Alice in Sunderland artist joins Comic Con legends

An artist hailed as one of Britain's first graphic novelists has been inducted into a global hall of fame.

Bryan Talbot, 72 and from Sunderland, was added to the Will Eisner Comic Awards Hall of Fame during a ceremony at Comic Con in San Diego.

Mr Talbot, who has created multiple award-winning books including The Tale of One Bad Rat, the Grandville series and Alice in Sunderland, said it was a "great honour".

He joins the likes of legends Stan Lee, Jack Kirby and Moomin-creator Tove Jansson and is one of 23 new inductees.

Originally from Wigan, Mr Talbot worked as an artist in the British underground comics industry before his sci-fi epic The Tales of Luther Arkwright was published in 1981 as one of the first country's graphic novels.

More recently he has collaborated with his wife Mary, a former lecturer at the University of Sunderland, winning the 2012 Costa biography award for their work Dotter of Her Father's Eyes.

Mr Talbot, who is currently working on a prequel to his Grandville series, said he had given up flying for environmental reasons but could not resist attending the induction ceremony in San Diego.

"I couldn't really turn down this once-in-a-lifetime event," he said, adding: "Especially as they flew me over business class and paid for the quite expensive hotel."

Describing his addition to the hall of fame as a "huge surprise", he said: "It was a great honour.

"Many of my comic heroes, such as Jacky Kirby, creator of most of the Marvel universe in the 60s, are previous inductees."

Mr Talbot also said he had known Will Eisner, the renowned American cartoonist after whom the hall of fame and associated awards were named, so it was a privilege to be associated with him.

"He was a lovely guy and a comic artist and writer who ceaselessly pushed the boundaries of what comic storytelling is capable of."

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