Glenn Marshall writes:
The New Cartoonist has just published its tenth edition which is an achievement in itself with these difficult times in both digital and print publishing.
This issue could even be called a PCO Special as it features an interview with our Chair-meister Clive Goddard explaining the organisation, a look back at the Splats awards evening and even me talking about my involvement.
The New Cartoonist magazines are a great read about all aspects of the ‘industry’ and include regular contributor Mark ‘Chicane’ Winter who having initially written pieces on the three great S’s, Searle, Steadman & Scarfe, has kept the S theme running (Sempé please). There’s Rupert Besley’s musings after his long cartoon and illustration career and also the regular back page portraits by Kevin Wells – AKA Squiggle King – where he distorts the caricature art to the extreme….and then goes a little bit further. One of my personal favourites is the very funny horoscope page with Prophetical Mildred and of course there’s heaps of cartoons often giving first outings for young up-and-coming talent.
A few of Mark Winter’s ‘Someone beginning with S’ features.
Squiggle King caricatures including his Splats winning Trump.
Within the magazine TNC head honcho Pete Songi interviews numerous cartoonists and others so we thought we’d turn the tables and quiz him about the publication:
So Pete, what originally led you to launch The New Cartoonist? What’s the ethos?
I was a big fan of the broadsheet newspaper back in the early 90s and always liked the idea of bringing it back someday. There was no way I would be able to afford a print version but there was a way of creating a digital version with links and videos. Coupled with that was a desire to get more cartoonists published. I see many great gags online or cartoonists with amazing talent putting stuff out there on social media, cartoonists that can’t break through those barriers at established publications where there tends to be ‘group’ of cartoonist regulars that will be considered before your effort might get a look. I wanted TNC to be different. I wanted it to be more collaborative, a place where a hobbyist can proudly sit alongside a pro. I also knew there was a lot in the cartooning calendar across a year that could form a backdrop for articles and an interest in how cartoonists work which could work for interviews, and many books to review.
The first issue of The (old) Cartoonist broadsheet newspaper from 1993, with a great cover drawing by Chris Riddell.
Born To Draw is the ethos of TNC, as I believe this to be true across the board. Everyone draws as a young child, and it seems to be innate for human beings. It starts with a scribble, then the first thing all children in all cultures draw is a basic circle. Not all will continue putting pencil to paper; most give up when they become teenagers. But for those who do, many evolve into fine artists, painters or cartoonists. The latter seem to develop their skillset via similar routes – drawing their favourite characters repeatedly, then going on to create their own or to draw real people, and evolving into adult cartoonists with their own individual style. Some though have no outlet. These are the cartoonists that I want TNC to include – I want them to know that it’s for everyone, no matter their level of experience.
You’ve interviewed a lot of people, any overarching themes or generalisations about us cartoonists?
Well, I don’t want to be rude… but… Ahem
I’m fascinated how cartoonists work, but in some way I think I just wanted to be reassured that I’m not the only nutter out there. Having done ten studio visits now I can see we are all very much in to what we do. Processes differ from digital to ink, and mess is a guarantee no matter how hard cartoonists try and clear up beforehand. These zones are often like walking into to the minds of cartoonists, crossing the boundary from a normal carpeted hallway into areas with walls ablazed with creativity, wonky chairs, paint filled mugs, failed Wacom tablets and lots of paper. Every cartoonist is different but the madness which fills our minds is definitely on display.
A Songi Guardian Cartoon
Not only are you a wizard Graphic Designer & Editor you’re also a fine cartoonist, so any plans to interview yourself for the magazine?
Cheers Glenn. And yes I do actually draw.. tee hee. (In the Guardian now & then and a bit more regularly in The Mirror). But no, I’m afraid interviewing myself might be one of the greatest navel-gazing experiments of all time that nobody wants to see. I think if I appear on the cover it’s probably the last TNC, a goodbye from him so to speak. The magazine is all about promoting other cartoonists for me.
Pete with his ‘Services To Cartooning’ Splats award. Given not only for TNC but his curating of the Duke of Greenwich pub cartoon exhibitions (now sadly RIP) being presented by Jeremy Banx.
Any future plans for The New Cartoonist?
Well anybody that has done the merry-go round on ISSUU trying to purchase or subscribe will know it’s a very clunky platform. Despite being the industry leader in this format ISSUU have made my life very difficult since starting out on the TNC journey. I won’t bore you with all the details but we’ll be moving away from their services this year as price hikes and changes their end means it won’t be sustainable. However we will be relaunching the website, and we are working hard behind the scenes to make thenewcartoonist.co.uk a real hub with access to the magazine and much more. Announcements will be made on socials and I’ll give the PCO a heads up nearer the time.
You’ve already done me but what other cartooning greats, past or present, would you dream of interviewing as one of your cover Head Liners?
Well Don Martin from Mad Comic fame is a hero of mine, so spending any time in the mind of that genius would be great, and I would have to say with my political cartoonist hat on, exploring Gin Lane with William Hogarth would be amazing – or Mary Darly as a caricaturist. I’ve been lucky spending time with Dave Brown and Martin Rowson who are total legends of the political cartoonist game in my opinion, and there are others I would love to chat to, like Ella Baron, Ben Jennings, Morten Moreland etc. Also gag specialists like Nick Newman or Kipper Williams and the best strip cartoonist for me in Stephen Collins. Plenty of amazing talent out there so check your emails :)
A Don Martin Mad magazine strip
——————————————–
You can get hold of The New Cartoonist here
We celebrate The New Cartoonist reaching its tenth edition
Glenn Marshall writes:
The New Cartoonist has just published its tenth edition which is an achievement in itself with these difficult times in both digital and print publishing.
This issue could even be called a PCO Special as it features an interview with our Chair-meister Clive Goddard explaining the organisation, a look back at the Splats awards evening and even me talking about my involvement.
The New Cartoonist magazines are a great read about all aspects of the ‘industry’ and include regular contributor Mark ‘Chicane’ Winter who having initially written pieces on the three great S’s, Searle, Steadman & Scarfe, has kept the S theme running (Sempé please). There’s Rupert Besley’s musings after his long cartoon and illustration career and also the regular back page portraits by Kevin Wells – AKA Squiggle King – where he distorts the caricature art to the extreme….and then goes a little bit further. One of my personal favourites is the very funny horoscope page with Prophetical Mildred and of course there’s heaps of cartoons often giving first outings for young up-and-coming talent.
A few of Mark Winter’s ‘Someone beginning with S’ features.
Squiggle King caricatures including his Splats winning Trump.
Within the magazine TNC head honcho Pete Songi interviews numerous cartoonists and others so we thought we’d turn the tables and quiz him about the publication:
So Pete, what originally led you to launch The New Cartoonist? What’s the ethos?
I was a big fan of the broadsheet newspaper back in the early 90s and always liked the idea of bringing it back someday. There was no way I would be able to afford a print version but there was a way of creating a digital version with links and videos. Coupled with that was a desire to get more cartoonists published. I see many great gags online or cartoonists with amazing talent putting stuff out there on social media, cartoonists that can’t break through those barriers at established publications where there tends to be ‘group’ of cartoonist regulars that will be considered before your effort might get a look. I wanted TNC to be different. I wanted it to be more collaborative, a place where a hobbyist can proudly sit alongside a pro. I also knew there was a lot in the cartooning calendar across a year that could form a backdrop for articles and an interest in how cartoonists work which could work for interviews, and many books to review.
The first issue of The (old) Cartoonist broadsheet newspaper from 1993, with a great cover drawing by Chris Riddell.
Born To Draw is the ethos of TNC, as I believe this to be true across the board. Everyone draws as a young child, and it seems to be innate for human beings. It starts with a scribble, then the first thing all children in all cultures draw is a basic circle. Not all will continue putting pencil to paper; most give up when they become teenagers. But for those who do, many evolve into fine artists, painters or cartoonists. The latter seem to develop their skillset via similar routes – drawing their favourite characters repeatedly, then going on to create their own or to draw real people, and evolving into adult cartoonists with their own individual style. Some though have no outlet. These are the cartoonists that I want TNC to include – I want them to know that it’s for everyone, no matter their level of experience.
You’ve interviewed a lot of people, any overarching themes or generalisations about us cartoonists?
Well, I don’t want to be rude… but… Ahem
I’m fascinated how cartoonists work, but in some way I think I just wanted to be reassured that I’m not the only nutter out there. Having done ten studio visits now I can see we are all very much in to what we do. Processes differ from digital to ink, and mess is a guarantee no matter how hard cartoonists try and clear up beforehand. These zones are often like walking into to the minds of cartoonists, crossing the boundary from a normal carpeted hallway into areas with walls ablazed with creativity, wonky chairs, paint filled mugs, failed Wacom tablets and lots of paper. Every cartoonist is different but the madness which fills our minds is definitely on display.
A Songi Guardian Cartoon
Not only are you a wizard Graphic Designer & Editor you’re also a fine cartoonist, so any plans to interview yourself for the magazine?
Cheers Glenn. And yes I do actually draw.. tee hee. (In the Guardian now & then and a bit more regularly in The Mirror). But no, I’m afraid interviewing myself might be one of the greatest navel-gazing experiments of all time that nobody wants to see. I think if I appear on the cover it’s probably the last TNC, a goodbye from him so to speak. The magazine is all about promoting other cartoonists for me.
Pete with his ‘Services To Cartooning’ Splats award. Given not only for TNC but his curating of the Duke of Greenwich pub cartoon exhibitions (now sadly RIP) being presented by Jeremy Banx.
Any future plans for The New Cartoonist?
Well anybody that has done the merry-go round on ISSUU trying to purchase or subscribe will know it’s a very clunky platform. Despite being the industry leader in this format ISSUU have made my life very difficult since starting out on the TNC journey. I won’t bore you with all the details but we’ll be moving away from their services this year as price hikes and changes their end means it won’t be sustainable. However we will be relaunching the website, and we are working hard behind the scenes to make thenewcartoonist.co.uk a real hub with access to the magazine and much more. Announcements will be made on socials and I’ll give the PCO a heads up nearer the time.
You’ve already done me but what other cartooning greats, past or present, would you dream of interviewing as one of your cover Head Liners?
Well Don Martin from Mad Comic fame is a hero of mine, so spending any time in the mind of that genius would be great, and I would have to say with my political cartoonist hat on, exploring Gin Lane with William Hogarth would be amazing – or Mary Darly as a caricaturist. I’ve been lucky spending time with Dave Brown and Martin Rowson who are total legends of the political cartoonist game in my opinion, and there are others I would love to chat to, like Ella Baron, Ben Jennings, Morten Moreland etc. Also gag specialists like Nick Newman or Kipper Williams and the best strip cartoonist for me in Stephen Collins. Plenty of amazing talent out there so check your emails :)
A Don Martin Mad magazine strip
——————————————–
You can get hold of The New Cartoonist here
Tags
Latest Posts
Categories
Archives