Caricatures Ireland

Fústar’s recent ruminations over some of the dodgier corners of the Eagle’s letters page reminded me that I had a drawing printed in said comic (of Comrade Bronski), which was such big news for Eighties-era Greencastle it made the local notes in the Derry Journal. Being the incredible curator of cultural waste that he is, Fústar only went off and found my drawing in the issue in question!
Monday 20th June, 1987 (No. 274). I got 3 Sterling Pounds. I was twelve years old. My massive collection of Eagles is no longer with us unfortunately – my parents for some reason moved them out of the house into a damp shed when I left for college, and that shed is no longer with us either.
Thanks again Fústar.

Tags: childhood, comics, comrade bronski, eagle, nostalgia by Allan
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Belated Happy Birthday to Joe and the Forbidden Planet Blog, 4 years old this week. It’s a great site with honest reviews and reinvigorated my interest in comics. I’m now regularly dipping into stuff I’d have been unaware of if it wasn’t for the FP blog.

Tags: comics, happy birthday by Allan
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I just saw the new hardcover edition of Watchmen on Forbidden Planet and commented that I didn’t think much of the artwork: the expression on Sally’s Laurie’s face, nippleless Jon, assymetrical Rorschach and Veidt with a mullet. Then I looked again and noticed something:

WHERE’S THE COMEDIAN’S SMILEY BADGE???

It’s only the most important motif of the book!
Was this artwork a rush job? It is apparently a new cover by Gibbons, but I wonder if he did the pencils and then passed it on for inking. How could Gibbons forget the smiley?

Tags: Alan Moore, comics, dave gibbons, forbidden planet, watchmen by Allan
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I went to town as Dr. Manhattan last night. Only one person actually said, “oh, there’s Dr. Manhattan”. I thought loads of people would have got it at this stage with the movie coming out next year. One girl on the street said “oh, wait, you’re that guy from the Watch thingy”. Other guesses were The Mask, Stargate(!) and The Grinch (I don’t even know where to start with that one).
I was going to go naked and paint myself from top to toe in blue, but the excessive shaving needed put me off so I decided I’d wear the suit in the end. I ended up sitting beside the only Smurfette in Neachtains too. Oh the blue irony. I saw 3 Jesuses (is that the plural of Jesus?) and a very attractive glass of Guinness, but no other Watchmen.

I’d have loved to get contacts to go with it. Maybe next year. Although maybe next year I’ll be Rorchach.

Tags: Halloween, comics, craic, watchmen by Allan
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I somehow missed this interview with Alan Moore on Radio 1 from the 3 July. Oh yes, it’s because I don’t listen to it. Eoin Sweeney did a good job considering who he was talking to, by which I mean the man’s reputation would make jelly of most knees, but as you’ll hear he comes across as a very affable person. I can’t wait for The Moon and Serpent Bumper Book of Magic.

Tags: Alan Moore, comics, interviews by Allan
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