Spotlight on Comic Book Royalty: London Film and Comic-Con 2024 Honors Achievers in the World of Comics

By: Daniel Burns

Last weekend, the grandeur of London Film and Comic Con (LFCC) was once more on vibrant display, filled with the jingle of keyrings on novelty lanyards, awash in a sea of colorfully bedecked cosplayers, crammed with collectibles sellers armed with too many comic books, and yet, not enough. It was in this exquisite chaos that LFCC unveiled its second annual pick of inductees into its Hall of Fame – a lineup that includes former DC Vertigo editor Shelly Bond, artist Simon Bisley, cartoonist Lew Stringer, and charmingly surprising, former UK children’s TV presenter Peter Purves.

Queen of the Dark – Shelly Bond, perhaps most famous as the shade-wearing queen of American comic books hailing from DC’s Vertigo imprint, was bestowed the honor quite fittingly amidst a sea of her most ardent admirers. Bond, who sprouted her career as an assistant editor to Vertigo’s legendary founder, Karen Berger, has been the nurturing hand behind iconic titles such as The Sandman, Hellblazer, Shade, the Changing Man, and Fables.

Upon Berger’s departure, Bond rose to the honorary title of Executive Editor and Vice President of Vertigo Comics before the line’s unsettling sunken ship moment in 2016. What can be deemed as her professional second act, Bond and her husband Philip co-founded Off Register, a publishing company that is fast gaining prestige in the comic book community.

Bond, in her trademark elan, has also ventured into producing crowdfunded graphic guides and autobiographies, including ‘Filth & Grammar’ and ‘Fast Times in Comic Book Editing’ that dive into her extraordinary industry experience.

Simon Bisley, the British artist with a display case of awards, and an artistic impact that runs as deep as the color palette of his game-changing fully painted art on the epic ‘The Horned God’ in the pages of 2000AD, was the second honoree of the night. It was Bisley’s art that inspired a generation of artists and triggered a boom in fully painted comics work. And who could forget his first comics job at 2000 AD in 1987 where a simple drawing of a robot cradling a baby was all it took to relaunch fan-favorite series ‘ABC Warriors’!

Next in line to receive the prestigious accolade was Lew Stringer, a cartoonist who’s been a steady presence in the UK industry since 1983 and has a portfolio that includes the eccentrically endearing Brickman, Combat Colin, Tom Thug, and Derek the Troll. Stringer’s contributions to Britain’s most beloved comic magazines like Beano, Dandy, Oink!, and Doctor Who Magazine over the years have cemented him as a true industry luminary.

The surprise of the night came in the form of Peter Purves, famous internationally for his brief acting role in Doctor Who during the William Hartnell era in the 1960s. However, the Brits hold perhaps a deeper affection for him because of his decade-long stint as a presenter on the BBC’s beloved children’s magazine programme, Blue Peter, where he also championed comic book advocacy.

The LFCC Hall of Fame, introduced in 2023 amidst great fanfare, proudly serves to honor those from the comic world, with a nod towards media personalities. Last year, esteemed inductees included US comics writer Dan Slott, British artist Brian Bolland, cartoonist and satirist Hunt Emerson, and multifaceted actor/writer Claudia Christian.

Marking its two decades of existence, the LFCC, organized by the events company Showmasters Ltd, has grown into a nucleus of vibrant creativity for comic connoisseurs not just from Kensington’s Olympia Exhibition Centre, West London where it takes place, but from around the globe.

Until next year, comic enthusiasts, when the grand old hall of London Film and Comic Con will once again invite us into its exciting, eccentric, and extraordinary world of illustrated tales and larger-than-life characters. Cheers.

Image Caption: Shelly Bond, Simon Bisley, Lew Stringer, Peter Purves honored at LFCC 2024. Credit: Tony Lee