The Great British Colouring Book

Clive with the colouring book hot off the press Clive Goddard writes: Back in July 2023 cartoons hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons. The immigration minister, Robert Jenrick, had ordered the removal of children’s cartoon murals from the walls of two migrant centres in Kent. The colourful, cuddly Disney characters were apparently sending out […]

Tony Husband – A Tribute in Cartoons

All at PCO were shocked and saddened to hear of the death of Tony Husband, one of the cartoon world’s all time greats. There have already been numerous fine tributes written about Tony – here’s a great memoriam by John Freeman on Down The Tubes comics-related blog. Another excellent testimonial with wonderful photos and video […]

‘Compositor E’ exhibition at Omnibus theatre

Jeremy Banx writes: “Fuck off, you loggerheaded fool-born gudgeon!” Just one of the more acerbic lines from ‘Compositor E’; a new play written by Charles Dupré; set just seven years after Shakespeare’s death, at the Omnibus Theatre, Clapham Common. It certainly had me chuckling during the course of a thought-provoking evening at the theatre.  Dupré […]

Bring Back The Birch

Drawing © Andrew Birch.  @marshallcartoon writes: Our esteemed membership secretary Andrew Birch has been exiled from Twitter after complaints from Tory Chair Greg Hands. Hands had posted a photo opportunity of himself eating a fish and chip supper. Andrew had replied that he ”hoped his supper didn’t go down well (or words to that effect, […]

Bill Tidy (1933-2023) – A Tribute

Drawing of ‘The Cloggies’  from Bill’s long running Private Eye strip. Rupert Besley writes: It’s funny what sticks in the memory. First kiss, first day at new school, first pint, first dive into a pool… To which I’d add, first sight of a Bill Tidy cartoon.  1965. We’d just moved house and my brother came […]

The PCO Cartoon Review of the Year 2022

Another year, another cartoon review featuring work from PCO members. As the world moves on from one disaster to another what more can you ask for than an emergency cartoon service attempting to defibrillate you at the start of the new year! Cartoon © Dean Patterson deAn set the tone for the year with this […]

The Shrewsbury International Cartoon Festival comes to an end

Big Boards in the town square 2006. Photo © Roger Penwill. Roger Penwill writes: The old maxim that all good things come to an end has become true for the Shrewsbury International Cartoon Festival. The sad and untimely loss of two key organisers just prior to the pandemic, Covid putting it’s oar in to disrupt planning […]

Herne Bay Cartoon Festival 2022 line up

Royston Robertson writes: The Herne Bay Cartoon Festival is under way and is promising the usual fun in the sun with plenty of laughs for its ninth event. Some of the walls at the Beach creative exhibition. This year’s theme is “Crossing the Line” and an exhibition with that title is now on at Beach […]

Underground Publication

Glenn Marshall writes: PCO member Simon Ellinas has recently published a book charting his epic task of drawing a person of note to represent every station on the London Underground. This amounts to 272 caricatures! The project started after Simon was looking for a new challenge, having spent the previous year filling a 2019 desk […]