The Hound: July 2009

	...cartoon news interviews and views from the UK!
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			XL-ent release Fireball XL5 gets remastered... John Ryan Pugwash creator passes on... Engines of Enchantment A Rowland Emett exhibition... Menacing prints John Patrick Reynolds' screenprints... Top fluff Fluffy Gardens is coming to GMTV... Reprints a-go-go Bear Alley Books is launched... Here's to The DFC Let's celebrate an inspiring comic... more »
		news archive » interviews » giveaways » XL-ent release (26.07.09) Wow. Network have surpassed even themselves with their recent DVD release. Now before we go any further, the series in question has been out on disc before, but frankly, as soon as you clap eyes on Network's version you'll want to consign your previous purchase to an eBay dumpbin. So without any further ado, ladies and gentleman, boys and girls, feast your eyes upon the unbounding, intergalactic joys of the Fireball XL5 special edition DVD box-set. Network have remastered and restored all 39 classic black and white episodes of Gerry Anderson's hit series. And they've wrapped them up in a package that resembles those equally memorable Anderson annuals and mags of the period. Plus, they've gone that extra mile to bring us a spaceship load of extras which include two very informative documentaries, tv ads and promos, and behind the scenes footage of TV Comic artist Bill Melvin hard at work on his strip version. There's also a rather dandy little booklet written by tv historian Andrew Pixley. But, but, but.. best of all... there's a one-off inclusion that will blow your strings off. It's a colourised edition of the episode "A Day in the Life of a Space General". And it's just stunning. Seeing Steve Zodiac and co. blasting off in vivid technicolour... well.. it makes you cry for what might have been... still could be, even, if the desire and money is out there somewhere in Sector 25... More: Network John Ryan (25.07.09) Oh, this is terrible news. John Ryan has died. Finding the right words to say here is so very difficult... John brought us the caption-filled joys of Captain Pugwash, Sir Prancelot and Mary, Mungo and Midge, of course. But let's not forget Harris Tweed from Eagle, and those Crockle and Tiger-Pig storybooks, and those Ark Stories... and... and... Oh, stuttering starfish, this is so sad... If, like The Hound, you grew up in the 70's, John Ryan's tv treats are etched indeliby upon your mind. Those cardboard creations, talking in "real" time. They may have been ridiculously simple by design, but the results were just so immediate and beguiling. Why, this was the kind of animation you could do at home. Yes, it was cheap. But it was inspiring. It was brilliant. In the early 80's we got to see the genial face behind these fabulous creations. And what a lovely man he was. A Tony Hart-type. A cosy father-figure to look up to and admire. It's no wonder that, when those ridiculous Urban Myths began to surface, John took great offence. It was a cheap shot across the bow of a man who evidently wouldn't hurt a fly. Indeed, as the Ark Stories showed us, he was a very religious man. He drew picture stories about David & Goliath and Daniel and continued to draw cartoons for the likes of "The Catholic Herald", well into his old age. Okay, so The Hound just isn't very good at this obituary stuff. It's so hard to separate one's emotions from proceedings. And others can put the words together so very much better. So let's just pause and reflect for a while, as we savour the joys of The Hound's favourite John Ryan gem. "The Adventures of Sir Prancelot" just had that snazzy, jazzy something that made it fabulous. It's the show that most casual cartoon fans seem to overlook, but this young viewer lapped it up. He bought the little tie-in picturebooks, the annuals and the puzzles and he's often heard asking why-oh-why the show hasn't had a proper DVD release... But there you are... Sir Prancelot encapsulates all the themes of John's work. It's witty, and features some topical titters as it attacks the castle bureaucracy, and John's faith is to the fore, as Sir Prancelot and his entourage embark on their rambling Crusade across the Continent... Engines of Enchantment (24.07.09) The Cartoon Museum are staging a phantasmagorical exhibition this Summer. "Engines of Enchantment: The Machines and Cartoons of Rowland Emett" does exactly what it says in its title, and shines a spotlight on the incredible and inspired designs, illustrations and contraptions of Frederick Rowland Emett (1906-1990). There will be lots of artwork on show, naturally, but better still, alongside the pictures there will be: "..five fantastic whirring winking machines, including three created for the classic children’s film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, in 1968..." Emett engines, in real life? - That's fab, that is. His designs are just plain bonkers and brilliant. They're spidery things, all struts and fretwork and peddles and propellers that feel like the offspring of a union between Heath Robinson and Ronald Searle. Emett's admirers include Matt Groening, who chose "The Cartoons of Rowland Emett" as one of his top 100 things in the world. And Wilf Lunn must surely be a fan, too. The exhibition runs from 28th July to 1st November 2009, at The Cartoon Museum, 35 Little Russell Street, London - just round the corner from the British Museum... More: The Cartoon Museum Menacing prints (16.07.09) John Patrick Reynolds has been creating some very desirable and very, very limited edition DC Thomson screenprints over the last couple of years, reproducing some classic Beano, Dandy and Commando characters and panel art from the past as vibrant colour prints. They look simply fabulous, framed and mounted... ...And it seems that David Sutherland concurs, because he's just put his signature to a small selection of editions featuring his Beano artwork. He's signed screenprints featuring Dennis the Menace, the Bash Street Kids, Teacher and Biffo the Bear, including that Warhol-like homage, above, in which John has taken one of his Dennis heads and multiplied it into something very striking indeed. There's something so compelling about all these prints, there really is. When those panels are blown up and isolated from the rest of their original strips they take on a whole new meaning. This one of Desperate Dan is The Hound's favourite: You can purchase these direct from John's web site, as well as a selection of fine art emporiums... More: Comic Art Web Site Top fluff (06.07.09) Time now for a fluffy fanfare, because Jason Tammemagi wants to let the world know that Fluffy Gardens, the series he created and directed via Monster Animation is finally going to get a terrestrial airing, here in the UK. It's aired before, of course, on Cartoonito. But now all 40 of the original episodes have been bought for GMTV's morning block, on ITV, which means that all those fluffy stories about Paolo the cat, Mavis the pony, Tooty, Wee Reg and the gang will soon be seen by lots more little people! Better still, Jason tells us he and Monster Animation are now putting together 40 more stories for a brand-spanking new second series. And that's fab and fluffy news indeed. As you might know, The Hound has a huge soft spot for this one. Fluffy Gardens just has that indefinable magic quality about it that makes it feel so very precious and special... More: Fluffy Gardens Monster Animation Here's to The DFC (29.03.09) How sad it is to witness the demise of The DFC - in its current guise, at least. It appears to have been a victim of these uncertain times, more than anything else. But undoubtedly, it's been a huge jolt in the arm for the UK comics scene, and it's brought a wealth of cartoon talent out of the small press woodwork and into the mainsteam. Which is something to celebrate. Why, even The Hound has been inspired enough to dust down his old drawing board. And if The Hound's been inspired, well, you can bet a whole bunch of those DFC subscribers have also got themselves worked up enough to pick up a pen... If you think back to the giddy heydays of DC Thomson and IPC/Fleetway, those top weeklys stuck quite religiously to a house "style" throughout their strips. But The DFC has bravely presented an array of styles and tones to its readership. Each strip has had its own voice. That's been so exciting for this reader to see. And inspiring, because it encourages folks to think outside the box, as it were... Look at this... Look what you can do... The possibilities are endless... Who knows, maybe a whole new generation of cartoonists will look back upon those 43 issues of The DFC as being the birth-point of their career... How exciting is that? Till next time! thehound@toonhound.com home » news archive »
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