Hunt Emerson
Encyclopedia
Hunt Emerson is a cartoonist
living and working in Birmingham
, England. He was closely involved with the Birmingham Arts Lab
of the mid-to-late 1970s, and with the British underground comics scene of the 1970s and 1980s. His many comic strip
s and graphic novel
s are well known and have been translated into numerous languages.
His earliest strips in the 1970s appeared in such British small press comics
as Graphixus, Moon Comix, Yikes, Animal Bite Comix, No Ducks, Phobos, Streetcomix, Free Comix, Warrior and Fish. A trip to the U.S. put him in touch with Rip Off Press
who published his Thunderdogs, comic book for the underground market; while Don and Maggie Thompson
included him in their mini-comic series, for which he created Calculus Cat, and he later contributed to their Eclipse Monthly magazine. Emerson art also appeared in the U.S. underground Commies From Mars. Dogman, and Large Cow Comix (a five issue series with separate subtitles) were all Emerson work cover to cover, and highly sought-after by collectors now, but it was Knockabout
, a British comic book-sized and later album-sized anthology that featured some of Emerson's best strips, including the characters Alan Rabbit, Calculus Cat, Max Zillion and Alto Ego, Pusspuss, Momo and Fuzi, Charlie Chirp, plus the bizarre one-shot tales "Cakes And Bricks" "The Dentist" and "Mouth City". The latter two stories spawned a series called Citymouth, and later a collected volume. Squarebound books written by others, such as You Are Maggie Thatcher, and Hard To Swallow showcased Emerson strips and illustrations throughout.
In Outrageous Tales From the Old Testament he tackled a version of Leviticus written by Alan Moore
, and in The Seven Deadly Sins , depicted "Envy". For the DC Comics
imprint Factoid Books, in the 1990s, he did biographical comics on everything from Erich von Stroheim
to Prince Charles and Princess Diana
. These appeared in the Big Book Of... series. For dozens of issues of the British underground Brain Damage
, he created "Arsover Tit".
The Emerson graphic novels Lady Chatterley's Lover
, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner
, Casanova
's Last Stand and other adaptations of classic novels and tales have been successfully sold in numerous countries, and translated into several different languages.
For over 30 years Hunt Emerson's strips and illustrations have graced the pages of Fortean Times
, a magazine of occult and unexplained phenomena, while his pornographically humorous Firkin The Cat (written by Tym Manley) has appeared in hundreds of Fiesta
magazines.
He has been acclaimed as one of the 75 European Masters of Cartooning of the 20th Century by the Centre Nationale de la Bande Dessinee et de l'Image, and has won many other international awards.
for The Beano
, a strip about mean rats in a sewer. In 2002-2007, he drew Little Plum
for that comic. In March 2009, after great work on both of the strips, he was picked as the artist for The Beano's revival of Fred's Bed
. However, this version was viewed weird-looking by some people, and it has to be said the strip lost some of its humour and originality. This could be the reason why he left the strip in November, leaving Tom Paterson
to become the artist.
Cartoonist
A cartoonist is a person who specializes in drawing cartoons. This work is usually humorous, mainly created for entertainment, political commentary or advertising...
living and working in Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, England. He was closely involved with the Birmingham Arts Lab
Birmingham Arts Lab
The Birmingham Arts Laboratory or Arts Lab was an experimental arts centre and artist collective based in Birmingham, England from 1968 to 1982 – an "arts and performance space dedicated to radical research into art and creativity"...
of the mid-to-late 1970s, and with the British underground comics scene of the 1970s and 1980s. His many comic strip
Comic strip
A comic strip is a sequence of drawings arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions....
s and graphic novel
Graphic novel
A graphic novel is a narrative work in which the story is conveyed to the reader using sequential art in either an experimental design or in a traditional comics format...
s are well known and have been translated into numerous languages.
His earliest strips in the 1970s appeared in such 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...
as Graphixus, Moon Comix, Yikes, Animal Bite Comix, No Ducks, Phobos, Streetcomix, Free Comix, Warrior and Fish. A trip to the U.S. put him in touch with Rip Off Press
Rip Off Press
Rip Off Press, Inc. is a seminal publishing company that specializes in adult-themed literature and graphic novels, mostly in a specific comic book format known as underground comix.-Overview:...
who published his Thunderdogs, comic book for the underground market; while Don and Maggie Thompson
Maggie Thompson
Margaret "Maggie" Thompson , is the editor of Comics Buyer's Guide, a monthly comic book industry news magazine...
included him in their mini-comic series, for which he created Calculus Cat, and he later contributed to their Eclipse Monthly magazine. Emerson art also appeared in the U.S. underground Commies From Mars. Dogman, and Large Cow Comix (a five issue series with separate subtitles) were all Emerson work cover to cover, and highly sought-after by collectors now, but it was Knockabout
Knockabout
A Cape Cod Knockabout, or Knockabout, is a one-design class of sail boat sailed primarily out of Upper Cape harbors in Massachusetts, USA. Knockabouts were designed by Charles S. Gurney and were popular in the 1940s and well into the 1970s with fleets of 50-60 boats at the annual regatta of the...
, a British comic book-sized and later album-sized anthology that featured some of Emerson's best strips, including the characters Alan Rabbit, Calculus Cat, Max Zillion and Alto Ego, Pusspuss, Momo and Fuzi, Charlie Chirp, plus the bizarre one-shot tales "Cakes And Bricks" "The Dentist" and "Mouth City". The latter two stories spawned a series called Citymouth, and later a collected volume. Squarebound books written by others, such as You Are Maggie Thatcher, and Hard To Swallow showcased Emerson strips and illustrations throughout.
In Outrageous Tales From the Old Testament he tackled a version of Leviticus written by Alan Moore
Alan Moore
Alan Oswald Moore is an English writer primarily known for his work in comic books, a medium where he has produced a number of critically acclaimed and popular series, including Watchmen, V for Vendetta, and From Hell...
, and in The Seven Deadly Sins , depicted "Envy". For the DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
imprint Factoid Books, in the 1990s, he did biographical comics on everything from Erich von Stroheim
Erich von Stroheim
Erich von Stroheim was an Austrian-born film star of the silent era, subsequently noted as an auteur for his directorial work.-Background:...
to Prince Charles and Princess Diana
Diana, Princess of Wales
Diana, Princess of Wales was the first wife of Charles, Prince of Wales, whom she married on 29 July 1981, and an international charity and fundraising figure, as well as a preeminent celebrity of the late 20th century...
. These appeared in the Big Book Of... series. For dozens of issues of the British underground Brain Damage
Brain damage
"Brain damage" or "brain injury" is the destruction or degeneration of brain cells. Brain injuries occur due to a wide range of internal and external factors...
, he created "Arsover Tit".
The Emerson graphic novels Lady Chatterley's Lover
Lady Chatterley's Lover
Lady Chatterley's Lover is a novel by D. H. Lawrence, first published in 1928. The first edition was printed privately in Florence, Italy with assistance from Pino Orioli; it could not be published openly in the United Kingdom until 1960...
, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner
The Rime of the Ancient Mariner
The Rime of the Ancient Mariner is the longest major poem by the English poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge, written in 1797–98 and was published in 1798 in the first edition of Lyrical Ballads. Modern editions use a later revised version printed in 1817 that featured a gloss...
, Casanova
Giacomo Casanova
Giacomo Girolamo Casanova de Seingalt was an Italian adventurer and author from the Republic of Venice. His autobiography, Histoire de ma vie , is regarded as one of the most authentic sources of the customs and norms of European social life during the 18th century...
's Last Stand and other adaptations of classic novels and tales have been successfully sold in numerous countries, and translated into several different languages.
For over 30 years Hunt Emerson's strips and illustrations have graced the pages of Fortean Times
Fortean Times
Fortean Times is a British monthly magazine devoted to the anomalous phenomena popularised by Charles Fort. Previously published by John Brown Publishing and then I Feel Good Publishing , it is now published by Dennis Publishing Ltd. As of December 2010, its circulation was approximately 18,000...
, a magazine of occult and unexplained phenomena, while his pornographically humorous Firkin The Cat (written by Tym Manley) has appeared in hundreds of Fiesta
Fiesta (magazine)
Fiesta magazine is a British soft-core pornographic magazine, published by Galaxy Publications. It is a sister publication of Knave.Launched in 1966, Fiesta quickly became Britain’s top selling adult magazine...
magazines.
He has been acclaimed as one of the 75 European Masters of Cartooning of the 20th Century by the Centre Nationale de la Bande Dessinee et de l'Image, and has won many other international awards.
The Beano
At the moment he is drawing RatzRatz
Ratz , officially the Movement for Civil Rights and Peace was a left-wing political party in Israel from 1973 until its formal merger into Meretz in 1997.-Background:...
for The Beano
The Beano
The Beano is a British children's comic, published by D.C. Thomson & Co and is arguably their most successful.The comic first appeared on 30 July 1938, and was published weekly. During the Second World War,The Beano and The Dandy were published on alternating weeks because of paper and ink...
, a strip about mean rats in a sewer. In 2002-2007, he drew Little Plum
Little Plum
Little Plum is a fictional character in the UK comic The Beano.The eponymous hero and his friends Chiefy, Pimple and Hole-in-um-Head are members of the "Smellyfeet" American Indian tribe, who spend much of their time clashing with their rivals the "Puttyfeet" tribe. Other characters include Dr...
for that comic. In March 2009, after great work on both of the strips, he was picked as the artist for The Beano's revival of Fred's Bed
Fred's Bed
Fred's Bed is a comic strip in the British comic The Beano. It originally appeared in the The Topper section of the merged The Beezer and Topper comic in 1991. In the first strip, Fred breaks his old bed and when Fred and his mum go out to buy a new one, she buys the cheapest bed in the shop...
. However, this version was viewed weird-looking by some people, and it has to be said the strip lost some of its humour and originality. This could be the reason why he left the strip in November, leaving Tom Paterson
Tom Paterson
Tom Paterson is a Scottish comic artist who drew characters for Fleetway in 1973–1990, and D.C Thomson from 1986-onwards. He lives in Leith, with three kids, and is a Hearts supporter.He is famous for drawing comics such as:-Fleetway:...
to become the artist.