| Mark Stafford | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1970 (age 54–55) Bournemouth, Dorset, England, UK |
| Area(s) | Writer, Penciller, Inker, Colorist |
Notable works | Cherubs! The Man Who Laughs Lip Hook The Bad, Bad Place Salmonella Smorgasbord |
| http://www.hocus-baloney.com | |
Mark Stafford (born 1970) is a London-based cartoonist. His work was first seen in the UK small press/underground comics scene in the mid-Nineties. [1] [2] [3]
The first graphic novel illustrated by Stafford was Cherubs! [1] [3] It was written and co-created by Bryan Talbot , with the first half being published by Desperado Publishing in 2007 [4] before the entire work was published by Dark Horse Comics in 2013. [5] He later illustrated three more, all written by David Hine. The first of these was 2013's The Man Who Laughs , [6] [7] [8] which was followed by Lip Hook: A Tale Of Rural Unease in 2018 [9] [10] [11] and The Bad, Bad Place in 2019. [12] [13]
Stafford's self-published comics include Botulism Banquet - A Compendium of Carcinogenic Canapés, [1] Scenes From Books I Have Not Read, [1] Coin, [1] Tinhorn Galoot [1] and Something Wicked/Something Waiting. [1]
A collection of his self-published work called Salmonella Smorgasbord: A Collection Of Crimes Against Cartooning was published in 2023. [14] [15] [16]
Stafford has contributed to anthologies such as The End, [1] The Lovecraft Anthology Volume One, [1] [3] Meanwhile..., [1] [3] The Mammoth Book of Skulls, [1] HOAX Psychosis Blues, [1] The Broken Frontier Anthology [1] and The Golden Thread. [1]
In 2009 Stafford worked with Southwark Council on a graphic novels/comics mural for John Harvard Library , [1] and in 2017 he co-operated with the British Council on its Shakespeare Lives project in Seoul , South Korea . [1] He subsequently collaborated with the British Council again in 2018 in partnership with Arts Council Korea on a comics project with the Kangkangee Arts Village in Busan , South Korea . [1] In 2022 he worked with Raksha Pande at Newcastle University on Arranging Love, a comic based on Pande's research about attitudes to arranged marriage in modern UK based Punjabi communities. [1] [17]
Stafford's artwork has appeared on beer labels and record labels, and he has designed 2D puppets for a theatre production. [1] He has also produced comic strips for the UK animal abuse defence society Animal Aid [1] and is cartoonist in residence at the London Cartoon Museum. [1]