David Robertson makes comics, reads comics and writes about comics. His comics and articles have appeared in various anthologies, journals, magazines and websites. He contributes to podcasts and workshops. Through Fred Egg Comics, he self-publishes his titles Berserkotron; Dump; Wow! Retracted; and Zero Sum Bubblegum. Visit www.fredeggcomics.com; http://fredeggcomics.blogspot.co.uk/

This is David’s ‘Perfect Comic’,

I’m going to use the traditional British model of comics, with longer stories split into small two or three page instalments, in order to make a jam-packed anthology. Then I’ve mixed in one page comics. And newspaper strips, too (I’ll get two or three of those on one page). The comics cover different topics and styles. At a certain point I wondered about who would this appeal to? Then I remembered it’s “My Perfect Comic”. Let’s go over them in alphabetical order by creator name…

First up is Nigel Auchterlounie, with his comic Spleenal. Nigel is a true underground style British cartoonist. He also writes and draws different subject matter for The Beano – a good trick if you can pull it off!

Peter Bagge is a tremendous cartoonist. He continues to do produce great work, and here I will serialise his seminal series Hate:

Eddie Campbell has been making autobiographical comics for decades, originally calling himself Alec. I’ll have his Alec: How to Be an Artist here:

Phoebe Gloeckner is a powerful writer and artist. This is from her extremely personal Diary of a Teenage Girl:

Already legendary artist Al Williamson worked on the Star Wars newspaper strip written by Archie Goodwin in the 1980s:

As a kid, I liked Asterix by René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo. I’ll run Asterix and the Big Fight; my favourite of theirs.

What a great read 2000AD was as a kid in the early 1980s. Here’s a fondly remembered splash from Judge Dredd by Alan Grant, John Wagner and Carlos Ezquerra:

Matt Groening wrote and drew Life in Hell for many many years. Here is my favourite of those strips:

George Herriman’s Krazy Kat is a truly unique newspaper strip. Pure comics language.

Another newspaper strip. Sydney Jordan’s beautifully drawn Jeff Hawke:

James Kochalka’s comics are wonderful. His daily diary comics are a treat. His work is thoughtful, funny and moving. A wee taste:

When I was a nipper, Lou Ferrigno was The Incredible Hulk every week on TV. I loved the show and got a great paperback book of his comics one Christmas. As it turns out, the book reprinted the first six issues. Absolutely amazing work from Stan Lee, Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko.

Joe Matt’s Peep Show is one of the best comics of the 1990s. I’d put the first six issue story run up there as an absolute classic:

Tony Millionaire’s beautifully drawn and tonally coarse Maakies is fantastic.

Pat Mills was paired with the artist Joe Colquhoun in the WWI classic, Charley’s War.

I read The Eagle from its first relaunch issue in 1982. I loved all the stories and firm favourites were Doomlord and Dan Dare. This example of the latter written by Pat Mills and drawn by Ian Kennedy.

The mid 1980s saw the publication of a fascinating science fiction comic by Ann Nocenti and Art Adams; Longshot!

A beautiful and funny evocation of childhood, with great characters in Scott Roberts’ Patty Cake:

Jeff Smith’s fantasy epic Bone is a great all-ages comic. I was so impressed immediately on reading issue one!

An incredible story was produced by Lewis Trondheim and Manu Larcenet in Astronauts of the Future:

Another great comic was Speed, with a weekly highlight being Journey to the Stars drawn by the brilliant Ron Turner:

Carol Tyler writes and draws a very relatable comic concerning working life in The Job Thing:

Chris Ware’s excellent Acme Novelty Library series yielded many great comics. Here’s Big Tex:

Let’s end with Bill Watterson’s Calvin and Hobbes. So good. It’s a no-brainer to include this.

What to call this magazine? I like Pandora’s Comic!

And what about the cover? I’d like to have Mary Fleener do something. An example of her work:

There’s a lot here, but there could have been so many others. I’ve left out an entire world of great comics. There is so much good stuff out there. It truly is a wonderful medium, comics!

Thanks David – a great ‘Perfect Comic’.  What do you think?  Fancy a go at editing your own ‘Perfect Comic’.  Then e mail comicsflix@gmail.com

And if you like this – you’ll love this.  ComicScene UK Issue 0 is launched 1st May and is available in all Forbidden Planet Stores, OK Comics, New Age Comics, Comic Cons at the Time Bomb Comic stall, Awesome Comic Pod Stall, in digital here and by mail order and ongoing subscription here.