Episode 64 of the Never Iron Anything Comics Review Podcast.
You can find this on the Home Page here, on Podbean here or on Spotify here.
Comics creator and fan Simon Russell joined Tony to talk about one of his long-standing favourite all-time comics ‘Alec’ by Eddie Campbell. This is a deep dive and we hear about how as a young comics fan and budding artist Simon would correspond with Campbell and discuss craft, style and comics in general.
‘A Rambling Life Adventure’.
‘Alec’ was a pseudonym for Campbell himself who is always shy about drawing comparisons between real-life events and those that he portrays in his comics.
‘Experience. memory and art are all different things.’
Simon shared some of his correspondence with Campbell with Tony on the show and what was immediately noticeable was the great thought that he applied to all of his comics from Alec to Bacchus to From Hell. These letters also showed a great generosity from Campbell to an up and coming artist in the giving of advice and wisdom. There is a touching and genuine honesty in Campbells work and this is a show that you shouldn’t miss.
Tony and Simon also discuss the creative history of Eddie Campbell’s work. The short collection that they focus in on ‘The Doggie in the Window’ can also be found in ‘The King Canute’ collection from the early 2000s and the more recently released ‘The Years Have Pants’. Highly recommended and here is a link you can buy a copy from.
Tony also tells a story about a man he met who lived in a hole and how Eddie Campbell may think he is a maniac!
You can catch up with what Simon is doing by following him on Twitter here. You can also buy a copy of a new art project he has on the go with Colossive Press here. I’ve just ordered a copy myself.
Many thanks for listening.
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