The Treasury of British Comics Presents: The Tom Paterson Collection

Scottish artist Tom Paterson is one of the most inventive and influential cartoonists British comics have produced. Inspired by the work of George Martin, Leo Baxendale and Ken Reid, Tom became a comic artist at a young age, working for Fleetway and DC Thomsons on such classic strips as Sweeny Toddler, Calamity James, Buster, Grimly Feendish, The Numskulls, Bananaman and Dennis the Menace. At the beginning of his career Tom was ghosting artists like Baxendale, but his own style and sense of humour quickly developed and Tom’s work soon became unmistakable. His trademark stinky, striped sock often appeared in the panels of his work – a useful identifier born out of an age where publishers frowned upon artists signing their work. Along with the sock came the additional, visual comedic gags scattered throughout the strips, giving each one that instant re-readability.

After a promising start to life, Keith Richardson found himself chained to Tharg’s Cosmic hamster wheel sometime in the early noughties. There he remains, collating zarjaz! 2000 AD & Treasury of British Comics collections and commissioning the odd special here and there.