Friday 14 September 2018

Seven From The Vault - The Final Programme


Well this is a strange fish languishing at the bottom of the unfinished (indeed, 'never to be finished') barrel. Seemingly not content with knowing any better than drawing bad knock offs of recognisable characters Agent Rob presents to you an attempt to adapt (the opening chapter of) Michael Moorcock's 'The Final Programme', featuring Jerry Cornelius....


I can't quite recall the reasoning behind the 3 panel layout, together with the fixed vanishing points, angled backgrounds and the like - I can only think it was a means to help set out and (presumably) accelerate the, er, creative process, such as it is. Worth it (just about) for the top panel of the 3rd page (immediately below), the monkeys sitting moodily atop a tree....


This looks to be me at the height of my Eddie Campbell phase, attempting (and failing miserably) to ape(!) his wonderfully rough and (print) ready approach to the comic page. Of course, I'm forgetting that E.C. can actually draw and that, should his drawing fail him, his infallible inking will save the day. Still, there's something pleasing in the form of the later lettering and speech balloons....


For those of you who have not seen the stylish 1973 film adaptation of 'The Final Programme' I would highly recommend it. On first viewing I found it somewhat disjointed and not altogether engaging and therefore ultimately unsatisfying. A second viewing, courtesy of Talking Pictures TV, fared far better and I look forward to seeing it again in the future (in whichever multiverse it may be screening)....