PHIL ELLIOTT MONTH: Comix Reading List #89: Greenhouse Warriors 2

89. GREENHOUSE WARRIORS #2 by Glenn Dakin/Phil Elliott (Self-published, Never reprinted) Mycomicshop

The final installment of my month long celebration of Phil Elliott's comics is a series I would love to see as a future kickstarter from the team of Elliott and Dakin. 

Barring that, I do have this Lone second  issue of the series to discuss. First, a roll call of the plant-based heroes...

Here we have most of the crew: Poppy, Thistle, Lavender (left to right 1st panel),  and Honeysuckle (arriving in 3rd panel)

Sunflower and Thistle.

Lavender, Cactus, and Poppy.

Doctor Glass, who I gather created all of the above characters, is pictured above with newly introduced villain Brother Nature.

Glenn Dakin does another great job giving Elliott an unusual story to stretch his storytelling and graphic abilities. The first page shows off Elliott's clear line style, but he also gets shadowy in places. The final page above just vibrates with the power of Brother Nature being slowly revealed. 

Just a historical note, the first issue was published by Tundra UK, which had some relation to the US Tundra and Atomeka. Issues 2-5 were self-published by Phil Elliott himself, even though GCD and others mistakenly credit Tundra UK as publisher for the whole series.

PHIL ELLIOTT MONTH: Comix Reading List #88: Illegal Alien

88. ILLEGAL ALIEN by James Robinson/Phil Elliott (Kitchen Sink Press, OOP) Mycomicshop

This second graphic novel collaboration between Elliott and writer James Robinson seems to have been released almost concurrently with BLUEBEARD.

The story is now very well worn (and may have been in '94) of an alien crashing to Earth and taking human form. The original twist is the alien reanimated a murdered American member of the mafia who visits his Italian family (sent to open channels with British organized crime) in the UK in 1963.

Elliott's art is what we’re here for, with very consistent depictions of a large cast I never had trouble telling them apart. Also, some spectacular visuals of the alien's ship.

A scene at the end of the book shows the silent reactions of the wife to what her husband is saying about the effects of the alien on the family. There are many great artistic touches like this by Elliott throughout.

PHIL ELLIOTT MONTH: Comix Reading List #87: Bluebeard

86. BLUEBEARD by James Robinson/Phil Elliott (Slave Labor Graphics, OOP) Mycomicshop

I've read some of James Robinson's superhero comics over the past couple decades, if I recall right they were fine but nothing too exciting. This book is not STARMAN, or any of that ilk. BLUEBEARD is like a European album in pacing and subject matter. More of a psychosexual horror story told through the framework of a crime story.

My favorite part of the book are the early chapters where the crimes are recounted by witnesses to some sort of investigator who is tracking the killer.

While Phil Elliott's art is more than up for the task of interpreting Robinson's globetrotting serial grifter/murderer, I feel the book gets weaker at the end when Bluebeard becomes the focus of the final confrontation. 

Otherwise, this book is a great showcase for Elliott. Rarely does he get to work so much sex and violence into a story. The women are beautifully depicted, as is the scenery. The artistic highlight of the book are the double page spread establishing shots for each chapter (or victim, if you will). 

PHIL ELLIOTT MONTH: Happy Birthday, Phil Elliott (June 22, 1960- )

                                            A fun pre-pandemic facebook post

A HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO PHIL ELLIOTT!

Thanks to everyone who has joined me in celebrating Phil's comics career ranging across six decades (so far, he's still a young chap), today we have an old-fashioned link post for further reading...

Phil Elliott's website

Aces Weekly Volume 33: Paul Duncan and Phil are reunited

Aces Weekly Volumes 1 and 4 feature shorts by Phil. order here

Zine Love celebrated Phil's birthday in 2020 with multiple posts

Joseph Simon feature-length interview with Phil at First Comics News

Morgan Spiceman interviews Phil on downthetubes

Tom Murphy reviews IN HIS CUPS: COLLECTED TALES FROM GIMBLEY at Broken Frontier

Phil Elliott entry on Lambiek Comiclopedia

A funny anecdote about Phil's original art from Bleeding Cool (If you can make it through all the clickbait)

Phil Elliott original art displayed on Comic Art Fans

Times New Keeferton blog shows off two pages of Phil Elliott original art

Phil Elliott books reviewed at The Slings & Arrows Graphic Novel Guide

Social Media: facebook twitter 

There is a lot of extra art and bonus information on these Kickstarter project pages:

ES*EF funded August 19, 2018 [Reuben Willmott]

RODNEY - THE PREMONITION funded March 3, 2019

THE WONDERS OF SCIENCE funded June 30, 2019

THE MAMMY funded September 26, 2019

CIRCUS DENIRO funded August 23, 2020

MALTY HEAVE 2 funded November 30, 2020 [Robert Wells]

THE SUTTONS funded February 21, 2021

STUFF funded June 22, 2021

STUFF - A BIT MORE funded April 14, 2022

STUFF 3 funded September 3, 2022

GAG funded December 27, 2022

GAG 2 funded July 13, 2023

POOL TALES funded November 18, 2023

THE MAN FROM ZODIAC funded June 6, 2024

Blast from the past 1:

Elliott cover

FAST FICTION #1

A gallery of 41 rare covers by Phil posted by Ed Pinsent (see above)! here

Ed Pinsent took over editing/publishing duties of the FAST FICTION anthology from Phil, a history and bibliography of the seminal series from the beginning can be found here.

Blast from the past 2:

Phil Elliott's Blodge blog on the Wayback Machine one two three four more captures

Elliott's current website, earlier versions (2002- ) on the Wayback Machine here

I don't know if direct links to archive.org work, if not go to the home page and type "phil elliott" into the Wayback Machine search box.

Blast from the Past 3:

I came across this ghost link that posts many of the Gimbley stories from the IN HIS CUPS collection. This seems to not be a part of Phil's current site.

PHIL ELLIOTT MONTH: Comix Reading List #86: Beyond Finity

86. BEYOND FINITY by Glenn Dakin/Phil Elliott (Phil Elliott) lulu.com

The most interesting thing I've discovered about Phil Elliott in my reading this month is how much he's collaborated with other cartoonists over the years. We've covered all his comic strips written by Eddie Campbell for SOUNDS, now on to his work written by Glenn Dakin (Abe, Temptation).

Currently up for preorder after a successful kickstarter campaign is their longest collaboration, THE MAN FROM ZODIAC, but BEYOND FINITY collects their shorter works together over the years.

"Flatman" (STRIP #20, 1990) 

"Skiff" (FAST FICTION #19)

"Vulnerable" (TABOO #3)

"Anton Path in: Sea Head" (unknown)

"The Vicar of St. Voix" (GREENHOUSEWARRIORS #2)

"Extracts From Abe's Australian Diary" (unknown)

"Introspectre: Chapter One" (unknown)

(A different Introspectre story solely by Dakin appeared here)

Three of the final four stories are Elliott drawing Glenn Dakin characters. Except for the broad humor in "Flatman" and "Anton Path", these all have a rather subdued or vaguely sinister tone. I'm not quite sure Phil drawing Glenn's Abe characters is altogether successful, but everything else works great. The narrative experimentation of Dakin blends very well with Elliott's graphic sense.

This is a nice little print-on-demand glossy softcover book. It's about half the page count of the forthcoming MAN FROM ZODIAC book. None of the stories are attributed as to their earlier print appearances. Though that's not even a complaint as the contents work fine as a single unit divorced from their origins.

PHIL ELLIOTT MONTH: Comix Reading List #85: In His Cups: Collected Tales of Gimbley

 85. IN HIS CUPS: COLLECTED TALES OF GIMBLEY (Self-published) lulu.com

Phil Elliott's most recognizable character may possibly be David Gimbley, dreamer and pub frequenter who regales anybody nearby with tall tales about his towering coiffed younger self. This collection of Gimbley stories doesn't promise to be complete, however at 180 pages we're satisfied. Starting with the very first Gimbley story in the mini-comic A7 COMICS #1: GIMBLEY'S BELIEVE IT OR NOT...

cover

 

Old and young Gimbley and Jack first appearance

Through several decades, to a 21st century appearance in David Lloyd's ACES WEEKLY...

I had always made the mistake of thinking of Elliott's Gimbley as existing only in the Herge "ligne claire" style because of the cover of BLITE I'd seen so many times without actually seeing Elliott's actual comics work.

Elliott had a very detailed, almost busy style in his early FAST FICTION work. This strip is sort of a bridge between those early works and Elliott's clear-line style.

Phil Elliott must have had a regular outlet for Gimbley, as there are a great many full- and half-page strips of varying degrees of narrative experimentation and graphic calisthenics...

My favorite run this volume has Gimbley's adventures with his mate Jesus! These are very simply drawn, almost sketches at times. The stories are ridiculous, hilarious, and definitely sacrilegious as the last one seems to take place in a strip club! This example has Jesus drinking too much wine at a wedding and...

In conclusion, Gimbley has been an excellent channel for Elliott's humble personality and graphic experimentation through his long career.

PHIL ELLIOTT MONTH: Comix Reading List #84: The Suttons

 84. THE SUTTONS by Phil Elliott (Kickstarter) Phil Elliott

The Suttons, written and illustrated by Phil Elliott, ran for an incredible six years from August 22, 1985 to April 1991 in his local paper The Maidstone Borough News.

Microsoft bing

THE SUTTONS is very different from his previous strip collaborations with Eddie Campbell. Elliott does everything here and the attitude is mostly subdued and domestic, following the lives of Dave and Julie Sutton, daughter Lucy, and Julie's Brother Dean. A particularly poignant early strip depicts the birth of Lucy Dawn Sutton:

Elliott experimented with the format of the comic strip, this one pushes the limits of typography to preserve a little dignity talking about dirty diapers!

This one is just plain hilarious, with the dialogue and sound effects painting a naughty picture of...

One of the highlights of later years strips is Dean dreaming of lighthearted adventures in space, allowing Elliott to cut loose a bit.

A later example of experimentation with musical notes in service of a musical punchline.

I love the subtle breaking of the fourth wall in this strip from towards the end of the run.

These are some of the strips that stood out in my reading, there are scores of spot on slice of life strips that are very well done.

PHIL ELLIOTT MONTH: Comix Reading List #83: The Wonders of Science

 83. THE WONDERS OF SCIENCE (Kickstarter) Phil Elliott

This is the first of three volumes collecting the collaborations of Eddie Campbell and Phil Elliott on weekly strips for SOUNDS starting in 1984. I've previously covered RODNEY THE PREMONITION and THE MAMMY volumes that Phil Elliott funded through kickstarter, this is similar including a lot of back matter and an introduction by co-creator Eddie Campbell.

WONDERS OF SCIENCE, unbelievably, is even more anarchic than the two that followed! Basically, it's crazy idea after absurd idea with Professor Bean and The Research Labs of Grayson Manor as the characters driving the nonsense forward. 

The art is almost cubist in some places and realistic in others, Phil Elliott's talent is so adaptable he could illustrate any wild idea he and Campbell could come up with.

PHIL ELLIOTT MONTH: Comix Reading List #82: The Mammy

 82. THE MAMMY (Kickstarter) Phil Elliott

This is the final strip collaboration between Eddie Campbell and Phil Elliott and they went out with a bang. The basic plot is "The Mammy" and her children, Lucifer (returning from a cameo in RODNEY, and next appearing in the Trident miniseries also by Campbell/Elliott), Hubert the royal vampire, Blobber, and later in the series Spook. I can't even begin to describe what the "plot" of this insanity would be! My favorite sequence (below) is when Lucifer turns into a werewolf and chases Paul Hooper: Dole Snooper (the villain of the strip) out of Mammy's house before being set upon himself by The Melton Mowbray Hunting Association. What the...?

As a bonus in this collection Eddie Campbell writes a long introduction and includes two versions of his script for Phil Elliott for one of the above strips.

Also, when the strip was cancelled by SOUNDS it was unfinished. Campbell writes in the introduction that he and Elliott completed thirteen more strips after the above sequence for it's reprinting in HONK #5.

PHIL ELLIOTT MONTH: Phil Elliott in Honk Magazine 1986-87

 I remember first seeing Phil Elliott's work in back issues of HONK #1 and #2, probably in the early 90s. Specifically, it's Phil Elliott and Eddie Campbell's hilariously dire "Rodney: The Premonition II" strip reprinted in 5 page chunks that caught my attention (see my separate entry on the collected Rodney: The Premonition). 

I'm not sure about FAST FICTION, but the other major UK magazine Elliott contributed to early in his career, ESCAPE, had some good US distribution by the likes of Bud Plant and Last Gasp (where I recently purchased two issues from!). However, I would count HONK as an early instance of Elliott's genius colliding (almost simultaneously with SECOND CITY) with the US comics market.

Looking back on the contents of these first issues on Grand Comics Database, editor Tom Mason included other contemporary UK creators such as Glenn Dakin, John Bagnall, and Woodrow Phoenix. The last two issues, edited by early days Joe Sacco, continued reprinting Phil Elliott and Eddie Campbell's strip collaborations.

Just for history's sake here is a listing of Phil Elliott's work for all five issues of this mostly forgotten series (information from GCD):

HONK #1 November 1986

 "Gimbley" 1 page

 "Rodney: The Premonition II" 5 pages

Cover illustration

HONK #2 January 1987

 "Rodney: The Premonition II" 5 pages

 "Gimbley" 3 pages

HONK #3 March 1987

 "The Wonders of Science" 4 pages

HONK #4 May 1987

 "Gimbley" 1 page

 "The Wonders of Science" 6 pages

HONK #5 July 1987

 "The Wonders of Science" 5 pages

 "The Mammy" 10 pages

All strips (except Gimbley) in collaboration with Eddie Campbell