Posted in: Comics | Tagged: Comics, entertainment

War Of The Worlds Of Comics In Woking – Cor! By Gum! Zarjaz!

As you can see, for this  memo below, the staff at The Lightbox gallery in Woking are expecting much from the new show comic book exhibition The Story Of British Comics So FarL Cor! By Gum! Zarjaz! that opened today.

I popped across with my brother today, ahead of the official opening on Tuesday did get a sneak peek of what was to come, courtesy of co-curator and organiser of the very best comic book events in and around London, Paul Gravett. And was able to hear my brother describe by young comic book fanboy moments to Gravett, which wasn't embarrassing *at* all.

The exhibition is running until the end of the year. An annual pass costs £5 and Gravett talked about constantly refreshing and changing the exhibition to encourage repeat visits. The Lightbox is easily accessible with trains from London Waterloo, Wimbledon  or Clapham Junction. And you know you are heading in the right direction as Woking is also home to HG Wells and to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the publication of War Of The Worlds, they erected this Martian tripod invader. And it stands halfway between Woking train station and the Lightbox gallery…The Lightbox gallery is split into three eras, basically the past, present and future of comics. It mixes and matches between the three of course and because this is Paul Gravett, working with co-curator Hamish MacGillivray, who goes off on all sorts of interesting tangents before being brought back to the matter at hand.

Which is how we manage to get, as you walk in, an example of 5000-year-old hieroglyphics from Ancient Egypt and a book written in Emoji by a Chinese author.

We have our own curators in Alan and Zara, a grandfather and granddaughter with very different tastes who take us from exhibit to exhibit, showing off their own differing desires but also moments of synchronicity. This no doubt reflects much of those attending the exhibition.

And we have the classics of Gillray…

…and Hogarth…
…up against both Britain's oldest comic, and a sequential vase by artist Grayson Perry…

(positioned to reduce the number of visible penises)… and the discovery that he is a secret graphic novelist.

a secret graphic novelist.
And I was shocked to see specific ink lines and cartoony styles that I solely associate with Western 20th century newspaper strip tradition such as Garfield being used in feudal Japan.

But then we were into my childhood.

Comics from the fifties to the eighties that I remember either being passed down or bought anew.

  Comics that I remember. A few that I have. And a few that I had no clue about. 

And one copy of the pulped final issue of Action Weekly, saved from the maw…I took along my brother who recognised plenty from our collective childhood.

He had a sit down while I stared at Steve Bell's sketches of Tony Blair

Examples of Ally Sloper, Britains first popular comic character and the merchandise that he span off, including early 3D photos of an impossible person reminiscent of The Elephant Man that may be remnants of the missing movies that starred him.

And then we got the future of comics via a wall of 2000AD.

Spot the issue of Whoopee that sneaked in.

So we had digital comics books, with Electricomcs…

And a modern comic book artist studio, with digital equipment. Notice the street signs about, more examples of visual iconography, that even tell a story of their own.

And a look at the impressive return of Scotland Yardie, giving Boris Johnson a little trouble.

Exit via the gift shop…I spent an engrossed hour there, before heading to a nearby pub on the river. With plenty of programming and events, including October's Comica Comiket on Saturday 8th and an October half term week of activities for the kids, I get the feeling I will be back… and back… and back

The Story of British Comics So Far: Cor! By Gum! Zarjaz! runs until 31st December 2016, with a £5 annual pass and under 18s free at The Lightbox in Woking. Opening times Tuesday-Saturday 10.30am to 5pm and Sunday 11am-4pm.

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