John W Henry: The Cartoon Strip

The second cartoon strip about Liverpool owner, John W Henry I've drawn for the Liverpool FC fanzine, Red All Over The Land.

An Architecture Cartoon

The Monday Pun

New Shoes

You might have noticed that I’ve joined Instagram. It seemed like a sensible thing to do, plus I finally have a good reason to embrace this powerful form of voodoo. You might already know about my love for all things Samsung, especially the people in Samsung who decide which bloggers get a 10.1 inch (2014 edition) tablet to review. (Though my cunning scheme doesn't appear to be working...) Well, today I started to pack a Samsung S2 phone. Yes, big news!

The S2 came my way because my sister has now upgraded to something more powerful. Her contract had come to an end and she had a spare phone. I’m just happy to have something running Android. I rooted it yesterday and finally broke O2’s mind-lock so I could use my old Vodafone sim card. Turned it on and all manner of spectacular things began to happen. I’d spent a quid for a day’s Pay as you Go mobile data before I even knew how to switch it over to Wi-Fi. The camera excites me but I’ll try to think of interesting things to do with it, possibly involving nudity in public places...

Such positive vibes are unusual but this cool weather has revitalised me. My work always suffers during the summer when the heat slows down my higher brain functions. I need the cooler weather of autumn and early spring. Winter too can also be productive but I have to remember to hit myself with plenty of artificial sunlight or risk running my brain into a black wall. But for the moment, I have enough endorphins and the weather is cool so I can wear my favourite item of clothing: a thick Peter Storm long sleeve sweater bought from Millets.

I attribute the reappearance of my sweater with yesterday’s productivity. I’ve drawn a few cartoons for the blog but my main effort has been the four page short story I’m attempting to illustrate and write. I’ve been stuck on the fourth page for weeks. Until yesterday I couldn’t think of a way to join the middle to the end. Now I’ve done that so it’s just a matter of putting in a few more hours with my Kuru Toga Roulette (the best pencil ever made and which makes drawing a pleasure) and then the inking begins.It can get pretty tedious but I find that I can get through four pages in the time it takes me to watch two entire series of Curb Your Enthusiasm.

I’m also getting together a collection of my best cartoons to send to various outlets. My intention is to keep plugging away, though I’m beginning to worry about posting too much of my work here. Does that constitute publication? I worry that it does, meaning everything I’ve ever posted here is already lost, hence my posting one of my less polished cartoons today.

 

A Classical Cartoon

The Descent of Man

A Serious and Meaningful Cartoon About the Real Dangers of Solvent Abuse

A Buddhist Cartoon

A Quick Wine Cartoon

I’m slowly doing all the pencil work on a four page graphic short story so this doodle is all I've managed today. The more I look at it, the more I think it’s a lousy gag. I shouldn't really post it but I don’t have anything better. The weather has also changed. The heat and humidity has turned to warm rain and my brain has fallen into a resulting torpor. It doesn't help that web traffic has also dried up. Perhaps it’s because the schools are back. Perhaps it’s because it’s Friday and the entire population of Western civilization are trying to catch up with all the work they should have been doing for the past four days. I only hope numbers pick up when China and Japan wake in a few hours. Not only do we need them to kick start out economies, I need them to kick start my brain.

Coming To Cinemas Soon...

One of those last-thing-at-night cartoons based on yesterday's blog post.

The Library Cartoon

Your Philosophical Questions Answered

New Cordless Technology

Classic Fables

A Nice Cheerful Cartoon About Art Meant To Make You All Laugh...

The John W. Henry Cartoon

In honour of Liverpool's first win of the season, here's the first of my John W. Henry comic strips I've drawn for the LFC fanzine, Red All Over The Land.

A Cheerful Cartoon For A Thursday Afternoon

Just a quickly doodled cartoon while I get to work on two comic strips...

The Wednesday Doodle

It's A Sparks Show: Episode 8

Here’s a very hastily doodled adventure of Ron and Russell Mael, or at least, my imaginary versions of them. And yes, you might say that I’m still peeved that they’re coming to the UK but not playing a venue within 200 miles of where I live. I’m having very little luck at the moment. The job hunt is soul destroying, I’ve now run out of Bristol Board, and like the Ralph Steadman exhibition and Baconface’s stand-up before them, Sparks have chosen to ignore the north west of England. It’s also quite surprising. After their last Manchester gig, I thought they’d definitely return, especially given that their live Two Hands One Mouth album ends with the rousing Manchester finale. That they’re playing three nights in London was also a surprise and adds to the sense of grim futility that pervades everything at the moment. Needless to say, I won't get to see the perform this year.

But enough glum talk… This cartoon strip is thanks to Virginia, who told me that Sparks fans have been enjoying these highly unauthorised shows. I hope they have. I’m currently spending my days with the album The Seduction of Ingmar Bergman looping as I work, so no doubt there’ll be another Sparks strip at some point, perhaps in Swedish just for you, but then again, perhaps not.

The Neil Gaiman Cartoon