Comic books are American as apple pie and Uncle Sam… aren’t they? Visit The Cartoon Museum this Spring to discover how British artists and writers invaded America and made their mark on iconic superheroes and more!

HEROES: The British invasion of American comics tells the story of early American comics such as Buster Brown, Miss Fury and Superman, how they influenced British artists and culture, and how the British took that influence and sold it back to America through legendary comics such as Watchmen and V For Vendetta.

The exhibition shines a light on the many British creators who provided art for iconic superheroes including Batman, Spider-Man, Hellboy and Hit-Girl, including works by Brian Bolland, David Lloyd, Doug Braithwaite and Alison Sampson. On the way you’ll discover British attempts to imitate American strips in the 1940s; find out the story behind the 1972 launch of Marvel UK; see rarely-seen full-colour early American comic newspaper pages by RF Outcault, Harold Foster and Alex Raymond; and enjoy stunning artwork by key figures from the history of British and American comics, including works by legendary names such as Jack Kirby, Jack Davis and Tarpe Mills. You’ll even get to see the costume of a real-life British superhero!

In 2019, the NGO Médecins Sans Frontières – also known as Doctors Without Borders or MSF - commissioned award-winning cartoonist Ella Baron to travel to its field hospital in Pibor, South Sudan. She spent several weeks interviewing and sketching staff and patients about the difficulties in accessing maternity care in this remote rural region. Rising star Ella Baron, who had scooped the Philip Geddes Prize for Foreign Reporting and Young Cartoonist of the Year already by this point, created an intimate and personal piece of graphic reportage out of her experience in the field. Her nine-page graphic short story follows the lives of three generations of women; Chacha, her daughter Laito, and Laito’s daughter Maria. Their story is the subject of The Cartoon Museum’s latest In-Focus capsule exhibition.

“She is my daughter; all of her is me” - Chacha

South Sudan is in the grip of a desperate humanitarian crisis. This graphic short story focuses on maternity care, and how access to it is severely limited by rural disconnect, social unrest and environmental disaster. But at its heart, this artwork isn’t limited to the country it depicts. Chacha and Laito’s story is a testament to the lengths that a mother will go to protect her child wherever she may be from. 

We’ll  be selling a print version of the graphic short story Ella Baron created alongside prints and other pieces of merchandise to do with the exhibition in our shop.