This object was produced as a charity fundraising item for Comics 99, the UK's comic festival held in Bristol in April 1999. It stand three metres high and is two metres wide and comprises 16 giant pages of comic strip. On these strip pages is a story featuring every character from the history of comics, drawn by over 100 of the world's leading comic artists. All artwork was donated to the charitable appeal, and the original art auctioned at the festival raising money for ChildLine. The World's Biggest Comic itself was exhibited at the festival and has since been seen only once, at a comic event in Scotland in 2005.
The artists whose work is featured include Dave Gibbons (Watchmen), Joe Quesada (Marvel supremo), Frank Quitely (Superman), Cam Kennedy (Batman), Chris Weston (Dan Dare), Al Davison (Spiral Cage), Bryan Talbot (Alice In Sunderland), Sean Phillips (Batman), Charlie Adlard (The Walking Dead), Alan Davis (Fantastic Four), Syd Jordan (Jeff Hawke), Mike Collins (Doctor Who), Gary Spencer Millidge (Strangehaven), and many more from all major publishers and titles representing the leading talents in the comics industry at the time. I was the editor and compiler of the comic and remain the owner of it.
The contents have never actually been published (and as it features so many copyright characters it will probably not see print in a hurry), so exhibiting the item itself is the only way for anyone to see it. It is of unique cultural significance, major popular interest, and a genuinely fascinating and beautiful object, as well as being a jolly good read!
I'm hoping we can get it shown somewhere good. If anyone is involved with galleries internationally, do please get in touch. It's a shame for this items to be living rolled up in a box in my studio all this time.
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