Ally Sloper - Walter Bell

I'm just recording for posterity the existence of this page of Ally Sloper art from issue #2 of Denis Gifford's 1976 Ally Sloper comic. 

It was sold for £66 by ace ebay seller phil-comics (here) on 11th May 2025

Ally Sloper, 1976 Alan Class revival

Two interesting Ally Sloper revival items are up for sale this week from the personal collection of comics publisher Alan Class.

First up is this lost - a publicity poster for the 1976 Ally Sloper comic that Alan Class published and Denis Gifford edited

Next up is this lot - a comics 'jam piece' from the launch party with lots of artists drawing their own versions of Ally Sloper. Artists who contributed include Hunt Emerson, Walter Bell, Alan Vince, Terry Wakefield, Keith J Luck, Tony Glynn, Keith Page, Ann Spano, Pany Clifford, Ewan Masters, Ed McHenry, Denis Gifford & Kevin O'Neill

Just to give you a sense of scale here's a scan from Ally Sloper #2 (October 1976) showing the piece being signed - it's huge!

Lawless 2022 - images (1)

For anyone missing Lawless 2022 here's my selection of images from the (great) weekend...

Ally Sloper sketch by Lew Stringer

Anastasia sketch by Graham Bleathman

The rear cover of the convention programme featuring organiser Su Haddrell (wearing the hat)

signatures!

Left hand page from the top down are...Dan Cornwell, Tom Eglington, Steve Austin, David Roach, Mike Dorey, Lee Carter, Alan Hebden, Kek-W, Dave Kendall, John Higgins, Boo Cook, Colin Maxwell

Right hand page from the top down are...Clint Langley, Simon Davies, Glenn Fabry, Brian Bolland, Lew Stringer, Ian Richardson, John Wagner, Steve MacManus, Graham Bleathman

The back page (left) and front page (right) of Graham Bleathman's A5 booklet of original art - lovely for a fiver!

Print by David Roach (1)

Print by David Roach (2)

art by Dave Broughton

Raymond Briggs does Father Christmas

To celebrate the news that Raymond Briggs has been made a CBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours list (not to mention the other news this week that 2 of his books are in the Top 15 of a list of 20th century children’s books which are still being read today, in a new poll commissioned by the CILIP Carnegie & Kate Greenaway Medals), I thought I should fish out the few bits of Raymond Briggs material I have...

The above 'strip' is taken from issue 3 of Ally Sloper magazine (December 1976) - cover below 

From a talk (by Raymond Briggs & Posy Simmonds) that I went to

Leo Baxendale interviewed!

From the pages of Ally Sloper #3 (December 1976)...

comes this interview and exclusive artwork...

This is the same piece but with just the text, in case it's too hard to read the panel above...

Ally Sloper #2

Also from Ally Sloper #2 here's a cavalcade (is that the right collective term) of cartoonists at the Ally Sloper launch party; some still with us, some dearly departed. Anyway, a nostalgic moment.

Ally Sloper #2 - Kev O'Neill & Harry Bishop

From the pages of Ally Sloper magazine #2 (October 1976) comes this early piece of Kev O'Neill artwork...

and here's the issue to Ally Sloper #2 - cover by renowned western artist Harry Bishop

Ally Sloper #4

From the pages of Ally Sloper magazine #4 (January 1977) artwork by two of the American great - Al Williamson and Jack Kirby - both with their take on Ally himself