Taking refuge from the apocalypse in The Bunker this week is one of my all time absolute favourite illustrators, Tom Gauld. Glancing quickly at one of Tom’s illustrations you may be fooled into thinking that there’s not much going on, both in content and style. But it doesn’t take long to discover that there’s so much work crammed within those deceptively simple looking panels. Not one line looks out of place as the scenes he creates are crammed full of life, intrigue, emotion but most of all humour and imagination.

His work is good for the soul, a safe place you can visit and loose yourself amidst the solitude of rusting robots and lonely Kings. I’ve been a big fan for many years now and out of the countless comic strips and drawings I’ve seen of Tom’s, not 1 has failed to make me smile, and I think that’s incredible. Without further ado, tis my  honour to welcome the simply brilliant Tom Gauld to The Bunker.

TB: We can allow you access to 1 music video. What will it be?
TG: Anything by Gorillaz.

TB: There is room on the wall for 1 piece of art. What would you like?
TG: The Garden of Earthly Delights by Hieronymous Bosch.

TB: There is a small bookshelf with room for 1 book. What will it be?
TG: The Inheritors by William Golding.

TB: You’re allowed 1 film. What will you watch?
TG: 2001 (This was a tough one but in the end I chose this as I didn’t want to upset Stanley – see below).

TB: There are bunk beds inside the room. Who gets the other bed, and which bunk would you like?
TG: Stanley Kubrick. I’d like the top bunk, but I’d probably let Stanley choose.

TB: You’re allowed 1 small treasured item. What is it?
TG: Reproduction Lewis-chess-set King which my Dad gave me.

TB: We’ve managed to get you a CD player. What album would you like?
TG: Silver Jews: Bright Flight.

A popular choice but videos are hard to come by. You can watch the video for Tennessee also chosen by last weeks Bunker Andy Smith by clicking here.

TB: We are willing to cook you 1 meal of your choice on your first night in The Bunker. What would you like?
TG: Champagne and oysters. Then roast beef, yorkshire pudding, roast potatoes and parsnips, peas, gravy. Followed by trifle.

TB: All inhabitants of The Bunker MUST have their memories of Old Earth erased. However, we will allow you a single memory of your old life. What will it be?
TG: Swimming in the river on a hot day when I was about 8.

TB: We can project a view of your choice onto the Window Screen. What would you like to look at?
TG: New York from the 50th floor.

Tom’s new screen print ‘Plan for a Gigantic Robot’ is available to buy at his website and don’t forget you can enjoy his work every saturday in The Guardian Review. He also has a great flickr page where you can see lots of other drawings including scanned pages from his sickeningly beautiful sketchbook.

This is my very own Tom Gauld original that I’m incredibly happy to own, because I’m a nerd like that.

Come back next week when I’ll be sharing baked beans with another of my favourite creative types in…THE BUNKER! Thanks for reading!

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The Kindle or iPad will never be able to replace the feeling you get from holding and flicking through a real book, not for me. Another thing that is difficult to appreciate on a digital reader is a good cover. An art form that has seen a strong renaissance over the last few years, especially for the world of illustration.

After discovering the amazing Edward Gorey illustrated War of the Worlds recently, and the fact that I’m stuck at home feeling rotten with some kind of bug, I thought I’d share a random handful of my favourite covers from my collection. Enjoy!

I love how Gorey’s tripods look swift and nimble, not just stiff machines like we’re used to seeing. Like giant swaying spiders capable of running across the land as they hunt humankind to extinction. OOOOO-AAAAAAA! The choice of pink for the sky is brilliant too, really makes the cover pop.

A lovely cover from ’56, actually got this for Christmas from the folks, much better than socks.

Haven’t gotten round to reading this one yet, it’s one of the very few Lovecraft stories I haven’t read. Looks pretty bonkers, just how I like it.

I used to have wall to wall Frazetta when I was growing up and I love this cover, such a blast from the past for me. I lost my copy growing up and decided to track it down again after Frank died last year. RIP you absolute legend.

It’s not old, or weird, but I love all the covers from these editions of the 2001 books, this is my favourite of the 4. They were done by the brilliant Michael Whelan.

A book that has to remain in it’s plastic bag home due to the state of the inside, the pages are about to crumble to dust. Great cover though and a lovely addition to the collection.

The Iron Man illustrated by one of my all time favourite illustrators Tom Gauld. A master of beautiful simplicity.

Come on. Don’t even pretend that you don’t think this cover is awesome. I used to draw this weird Lion, scorpion dude when I was a kid and loved all of these Fighting Fantasy books. This is another I had to acquire recently from ebay after my childhood copy was sadly lost over the years. This is by John Blanche.

My favourite Gorey cover, The Gashlycrumb Tinies. An a-z of unfortunate childhood fatalities, each one drawn to perfection, gorgeous stuff.

Here’s a perfect example of why you should never write off charity shops for good book finds. I bought both The Inferno and Purgatory for £2 each, both printed in 1904, absolutely beautiful little books.

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