Thanks to Thought Bubble Convention

2000 AD has always been known for finding fresh new talent and this week’s issue is no different. The winner of the Portfolio Competition at the 2013 Thought Bubble comic art festival is to have his first professional strip published in today’s issue of the legendary weekly anthology.

Tom Foster was chosen by a panel of top 2000 AD talent as the winner of the third portfolio competition at the annual convention in Leeds, UK. The prize was a paid gig at the Galaxy’s Greatest Comic and this week’s issue, 2000 AD Prog 1886, features Tom’s work – a black and white Terror Tale entitled ‘Done Deal’, written by Alec Worley (Age of the Wolf) and lettered by Ellie De Ville.

The Terror Tales are just one incarnation of the Future Shock – 2000 AD’s famous four-page self-contained stories – which have long been the ‘testing ground’ for new talent, providing early work for well-known creators such as Alan Moore, Jock, Grant Morrison, Alan Davis and Richard Elson.

This will be the fourth year Rebellion has collaborated with Thought Bubble to give budding artists the chance to work for 2000 AD. The previous year’s winner was Will Morris.

“To my mind, 2000 AD’s portfolio competition at Thought Bubble is the best thing any comics publisher is doing to encourage new talent at the moment,” said Tom. “It gave me exactly what I needed as a newcomer: the right place at the right time – and I’m thrilled to have been given that chance.”

“Tom’s work immediately stood out when I saw it at Thought Bubble as accomplished and very capable,” said 2000 AD editor-in-chief, Matt Smith. “He’d done a good job working from the sample script – his character design and storytelling were spot on, and he was clearly ready to appear within the pages of the Galaxy’s Greatest Comic. Anyone thinking of entering the 2014 TB portfolio competition would be urged to do so as you never know where it may lead!”

Check out a couple of pages from ‘Done Deal’, plus the cover for today’s issue in the gallery above!