Mike Higgs
Mike Higgs is a
In July 1964, Higgs created a pastiche of The Shadow called "The Shudder" for a British fanzine (of the same name). In 1967, he revived the character, now called "The Cloak," as a strip for the British weekly comic Pow!, and then Smash! (running until 1969). The Cloak was the top agent for Britain's Special Squad, nominally a part of Scotland Yard; but he usually operated from his personal headquarters, known as the Secret Sanctum. The Cloak's ingenuity and never-ending supply of gadgets and secret weapons gave him the edge over his somewhat odd enemies (some were very odd, including Deathshead and various other agents of G.H.O.U.L.). The Cloak had some equally odd colleagues. Assisted initially by Mole (the tall one with the bald head, big nose and specs) and Shortstuff (the short squirt with the hairy nut and big eyeballs), he then began having adventures in which he found himself also alongside the sexy and flirtatious Lady Shady, the shady lady. The strip benefited from Higgs' unusual, idiosyncratic drawing style, whose overt inclusion of pop culture imagery made the strip seem extremely modern.[1]
Higgs designed the convention badge for the inaugural
After The Cloak was cancelled, Higgs drew the strip Space School for
In July 1976, Higgs was a guest at "KAK 76" (Konvention of Alternative Komix), an underground comix convention produced by the Birmingham Arts Lab (Paul Fisher and Hunt Emerson), which was held in Birmingham.[4]
In the early 1980s, budding cartoonist
In the late 1980s, Higgs shifted to becoming a designer and editor. He compiled and designed The Monster Society of Evil: Deluxe Limited Collector's Edition (1989, American Nostalgia Library,
Higgs also collected and designed reprint collections of Eagle's Dan Dare and Comics at War strips.[3]
In 1995, he edited
In popular culture
Higgs was portrayed, as himself, in
References
- ^ "Mike Higgs' The Cloak". www.crazedchimp.co.uk.
- Comic Media & The Comic Reader UK Edition Newsletter#3 (Feb. 1973).
- ^ a b Higgs entry, Lambiek's Comiclopedia. Retrieved Dec. 1, 2020.
- ^ Skinn, Dez. "Early days of UK comics conventions and marts," Archived 2012-02-01 at the Wayback Machine DezSkinn.com. Accessed Mar. 3, 2013.
- ^ "UPDATE: DC Cancels Plans to Reprint Iconic & Controversial CAPTAIN MARVEL/SHAZAM Story". Newsarama. Retrieved 10 November 2019.
- ^ Contino, Jennifer M. "Andrew Sumner & Albion," Comicon.com (Feb. 22, 2005).