| start the week with steve whitaker |
[Sep. 21st, 2009|10:13 am] |
john innes kindly sent me this luvly photo of an SW original he won at the ukcac supplement auction in 1992

gail of "shane & gail" fame - plse click on image to see it at a bigger size
you can gompare & gontrast with the printed version here http://community.livejournal.com/jellytown/52148.html
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& this one = definitely worth a click, imo - here's steve & a grumpy 14 yr old gerard kingdon at the marvelcon 1980 - also present: the legendary leader of the x-men fan glub, geoff lamprey & ( i think ) adrian snowdon, spider-man scholar supreme

photo courtesy of frank plowright
i've made a small flickr set called "comics friends united" - featuring this & some other ole photos of uk gomics fandom plus related stuff from way back in the mists of time http://www.flickr.com/photos/worldofagwu/sets/72157622282606486/
i hope to add more in due course - any gontribs grapefully received
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| light humor, part 2 |
[Aug. 25th, 2009|06:33 pm] |

Please forgive my borrowing of the above image from Flickr. I was browsing some of the batch to which Martin linked in his most recent post, and found this other version of the traffic-light cartoon sketch I mentioned earlier.
I think it's a tribute to Steve's dedication and sense of perfectionism that he did multiple versions (and the note: "Still can't get it right.") |
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| mighty world of marble hill park |
[Jul. 3rd, 2009|03:13 pm] |
a few pics from saturday, 27/06/2009...
man vs nature


the above two pics remind me a bit of this scene from x-men no.140


& steve's final resting place...


( click on any of the pics to see 'em at a bigger size on my flickr page )
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| reminder: the scattering of steve's ashes - saturday 27th june |
[Jun. 24th, 2009|03:39 pm] |
plse see below for fiona jerome's reminder message about saturday's celebration of steve's life & works - hope to see you there for many happy memories of our dear ole pal...!
"Dear Friend of Steve
I just wanted to remind you that the scattering of the ashes and a few other things will be taking place next Saturday, 27 June 2009.
We're meeting up on the steps of the Orleans House Gallery at the bottom of Marble Hill Park in Richmond, and setting off to do the deed at 1pm sharp.
Orleans House Gallery Riverside, Twickenham, TW1 3DJ. Telephone: 020 8831 6000 http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?x=516843&y=173340&z=0&sv=TW1+3DJ&st=2&pc=TW1+3DJ&mapp=map.srf&searchp=ids.srf
Everyone's welcome, and there's no dress code. Please feel free to remind your friends if I've missed someone off.
See you on Saturday!
Fi x"

the above pic = a terrific self-portrait steve did for mighty matt brooker - used here without permission but w/great affection: somehow it seemed appropriate... - for the full story behind the drawing see it at matt's flickr page here http://www.flickr.com/photos/glasseye/2300231154/
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| scattering steve's ashes... |
[May. 1st, 2009|05:59 pm] |
from fiona jerome - & posted here with her approval...
Dear Friends of Steve
There's going to be a gathering for scattering Steve's ashes on 27 June 2009 (just after what would have been his birthday), in South London. It will be by the steps at the Orleans House Gallery at the bottom of Marble Hill Park in Richmond. Please gather outside the gallery main entrance.
Orleans House Gallery Riverside, Twickenham, TW1 3DJ. Telephone: 020 8831 6000 http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?x=516843&y=173340&z=0&sv=TW1+3DJ&st=2&pc=TW1+3DJ&mapp=map.srf&searchp=ids.srf
The scattering will happen at 1pm sharp so we suggest you aim to get to the main entrance by 12.45, the great Steemol tradition of lateness not withstanding (and I know, I am not one to talk)!
The gallery has a coffee shop for any early arrivals to refresh themselves, and afterwards I suspect there'll be a desire to visit a local hostelry - I'm assured there are several within a few minutes walk and we have local Nick Abadzis to guide us.
Dig out all your favourite Steve stories, and I hope to see you there - and please feel free to pass on the details to anyone you think would want to be there.
Fi x
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| photos of Steve |
[Apr. 21st, 2009|07:04 pm] |
Here are some photos of Steve sent to me recently by his sister, Melanie (who kindly also supplied one of his scarves and a drawing pen as keepsakes). There's no notation as to when and where these photos were taken. They look fairly recent (i.e. 1990s or later) Can anyone tell me?



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| Steve Obit |
[Apr. 5th, 2009|01:32 pm] |
Jonathan Clements's brief obituary of Steve, titled 'Bestimost', which had originally been published in issue no.45 of Neo magazine, has been reprinted in Jon's book of essays Schoolgirl Milky Crisis: Adventures in the Anime and Manga Trade. Jon specifically recalls Steve's excellent work colouring the Street Fighter II manga for Manga Mania magazine. |
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| The old fish-shop joke |
[Mar. 27th, 2009|08:05 pm] |
Here's another of my favorite jokes told by Steve. Actually he told it to me and my wife, Kim, during our 1995 visit to the UK--the first of two she and I have made together and the first time she saw Steve. (I had introduced them by phone a couple of years earlier and she immediately appreciated his sense of humor.)
The day he told us this joke we were at my mother's house in Bedford, having just met him off the train from London and walked with him the short distance from the Bedford railway station to the house. (He stayed with his parents during this visit and in the next few days, Steve and Kim and I did some "sightseeing" in Bedford, where I grew up --and first met Steve -- but where I not been since 1987.)
Anyway, here's the joke, to the best of my recollection. Likely you've heard it (like all jokes it's all over the Internet now--some versions set it in a fish-and-chip shop) but I present it here as an example of the type of "Steve Whitaker joke" I have often retold:
Lady walks into a fish shop. "Cod, please," she says. "Sorry, Ma'am," says the shopkeeper. "We're out of cod today. How about some mackerel? Plaice? Trout? Bass? Snapper is on special..." "Cod, please." "Lady, we ain't got no cod. Please stop asking. Or come back on Thursday." She leaves. Twenty minutes later, she returns and says, "Cod, please." Fishmonger yells "NO COD!!! GO AWAY." She leaves but returns in half an hour. "Cod, please," she says. The fishmonger, exasperated, goes to his blackboard and writes "SALMON." "Let me ask you something that may help you," he says. "If I erase the "L" from this word, how is it pronounced?" "Why, the same way," she says. "Sah-mon." "Very good" he says. "And if I erase one "D" from this next word, 'HADDOCK,' how is that pronounced?" "Why, the same way--ha-dock." "And how," says the fishmonger, "would you pronounce it if I erased the 'F' from 'COD'?" The lady looks puzzled. "There is no F in cod," she says. "THAT'S WHAT I'VE BEEN TRYING TO TELL YOU!!!!" |
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| 22nd february 2009 |
[Feb. 25th, 2009|01:59 pm] |
better late than never dept: just a few words about sunday...
twas luvly to wander round twickenham & show jenni & katie steve's ole flat ( the site of many happy gatherings & boozeups in the late 1980s & early 90s ) - unfortunately i stupidly accidentally deleted the photos i took but happily matt took some goob 'uns of the exterior of 25a king street
& equally luvly to see everyone in the eel pie ( katie's first trip to the pub aged 13 days old ) - & to walk by the river & to reminisce abt steve - as i wrote in our card to his dad: we will NEVER forget steve - & we will always keep many happy & funny memories abt him close to us ( - i wish he could've got to meet katie tho... )

( above: liz, gerard, matt, nigel, terry, tony & lynn walking back from the river steps towards the barmy arms - it wasn't as cold as it looks in this pic )
& here are the rest of my pics of the day ( - somewhat miraculously i managed not to delete 'em all ) http://www.flickr.com/photos/worldofagwu/sets/72157614261717717/
not sure if i was ever in the eel pie with steve - but we definitely went to the barmy arms once or twice ( - tho we mostly drank in his flat if i recall gorrectly )
thanks very much to nick & fiona for organising this day out - i think it'd be very fitting if it became an annual tradition, with all friends of ole steve welcome...
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| Twickenham Meet-up |
[Feb. 23rd, 2009|01:09 am] |

Lovely to see everyone today - despite the melancholy, it was uplifting to see everyone again, especially in old haunts with such happy associations.
The train to Vauxhall was packed but the trip up the Victoria line was quick and smooth, so we got to St. Pancras (and Terry to King's Cross) with plenty of time to spare. Enough time, in fact, to buy Nutella crepes for the trip home, so all was right in the end. The train back to Nottingham was the usual Sunday-slow job, nearly 3 hours for a normally 90-minute trip, but I had my laptop with me so at least there was plenty of time for photo-sorting - as a result I've already got my photos up on Flickr. .
Thanks again to everyone for signing the card for Steve's dad.
All D'Best!
Matt
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| (no subject) |
[Feb. 22nd, 2009|03:32 pm] |
This post may be wholly inadequate, but I felt that someone should put something here to mark the anniversary of Steve's passing.
Below is yet another page from a 1970s letter I've excerpted here before--this one featuring two of my characters.
I always appreciated Steve's willingness--even enthusiasm--to help me out with my projects, including his superior renderings of superheroes I had attempted to make comic books about. Some of them, in retrospect, were almost throwaway characters, but Steve treated them all with respect even when in humor mode. As others have pointed out repeatedly, sharing--of advice, his artistic talent, his views and most of all his friendship--was extremely important to him.
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| " crystal hearts gonna break you down " |
[Feb. 1st, 2009|08:57 am] |
thing sketch by steve, done for jenni cole at caption 2001

( - plse click thru to flickr to see it at a bigger size )
the "theme" of caption that year was romance, i think - for some reason this drawing made me think of nyc hearts & flowers by sonic youth ( - as well as THINGs that make you go mmm by the c & c music factory ) - & seeing 'em at the shepherds bush empire w/steve, andrew & gerard in july 2000...
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| Early Spring No.12 |
[Jan. 21st, 2009|12:15 pm] |
Hi everyone,
Sorry for the long delay, but here are scans from Early Spring #12.
The accompanying text probably says it all about Steve's mood at the time. I suspect that the cover was meant to be in colour.
The first page is the introduction to Early Spring, including a Man-Elf picture by Steve.
This is the last of the Early Springs that I have which contains work by Steve, therefore if anyone has any other issues / pages, could they post them here please ?
Cheers, Mike.


 In case anyone wonders, the original page was at a slant, rather than user error on my part.


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