UPDATED: The world of Tony Weare exhibition, 1990

I looked here at some letters that comics illustrator par excellence Tony Weare sent at the start of his working career. A search on ebay turned up a picture from his September 1990 exhibition (at the Newlyn art gallery in Penzance) entitled - "The world of Tony Weare".

I've now discovered a further piece of artwork from the exhibition (painting number 13 to be precise) - this time a 1990 watercolour, labelled as Tucking Mill baby show 1

This piece (originally painted in 1988) is entitled Open Air market II and it was for sale for £500. It's currently on sale on ebay (here) for just £330. This was painting number 2 in the exhibition.

The world of Tony Weare exhibition, 1990

I looked here at some letters that comics illustrator par excellence Tony Weare sent at the start of his working career. A search on ebay has also turned up this picture from his September 1990 exhibition (at the Newlyn art gallery in Penzance) entitled - "The world of Tony Weare"

This piece (originally painted in 1988) is entitled Open Air market II and it was for sale for £500. It's currently on sale on ebay (here) for just £330. This was painting number 2 in the exhibition.

Tony Weare writes

A recent ebay spot (here) of a couple of letters from Tony Weare (wikipedia entry is here), one of the greatest exponents of black & white comic artwork that this country has ever produced, are a glimpse of life as a jobbing artist in the post-war period. 

Beautifully illustrated here they are...

To the best of my ability the letter says...

Dear Pistol, thanks for your letter your news of being confirmed in a post is a trifle disconcerting, I had suspected that you might at some time might find yourself in a dungeon but the other possibility had escaped me.

I have nothing to report to you yet, although I suspect my new studio may turn out to be either at Baker Street or Holland Park. When I am definite about an address I will write and tell you.

At the moment i am at my mothers house busily learning by the hard method how to draw again.

My demob suit was too small so I sold it, my demob suit too large, so I sold that also - I advise you to do the same.

Give my love to everyone and watch out for yourself on those perilous latrine steps these dark nights

Tony

The 2nd letter is here...

My transcription of the letter is as follows...

My darling Pistol, 

I seem to have missed the boat rather badly because I was in London all last week (that is to say from Tuesday until Friday) and although I have not the foggiest idea of the date I suppose you were also there during that time. Was the hotel strike on?

I am coming to London for the day only on this coming Tuesday but I must catch an early train back (about 6:30) - providing that you get the letter on time perhaps you could meet me about one oclock by the Holborn underground, at the Kingsway entrance. I will attempt to be there from 12.45 to 1.15 but after that shall assume you are not coming. This seems perhaps our only chance of meeting for a bit because I have decided to live in Bournemouth for a bit because London is too expensive. I have had great luck with a series of drawings I have made, practically everyone in London who I have taken them to is interested in them, so much so that I have refused to sell them as a set. I will have these drawings with me on Tuesday if you would care to see them.

I suggest that if you will be wearing ______ clothes that you have a red rose in your buttonhole the selection of clothes sounds so delightfully exotic that I shall mistake you for a rainbow.

I hope you get this letter in time

Love to you

Tony

Comics 101 autographs

I've looked before at the work of Denis Gifford (here) and at his Comics 101 convention in particular (here) but I've recently acquired a copy of the convention booklet complete with a number of signatures...so without further ado I present them here

Archive Adventures - part 6

The final selection of Archive Adventures reprints here - thanks again to Steve Taylor - plenty of Tony Weare and Denis McLoughlin art is these issues

Archive Adventures un-numbered (The last of the Mohicans, part 2)

Archive Adventures un-numbered (Wingfoot, desert wild boy, part 1)

Archive Adventures un-numbered (Wingfoot, desert wild boy, part 2)

Archive Adventures un-numbered (Rookwood, part 1)

Archive Adventures un-numbered (Rookwood, part 2)

Archive Adventures - part 4

Steve Taylor's collection (in combination with mine) continues to provide details of the Archive Adventure reprints series, today issues 16-20 feature Tony Weare & CL Doughty art. Quality.

Archive Adventures issue 16

Archive Adventures issue 17

Archive Adventures issue 18

Archive Adventures issue 19

Archive Adventures issue 20

the newspaper strip gazette - part 2

Finishing off my look at the Newspaper strip gazette then...
Issue 4 (November 2010)
Contents include Jane index (1953-57), Buck Ryan index part 2 (1940-46), sample strips of The Seekers (by John M Burns & Les Lilley), Gun Law (by Harry Bishop), Axa (by Donne Avenell & Romero), and Patti

Issue 5 (January 2011)
Contents include 'collecting corner' (by, er, me!), Jane index (1957-59), Buck Ryan index (1946-52), profile of writer Don Freeman and sample strips of The Seekers (by John M Burns & Les Lilley), Gun Law (by Harry Bishop), Jeff Hawke (by Sydney Jordan), and Patti

Issue 6 - March 2011
Contents include 'collecting corner' (by, er, me!), Buck Ryan index (1952-57), profile of writer Norman Pett and sample strips of The Seekers (by John M Burns & Les Lilley), Gun Law (by Harry Bishop), Susi (by Norman Pett), and Patti

Assuming the same publication schedule then the series continued thus (but I don't have any copies of these)
Issue 7 - May 2011
Issue 8 - July 2011
Issue 9 - September 2011
Issue 10 - November 2011
Issue 11 - January 2012
Issue 12 - March 2012 

Issue 13 - May 2012
Contents include introductions to classic western strips Matt Marriott, Rick Martin, Gun Law and Cisco Kid, Matt Marriott index and sample strips of The Seekers (by John M Burns & Les Lilley), Matt Marriott (by Tony Weare) Gun Law (by Harry Bishop), Cisco Kid (by Jose Luis Salinas) and Rick Martin.

...sadly I've no idea if this was the last issue or if it ran and ran - can you help? Get in touch if you can

Comicon 76 brochure - with signature (part 2)

Second (and final) part of my look at the autographs in my Comicon 1976 brochure

This one looks like Tony Weare to me - the only reason I can think for signing this page is that it's about the only blank page in the booklet - the rest of the pages are jam packed with art!

Here's a young looking Dave Gibbons (and Powerman as well)

Comics fan extraordinaire Denis Gifford also made it into the pages of the convention handbook.