A cartoon artist from Co Tyrone has fulfilled a childhood dream by bringing a childhood comic book hero to life in a new publication.
Connor Flanagan, from Coalisland , was a huge comic book fan growing up and used to buy his books from the popular Sullivan’s newsagents in the town. Now he is the illustrator behind New Captain Scarlet: Operation Sabre, based on the Gerry Anderson TV show from the 1960s and then 1990s.
Connor told Belfast Live it was a dream come true for him to work alongside Gerry's son Jamie and the writers of the book Chris Thompson and Andrew Clements.
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“I’m from Coalisland originally and in the 1990s there was a bit of a resurgence in Gerry Anderson TV show popularity. Thunderbirds landed and it just kind of exploded," Connor told MyTyrone .
“They released a Thunderbirds comic in 1991 and I just fell in love with it instantly. As the years went by my love for comics stayed and made its way on to my art projects.
“Now 20 odd years later to actually be getting to do what I set out to do is a bit of a dream for me. It’s almost hard to believe because I would always be thinking about something like this over the years and then it suddenly just happened.
“It means so much to me - I used to pick up the comics in Sullivan’s newsagents in Coalisland and sadly it’s no longer there but I have got great memories of it.
The comic book will be launched at an event in the Forbidden Planet Store in Belfast on Saturday. Connor started working in the shop 15 years ago and still works there to this day.
“I can’t believe how fortunate I am. I’m just stunned and I’ve made friends for life with everyone involved, it’s such a passion that we all share.
“Nearly 30 years on by some stroke of luck and a measure of hard work I’ve been able to come full circle and work on the characters directly. I'm so proud to have been involved in this project and it’s something a little fun and different.”
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