From TBM Guest Blogger, Andy Fanton…

—

After filling in forms 17b, 49a, 119g(i) and 119g(ii), I’ve been granted a one-day pass to the monsters’ cave to come and share some monster-related comic news with you all!

Britain’s oldest comic, The Dandy, is now over seventy years old, and  has decided to do what any celebrity septuagenarian would do at this point in their life – undergo a spot of cosmetic surgery.

At the end of October, the comic revealed to the world its shiny new look, replete with glossier paper, a Harry Hill endorsed comic strip, and a slew of new characters by new cartooning hopefuls – including myself! Hoorah!

Yes, for reasons best known to themselves, The Dandy people have been running my first, proper, published comics work with my strip entitled ‘George vs Dragon’.

Like the legend of Ye Olde Times, George vs Dragon features the titular knight  in pursuit of a terrifying, hideous dragon. Unlike the legend of Ye Old Times, however, in my strip the dragon is neither terrifying nor hideous, but a rather innocent and fun-loving monster. And also, George never, EVER successfully slays the dragon in my version, instead usually winding up in a great deal of pain himself. I liken it to a medieval Tom and Jerry cartoon, with all the silliness and slapstick that would entail.

It’s been a really exciting time since this all came about, and non-stop, like a whirling Wurlitzer of wonder! Getting commissioned by the Dandy’s editor; spending time coming up with ways of injuring a knight in increasingly ridiculous ways AND being paid for it; the buzz of seeing the strip there, in print, in one of the very comics I used to read as a lad…all so crazy, and yet utterly brilliant fun with it.

Further to all that, I found myself recently up in front of over one hundred kids, giving them a ‘Monster Drawing Workshop’ in Chester, which was fabulous. It was great to see all the gruesome creations they came up with – including a half-rabbit, half-jelly creature (a ‘Jabbit’) and a monster made out of electricity which fired missiles from the spikes on its back! A terrifying menagerie indeed (the monsters, not the kids – they were ace!)

So I’ve had a whale of a time working for the comic, and it seems the other contributors are as well, of which there are many super-talented individuals, like Lew Stringer and Jamie Smart. I think (and hope!) it shows in the final product – indeed, it seems to be hitting the funny-bones of many children up and down the country, which is good!

Hopefully it’ll be a roaring success (ha! Roaring! Geddit? Like a dragon? Oh, forget it) and will lead to a resurgence in the British comics market, which I’ve been sad to see dwindle over the years. Comics are great – they’re like books, but with fewer words and more pictures. And they often come with FREE SWEETS. What’s not to love?

Of course, rather selfishly, I’d like to see the comic continue on and on, as I’d like to keep on working for it! I already have a second, secret strip in the works – I shan’t say much, BUT it will appeal to Trapped By Monsters readers, as it has a spooky, supernatural theme! Woooooooooo!

So, always keep a Dandy handy – in newsagents every Wednesday, for only £1.50!

Now, how do I get out of here, exactly? What? I have to fill in ten trillion more forms? Oh, my. This is going to take a while…

Trackback URL