Fit the 14th: The Archers 2010-2011

The Archers (still not the radio programme) had a pretty small supporting cast, but considering it was set during a zombie apocalypse I suppose it's a wonder it had a supporting cast at all. In any case, that was largely what I worked on late last year.

Small-ly I did some bizarre costume concepts.

First, Banjo Pete, a tramp with a heart of some semi-precious material, in the mould of Brian Blessed. He walks the streets in search of Mandolin Augustus, who may or may not exist.

Second, Pete and AJ, dysfunctional zombie-slaying couple who began as an attempt to make the most English people imaginable, and ended up as more or less the same.

Dave took a massive u-turn through James Bachman territory at some point.

Fit the 13th: The Archers

No, not the radio programme. I've always had a special pocket of love for postapocalyptic scenarios, the aesthetic field known as 'apocalypse punk' but which I will call 'rapturepunk' because it's a better name, and indeed zombie media. Postapocalyptic-zombie-attack scenarios, therefore, are as manna to me. I once planned out a graphic novel which is precisely that, but this isn't that.

This is a fucking ridiculous imagining of what would happen if zombies attacked a small south-coast university town.

Which happens to have an archery club.

Keigh. The sort of person you wouldn't want to meet down a dark alley.

West. The sort of person you'd be quite glad to see down a dark alley.

Scout. The sort of person you'd never find anywhere near a dark alley.

Morwood. The sort of person who could beat a dark alley to death with its own bricks.

Ed. The sort of person who got dropped from the concept fairly quickly because he had no purpose.

 

The irony is that the people these characters are very loosely based on are actually more epic than the characters themselves.

Fit the 12th: The Hazards of Love, 2010

It took me quite a while to figure out the Decemberists output for last year was actually a concept album, but in my defence I wasn't giving it my whole attention. Still, after I did manage to work out that cryptic bit of info, the Gray and I ended up planning a theatrical version.

50% of this picture is going 'deeeeerp'.

Or rather, drawing some basic costume ideas and calling it a day. 
 It'd translate rather well, I feel. Except the Queen needs a bit of work.

Fit the 11th: Strange & Charm 2011

Lately the little comics I sort of do to make fun of Strange & Charm have basically run dry, at least until the Gray comes up with something suitably mad to add to their universe. Still, there are a few bits and pieces I did this year, and these are they.

 

Our intrepid heroes prepare for a masked ball. It's all very srs bsns.

Charm likes his mask. I like drawing pseudo-Georgian clothes.

So, you know how every piece of media has had at least one fic written about it wherein the characters are transposed on an American high school setting? Well the UK version of that is to make them English yoofs.

Rahs and chavs, specifically. Social commentary!

And now for something completely different.

Strange & Charm is Caitlin Hart & Katharine Gray.

Fit the 10th: Strange & Charm 2010

I seem to have done a lot of bizarre doodles throughout 2010, probably because it was my first year of university and my brain was all over the place. Still, between a bitter hatred of Ruskin and a grudging respect for Lawrence, Strange and Charm abide.

I distinctly remember drawing this in the queue for the Doctor Who Proms. And then we had cake. Good times.

Incidentally, Charm has a sister. That is who is in the middle of the page. I cannot imagine a tale of their youthful epxloits being anything less than hilarious.

I can't say I've been forcibly made to draw two characters in the stereotypical fanfic alternate universe (that is, the American High School alternate universe) before, but here we are.

Mea culpa, Mighty Boosh.

Strange and Charm meet the crap sewer-dwelling detectives. It ends poorly.

Aaaand a poorly-shopped realistic rendition of the two. I feel I should say who the one who isn't Vladimir Jurowski is, but for the life of me I can't remember.

And the girl version. Because of course.

Strange & Charm is Caitlin Hart & Katharine Gray.

Fit the 9th: Strange & Charm 2009

Now Messrs Strange & Charm live and work in the one office. Slash terraced house. But in a manner not bearing any relation whatsoever to fictional detectives and their limping medical sidekicks.

Their mess is a very different kind of mess, because no-one's ever going to clean it up.

You might think the perspective is off here, but in fact it's a stellar example of the redoubled perspective that was so popular in the late 19th century.

 And of course, living in close proximity to one or more human beings (depending on how many hoors Strange has brought home for the evening, he's a charitable chap) tends to bring out little quirks in people. Such as ambush-hairbrushing.

He'll never tame the Nexus, the tufty little fool.

Or having very mature and sober discussions about class distinction in the middle of Fortnum & Mason (though not when it's the site of a sit-in).

Or becoming mortally afraid of the colour blue.

It's the colour of the sky, you see, and the sky should be over his head, not on it.

 But don't assume Charm is the only odd fish in the parlour. Strange has his own peccadilloes, such as stalking the friendly neighbourhood policeman.

Or being understandably protective of his sheets. Well a man's sheets are his private kingdom, aren't they.

Also sideburn rollers.

Or being unable to fence, though that might not be a flaw in anyone's eyes except Charm's.

Strange & Charm is Caitlin Hart & Katharine Gray.

Fit the 8th: Strange & Charm 2009

Let me tell you a bit about Strange and/or Charm. Or as much as I know, being peripheral in this matter. They are men. Who exorcise demons. The demons are sometimes men. Or are inside men. That sounds rude.

Charm (the strange one) is landed gentry, the sort of person who would have gone to an Eton proxy and outgrown his uniform within a month like the freakish pole of a human he is.

Even though Eton's uniform in the 19th century was tops and tails.

 Unrelated but contributing to his astounding poshery is his hatred of a) the poor, b) the middle class, c) tradesmen, d) tradeswomen, e) women, f) children, g) the phrase 'women and children first'. But not all in equal measure and not all at the same time. Usually, I'm told, he's meant to be quite nice, if only because he's functionally lobotomised.

He's also Catholic (of course).

And...how to put it...

Very gay. Because it was dramatically right and also of course he is.

Strange (the charming one) is all things to all men, though kind of a dick if one stops and thinks about it for too long. He's pure East End, and probably spent his youth picking a pocket or two, but definitely not stabbing prostitutes.

While being suspiciously well-dressed and disease-free for an urchin.

Strange and Charm live in the one house, mainly because it's their office. So as it's been pointed out, they're not exactly like Holmes and Watson but for ghosts. They're more gay.

Also bits of the house may get possessed occasionally. It happens.

Strange & Charm is Caitlin Hart & Katharine Gray.