Sunday 19 April 2015

An Original Jamie Hewlett Sketch Of Tank Girl, And A Bit Of UK Comics History...





In 1988, a bunch of UK comics creators, financed by money from the Astor family, launched Deadline onto an unsuspecting world. Best remembered these days as the birthplace of Tank Girl, it mixed comics with interviews and features in a way that many have tried to imitate (Titan's Clint being a recent example) but few have equalled. Deadline lasted until 1995, by which time, as the magazine's Wikipedia entry points out:

"the crossing over of the alternative scene into the mainstream (around the time of Britpop, a movement it had helped to champion) saw the magazine eventually fold at the end of 1995."

And yes, the utter failure of the Tank Girl movie didn't help, either.

Back in 1988 though, the creative crew did several signings to promote the first issue, which presumably is where this copy was adorned with the various signatures and sketches on its back cover. The boot was printed, everything else was added...



Nothing less than an original Tank Girl sketch by Jamie Hewlett. Considering a page of TG art recently sold on eBay for over a grand, this has to add somewhat to the mag's original £1.50 price tag...

A characteristic sketch from Steve Dillon, who always seems to work pints of the good stuff into comics he draws (see Hellblazer and Preacher for ample proof).

A 'logo' and sketch presumably by Nick Abadzis, whose excellent Hugo Tate strip featured in the first issue.

Signatures of the late, lamented Brett Ewins, and Michael Bonner.

The first bit looks like it could be 'Julie', which would make it Julie Hollings, writer/artist of the strip Beryl the Bitch. Not sure what the second bit is.

No doubts here though. 

This one has stumped everyone I've asked, including some leading lights of the UK comics industry. Peter Milligan, possibly?

Unlike the magazine above, the following isn't for sale from the Little Shop (sadly!): this thread on singletrackworld.com features another product of a signing session from the time, a jacket belonging to one 'CountZero', which ain't ever going to see the inside of a Dry Cleaners...






1 comment:

  1. wee hat man sketch by the a bomb is not Abadzis. is I believe possibly by Ed Bagwell, also dear departed. I was in it from Si Spencer era onwards, and even got the very last cover slot! ILYA

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