-friendly character, Lord Likely. Quite an exhaustive interview, then, and one I enjoyed doing very much. Although sitting posing at my drawing board for photos was a little more than weird. No-one needs to see my face in print, surely?

How the interview looked in the paper. Note the odd, strained expression on my face.

For those of you not in the Portsmouth area, never fear – you can read the interview HERE, thanks to the wonders of the world-wide web! HUZZAH!

MEANWHILE, it being a Wednesday and all, it’s Dandy day again, meaning a new episode of George vs Dragon sees print as well! This week, George has a VERY CUNNING PLAN:

It can’t POSSIBLY go wrong, can it? Find out in The Dandy, out now, for only one pound and fifty pee!

TRIVIA: this week’s George vs Dragon is actually one of the first ever ones I submitted to The Dandy, but which I later had to amend by adding an extra panel for it to fit the comic’s size requirements. FASCINATING, huh?

While I’m busily drawing dragons for The Dandy and becoming an international superstar and heart-throb, I’ve not forgotten my other web-based ventures, no sireee!

The Carrotty Kid returns, in a series of strips by guest-artists hand-picked from the very best of the cartooning crop! The first is done by the excellent Rick Eades, and can be seen by clicking HERE.

A panel from Rick Eades' fantastic guest Carrotty Kid strip.

Elsewhere, Lord Likely is sporting a variety of moustaches for Movember, and has also made his journals available for download via the Kindle, for a very reasonable 99p a month. SO SUBSCRIBE NOW! Or a little later, if you like.

That’s the headlines, now you stay classy, PLANET EARTH.

- Fanton.

10 Nov
2010

Posted in: Blog
By Fanton    5 Comments

More Medieval Madness

IT’S Wednesday, and you all know what that means, yes? That’s right – The Apprentice is on BBC1 tonight!

Also, this week’s Dandy comic is out today, featuring a veritable smorgasbord of comic-strip delights, including an excellent Kid Cops by Lew Stringer, and a laugh-out-loud funny Desperate Dan by Jamie Smart. As well as all that, there’s the latest instalment of my very own series, George vs Dragon, in which George turns his attentions to damsel-saving, with HILARIOUS results (hopefully). If you enjoy it, be sure to let The Dandy folk know via their Facebook and Twitter accounts, as they like to know these things, so they do.

So! In summary: that’s The Dandy, out now, for a measly £1.50, in all good newsagents.

Oh, and The Apprentice, 9pm, BBC1. GO ALEX!

- Fanton.

3 Nov
2010

Posted in: Blog
By Fanton    4 Comments

It’s Dandy Day Again!

IT’S Wednesday, so it must be Dandy day again! HOORAY!

This week’s George vs Dragon features one of my own, personal favourite characters, Wirlin the Wizard (pictured above). He makes me laugh, but then I AM easily amused. And only yesterday I finished off another George comic featuring the inept magician, such is my love for him. Hooray!

Thanks again to EVERYONE who’s said nice things about the first comic, you’re very kind! I was dead chuffed to read this lovely review on the Forbidden Planet blog, which said many lovely things about my dragon-based daubings.

I do hope you’ll all keep picking up the comic, and enjoying it! I genuinely believe the Dandy folk have done an excellent job at bringing The Dandy bang up to date without any of that ‘Xtreme’ gubbins, and I think we should all support it and thus support British comics in general. When you think about it, licensed titles aside, The Dandy and The Beano (and Toxic! to a degree) are the only traditional kids’ comics we have here in the UK now, which is sad. Who knows, if The Dandy’s makeover proves a success, maybe – just MAYBE – we can slowly build up a strong comics industry again. I’d hate to see them all fade out, not only because I love them, but I think comics are ACE and kids of the future should be able to delight to them as well, as I did when I was a nipper. There’s no reason at all why they can’t continue to flourish alongside video games, movies, music and books as a valid form of entertainment for children. MORE COMICS, PLEASE!

Anyway, enough of my pleading. Just go to the shops, hand over £1.50 and revel in The Dandy’s return! HUZZAH!

Oh, and I’ve also updated The Carrotty Kid’s website, with a little bit of exclusive George artwork. Enjoy!

- Fanton.