wiLbur's blog

here's a gag from the current UK edition of the reader's digest...

well, this is either the end....or just the beginning....haven't quite decided yet.
i do have an idea where i'd like to take it which i'm quite keen on, so i imagine i'll carry on with it, but probably after a little hiatus.

i've definitely got the comics bug, though -- part of the reason why i want to take a break from this is to try out some other ideas i've got for comics, play around with the form a little, experiment.
i'll be posting all my experiments up here no doubt, so don't go away!

to be continued..

to be strung out..

to be continued..

to be continued..

not exactly sure where i'm going with this but i thought it might be fun to try a narrative piece...


to be continued...

...is next weekend...it's bound to be a gas, and there'll be loads of cartoon-based stuff going on all weekend.

a couple of my cartoons are appearing in the 'but is it art?' exhibition. this one (drawn in 2001 and published in the new statesman) has already been sold, apparently!

i've been neglecting this here blog, so here's a little something from the current issue of the (uk) reader's digest..

after kooks i had one more go at a daily strip...
it was called sapp ville, and once again starred waldo and his wonder-dog, flanders...


i think i'd been reading lots of ec segar's popeye at the time, and i introduced a sort of gothic element, with a vampire character and his side-kick...


my agent was pretty positive about this one's chances, but again it didn't get picked up, and at this point, with the bottom having fallen out of the adult comic market, too, i gave up cartooning and got myself a 'proper' job...

which brings part one of wiLbur's archive hour to a close..

some gag cartoonists post their gags on their blogs as they're published. i tend not to, but ...well, maybe i should do more often...

i've had a cartoon in the last two issues of private eye, and here they are..
this one was in the last issue:

and this one is in the current issue:

i know, i'm rather tardy with this, but the idea for putting my redundant topical cartoons from last year to some use only just occurred to me....and it is still january....

last year was the first year i've drawn many topicals -- a few of these were published in private eye, the spectator, prospect and the like, but it's a tricky business, you've got to be quick with it, i found, or the story could be dead in the water before you've sent it anywhere, or some other cartoonist'll beat you to it...

anyway, here are the cartoons...

* * * * *

the wii was launched but had some initial teething troubles...



england's cricketers had a woeful winter tour and the search was on for a new opening batsman, amid problems with certain members of the team drinking rather a lot...

(geoff thompson (i think) beat me to this one in the spectator)


( continued... )

i feel a big post coming on

would someone be kind enough to tell me how i do the 'behind the cut' thing...?

the first strip about waldo (see previous archive hour) failed to interest any newspaper editors, but it did catch the eye of a UK cartoon agent, who reckoned it was too high-brow, but thought i should try another strip, a simpler one. so i cooked up kooks. the title was inspired by the david bowie song. unfortunately, i don't think bowie's influence is much in evidence anywhere else, though...

looking back at this strip, i can't find a single example i'm pleased with. it sucked. and yet, perhaps tellingly, of the several attempts i've made at a daily strip, this one got the best response from the US syndicates, when king features rejected it, but with some encouraging feedback -- mainly about this dog character i'd introduced as waldo's side-kick...


that was one of the better ones, too...i told you it sucked.