If you’re a fan of the work of Mark Stafford, one of the most imaginative cartoonists on the UK scene and the Artist-in-Residence at London’s Cartoon Museum, then you’ll be thrilled to hear that Soaring Penguin Press will be collecting his comics practice in a new book Salmonella Smorgasbord, coming in 2022. More details courtesy of SPP in the press release below.
Mark Stafford’s Salmonella Smorgasbord coming up from Soaring Penguin Press
New book gathers work from across his varied career in creating fascinatingly grotesque art
Soaring Penguin Press has always been a huge fan of Mark Stafford’s work, with a story by him appearing in our very first publication back in 1997.
Best known as the co-creator of the graphic novels Cherubs! (with Bryan Talbot), The Man who Laughs, Lip Hook, and The Bad Bad Place (with David Hine), along with extensive work on other projects, Mark has twice been chosen by the British Council to collaborate on projects in South Korea. He is also the current artist-in-residence at The Cartoon Museum in London, UK.
This new collection presents stories and pieces in a hefty 200+ full-colour pages, celebrating the grotesque imagination of one of Britain’s most inventive comedic/horror artists. Salmonella Smorgasbord brings together many of Stafford’s rarely seen short comic strips, alongside restored older comics, and even more recent design work for theatre posters, record covers, beer labels, and T-shirt designs—meaning there’s plenty to discover, even for the most ardent fans.
Soaring Penguin Press Co-Publisher John Anderson spoke about the collection, saying:
“Mark’s work deserves to be seen, and has to be seen to be believed. Believe me when I say that once you start on Salmonella Smorgasbord it’s, well, unkeepdownable.”
Co-Publisher Tim Pilcher added, “I’ve been a fan of Mark’s work for over 30 years and I’m full to bursting to be able to serve all these rarities in one literary repast. This collection is what his work has long-deserved and is perfect for existing gourmands, and a mind-blowing entrée for those yet to discover the twisted world of Stafford. Bon Appetit!”
Salmonella Smorgasbord is scheduled for February 2022 and is perfect for anyone with an appreciation of horror, comedy, and underground comics.
Praise for Mark Stafford:
“Mark Stafford has built up a reputation in UK comics in recent years for visual storytelling that is eerily macabre in tone and atmosphere.”
• Andy Oliver, Broken Frontier
“One of the Greatest Comic Creators You’ve Never Heard Of.”
• Rich Johnston, Bleeding Cool
(On The Bad Bad Place) “Every single panel is creepy and weird. No one looks normal. There’s usually an odd trait to them, like eyes that are too wide or a strange shaped head. That’s just the regular people too… Stafford really excels, delivering some of the grossest creatures this side of the Black Lagoon.”
• James Ferguson, HorrorDNA.com
Salmonella Smorgasbord
ISBN: 978-1-908030-48-1
200 pages, full-colour, Paperback
UK £16.99/US $25.99
