History

For all with a soft spot for the history of comics, illustration  and artists, where we come from and good heavens what fascinating  work  was produced,  Steve Holland, freelance author and editor, has established himself as the go to man for the low-down on old British comics, books and magazines. He is responsible for a number of books on the history of comics and genre books and illustration.
He has a website at  http://bearalley.blogspot.co.uk/
with an allied site http://www.comicsuk.co.uk/links.php .
Between them they give access and links to reprints of British comics and illustration from the latter half  of the nineteenth century to the present.
Though  maintaining a grip on what is happening now Steve does encourage nostalgia for dear dead days within recall. But the past is not just for the wistful old reminiscing on the days when  a penny was a twelfth of a shilling and would buy one an OXO cube to lick while walking home from school with the prospect of later swapping a Beano for a Film Fun. ( reference English, chronologically and social class specific). Nostalgia springs from a remembered  happiness past, recalled with sadness at it’s passing.  History however shows us how we got to where we are and that all innovation, creativity, narrative and artistic skill do not  belong to technologically advantaged and anatomy conscious present. Many websites promoted as devoted to comics often appear in fact devoted to the latest Superhero hearsay. Which is fine but a bit like a body building healthy milk-shake site that concentrates on the bubbles on the top.

In his blog Steve reveals he has been writing an obituary for the files of The Guardian newspaper. I assume that was for some comic book or illustration person thought to have a deal more past than future. It is a fantasy of mine that when the time comes my obituary would be published in The Guardian. For those who have it must be an indication that one had really arrived. 

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