Comic trail plan for Shrewsbury
Nine giant-sized pieces of art are being created for a comics trail in Shrewsbury.
The Shrewsbury Comic Art Trail will be unveiled next month, but the Arts Council has awarded the project £14,500 of lottery funding towards its work.
The plan will see some of the world's most respected comic book artists creating the artwork, which will be placed on different billboards around the town.
Those contributing include Shrewsbury-born artist, Charlie Adlard, known for his work as the artist and co-creator on the world famous The Walking Dead comics, and exclusive DC Comics artist, Mike Perkins, who has recently moved back to Shrewsbury from America.
Other creators contributing include manga artist Sonia Leong and legendary Beano and Toxic artist, Lew Stringer.
The nine panels will combine to tell a story, which has been written by Judge Dredd creator, John Wagner, who is also a Shropshire resident.
The trail is being organised by the Comics Salopia Festival and Shrewsbury Town Council in partnership with Shropshire Council, Shrewsbury BID and the Big Town Plan.
The arts council money is going towards the commissioning and production of the artworks that will be unveiled on July 24.
The piece of work by Mr Adlard will open the trail, according to organisers.
The planned sites for the work include historical and cultural landmarks such as The Dingle, Theatre Severn, and Shrewsbury Town Library, where talks and workshops will be hosted by some of the comic artists.
“The idea behind the trail is for locals and visitors alike to not only enjoy the incredible artwork on display, but also learn more about the history of the town” said festival director, Shane Chebsey.
“We are also encouraging people to engage with the art and the public spaces where it is on display, by taking selfies in front of the billboards to create their own comic strips on social media and we will be running a competition for the best stories created online.”
Shrewsbury Town Council's clerk, Helen Ball, revealed on Twitter that she had been allowed a preview of the plan, saying: "Have had a sneaky peak at the panels and they are super fantastic. I am so excited!"
