Description
A Charity Project for London Lighthouse.
From the introduction by Don Melia:
“It started with a cheap-shot AIDS cartoon in one of the major national newspapers. As a cartoonist and illustrator, I found the use of a cartoon to perpetuate ignorance, fear and prejudice and to undo the good work done by others to be an abuse of the power of the cartoonist. And I decided to do something about it.
“The original idea was to get a few cartoonists to do some cartoons reflecting a positive attitude towards AIDS. Maybe enough to print a twenty-page comic book and raise a few hundred pounds for an AIDS charity. To say that STRIP AIDS grew beyond my wildest expectations is an understatement. It’s not just the number of contributors, it’s the enthusiasm with which they embraced the project. It’s the quality of the work, the care and the thought that went into it. It’s the letters of encouragement that were sent with the drawings. I cannot thank the artists enough. Without them, there would be no STRIP AIDS. …
“The spirit of STRIP AIDS is non-political, non-sexist, non-racist and, most importantly, non-judgmental. AIDS transcends all these barrier. Everyone involved in this book — from the artists through to you, the readers has also transcended these barriers.”
Contributors include: Steven Appleby, Kevin O’Neill, Phil Elliott, Hunt Emerson, Steve Bell, Melinda Gebbie, Jamie Reid, Dave Gibbons, Mark Buckingham, Myra Hancock, Bill Sienkiewicz, Kate Charlesworth, Jay Lynch, Posy Simmonds, Dan Clowes, Larry Marder, Brendan McCarthy, Richard Starkings, Alan Davis, Rian Hughes, Kim Deitch, Peter Milligan, Alan Moore, and Skip Williamson
Editor Don Melia was a gay British cartoonist, editor, activist, and philanthropist. He died of AIDS-related illnesses on August 21, 1992, in Liverpool, England. Don Melia obituary at the Independent.
London Lighthouse was a center for people with HIV/AIDS. It was the world’s largest center for people living with HIV when it opened, and helped pioneer a patient-centered approach in HIV care, and housed a residential unit, as well as day-care and drop-in facilities. The center closed in 2013 after which it was merged into Terrence Higgins Trust.
56 page black and white magazine with color covers
Willyprods/Small Time Ink, 1987
