MaltaPost has once again teamed up with Wicked Comics, the organisers of the Malta Comic Con pop culture event at Ta' Qali, to issue a new set of contemporary stamps related to comic art in Malta. This new set features a selection of three artworks taken from "Impressions of an island", the Malta Comic Con artbook which is a local publication issued by Heritage Malta in collaboration with Wicked Comics. The book showcases a diversity of artistic impressions of Malta within the fantastical realm of comics.
The stamp issue depicts comic book adaptations of typical Maltese locations, illustrated by three renowned comic book international artists.
One stamp was designed by Ian Churchill who has over twenty years of experience within the comic book industry. He made his Marvel comic debut in the X-Men series and over the years has illustrated a variety of comics for both Marvel and DC. This stamp depicts Marine Man, a cartoon character of his own creation, splashing out of the Grand Harbour waters, against the backdrop of Valletta's splendid skyline.
Another stamp depicts an illustration by INKO, a Japanese Manga artist. Following her graduation at the Kyoto University of Art and Design, she moved to England and studied at Central Saint Martin's College of Art and Design. INKO has established herself as a leading Manga artist through her works that highlight crossovers of modern and traditional Eastern and Western cultures. Her stamp shows a lady dressed in the traditional Faldetta, better known as "Ga form of hooded cloak unique to the Mediterranean islands of Malta and Gozo. She stands proud in a typical narrow alley in the Silent City of Mdina, the old mediaeval capital of Malta.
The third stamp is the work of professional artist and illustrator Martin Griffiths. He began his freelance career with Marvel UK in 1986 and has worked on literally hundreds of projects within the comics industry. His stamp illustration depicts a superhero dressed in red, a fictional character he created, proudly holding the flag of Malta under a star-filled night sky with the Valletta skyline as background.
All three stamps bear the distinctive Malta Comic Con logo designed by local artist Joseph Bugeja.
