Heroes! The British invasion of American comics - part 7

Recently (ish!) finished at the Cartoon Museum (here) was their exhibition 'Heroes! The British invasion of American comics'. 

For anyone who couldn't make it here's part 7 of my look at what you missed...

Part 1 was here

Part 2 was here

Part 3 was here

Part 4 was here

Part 5 was here

Part 6 was here

Birmingham comic art show - Watchmen

I've looked before at many of the brochures that were produced over the years to accompany various comics conventions (check out all the reference to "convention" here on the blog)

What I didn't realise until very recently was how interesting this particular programme was in relation to the history of Watchmen. I'll let ace ebay seller Ewan Brownlow (check out his shop here) explain...

BIRMINGHAM COMIC ART SHOW UK no.3

Original vintage 28pg convention booklet, May 1986

Super-rare - print run <200

Featuring unpublished elsewhere art & features

Dave Gibbons "Watchmen: Doctor Manhattan, Black Freighter skull & cross-bones, Silk Spectre, Nite Owl, Rorschach, Smiley, Radio-active symbol, The Comedian, Ozymandias" 9-panel art

1st full appearance Watchmen

1st Watchmen Smiley

1st "9 panel" format

This very early black & white promotional art by Dave Gibbons (first published in this booklet) was used many years later for the cover of the Watchmen "Deluxe Edition" albeit in an amended form with the "Smiley" panel removed (see comparison in 2nd pic, book not included)

Early timeline

1). Mar 1985 - Speakeasy no.50 fanzine (1st "Watch Out For The Watchmen" news feature)

2). Aug 1985 - KOOKS no.2 fanzine (features 3 images of Dave Gibbons' "photocopied pencils" showing Rorschach, Doctor Manhattan and Nite Owl)

3). Sep 1985 - DC Spotlight no.1 (Watchmen Preview)

4). May 1986 - Birmingham Comic Art Show no.3 (1st full appearance of all Watchmen)

5). May 1986 - Speakeasy no.62 fanzine (The Comedian cover and "30 Seconds To Doomsday" feature)

6). Sep 1986 - Watchmen no.1 published

Obviously this booklet is literally hundreds of times rarer than the DC Spotlight comic!

Plus...

Brian Bolland art

Kevin O'Neill "Metalzoic" art

Alan Davis / Paul Neary "Batman" art

Lew Stringer "Brickman Saves the Day!" strip

Forbidden Planet 1 & 2 advert with Brian Bolland photo

"Friends Of The Comic Art Show" listing feature including Neil Gaiman (very early mention)

Mark Farmer art

John Bolton art

Julius Schwartz feature

"Timetable" schedule mentioning "Due to the ever present threat of Libyan terrorism Dick Giordano & Julie Schwartz have been advised to pull out" & "Sunday includes plans for a Watchmen panel with Alan Moore & Dave Gibbons"

John Ridgway art

Dave Gibbons signs at Chaos City

Don't forget that this is happening today - have fun if you're going!

Good news for all Dave Gibbons fans (especially those based in St Albans), he'll be signing copies of his autobiography, "Confabulaton" a Chaos City comics next month

The signing is on Saturday 18th February 1-3pm

Dave Gibbons signs at Chaos City

Good news for all Dave Gibbons fans (especially those based in St Albans), he'll be signing copies of his autobiography, "Confabulaton" a Chaos City comics next month

The signing is on Saturday 18th February 1-3pm

Dave Gibbons & John Higgins signing today

This is this afternoon people, don't forget!

Forbidden Planet (London megastore branch) have announced a signing by Dave Gibbons and John Higgins for the DC modern classics edition of Watchmen 

This has previously been announced as just a Dave Gibbons signing but that was postponed and now has been re-announced but with extra John Higgins.

The Date? Saturday 25th May 2019, 4-5pm, as it says on the website (here)...

DC introduces DC Modern Classics, collecting ground-breaking, genre-defining works in new hardcover editions, presented in a beautifully designed slipcase.

In a world where the mere presence of American super-heroes changed history, the U.S. won the Vietnam War, Richard Nixon is still president, and the Cold War is in effect.

WATCHMEN begins as a murder mystery, but it soon unfolds into a planet-altering conspiracy. As the resolution comes to a head, an unlikely group of reunited heroes - Rorschach, Nite Owl, Silk Spectre, Dr. Manhattan and Ozymandias - must test the limits of their convictions and ask themselves where the true line between good and evil lies.

Dave Gibbons is one of Britain’s finest comic artists, whose most famous work is the multi-award- winning Watchmen. He has also drawn series including Batman, Doctor Who and Give Me Liberty, and has written Batman vs. Predator, Green Lantern and World’s Finest, as well as his own graphic novel The Originals.

John Higgins is probably best known for colouring Watchmen and Batman The Killing Joke. He created, wrote, and drew, the acclaimed Razorjack series. He also wrote and designing an autobiographical art book, Beyond Watchmen & Judge Dredd: The Art of John Higgins, published by Liverpool University Press.

A Dave GIbbons & John Higgins signing is announced

Forbidden Planet (London megastore branch) have announced a signing by Dave Gibbons and John Higgins for the DC modern classics edition of Watchmen 

This has previously been announced as just a Dave Gibbons signing but that was postponed and now has been re-announced but with extra John Higgins.

The Date? Saturday 25th May 2019, 4-5pm, as it says on the website (here)...

DC introduces DC Modern Classics, collecting ground-breaking, genre-defining works in new hardcover editions, presented in a beautifully designed slipcase.

In a world where the mere presence of American super-heroes changed history, the U.S. won the Vietnam War, Richard Nixon is still president, and the Cold War is in effect.

WATCHMEN begins as a murder mystery, but it soon unfolds into a planet-altering conspiracy. As the resolution comes to a head, an unlikely group of reunited heroes - Rorschach, Nite Owl, Silk Spectre, Dr. Manhattan and Ozymandias - must test the limits of their convictions and ask themselves where the true line between good and evil lies.

Dave Gibbons is one of Britain’s finest comic artists, whose most famous work is the multi-award- winning Watchmen. He has also drawn series including Batman, Doctor Who and Give Me Liberty, and has written Batman vs. Predator, Green Lantern and World’s Finest, as well as his own graphic novel The Originals.

John Higgins is probably best known for colouring Watchmen and Batman The Killing Joke. He created, wrote, and drew, the acclaimed Razorjack series. He also wrote and designing an autobiographical art book, Beyond Watchmen & Judge Dredd: The Art of John Higgins, published by Liverpool University Press.