Jim McCarthy

Artist / Author

Jim McCarthy is a widely published illustrator/cartoonist and author. I have authored around twenty two books and has much comic graphic artwork published in the US and UK markets.

I have a spontaneous and motivated approach to creativity and am always seeking to establish fresh and resourceful outcomes in the fields of publishing and illustration.

Wikipedia Biography.

Jim McCarthy studied art at Ealing College of Art in London, leaving in 1975 and working as an artist in Europe for three years

He started at 2000 AD in 1977 and 1978 on Tharg's Future Shocks, sharing art duties with Brett Ewins, a partnership that would continue on his return in 1986 for their long run on Bad Company with Peter Milligan. He would work solo with Milligan, again, on their occult detective series Bix Barton, and McCarthy would work steadily at 2000 AD throughout this period until 1996, briefly returning in 2001 and 2002 to draw more Future Shocks.

McCarthy would return to comics full-time in 2003 writing the first of a number of biographical graphic novels, including Godspeed: The Kurt Cobain Graphic, that was re-released in digest form in 2011, and Sex Pistols: The Graphic Novel. The NME reported that the former "had proved both controversial and commercially successful. Beaumont [the artist] received death threats from irate fans before Godspeed was even published".

He also writes about music, his first piece was about Jah Wobble who he met when they were both hanging out in London and he has since gone on to write a book on Latin rock.

Jim McCarthy is currently living and working in East Sussex, the sunshine coast.

"For as long as I can remember I have loved both art and music and it has been an ever-evolving journey both personally and professionally to make these loves into commercial ventures.

From incessant drawing all over (and I mean ALL over) my school-books to my first self published comics, the world of graphic arts, comic, soul music, R&B, and psychedelia has beckoned.

My first published work was a magazine cover in the 70's and it went from there. I think all designers can remember the thrill of the first time they got into print.

Jim McCarthy Author Biography

Voices Of Latin Rock. –The E-Mix is Jim’s considered follow up to his first authored book Voices Of Latin Rock published ten years ago. A companion too and an enlargement on the information contained in the first book. This further e-tome is the most in-depth information available on that heady and exhilarating time in the San Franciscan Bay Area locales and beyond. Jim feels these people and those times need to be properly detailed and preserved for posterity. With the auspicious release of Santana 5 and its present excellent sales, this book arrives just at the right time. The first book arrived in the swell, after the huge sales and surge of the Supernatural release.

2016 is an exciting year for Jim with Living For Kicks – A Mod’s Graphic novel, his first original stand-alone graphic book for Omnibus Press. Further book’s in the pipeline for a 2016 release are a 2000AD trade paperback Bad Company: First Casualties and Who Are You? The Life And Death Of Keith Moon plus an E-book entitled Ditko – He’s A Gas!

Also on the publication timeline is Wake Up And Live: The Bob Marley Graphic Novel scheduled for an early 2017 release.

Other, contemporary published graphic novels linked to music subjects have been Reckless Lives: The Guns And Roses Graphic, Metallica - Nothing Else Matters. Also in print are Gabba Gabba Hey - The Ramones Graphic, Neverland - The Life And Death of Michael Jackson, three Bad Company paperback collections, Godspeed - The Kurt Cobain graphic, Death Rap - Tupac Shakur, Eminem - In My Skin, How To Draw Monsters For Kids, plus The Sex Pistols Graphic book.

Jim has also produced comic art / illustration for many publishing houses in London amongst them 2000AD; for whom he co-created comic characters Bad Company, Bix Barton, The GrudgeFather, Kid Cyborg and worked on Judge Dredd etc..

His first book was published by Hal Leonard in the USA and was titled Voices Of Latin Rock. It is the first book to examine in depth, Santana, Latin Rock culture and the Mission District of San Francisco from where this nascent political and musical art form emerged.

This innovative book has resulted in a series of on-going shows in San Francisco promoting Autism Awareness and has been given further credence by appearances by Carlos Santana, the original Santana band, Taj Mahal, Malo, Los Lobos, Sheila E, the political activist Dolores Huerta, Azteca, War, Sly Stone, George Clinton and many others.

Jim’s books have been translated and published in the following foreign rights territories, Russia, Czechoslovakia, Spain, Norway, Italy, Poland, France, Croatia, Germany and Japan, Argentina, as well as the UK and the USA.

Graphic novels

Godspeed: The Kurt Cobain Graphic (writer, with co-author Barnaby Legg and art by Flameboy,[9] graphic novel, Omnibus Press, October 2003, 76 pages, ISBN 0-7119-9763-2, March 2011, 96 pages, ISBN 1-84938-699-4)

Eminem: In My Skin (writer, with co-author Barnaby Legg and art by Flameboy, graphic novel, 96 pages, Omnibus Press, October 2004, ISBN 1-84449-488-8)

Death Rap: Tupac Shakur – A Life (writer, with co-author Barnaby Legg and art by Flameboy, graphic novel, 96 pages, Omnibus Press, October 2005, ISBN 1-84449-727-5)

Bad Company: Goodbye Krool World. Rebellion. 2007.

Bad Company: Kano: Rebellion. 2007.

Sex Pistols: The Graphic Novel (writer, with art by Steve Parkhouse, graphic novel, 96 pages, Omnibus Press, June 2008, ISBN 1-84609-508-5)

The Complete Bad Company: Rebellion. 2011.

Neverland: The Life and Death of [[Michael Jackson] Omnibus Press. 2012]')[3]

Sex Pistols: The Graphic Novel, Manga edition. 2012.

'Godspeed: The Kurt Cobain Graphic, Manga Edition: Omnibus Press. 2012.

Gabba Gabba Hey: The Ramones Graphic Novel. Omnibus Press. 2013.

Metallica: Nothing Else Matters. Omnibus Press. 2014.

Reckless Life: Guns And Roses. Omnibus Press. 2015.

Living For Kicks; A Mods Graphic novel. Omnibus Press. 2016.

Who Are You? The Keith Moon Graphic. 2016.

Wake Up And Live: The Bob Marley Graphic. 2016.

First Casualties; Bad Company trade paperback. 2016.

Books

Voices of Latin Rock: The People and Events That Created This Sound (with co-author Ron Sansoe, 316 pages, Hal Leonard Corporation, June 2005, ISBN 0-634-08061-X)

How To Draw Monsters For Kids (Search Press) 2012.

Ditko: He's A Gas. 2016.

Voices Of Latin Rock. The E-Mix. 2016.

Official website

https://www.jimmccarthy.co.uk