"Down in the Ground"

A 1-Page vintage Horror strip from Steve Gibson drawn in 1981. I don't think this brand of Zombie Necro-Mayhem was too popular or even common back then. Pity. These days, Zombies, like Vampires and Coalition Governments spook the masses without a blink.

Spaced Number 2 ...!?

I found this in my files recently.

I always loved Tom's Gung Ho attitude to writing and art. He was extremely literate and had a good eye for the cultural fetish. It was a big influence on me when I met him after discovering UG Comix. I should have finished this up and published it with the sequel to "Grim Remains" that Hunt asked me to do years ago... Maybe one day, huh??

Grim Remains Page 1

Hunt Emerson hand numbered the pages (Each number dripping blood!) for Napalm Kiss issue 2. Hunt wrote and drew Grim Remains, a brilliant 5 page strip for the never to be realised issue 3 (We ran out of money!) This strip was never (to my knowledge) published. Mike Matthews owned the original art. This scan is from the copy in my old files. I drew a sequel to this years ago, but tried to ape Hunt's style to disastrous effect. 

BEM Cover

A terrific Hunt Emerson cover for BEM fanzine. The interior had art & spot illustrations by Hunt, Mike Matthews and Steve Gibson.

Spaced Cover

Cover to Tom Sheridan's 1974 comic.

"Spaced" Page 2

Interior page from Tom Sheridan's great 1974 publication.

Comic Conventions! 1

Yes, even then we had comic conventions. Some traders even had interesting stuff for sale. Mike Matthews & Steve Gibson drew posters and flyers to bring the fans & the unwashed masses into the world of comics & comix. This one's by Mike.

Sweeney Todd - Original Art

Back in the old days (The 1970's to you...) We used to occasionally trade a piece of artwork here and there. Mike Matthews gave me this unpublished drawing. Can't remember what he got in exchange though. But I'm sure that I got the better end of the deal!

Horrific Romance

Sick of censorship and being rejected by (Amongst others) Heavy Metal, Mike Matthews self published this inspired gem in 1984. This comic pretty much defines Mike's comic aesthetic and his cultural obsessions. I regard this as an important artefact amongst the UK comic publications from any era. 

Famous Bastards, Inc - Cover & Page 1

Self published comic from 85/86 by Steve Gibson. Lettered by Mike Matthews. A limited edition comic drawn around the time I started working for Fleetway.

Spot Illos 1

Some spot illustrations by Mike Matthews for long forgotten fanzines. Mostly from Mike Cruden's Fantasy Trader and BEM, I think.

Dan Maniac Postcard

Before the internet. Before mobile phones. Even before Ipods. We used to sometimes communicate by postcards. It's true!

Dan Maniac was Mike Matthew's favourite ongoing character. Based on Dick Tracey and every trashy 1950's Crime Comic that he could lay his hands on, Dan Maniac brought out the best in Mike's psychic inventory of bizarre ideas.

Aarte Phaarte Portephaulieauh

This tiny "portfolio" of five pencil sketches in an old newspaper presentation folder was Mike Matthews' answer to the "fine art" pretentious print sets/portfolios by well known comics artists of the 1980's. These guys know who they are... The cover and two of the plates are shown here.

Eastern Front

From Elipse issue 3, 1978. I think this was the first comic strip that Mike Matthews completed for publication. Other cartoonists in this fanzine included Steve Gibson and David Hine.

Escaped...

Page one of a strip from Napalm Kiss 2, drawn by Steve Gibson & inked by Mike Matthews. I think that we must've just discovered the Russ Cochran EC reprints. Jack Davis & "Ghastly" Graham Ingels. Great Stuff!

Vicious Crime Romances

The front & back covers of Mike Matthews' 8 page "mini-comic". He printed a handful of these & usually gave them to other cartoonists at conventions.

Napalm Kiss 2 - Front & Back Covers

Mike Matthews did both the covers for issue 2. He was perfecting his "Richard Corben" colour overlays on acetate over a wash tone drawing. It was a way of getting full colour and keeping the printing costs down.

Adverts for Napalm Kiss

Here's a couple of low key (Who am I kiddin'?) ads for NK by Mike Matthews. These appeared in fanzines. Can't remember which ones. Maybe BEM and Fantasy Trader?

Napalm Kiss 1 - Back Cover!

Mike Matthew's terrific back cover to NK issue 1- Ink washes & colour overlays. Even back in '77 we weren't optomistic about the future. Rubble everywhere, corpses in the streets, gun totin' psycho mutants. But at least the hitch hikers were still gonna be cute!

Napalm Kiss 1 - Front Cover

The cover to the "Notorious"UK Underground Comix, Napalm Kiss from 1977, by Tom Sheridan & coloured by the late Mike Matthews. Printed at The Art's Lab Press, in Birmingham by Hunt Emerson.