As was usual, I produced some absurd TV annual covers for the festive season. They were done over a period of months so I probably would've ended up posting them one at a time had I been updating the blog then.
This is all of them together in one place:
This is The Pact. A classy little BBC workplace drama from Doctor Who writer and doyen of the classic series Blu-rays, Pete McTighe. A group of workmates are apparently responsible for the death of their boss and attempt to cover it up leading to conflicts and secrets being revealed. Not exactly annual material but an ideal subject for one of my covers...
Line of Duty came to a thrilling climax at the start of the year. A tour de force cast with a brilliant Jed Mercurio script turned out not to be everyone's cup of tea. Perhaps the stand-out character from the series was little 13 year old Ryan Pilkington played with deadly acid by Gregory Piper in the first series. He created a bit of a storm when he returned as not only an adult... but a copper... and a VERY bent one at that. He really should have had a spin-off series but (quite rightly to be honest) got his come-uppance in the final series. Who could forget his series one catchphrase... "Bent bastard!"
The annul itself is based on a design used by NetworkDVD for their release of the cosy late 60s police drama 'Parkin's Patch'.
Russell T Davies' It's a Sin told the story of the AIDS crisis seen through the eyes of a group of young people. Despite the subject matter and many harrowing scenes, it was also a joyous celebration of life... and what it means to hold onto it even if the most harrowing of times. The annual design is a reflection of the positivity that comes from Davies' pin sharp script and is based on the design style of an 80s Look-in annual.
Last year I created a Chris Witty annual. Maybe it was going a bit too far picking out an individual to represent the global pandemic. Having said that, it's one of the journals that has sold a few copies on RedBubble. Some shyster even pinch the design and put it on their RB store... This year I did something more generic and used the 1980 Blake's 7 annual as my inspiration. Quite pleased at my attempt on the logo!
This is one I should've done ages ago - a period-style annual for Endeavour. Not specifically based on any published book or series although it does take elements from the World Distributors annuals. (I think I may have put a non-contemporary logo on it!) The police car is actually a publicity still from 60s Z Cars. Russell Lewis "liked" this when I tweeted it.
When season two of 'Star Trek Discovery' ended, I was one of those who quite rightly saw that a Captain Pike spin-off was the most logical outcome of his appearance in the series. I even did a few period book covers and designs showcasing the concept. It took Paramount and CBS a year or so but they got there and the series debut in a few short months. This is just a design using what few images were available of the main cast in their correct costumes (and haircuts). The image of the USS Enterprise is a bit of a cheat as it's actually a commercially available scale model... but they did that on the original Star Trek series didn't they?
The Covid 19 and It's a Sin annuals are available as journal and notebooks on RedBubble. Follow the link.
If you've enjoyed these designs, show your appreciation with a coffee purchased via my Ko-fi page. Follow the link.
