Back in 2005 Leah and I were still pretty new to writing comics with just a couple of series on the shelves. I can’t remember exactly how it came about but somehow we were invited to contribute something to UK indie publisher ACCENT UK’s annual anthology, the title and topic of which was MONSTERS.
My first encounter with Andy Bloor’s work then must have been in 2006 when I first got my hands on a copy of MONSTERS and read ‘MAYBE TONIGHT’ (written by Dave West). I recall being instantly impressed by the boldness; the whites, greys, and slabs of absolute black that made each of his panels look like intricate scratchboard illustrations. Andy’s artwork stood out. Andy’s artwork was different.
Some people would have you believe that’s not a good thing, not in comics. The truth is that almost all of those people are artists, or frustrated artists, who don’t have a unique style of their own. Andy Bloor’s artwork doesn’t look like anyone else’s and it is all the better for it.
THE WOLFMEN, FALL OF THE WOLFMEN, and even more so the truly brilliant MIDNIGHT MAN (written by Mo Ali) simply could not have been drawn by anyone else. That is to say, if they had been drawn by someone else I have no doubt that West and Ali’s writing talents would still have shone through, but the aesthetic of the books would not, could not, be the same without Andy.
It is always an absolute pleasure to see a new page of anything from Andy because it is always going to be something you’ve never seen before. He is a hugely talented artist with an arresting and unique style which transforms anything he does, regardless of collaborator, into “An Andy Bloor Story”.
We’ve worked with Andy a few times over the years, (creating the character of Doctor Diablo with him) and we fully intend to work with him again at the earliest possible opportunity.
His collection ANDYTHOLOGY not only collects pin-ups and previously published collaborations with Kieron Gillen (THE WICKED + THE DIVINE, STAR WARS: DARTH VADER), Mo Ali (MIDNIGHT MAN, DREAMCATCHER) and ourselves but also contains new short tales fresh from the keyboards of Ali, and us. And at £6 it’s a an absolute bargain.