In Jack Slingsby we reprint the complete story from the original art, in the full size of the originals, a large 17 x 5.25 inches. Our goal is to give readers an experience as close as possible to viewing the original art, and to provide a definitive presentation, as Wright and his art deserve, of one of David Wright’s very best stories.
Jack Slingsby is a companion volume to our first Carol Day book: Lance Hallam. As such in addition to presenting the complete story art, we also include an extensive critical essay and scans of the complete art boards.
Carol Day: Jack Slingsby reprints the Jack Slingsby story from the original David Wright art in the original size: 115 strips which ran from Tuesday, 23 June 1964 – Tuesday, 2 November 1964, along with an extensive critical essay by Chris Killackey.
- Slingsby Bros Ink!, March 2024
- ISBN 979-8-218-31309-8
- 19″ x 14″ (489mm x 362mm), 116 pages, hardcover
- £249
- Order online: eBay, AbeBooks
As with all AE format material (Artist’s Editions, Artifact Editions, Gallery Editions, Art Editions, Studio Editions, etc.), this is a collection of classic comic material and I’ll be reviewing the book and not the story. For a complete list of all current and announced editions, with review links, please visit our Index. Also, see What is an Artist’s Edition and our Artist Index. This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.
The complete Jack Slingsby storyline from Carol Day, all 115 strips, presenting the original art at full size. Plus, a foreword, an extensive analysis of the story, the art boards at a reduced size, and acknowledgements.
The scans are wonderful, with no issues. My photos didn’t work as well as normal with the glossy paper giving me issues and presenting the art a little washed out. There are so many outstanding panels showing Wright’s artistic mastery. No visible pencils on the art, but we do see some in word balloons where the paste-up has fallen off. Minimal use of correction fluid. Blacks show gradients. The crosshatching and pen work is simply stunning and must be seen to be appreciated.
The Foreword states “the core of our program remains the same: the complete story reproduced from and in the size of the original art, attempting to give readers an experience as close as possible to reading the story from the originals“. I can understand the choice of glossy paper, but since cost didn’t seem to be an issue couldn’t the original art have been presented with paper as close as possible the original?
For this second volume, superfluous extras have been reduced. A peak behind the curtain in the foreword and acknowledgements. Killackey’s detailed analysis of this story from all perspectives. Extra art from current artists has been reduced to three and well placed, but I would prefer just Wright in a book about Wright’s art. As with the first volume, dedicating pages to the original art boards so we can see empty margins or the barest of production markings is a waste of paper and cost.
The design is understated and well executed. Excellent use of negative space to emphasize the page contents. The art enlargements suffer slightly at the size presented. Every page of the art shows the strip episode number, the day of the week, the date, the chapter name, and the page number. All along the edges, unobtrusively presenting all the information the reader could want. Graff’s overall work here is exceptional.
Production is quite good. A sewn binding of 200 gsm paper with a medium gloss finish. I love the black quarter bound cloth spine but didn’t realize it would show handling, catching anything from my hands. The edges of the thick cover seem to have some printing or handling inconsistencies: the board under the material seems to be dented in several places but the outer paper doesn’t show anything. Silk ribbon! The packaging is outstanding, with a very sturdy box design and an outer shipping box for it. The shipping box has an excellent image of Day but the inner box is unadorned. Since these were all to be shipped it makes sense, but I would have preferred the opposite.
In reality I’m not sure who this review is for. This book was printed to order, only through a preorder in England, and there are no copies available for sale anywhere. The colophon states “edition of 175”. I’ve put eBay and AbeBooks links in the hopes a copy or two will show up.
