Phil Elliott (born 1960) is a
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
comic book creator
developed specialized terminology. Some several attempts have been made to formalize and define the terminology of comics by authors such as Will Eisner, Scott McCloud, R. C. Harvey and Dylan Horrocks. Much of the terminology in English is un ...
who was published in ''
Escape Magazine
''Escape'' magazine was a British comic strip magazine founded and edited by Paul Gravett and Peter Stanbury. Nineteen issues were published between 1983 and 1989. Eddie Campbell, Phil Elliott and Glenn Dakin were amongst the many cartoonists ...
''. He was part of the
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. They're comparable to similar movements internationally, such as American m ...
scene in the 1980s.
Career
After contributing spot illustrations to comic
fanzines
A fanzine (blend word, blend of ''fan (person), fan'' and ''magazine'' or ''-zine'') is a non-professional and non-official publication produced by fan (person), enthusiasts of a particular cultural phenomenon (such as a literary or musical genre) ...
such as ''
Bemusing'' and ''
The Panelologist'' in the mid 70's, Elliott decided to try his hand at publishing his own fanzine and, with the help of
Ian Wieczorek and Paul Chester released ''Blitzine'', followed by ''Delapsus Resurgam''. In 1977 Elliott, with co-editors John Matthews (a fellow comic artist) and Ian Wieczorek, published the
comics fanzine
A fanzine (blend of '' fan'' and ''magazine'' or ''-zine'') is a non-professional and non-official publication produced by enthusiasts of a particular cultural phenomenon (such as a literary or musical genre) for the pleasure of others who share t ...
''Elipse''. ''Elipse'' ran for three issues and printed early strips by
Kev F Sutherland
Kev F. Sutherland (born 18 October 1961) is a Scottish comedian and comic strip creator. He has drawn for a variety of publications, including ''The Beano''. He has produced several shows at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, including The Sitcom ...
,
Mike Matthews
Michael Scott Matthews (born October 24, 1973) is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who pitched from to . Matthews graduated from Woodbridge Senior High School in Woodbridge, Virginia.
Matthews pitched a single season at Montgomery Junior ...
, and
Dave Hine
David Hine (born 1956) is an English comic book writer and artist, known for his work on ''Silent War'' and ''The Bulletproof Coffin''.
Career
Hine has been working in comics since the early 1980s in comics, 1980s. For ''Crisis (Fleetway), Crisi ...
as well as Elliott himself. ''Elipse'' was a unique fanzine at the time, featuring solely comic strips.
In the early 1980s Elliott became re-acquainted with an old comic collecting friend,
Paul Gravett
Paul Gravett is a London-based journalist, curator, writer, and broadcaster who has worked in comics publishing since 1981.
He is the founder of ''Escape Magazine'', and for many years wrote a monthly article on comics appearing in the UK magaz ...
, who was working on ''
Pssst!
''Pssst!'' (styled as ''pssst!'') was a short-lived British comics magazine published by Never–Artpool in 1982. ''Pssst!'', which lasted ten monthly issues, was an attempt to publish a British equivalent of the lavish French bande dessinée ma ...
'' magazine. Unable to get his work published in ''Pssst!'', Elliott decided to return to self-publishing and, with Ian Wieczorek again, released the ''Fast Fiction'' comic, which took its name from the
Fast Fiction
''Fast Fiction'' was a market stall, magazine, mail order distributor and news sheet that played a key role in the history of British small press comics. It existed in its various forms from 1981 through to 1990 under the stewardship of Paul Grave ...
comics distribution service.
One of the artists Phil chose to publish in ''Fast Fiction'' was
Eddie Campbell
Eddie Campbell (born 10 August 1955) is a British comics artist and cartoonist who now lives in Chicago. Probably best known as the illustrator and publisher of ''From Hell'' (written by Alan Moore), Campbell is also the creator of the semi-au ...
. Elliott collaborated with Campbell between 1984 and 1986 on various comic strips that ran in the music paper ''
Sounds
In physics, sound is a vibration that propagates as an acoustic wave, through a transmission medium such as a gas, liquid or solid.
In human physiology and psychology, sound is the ''reception'' of such waves and their ''perception'' by the ...
'' and drew the first issue of Campbell's ''
Lucifer
Lucifer is one of various figures in folklore associated with the planet Venus. The entity's name was subsequently absorbed into Christianity as a name for the devil. Modern scholarship generally translates the term in the relevant Bible passage ...
''. Elliott was also responsible for colouring many of the covers of Campbell's comics for
Harrier Comics
Harrier Comics (officially known as Harrier Publishing) was a British comic book publisher active in the mid-to-late 1980s. Harrier was notable for putting out black-and-white comics in a mold more similar to American comics than to typical Brit ...
.
Elliott also formed a strong creative partnership with
Glenn Dakin
Glenn Dakin (born 1960) is a British cartoonist and author of children's books. He is the author of the ''Candle Man'' book series, and he contributed to a number of British comics magazines including ''Escape'' and ''Deadline'', and was part of ...
, which resulted in comics such as ''Greenhouse Warriors'', ''Mr Night'' and ''
The Man from Cancer''.
Elliott was a regular contributor to the influential UK comic magazine ''
Escape
Escape or Escaping may refer to:
Computing
* Escape character, in computing and telecommunication, a character which signifies that what follows takes an alternative interpretation
** Escape sequence, a series of characters used to trigger some so ...
'', and in 1985 Escape published his ''
Doc Chaos
DOC, Doc, doc or DoC may refer to:
In film and television
* ''Doc'' (2001 TV series), a 2001–2004 PAX series
* ''Doc'' (1975 TV series), a 1975–1976 CBS sitcom
* "D.O.C." (''Lost''), a television episode
* ''Doc'' (film), a 1971 Wester ...
'' comic. ''Doc Chaos'' was written by
Dave Thorpe
Dave Thorpe (born 1954) is a British writer who is best known for his work on ''Captain Britain''.
Biography
David Thorpe's career began when he joined Marvel UK in 1980 as an assistant editor and art assistant. He soon started writing Captain ...
and Lawrence Gray.
In 1985 Elliott began drawing ''
The Suttons
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
'' for his local newspaper, ''The Maidstone Star''. This comic strip ran for three years.
After handing over the editorship of ''Fast Fiction'' to
Ed Pinsent
Ed Pinsent (born 1960, Liverpool, England) is a British cartoonist, artist, and writer.
Biography
Ed Pinsent is the son of the classical scholar John Pinsent and was brought up in the city of Liverpool.
Pinsent has written and drawn his own sm ...
, Elliott began editing ''
!GAG!'' for Harrier Comics. Harrier Comics also published Elliott and
Paul Duncan
Paul may refer to:
*Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name)
*Paul (surname), a list of people
People
Christianity
* Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chri ...
's four-issue ''Second City'' comic as well as two collections of Elliott's ''
A Tale from Gimbley
A, or a, is the first letter and the first vowel of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''a'' (pronounced ), plural ''aes'' ...
'' stories — ''Some Tales From Gimbley'' and ''More Tales From Gimbley''.
Elliott has worked in some capacity for most of the major comic publishers in the US and UK. His comic ''
Blite'' was published by
Fantagraphics
Fantagraphics (previously Fantagraphics Books) is an American publisher of alternative comics, classic comic strip anthologies, manga, magazines, graphic novels, and the erotic Eros Comix imprint.
History
Founding
Fantagraphics was found ...
. He was an artist on ''
The Real Ghostbusters
''The Real Ghostbusters'' is an American animated television series, a spin-off/sequel of the 1984 comedy film ''Ghostbusters''. The series ran from September 13, 1986, to October 5, 1991, and was produced by Columbia Pictures Television and DI ...
'' comic for
Marvel UK
Marvel UK was an imprint of Marvel Comics formed in 1972 to reprint US-produced stories for the British weekly comic market. Marvel UK later produced original material by British creators such as Alan Moore, John Wagner, Dave Gibbons, Steve Dill ...
and was the
colourist
In comics, a colorist is responsible for adding color to black-and-white line art. For most of the 20th century this was done using brushes and dyes which were then used as guides to produce the printing plates. Since the late 20th century it is ...
on the first seven issues of
Paul Grist Paul Grist may refer to:
* Paul Grist (actor) (born 1939), British actor
* Paul Grist (comics)
Paul Grist (born 9 September 1960) is a British comic book creator, noted for his hard-boiled police series '' Kane'' and his unorthodox superhero s ...
's superhero comic book, ''
Jack Staff
Jack Staff is a British superhero created by comic book writer/artist Paul Grist. Billed as "Britain's Greatest Hero", it is known for being in the style of an anthology title and for its multi-linear plotlines.
He first saw print in comics pu ...
''. Other work has appeared in ''
Punch
Punch commonly refers to:
* Punch (combat), a strike made using the hand closed into a fist
* Punch (drink), a wide assortment of drinks, non-alcoholic or alcoholic, generally containing fruit or fruit juice
Punch may also refer to:
Places
* Pun ...
'', ''Knockabout'', ''
Fox Comics
Fox Feature Syndicate (also known as Fox Comics, Fox Publications, and Bruns Publications, Inc.) was a comic book publisher from early in the period known to fans and historians as the Golden Age of Comic Books. Founded by entrepreneur Victor S. ...
'' and ''
Power Rangers
''Power Rangers'' is an entertainment and merchandising franchise built around a live-action superhero television series, based on the Japanese tokusatsu franchise ''Super Sentai''. Produced first by Saban Entertainment, second by BVS Entert ...
''. Elliott coloured Paul Grist's series ''Demon Nic'' which was published in the ''
Judge Dredd Megazine
''Judge Dredd: The Megazine'' is a monthly British comic magazine, launched in September 1990. It is a sister publication to '' 2000 AD''. Its name is a play on words, formed from "magazine" and Judge Dredd's locale Mega-City One.
Content
Like ...
''. He has also coloured various ''Doctor Who'' comics for IDW Publishing.
Recent work
Elliott's ''Contraband'' is a quirky under-18 thriller written by Thomas John Behe. Released in February 2008, ''Contraband'' is a unique illustrated book revealing how privacy-invading cameraphones fuel the multibillion-dollar
spy cam
A hidden camera or spy camera is a camera used to photograph or record subjects, often people, without their knowledge. The camera may be considered "hidden" because it is not visible to the subject being filmed, or is disguised as another obje ...
industry. Other comic work includes ''
TUPELO
Tupelo , genus ''Nyssa'' , is a small genus of deciduous trees with alternate, simple leaves. It is sometimes included in the subfamily Nyssoideae of the dogwood family, Cornaceae, but is placed by other authorities in the family Nyssaceae. In ...
'' , ''
Absent Friends'' and ''
Rockpool Files'' for
Slave Labor Graphics
Slave Labor Graphics (SLG) is an independent American comic book publisher, well known for publishing darkly humorous, offbeat comics. Creators associated with SLG over the years include Evan Dorkin, Roman Dirge, Sarah Dyer, Woodrow Phoenix, Jhon ...
and ''
Illegal Alien'' for
Dark Horse Comics
Dark Horse Comics is an American comic book, graphic novel, and manga publisher founded in Milwaukie, Oregon by Mike Richardson in 1986. The company was created using funds earned from Richardson's chain of Portland, Oregon comic book shops known ...
. A 184-page collection of Elliott's Tales From Gimbley, titled ''
In His Cups - collected Tales From Gimbley'' was published in August 2014.
Influences
Elliott's early influences were mainly US comic book artists, including
Bernie Wrightson
Bernard Albert Wrightson (October 27, 1948 – March 18, 2017), sometimes credited as Bernie Wrightson, was an American artist, known for co-creating the Swamp Thing, his adaptation of the novel ''Frankenstein'' illustration work, and for his o ...
,
Barry Smith and
Jeff Jones. Elliott was later influenced by the European
ligne claire
''Ligne claire'' ( French for "clear line", ; nl, klare lijn) is a style of drawing created and pioneered by Hergé, the Belgian cartoonist and creator of ''The Adventures of Tintin''. It uses clear strong lines sometimes of varied width and n ...
, or
Clear Line, artists such as
Hergé
Georges Prosper Remi (; 22 May 1907 – 3 March 1983), known by the pen name Hergé (; ), from the French pronunciation of his reversed initials ''RG'', was a Belgian cartoonist. He is best known for creating ''The Adventures of Tintin'', ...
and
Joost Swarte
Joost Swarte (born 24 December 1947 in Heemstede) is a Dutch cartoonist and graphic designer. He is best known for his ligne claire or ''clear line'' style of drawing, a term he coined.
Comic series and characters by Swarte include ''Katoen en ...
. Eddie Campbell, along with Glenn Dakin and
Ed Pinsent
Ed Pinsent (born 1960, Liverpool, England) is a British cartoonist, artist, and writer.
Biography
Ed Pinsent is the son of the classical scholar John Pinsent and was brought up in the city of Liverpool.
Pinsent has written and drawn his own sm ...
have also had a major influence on Elliott's work and outlook.
Bibliography
Comics work includes:
*''
Illegal Alien'' with writer
James Robinson, 80 page
graphic novel
A graphic novel is a long-form, fictional work of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comic scholars and industry ...
,
Kitchen Sink Press
Kitchen Sink Press was a comic book publishing company founded by Denis Kitchen in 1970. Kitchen Sink Press was a pioneering publisher of underground comics, and was also responsible for numerous republications of classic comic strips in hardcov ...
, softcover,
1994
File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which Sinking of the MS Estonia, sank in ...
, ; reprinted in
2003
File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an epidemic in China, and was a precursor to SARS-CoV-2; A des ...
,
Dark Horse Comics
Dark Horse Comics is an American comic book, graphic novel, and manga publisher founded in Milwaukie, Oregon by Mike Richardson in 1986. The company was created using funds earned from Richardson's chain of Portland, Oregon comic book shops known ...
, softcover, ,
Titan Books
Titan Publishing Group is the publishing division of Titan Entertainment Group, which was established in 1981. The books division has two main areas of publishing: film and television tie-ins and cinema reference books; and graphic novels and co ...
, hardcover, ;
*''
Contraband
Contraband (from Medieval French ''contrebande'' "smuggling") refers to any item that, relating to its nature, is illegal to be possessed or sold. It is used for goods that by their nature are considered too dangerous or offensive in the eyes o ...
'' with writer
Thomas Behe, 144 page
graphic novel
A graphic novel is a long-form, fictional work of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comic scholars and industry ...
,
SLG Publishing
Slave Labor Graphics (SLG) is an independent American comic book publisher, well known for publishing darkly humorous, offbeat comics. Creators associated with SLG over the years include Evan Dorkin, Roman Dirge, Sarah Dyer, Woodrow Phoenix, J ...
, softcover,
2008
File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
, ;
*''
The Rockpool Files'' with writer
Glenn Dakin
Glenn Dakin (born 1960) is a British cartoonist and author of children's books. He is the author of the ''Candle Man'' book series, and he contributed to a number of British comics magazines including ''Escape'' and ''Deadline'', and was part of ...
,
SLG Publishing
Slave Labor Graphics (SLG) is an independent American comic book publisher, well known for publishing darkly humorous, offbeat comics. Creators associated with SLG over the years include Evan Dorkin, Roman Dirge, Sarah Dyer, Woodrow Phoenix, J ...
, softcover,
2009
File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...
, ;
*''
In His Cups - collected Tales from Gimbley'', 184 page
comic
a Media (communication), medium used to express ideas with images, often combined with text or other visual information. It typically the form of a sequence of Panel (comics), panels of images. Textual devices such as speech balloons, Glo ...
, softcover,
2014
File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...
,
Notes
References
*
*
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Elliott, Phil
Living people
Date of birth missing (living people)
Place of birth missing (living people)
1960 births