Democracy needs cartoonists

PCOer Steve Bell writes in today’s Guardian newspaper about an usual opportunity for the more unseen cartoonist which he has cooked up with his colleague Martin Rowson. We are both constantly badgered by young cartoonists waiting for us to die (as indeed Martin himself once urged me to), as well as editors complaining about how […]

Cartoonist John Callahan dies

Quadriplegic cartoonist John Callahan has died, aged 59. Best known for his cartoons satirising attitudes to disability, Callahan was himself paralysed in a car accident in his early twenties. He also wrote books, notably his autobiography Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far On Foot (now out of print), its title taken from the cartoon above, and music, […]

Cartoonists take on Nick Clegg

Former national newspaper editor, Peter Preston asked four of the UK’s top political cartoonists how they draw Nick Clegg, the new Deputy Prime Minister and leader of the Liberal Democrats in a recent article. Preston asked Peter Brookes from The Times: Clegg is very much the junior partner while Cameron has that air of entitlement about him. […]

Diana Willis 1927-2010

Diana Willis, a founder member of the organisation which set up the UK Cartoon Museum has died, aged 83. John Jensen writes: Diana was a daughter of the great cartoonist, H.M.Bateman and although not an artist she, through her father’s work, acquired a love and respect for cartooning. During the 1980s worked with Mel Calman, […]

The DFC could make a comeback

The DFC, the short-lived children’s comic which was launched in 2008 (much covered here on the Bloghorn) could be set for a return. The publisher David Fickling has indicated that the comic could return in 2011, while acknowledging that its subscription-only format was probably a mistake. The comics blog downthetubes.net has the story.

Opinion: The Patron of the Arts

Bill Stott writes: Mr Charles Saatchi has given the Nation a large lump of his contemporary art collection, and a gallery to keep it in. Can’t say fairer than that. Sometimes, when we’re told that “the Nation” has stumped up daft money to keep Ravioli’s Temptation of St Botolph from disappearing into a foreign millionaire’s […]

Cartoonists in the Dragons' Den

We’ve seen elephants in London recently, and this weekend sees dragons taking to the streets of Newport. Cartoonists from the PCO are involved once again. Sixty SuperDragons, as they are known, will make their debut in the South Wales city on Sunday (July 18). Cartoonists Tim Harries, above left, and Gerard Whyman, right, have spent […]

End of an Era in Louviers

Cartoon festivals pop up here and there around the globe. Some last for decades, others flourish and die swiftly. They come in many shapes and sizes but all share a common denominator: the enthusiasm of the participants to show their art to the world and the passer-by … and to have a good time doing […]

Forbidden Planet to sell small press comics

UK comic retail chain Forbidden Planet has announced the start of sale for small press comics and self-published works in three stores around the country. The first outlets, Nostalgia & Comics in Birmingham, World’s Apart in Liverpool and Forbidden Planet in Manchester, are to have special racks to house works by independent comic makers from the UK […]