Art You Grew Up With offers limited edition X-Men prints

British art store Art You Grew Up With is offering some limited edition X-Men prints for sale, to tie in with the launch of X-Men: First Class in UK cinemas.

The selection of limited editions on paper and canvas by some of the hottest talent in illustration and comics today includes 'Visionaries', right, along with other images by Jim Lee, plus an 'Astonishing X-Men' piece by Simone Bianchi, and more.

Beautifully printed, they're superb editions and comic representations although they don't come cheap - the signed 'Visionaries' print will set you back £565 unframed and £655 framed. (Other items aren't as pricey, though).

Art You Grew Up With, which sells a wide range of art featuring children's favourites ranging from 2000AD and The Beano to Paddington Bear and was recently featured in the Express, is also offering Father's Day gifts of Harold's Planet cartoons and Simpsons art. Its prints are sold in a variety of stores across the UK as well as online.

They will also try to track down art for individual prints. “If you want the original art used in the 1970s Spider-Man cartoon, we will find it,” owner  Russell Singler told the Express. “Then again it will be no problem if you suddenly recall a limited edition that you first saw on a trip to Disney World in the 1990s.”

• Art You Grew Up With is based at Catalyst House, Centennial Park, Elstree Village Herts WD6 3SY. Tel: 0800 098 8743 (International: +0044 208 736 5868). Web: www.artyougrewupwith.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/ArtYouGrewUpWith

WebFinds: Gail Scott, Space Pilot

Fans of Dan Dare and 1950s space comics might want to check out this fun web strip by Mark Toner - Gail Scott, Space Pilot.

Featuring a group of Scottish friends exploring space, the current adventure -  "Who is Mr Mentor?" - finds Gail and chums (all broad Scottish banter kindly translated for dumb sassenachs) on their way to Mars in a futuristic spacecraft.

The art is a little rough around the edges and the lettering needs much improvement, but the story's chuntering along nicely - Mark's includes some humour in the adventure as the characters first experience space flight, for example, which all helps add to the fun.

The strip's been running for a few weeks now, with a new episode from Dumfries-based artist Mark Toner every Thursday.

"If you like the Gail Scott series and would like to put it on your site, email me," says Mark.  "I'm always happy to help other impoverished web content providers as long as they let me approve the use. If you've got commercial plans for my comics, I insist on my share of the proceeds!"


Describing himself as a "Comic artist, astronomer and guitarist" (check out www.twitter.com/ArbelosMusic for his band), you can check out more of Mark's comics work at www.spacepilot.co.uk.

• All Gail Scott artwork and stories are copyright © 2011 Mark Toner, all rights reserved.

Manchester Comic Collective Bigs Up its gathering

This month the Manchester Comic Collective is doing something a little more special than its usual gatherings of creators for a friendly drink - along with the Sandbar, they'll be hosting the first Big Drink n’ Draw on the very first day of the Not Part Of Fringe Festival!

As always the Drink ‘n’ Draw will be free to attend, and they’ll have the usual drawing games, free snacks and pizzas, free comics at the Comic Swap table, materials provided and 10% off at the bar! But that’s not all…

As part of the Big Drink ‘n’ Draw they’ll have a little Comic Fair with tables set aside to sell indie comics, plus a few of table for creators with lots to sell and one communal table for anyone’s comics, minis or zines.

Tables are free but limited, so visit the MCC web site and leave a comment to show your interest and they’ll be in touch! If you can’t make it but would like to sell your comics, please drop them off at Sandbar with a note saying “For the BIG Drink ‘n’ Draw”.

As if that wasn’t enough Matt Badham will be hosting an informal chat and Q&A with Andy Diggle, writer of The Losers, Daredevil and former editor of 2000AD. The starting time for this is to be confirmed but will last about an hour.

The MCC are hoping to have another talk with some comics professionals too! Names and times for that are still to be confirmed.

The BIG Drink ‘n’ Draw will also be continuing late into the night. There’s a comedy event starting at 8.00pm and after that a short film night running through the evening, but all the while the DnD will continue in a reserved area of Sandbar with a big Comic Jam on a Wall.

• More info: http://manchestercomixcollective.com/2011/06/big-drink-n-draw

• RSVP on the Facebook Event page and see who else is attending! Join the Drink ‘n’ Draw Facebook Group while you’re there too, for updates of all future events.

Forbidden Planet lines up Peter Hogan and Chris Sprouse signing

Forbidden Planet London has announced a special signing in August by Peter Hogan and Chris Sprouse for their graphic novel Tom Strong and the Robots of Doom (Titan edition)

As Tom Strong and his family prepare to celebrate a wedding, the unthinkable happens: before their eyes, reality alters to become a world conquered by Nazis and ruled by Tom’s nefarious son, Albrecht. To restore the world he knew, Tom must journey back in time and seek help from the only man he can trust: himself. But will even two Tom Strongs be enough to stop the Robots of Doom?

Chris Sprouse first met Alan Moore when he drew several issues of Moore’s script for Supreme. A year later, he and Moore created Tom Strong for America's Best Comics, for which Chris won two Eisner Awards in 2000, for Best Single Issue and Best Serialized Story.

Taking over the scripting of Tom Strong, Peter K. Hogan started out as editor of cult political British comics Crisis and Revolver in the late 1980s and early 1990s, before working for 2000 AD and American comic book publishers Vertigo and America's Best Comics.

• Pre-order a signed copy of Tom Strong and The Robots of Doom

• Peter Hogan and Chris Sprouse will be at the Forbidden Planet Megastore, 179 Shaftesbury Avenue, London, WC2H 8JR on Thursday 25th August 6 – 7.00pm. For more news about our signings please go to: http://forbiddenplanet.com/events/?affid=downthetubesfp