Glenn Dakin
Encyclopedia
Glenn Dakin is a British
cartoonist
and author
of children's books
. He was a contributor to a number of British comics magazines including Escape
and Deadline
and was part of the British small press comics
scene in the 1980s. His main creations are Temptation and the semi-autobiographical strip Abe.
Dakin was drawing Abe for his college magazine when he met Paul Gravett
who introduced him to the concept of self publishing comics in zine
form and distributing them via the mail and Gravett's Fast Fiction
service. While initially dismissive he soon became interested, corresponding with Eddie Campbell
and Phil Elliott
amongst others.
When Gravett launched Escape Magazine
Dakin became a regular contributor. He also had strips in the Australia
n anthology Fox Comics. By the late 80s he was publishing comics through the Harrier
New Wave imprint including Paris, The Man Of Plaster (with Steve Way) and the anthology Gag! He also co-edited, wrote and drew Sinister Romance with Woodrow Phoenix
. Temptation, which had run in Escape, found a home in Deadline
magazine and was published as a collection by Penguin Books
in 1991. Dakin collaborated with Phil Elliott
on numerous strips including Mr Day and Mr Night, Greenhouse Warriors and The Man From Cancer.
Dakin was employed by Marvel UK
for a period where he wrote the comics ClanDestine
and The Real Ghostbusters
amongst others.
Dakin currently writes children's books
, develops and writes Children's television shows for the BBC
and has a regular strip, Robot Crusoe, in The Sunday Times
His Abe strips were collected by Top Shelf Productions
in 2001 under the title Abe: Wrong For All The Right Reasons. Temptation was reissued by Active Images
in 2004. Both have an introduction by Eddie Campbell
.
's Moomin
strip cartoons and novels as an influence for Abe and the optimistic melancholy present in his work.
Temptation is visually inspired by George Herriman
's Krazy Kat
and Johnny Hart
's B.C.
, as a major influence on their attitudes towards comics.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
cartoonist
Cartoonist
A cartoonist is a person who specializes in drawing cartoons. This work is usually humorous, mainly created for entertainment, political commentary or advertising...
and author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
of children's books
Children's literature
Children's literature is for readers and listeners up to about age twelve; it is often defined in four different ways: books written by children, books written for children, books chosen by children, or books chosen for children. It is often illustrated. The term is used in senses which sometimes...
. He was a contributor to a number of British comics magazines including Escape
Escape Magazine
Escape magazine was a landmark British comic strip magazine founded and edited by Paul Gravett and Peter Stanbury. Nineteen issues were published between 1983 to 1989...
and Deadline
Deadline magazine
Deadline was a British comic magazine published between 1988 and 1995.Created by 2000 AD stalwarts Brett Ewins and Steve Dillon, Deadline featured a mix of comic strips and written articles targeted at older readers...
and was part of the British small press comics
British small press comics
British small press comics, once known as stripzines, are comic books self-published by amateur cartoonists and comic book creators, usually in short print runs, in the UK. A "small press comic" is essentially a zine composed predominantly of comic strips. The term emerged in the early 1980s to...
scene in the 1980s. His main creations are Temptation and the semi-autobiographical strip Abe.
Biography
While at college in ManchesterManchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
Dakin was drawing Abe for his college magazine when he met Paul Gravett
Paul Gravett
Paul Gravett is a London-based journalist, curator, writer and broadcaster who has worked in comics publishing and promotion for over 20 years....
who introduced him to the concept of self publishing comics in zine
Zine
A zine is most commonly a small circulation publication of original or appropriated texts and images. More broadly, the term encompasses any self-published work of minority interest usually reproduced via photocopier....
form and distributing them via the mail and Gravett's Fast Fiction
Fast Fiction
Fast Fiction was a market stall, magazine, mail order distributor and news sheet that played a key role in the history of British small press comics...
service. While initially dismissive he soon became interested, corresponding with Eddie Campbell
Eddie Campbell
Eddie Campbell is a Scottish comics artist and cartoonist who now lives in Australia. Probably best known as the illustrator and publisher of From Hell , Campbell is also the creator of the semi-autobiographical Alec stories collected in Alec: The Years Have Pants, and Bacchus , a wry adventure...
and Phil Elliott
Phil Elliott
Phil Elliott is a British comic book creator who was published in Escape Magazine. He was part of the British small press comics scene in the 1980s.-Career:...
amongst others.
When Gravett launched Escape Magazine
Escape Magazine
Escape magazine was a landmark British comic strip magazine founded and edited by Paul Gravett and Peter Stanbury. Nineteen issues were published between 1983 to 1989...
Dakin became a regular contributor. He also had strips in the Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n anthology Fox Comics. By the late 80s he was publishing comics through the Harrier
Harrier Comics
Harrier Comics was a British comic book publisher active in the mid-to-late 1980s. Harrier was notable for putting out black-and-white comics in a mold more similar to American comics than typical British fare...
New Wave imprint including Paris, The Man Of Plaster (with Steve Way) and the anthology Gag! He also co-edited, wrote and drew Sinister Romance with Woodrow Phoenix
Woodrow Phoenix
Woodrow Phoenix is a British comics artist, writer, editorial illustrator, graphic designer, font designer and author of children's books.He was a contributor to a number of British comics magazines including Escape, Blaaam! and Blast! and was part of the British small press comics scene in the...
. Temptation, which had run in Escape, found a home in Deadline
Deadline magazine
Deadline was a British comic magazine published between 1988 and 1995.Created by 2000 AD stalwarts Brett Ewins and Steve Dillon, Deadline featured a mix of comic strips and written articles targeted at older readers...
magazine and was published as a collection by Penguin Books
Penguin Books
Penguin Books is a publisher founded in 1935 by Sir Allen Lane and V.K. Krishna Menon. Penguin revolutionised publishing in the 1930s through its high quality, inexpensive paperbacks, sold through Woolworths and other high street stores for sixpence. Penguin's success demonstrated that large...
in 1991. Dakin collaborated with Phil Elliott
Phil Elliott
Phil Elliott is a British comic book creator who was published in Escape Magazine. He was part of the British small press comics scene in the 1980s.-Career:...
on numerous strips including Mr Day and Mr Night, Greenhouse Warriors and The Man From Cancer.
Dakin was employed by Marvel UK
Marvel UK
Marvel UK was an imprint of Marvel Comics formed in 1972 to reprint US produced stories for the British weekly comic market, though it later did produce original material by British creators such as Alan Moore, John Wagner, Dave Gibbons, Steve Dillon and Grant Morrison.Panini Comics obtained the...
for a period where he wrote the comics ClanDestine
Clandestine
Clandestine may refer to:* Secrecy* ClanDestine, a Marvel Comics series by Alan Davis* Clandestine , a novel by James Ellroy* Clandestine operation, a secret intelligence or military activity* Clandestine MUD, a MUD, or text-based MMORPG...
and The Real Ghostbusters
The Real Ghostbusters (comics)
The Real Ghostbusters is a comic series spun off from the animated series of the same name. Versions were published by Marvel UK and NOW Comics. Publication of the series began on March 28, 1988.-NOW Comics:...
amongst others.
Dakin currently writes children's books
Children's literature
Children's literature is for readers and listeners up to about age twelve; it is often defined in four different ways: books written by children, books written for children, books chosen by children, or books chosen for children. It is often illustrated. The term is used in senses which sometimes...
, develops and writes Children's television shows for the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
and has a regular strip, Robot Crusoe, in The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times (UK)
The Sunday Times is a Sunday broadsheet newspaper, distributed in the United Kingdom. The Sunday Times is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News International, which is in turn owned by News Corporation. Times Newspapers also owns The Times, but the two papers were founded...
His Abe strips were collected by Top Shelf Productions
Top Shelf Productions
Top Shelf Productions is an American publishing company founded in 1997, owned and operated by Chris Staros and Brett Warnock and a small staff. The company is based in Marietta, Georgia, Portland, Oregon, and New York City, New York....
in 2001 under the title Abe: Wrong For All The Right Reasons. Temptation was reissued by Active Images
Active Images
Active Images is a publisher of fonts and comic books based in the United States.Founded by Richard Starkings the company publishes fonts which are used by their commercial comic book lettering division Comicraft and comic books featuring the character Hip Flask....
in 2004. Both have an introduction by Eddie Campbell
Eddie Campbell
Eddie Campbell is a Scottish comics artist and cartoonist who now lives in Australia. Probably best known as the illustrator and publisher of From Hell , Campbell is also the creator of the semi-autobiographical Alec stories collected in Alec: The Years Have Pants, and Bacchus , a wry adventure...
.
Inspiration
Dakin has cited Tove JanssonTove Jansson
Tove Marika Jansson was a Swedish-Finnish novelist, painter, illustrator and comic strip author. She is best known as the author of the Moomin books.- Biography :...
's Moomin
Moomin
The Moomins are the central characters in a series of books and a comic strip by Swedish-Finn illustrator and writer Tove Jansson, originally published in Swedish by Schildts in Finland. They are a family of trolls who are white and roundish, with large snouts that make them resemble hippopotamuses...
strip cartoons and novels as an influence for Abe and the optimistic melancholy present in his work.
Temptation is visually inspired by George Herriman
George Herriman
George Joseph Herriman was an American cartoonist, best known for his classic comic strip Krazy Kat.-Early life:...
's Krazy Kat
Krazy Kat
Krazy Kat is an American comic strip created by cartoonist George Herriman, published daily in newspapers between 1913 and 1944. It first appeared in the New York Evening Journal, whose owner, William Randolph Hearst, was a major booster for the strip throughout its run...
and Johnny Hart
Johnny Hart
Johnny Hart was an American cartoonist noted as the creator of the comic strip B.C. and co-creator of the strip The Wizard of Id. Hart was recognized with several awards, including the Swedish Adamson Award and five from the National Cartoonists Society...
's B.C.
Influence
Dakin has been cited by a number of American cartoonists, especially those connected to the publisher Highwater BooksHighwater Books
Highwater Books was a small but influential independent comic book publisher based in Somerville, Massachusetts, noted for its arty editorial direction and production values under publisher Tom Devlin...
, as a major influence on their attitudes towards comics.
Footnotes and references
- Campbell, Eddie (2001) Alec: How To Be An Artist. Eddie Campbell Comics. ISBN 0-9577896-3-7.
- Hart, Tom (2001) "The Scribbled Philosophy of Glenn Dakin" The Comics JournalThe Comics JournalThe Comics Journal, often abbreviated TCJ, is an American magazine of news and criticism pertaining to comic books, comic strips and graphic novels...
238 71-87 - Higgins, Jez (2002) "There Is No Escape From The Deadline Of Temptation" Borderline Magazine 7 32-37
- Creativemedia Management CV. Retrieved Aug. 12, 2005
- Glenn Dakin at LambiekLambiekLambiek is a comic book store and art gallery in Amsterdam, founded in 1968 by Kees Kousemaker .It has held exhibitions of art by comic creators, including Robert Crumb, Daniel Clowes, Erik Kriek, André Franquin, Tanino Liberatore and Chris Ware...
's Comiclopedia
External links
- Profile on Read Yourself Raw
- Dakin Weekly Online - webcomic on SerializerSerializerserializer.net is a website featuring many free and subscription-based alternative comics created especially for the web. It was launched in October 2002 by Publisher Joey Manley, Editor Tom Hart, and approximately 20 professional cartoonists...