Jessica Martin is a London born comics writer/artist and actress, well known to cult tv fans for her portrayal of Mags in “The Greatest Show In The Galaxy” in the Seventh doctor season of the classic Doctor Who series.
She emerged on the comics scene in 2013 with a one page strip for the 2013 Thought Bubble anthology, written by her and illustrated by her mentor, DC artist Mark Buckingham (published by Image Comics) and followed this with her first self –published comic, “It Girl” about the life of silent movie star Clara Bow. The comic was selected as one of the Ten Must Own Comics of 2013 by Broken Frontier the major website for indie creators.
Since then she has continued to receive recognition for work both independently and in collaborative projects. “Vivacity” ( about film star Vivien Leigh) was selected as one of the Ten Must Own Comics 2014. Her first graphic novel “Elsie Harris Picture Palace” was shortlisted for the Myriad Editions First Graphic Novel Prize in 2014 and subsequently published by Miwk in 2015.
She was nominated in the Breakout Talent category for the Broken Frontier Awards 2015. She also worked for Vertigo on a Mark Buckingham story for SFX. In 2017 she self published a book of her iconic portraits in “A Star Is Drawn” and successfully crowdfunded her graphic memoir “Life Drawing. A Life Under Lights” published by Unbound Books this summer.
Jessica was delighted to see her performing and comics life come together in her first commission by Titan Comics to illustrate Richard Dinnick’s story featuring her character, Mags from Doctor Who in the special Seventh Doctor edition. It is the first time an actor has created comic art based on their own character! She was also chosen to illustrate the Thirteenth Doctor cover for Titan Comics Forbidden Planet Free Comic Book edition in May 2019.
This year also saw Jessica return to the role of Mags as newly appointed companion to the Seventh Doctor in three Big Finish dramas, “Monsters of Gokroth” by Matt Fitton, “Moons Over Vulpana” by Emma Reeves and “An Alien Werewolf in London” by Alan Barnes.
However, Jessica’s biggest achievement to date has been the completion and publication of her graphic memoir “Life Drawing. A Life Under Lights” chronicling her life as a performer.
Here are some of the endorsements thus far –
“ I absolutely loved it. I laughed, I groaned in empathy and recognition, I shed a couple of tears and was entirely bowled over by this story.”Joe McGann. Actor
“Jessica Martin straddles the twin disciplines of theatre and visual art with an effortless grace. Somewhere between ‘Postcards From the Edge’ and the Bunty annual lies Jessica Martin’s wonderful and unique graphic memoir; ‘Life Drawing. A Life Under Lights’.”Phill Jupitus. Comedian/Cartoonist
‘Life Drawing is a fascinating and ambitious work…Cleverly titled, this is a beautifully drawn (in both senses) portrait of a creative life. Highly recommended. 10/10 .”Paul Simpson. Sci Fi Bulletin
“Jessica Martin finds a touching and special way to tell her own story – an amazing piece of work…Her writing here is tongue in cheek, heart warming, straight forward and genuine. Her abilities with inks are wonderful and familiar and make for a definite page turner.” Five star review Amazon
This is Jessica’s first visit to the Malta Comic Con and she is very excited to meet a whole new circle of comics creators and fans!
During the Malta Comic Con 2019, Jessica Martin will be promoting her book; Life Drawing. A Life Under Lights.
