FEATURE
animation student and Worthing native Martin.
and Tank Girl came about through a visit to the
college by Brett Ewins. who would later found
Deadline — his dream being ‘a magazine where
people got good deals and didn't get ripped off‘.
Hewlett and Martin. whose work in their own
fanzine. Atom Tan. had impressed Ewins. were
asked to come up with a female character to balance the male ones already lined up for the first issue. The result was a hit because, in
l lewlett‘s words. ‘She‘s got those obvious
characteristics that people like. Like Clint
Eastwood. She can handle herself. She looks
good. she cracks jokes. she farts. she insults people.‘
The duo claim to get most of their inspiration from records. friends and films rather than other comics. Martin didn‘t even read them before he started writing Tank Girl. and thinks that ‘it gives another angle to it. Most comic writers have been hanging around 2000A 1) offices for a couple of years. handing them scripts every day and saying. “When can I work for you'?".
‘But we both got into it so easily.‘ continues Hewlett. ‘There was no struggle. except for a bit of hard work here and there. We literally just stepped into it. We were really lucky.‘
Although glad of Deadline‘s creative freedom. they don‘t think they‘ll be there much longer. in which case Tank Girl fans would have to wait a year before seeing her again. while the rights to
use her reverted to her creators. By which time they‘d have produced close on 20 full-colour Tank Girls to spring on the public. but the strip isn’t intended to go on forever.
‘It won‘t go on for ten years until it gets really stale. We have a rough idea ofwhere it‘s going to end.‘ Before I get the chance to pin them down on whether or not Tank Girl is just the two-dimensional manifestation of her creators‘ ultimate sexual fantasy. they‘ve eased themselves into their emplacement and rumbled off. guns randomly blazing. and ring-pulls fizzing. towards the lazily-sinking late-afternoon outback sun. Before the engine drowns out all conversation. Hewlett barks his defence over his shoulder. ‘This is something we think might help change comics. There‘s not enough women in comics. But that‘s because comics have always been so male-orientated and boys have grown up practising to draw comics and becoming comics artists. We hope the stuff we do. and some of the other stuff around now. will get girls into it and they‘ll start drawing. so maybe in ten years there‘ll be a lot more females working in comics. which I think would really help change it completely.‘
Tank Girl is available in Penguin al£5. 9‘), and can I’, I, befrninil in Deadline magazine every month. 32; 3;— Anolherol ‘Deadline"s ' c, regularslrips has . \ 3:3 bumped upthe puhllc AFN-K prollle ol Glasweglan ,_ 9W, 3’; writer/artist Rob Moran, 5r ? 3?} veteran olBrilish g.\_4 ~ L'- é’i— Marvel, ‘Trident‘ and ; \_ j, \ 55 early ‘2000AD‘. The \ . 6. I wickedly strange ‘Atomic g f .. " l ‘ t t « Baby' will soon be I. d a U x. /.- -, _ available in booklormal. ' l/ , ,‘ ' ‘ ' Moran is deep into his /< ' 'v‘l‘ ,- “/ ‘ nexlproject, which \,\ \ r .- « I concerns a serial killer ‘~\\ “ whose gimmick islhat he x. ,, goes around killing other “V \j serialkillers. J
“robin-Sid 27 Septeliiber woos