Illustrators: A New Quarterly Journal About Brit and Euro Artists

In the last few years London's Illustration Art Gallery have been releasing a series of books about, and reprinting older, British comics via their Book Palace Books imprint. These include The Modesty Blaise Companion reference book, a series of reprints from Swift, Eagle's junior brother, including Robin Hood and King Arthur and His Knights both with art by Frank Bellamy, as well as what is perhaps the most impressive British comics reprint book ever, Wulf The Briton: The Complete Adventures, which reprinted every Wulf strip from Express Weekly, with fully painted art by Ron Embleton, in their full original tabloid size along with every annual strip.

The next publication from Book Palace Books is Illustrators, a new quarterly journal that will cover British and European comic and magazine artists. Illustrators will be a high quality, 96 page, approx A4 size, glossy colour magazine edited by Peter Richardson and featuring articles by the likes of artists Rian Hughes and David Roach, and comics historians David Ashford, Steve Holland and Norman Wright.

The first issue of Illustrators will focus on two British artists who worked extensively for both Amalgamated Press/IPC and DC Thomson throughout their careers, Denis McLoughlin and Ian Kennedy. Denis McLoughlin is perhaps best known for his novel covers and annuals for publisher TV Boardman, which included a twelve year run on the Buffalo Bill annual, while Ian Kennedy began at DC Thomson in the 1950s before he went freelance for a career that included everything from Commando and Starblazer for DC Thomson, Dan Dare and Judge Dredd for IPC and Blake's 7 for Marvel UK. Denis McLoughlin is no longer with us, his life ended in tragic circumstances in 2002, while Ian Kennedy most certainly is and with new work by him still regularly appearing on the cover of Commando he gives Illustrators a major interview. Also included will be articles on the art of Badia Camps and the 1960s art of Cherie Herouard , while modern artist Mick Brownfield will tell the story behind his 2009 Christmas Radio Times cover.

Future issues will cover artists as diverse as Graham Coton, Giorgio De Gaspari, Luis Garcia, Reginald Heade, Chris Foss, Fortunino Matania, John Millar Watt, Jordi Penalva and L Ashwell Wood.

Illustrators will cost £15 per issue plus P&P while a four issue subscription will cost £55 delivered. The first issue is due to be released during summer 2012 and is now available for pre-order.

There are more details of Illustrators including further sample pages and layouts at both the Illustration Art gallery website and the Book Palace website, while editor Peter Richardson discusses his work on the title on the Book Place Books blog.