Akira + The Simpsons. Not an obvious combination but someone has had the idea to crowd source redrawing over 2000 pages of Akira with Simpsons characters and renaming it ‘Bartkira’. There is a tumblr full or images here and the full thing will be going online ‘soon’ apparently at www.bartkira.com.
Sadly on Sunday it was two years since MCA passed away and there was a weekend long celebration in Brooklyn to remember the man and the music he made with the Beasties. With another, happier, anniversary also approaching – 25 years since the release of ‘Paul’s Boutique’ – there is a fair bit of Beastie-related activity on the horizon.
Above and below you can see a comic created by Derek Langille illustrating the song ‘Sabotage’ – this was done nearly two years ago now and takes a similar old school comic style to Ed Piskor‘s excellent on-going ‘Hip Hop Family Tree‘.
A couple of fans in Italy (SM&A Prod.) are preparing a ‘visual companion’ to the album, to debut online on July 25th (see new trailer above) and Filter magazine are running a special on it in an upcoming issue.
The 3-Way Mix should be getting a feature somewhere in that issue and I was interviewed recently for an updated version of Dan LeRoy‘s 33 1/3 book about the making of the album.
Also over the weekend the deconstructed mix of the album that I made with DJ Cheeba and DJ Moneyshot finally hit 100,000 plays on Soundcloud – this is a big milestone for us so thanks to all for listening.
Check out this original Kevin O’Neill painting from the cover of the ‘Twisted Times’ collection – short Future Shock stories by Alan Moore from his old 2000ad days. This is on sale now from Artdroids if you have the hefty £6k that Rufus wants for it and underneath is the original book cover it was used for. “if I was a rich man, la la la la la etc”…
As with last year’s Free Comic Book Day I’ve put together another collection of record sleeves that use artists from or reference comics in some way. Above is a Boo-Yaa Tribe 12″ which I THINK is drawn by Bob Camp who also did the Bambaataa ‘Renegades of Funk’ and Newcleus sleeves from the previous post. The only credit is ‘designed by Island Art’ on the back and the German 12″ says ‘illustration: Marvel Comics’ (!) This version features two remixes by Coldcut incidentally.
A classic back and front sleeve by (*update!) Dave Little for Bomb The Bass‘ first LP – the connection started when BTB adapted Dave Gibbons‘ Watchman smiley face with blood splat on their first 12″ cover for ‘Beat Dis’ – thus helping bring the smiley into the then current Acid House craze as its motif. Dave Little – as Steve Cook helpfully pointed out below in the comments – was Rhythm King‘s in-house designer, responsible for S’Express, Renegade Soundwave and more.
Next up – the master – Moebius, drawing Hendrix, as he would do several times in his career but this is the only album cover I know of. This is a ‘twofer’, two albums in one package for the French market on the Barclay label with a gorgeous gatefold. I love the way Hendrix is on the back instead of the front.
More Moebius, I’ve posted this before but it’s so good I’m going to do it again.
Staying with the French artists here’s Philippe Druillet with another Hendrix gatefold and another similar record that I can’t identify the artist on – both released on Barclay. Anyone know the second artist? Update: several people have pointed the finger at Richard Corben on this one and I can see the similarity for sure plus it would fit in with the series of artists featured in Metal Hurlant at the time.
This is the back cover of an Impulse Jazz compilation with a weird contraption by lesser-known Underground Comix artist Dave Sheridan (RIP) – odd to see this on a jazz record but then again Robert Crumb was no stranger to the genre.
Last but not least we have Jim Fitzpatrick who did many sleeves for Thin Lizzy in the 70’s through to the early 80’s. Not really a comic artist as such, more in the Celtic Fantasy range as an illustrator but you can see the comic book influence in his style with the psychedelic lettering on the early releases looking like Robert Williams‘ work or even Hawkwind-era Barney Bubbles.
Love this die-cut cover showing through the inside sleeve.
This Greatest Hits release was advertised with a comic strip-like page in an issue of Sounds, riffing off a cowboy theme. 
Not quite sure if this is Jim Fitzpatrick as the line work is a bit spikier and Steve Cook again pointed out that it could be Martin Asbury – probably best known for drawing Garth and the style certainly looks similar.
The Electric Hoax Pt.18 by Pete Milligan and Brendan McCarthy. This strip appeared in the weekly UK music paper, Sounds, in 24 parts sometime between mid ’78 and ’79. Click image for larger version
Seeing as it’s Free Comic Book Day tomorrow I’ll be posting a little more than usual about related events over the coming week. Another exhibition that just opened is this celebration of 20 Years of Hellboy by artists both professional and amateur.
It’s on at the Hero Complex Gallery in LA from today and you can see more examples of art here plus everything goes up for sale tomorrow .
This just opened in London at the British Library, I’m going Monday, can’t wait!
Featuring such iconic names as Neil Gaiman (Sandman), Alan Moore (Watchmen, V for Vendetta), Grant Morrison (Batman: Arkham Asylum) and Posy Simmonds (Tamara Drewe), this exhibition traces the British comics tradition back through classic 1970s titles including 2000AD, Action and Misty to 19th-century illustrated reports of Jack the Ripper and beyond.
“Can’t recommend British Library’s Comics Unmasked exhibition enough! Unexpected & rare exhibits, wonderfully presented.” – Dave Gibbons (Watchman and many more)
Parental guidance is advised for visitors under 16 years of age due to the explicit nature of some of the exhibits on display, the exhibition runs until August. For more info and updated content visit the Library’s Comics Unmasked page.
The Electric Hoax Pt.17 by Pete Milligan and Brendan McCarthy. This strip appeared in the weekly UK music paper, Sounds, in 24 parts sometime between mid ’78 and ’79. Click image for larger version (just realised I didn’t put this up over the weekend – really not sure why the heroine’s clothes have suddenly fallen off)
Canadian Marco D’Alfonso drew this Akira / Kirby ‘What If?’ mash up cover for The Line Is Drawn blog. I’d buy that in a minute.
Love this, see how he did it on his blog here.
The Electric Hoax Pt.16 by Pete Milligan and Brendan McCarthy. This strip appeared in the weekly UK music paper, Sounds, in 24 parts sometime between mid ’78 and ’79. Click image for larger version
The Electric Hoax Pt.15 by Pete Milligan and Brendan McCarthy. This strip appeared in the weekly UK music paper, Sounds, in 24 parts sometime between mid ’78 and ’79. Click image for larger version
I’ll be breaking out the vinyl for this one! Fumetto is the most important comic festival in Switzerland and I’ll be playing the final party this Saturday.
The Electric Hoax Pt.14 by Pete Milligan and Brendan McCarthy. This strip appeared in the weekly UK music paper, Sounds, in 24 parts sometime between mid ’78 and ’79. Click image for larger version
There’s a Kickstarter that just, er… started for a new Tank Girl book. Maybe this is nothing special because Alan Martin has been churning them out with an revolving door of artists for a few years now.
This time though, Jamie Hewlett is back on board, = and no, this is not an April Fool. Firstly for a cover (two actually) but also for his first strip for nearly 20 years. Add to this a line up of Philip Bond, Jim Mahfood, Jonathan Edwards and more and you get what could be the ultimate Xmas present come it’s projected Nov 2014 release date.
This is only if they reach their goal of £57,000 in the next 29 days though. They’re off to a strong start with over £16k pledged already after less than a day but there’s a long way to go. You can check their progress and even pledge yourself HERE – the basic hard back book package is a very reasonable £23 + postage and there are all sorts of other extras and incentives to be had as add-ons too.
A few artists are conspicuous by their absence – Rufus Dayglo for one who helped (ahem) kick start TG back into the public eye all those years back as well as Ashley Wood and Mike McMahon. Check Hewlett’s Kickstarter-only cover below with a huge blue-veiner of a space ship.
*UPDATE* – Funded in 48 hours!
The Electric Hoax Pt.13 by Pete Milligan and Brendan McCarthy. This strip appeared in the weekly UK music paper, Sounds, in 24 parts sometime between mid ’78 and ’79. Click image for larger version
The Electric Hoax Pt.12 by Pete Milligan and Brendan McCarthy. This strip appeared in the weekly UK music paper, Sounds, in 24 parts sometime between mid ’78 and ’79. Click image for larger version.
Dark Horse Presents is currently running Brendan’s new creation, ‘The Deleted’ which is up to chapter 3. The latest Judge Dredd Megazine issue 346 has a huge interview with Pete Milligan about his writing career.
Here are two new Jamie Hewlett images made especially for the British Library which will be running a comics history exhibit from May 2nd.
“Comics Unmasked: Art and Anarchy in the UK, runs from May 2nd to August 19th 2014. Comics Unmasked traces the history of the British comic book and explores how comics and graphic novels have uncompromisingly addressed such subjects as violence, sexuality and drugs, breaking social boundaries with the innovative form that marries literature and visual art.
The exhibition highlights the trend set internationally by British comic creators, whereby comics are used to subvert and challenge stereotypes. It features original artwork and video montage of Jamie Hewlett’s most celebrated creations, Tank Girl and Gorillaz, alongside other exciting examples of original British comic art.”
More info from Paul Gravett who helped curate the exhibition.
Exactly what is says in the header – staggering work of course and including some of Kirby’s collage work too – view them all here.
The Electric Hoax Pt.11 by Pete Milligan and Brendan McCarthy. This strip appeared in the weekly UK music paper, Sounds, in 24 parts sometime between mid ’78 and ’79. Click image for larger version