fever crumb

This morning I drew the main character from Philip Reeve’s book, Fever Crumb. Fever didn’t turn out exactly like I’d pictured her, particularly the face, but good enough for now. Here’s the pencil sketch and the inked version:

I met the writer and illustrator Philip Reeve at the Edinburgh Book Festival last week, and he recommended I start his Mortal Engines series with Fever Crumb, which is a prequel to the Mortal Engines quartet. He’s written a second prequel, A Web of Air, and I think I’m going to read that one next. I can see these books becoming very addictive. Fever has been raised by a reclusive group of engineers who live in a giant head sculpture. She’s been taught to prize reason and rationality above all else, and when she comes out of the giant head for some mysterious work placement, the whimsicality of London throws her for a loop. As it does all of us, really. Except this is a distopic London in the far-distant future, with fearful inhabitants ready to riot at any movement, either from strangers within the city or from the mechanised foreign army looming on the city’s outskirts. My studio mate, Lauren, just read it and now we’re both hooked.

And Philip’s son, Sam, is hooked on Vern and Lettuce! Philip writes: Other than Asterix and Tintin you’re just about his first experience of comics, & I think he’s rather smitten.
Hurrah! I’m hoping a lot of people who haven’t read many comics will catch the comics bug when they read mine. We at The DFC Library are plotting to take over the world… one comic reader at a time! Here’s the Vern and Lettuce Sam ssent back to me. Thanks, Sam!

Speaking of The DFC Library, I popped into Foyles on Charing Cross Road yesterday and was thrilled to see copies of Monkey Nuts! The fabulous Etherington Brothers are throwing a launch party this coming Thursday, 7 Sept Thurs, 7 Oct (Edit: Doh… thanks, Garen!), at the Kew Bookshop in southwest London. I wouldn’t miss it, come along if you want to find out what all the fuss is about!


Click the pic to see a larger version and details about the launch! Be sure to RSVP if you’re coming!

The DFC Librray’s Mo-bot High creator Neill Cameron just drew a fab picture for his son’s third birthday, giving him a swing around town with Spiderman. Lucky kid!


My co-writer, co-illustrator on an upcoming book, David O’Connell (tozocomic), has come up with a clever way to review a film that I’m not sure if he liked or not. He didn’t review it, he had the Queen Mum review it instead! Doesn’t matter that she’s already dead…

One last thing, I just saw this animation. So simple but so funny. (Bird Box Studio link thanks to the Drawn! blog.)


Sketchy Ice Creams, YouTube link

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