Next up is the self-portrait of Mike Brown that can be found in Frankie Stein Holiday Special 1977 in the
one-off tale entitled The Curse of Dr.
Jackal:
Mike Brown was one of the most convincing imitators of Leo Baxendale’s style and his work is often indistinguishable from Leo’s. His career in UK comics started in the mid-60s and (supposedly) reached the pinnacle a decade later when he illustrated a number of Badtime Bedtime Books in MONSTER FUN COMIC. The latest work I’ve seen by him was in the first year of Nutty (1980 – 1981) where he drew Dick Turban, Desert Highwayman.
I find it a bit strange that Mr. Brown included his self-portrait alongside with Frankie Stein – a character
he’d never had anything to do with until then. Maybe he liked the friendly monster a
lot… Anyway, here is the 4-page story in full:
He was a fantastic artist and this is a fantasic example of his work. It's a shame he isn't more well-known.
ReplyDeleteAlways nice to see artists "putting themselves into" their work - and this is, somehow, the first time I've ever seen a Badtime Bedtime Book, so it's a double bonus!
ReplyDeleteDuring the 1980s and 1990s, Brian Walker was putting himself into his Smasher strips VERY occassionally. Something to keep an eye out for, I've collected at least three examples of it.
Indeed, Brian Walker often included himself in SMASHER and I have quite a few examples lined up for one of the future posts in this series :)
DeleteThe Curse of Dr. Jackal looks a lot like a Badtime Bedtime Book but a classic BBB should be 8 pages long. You can view a complete example in my post about 1983 Shiver and Shake Annual, or if you have a copy of 1982 Shiver and Shake annual, it includes a reprint of a BBB from Monster Fun Comic (William the Conq).
A great series of posts!
ReplyDeleteLove Mike Brown's jumper there.
Obviously a proud member of The Cartoonists' Club of Great Britain back in 77 :)
http://www.thecartoonistsclub.com
I was wondering about that jumper...
DeleteStay tuned for more, I have 3 or 4 more like this lined up!