Posted in: Comics | Tagged: Alan Cowsill, Bob Fingerman, Bryan Talbot, d'israeli, Dave Elliott, david hine, gary spencer millidge, gene ha, Hunt Emerson, Jamie Smart, Joseph Cavalieri, kieron gillen, mark stafford, Mike Collins, mike mignola, rian hughes, roger langridge, rufus dayglo, shelly bond

British Comics' Best Kept Secret, Mark Stafford, Has Something For You

I usually describe Mark Stafford as a very British cross between Robert Crumb, Charles Burns, Troy Nixey, Evan Dorkin and Skottie Young. He is Britain's very best-kept secret despite having drawn comic books published by Dark Horse, Heavy Metal and Boom Studios over the years. And, yes, he has a crowdfunded for a book that is very generously priced for value – that closes in five days. I would suggest that any comic book publisher who wants to "discover" him might take advantage of this opportunity. Mark Stafford's Salmonella Smorgasbord will be a fat book from Soaring Penguin collecting a selection of his work from the last couple of decades or so, including strips, art, design, illustration and all sorts. He tells me "I spent a fair chunk of my life under lockdown digging out old files and scanning art, restoring some stories and completing others and putting them all into some kind of order that makes sense to me."

"So it contains my small press comics, contributions to anthologies, unpublished gems, beer labels and posters, two stories and a foreword by Mr David Hine, an afterword by Dr Bryan Talbot, a collaboration with a Korean poet, two adaptations of olde folk sings, a library mural, a bittersweet Busan love story, much creepy business and an interview conducted by Mr Jason Atomic at the end to vaguely explain why you're reading what you've read. I'm pretty happy with it, and it's all done bar a few cover wrangles and the printing."

If you like comic books, and I hope you do reading Bleeding Cool, there is nothing bigger or better than I can recommend in this festive season, to welcome you in the New Year. Whatever 2023 brings in terms of doom and despondency, bringing Mark Stafford's Salmonella Smorgasbordinto the world may make up for a lot of it.

People aside from me who have backed the campaign include Gene Ha, Mike Mignola, Kieron Gillen, Hunt Emerson, Rian Hughes, Shelly Bond, D'Israeli, Joseph Cavalieri, Bob Fingerman, Dave Elliott, Gary Spencer Millidge, David Hine, Bryan Talbot, Mike Collins, Jamie Smart, Roger Langridge, Alan Cowsill, Rufus Dayglo and many more. The campaign has four days left to run and is 87% towards its goal, Do not sleep on this one. Readers or retailers, this will be the best way to start 2023. Trust me. Have I ever led you wrong?

And if so, how about these folks?

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