The Walking Dead artist Charlie Adlard named UK Comics Laureate

Charlie Adlard, who is best known for his work as an artist on The Walking Dead comic book series, has been named the United Kingdom’s new Comics Laureate.

These days, it’s hard to find the time to read an entire book from cover to cover. Thankfully, there are many great alternatives to reading a thick book, including checking out great comics like The Walking Dead from Image Comics and Skybound Entertainment.

One of the keys to success for the zombie survival comic series is the fantastic artwork. Being able to capture action, drama, excitement, and a multitude of other emotions through the pages of a comic is an unbelievable accomplishment, and one that artist Charlie Adlard pulls off on a regular basis.

Adlard has been an artist for The Walking Dead since 2004, also lending his talents to great projects like The X-Files, Judge Dredd, Mars Attacks, and Savage. He has even worked with Doris Lessing, who won the Nobel Prize for Literature.

Now, Charlie Adlard has one more accolade to add to his list, as he’s been named the UK Comics Laureate, replacing Dave Gibbons.

Comic Laureates are elected biennially and act as an embassador to the comic book world to spread the educational and creative aspects of the art form. The laureate will visit schools, libraries, and other venues to speak about the importance and value of comics in today’s society.

Recently, Adlard spoke about the honor in a recent article on cbr.com:

"“I’m delighted and deeply honoured to be appointed as the Comics Laureate. The power of comics to encourage learning and develop literacy shouldn’t be underestimated. Comics can connect with people who may never pick up a normal book and really help encourage a love of reading. I see this as a great opportunity to bring the wonder of comics to a wider audience.”"

Comics Laureate is more than just a title, and Charlie Adlard is more than prepared to take on the role of helping bring awareness to how reading comics and appreciating art can lead to sparks of creativity and encourage literacy.

"“The Comics Laureate isn’t just a title; we already have a programme of events taking shape that will ensure we reach out to new audiences and raise the profile and the understanding of the importance of comics for education, inspiration and literacy.”"

Next: Charlie Adlard's tribute to Charlie Hedbo

Congratulations to Charlie Adlard on being named the United Kingdom’s new Comics Laureate. His work over the years have brought joy, tears, and inspiration to millions of comic book readers around the world and helped to bring the art form to more of a mainstream level. The Walking Dead is lucky to have someone like Adlard as part of their comic book team.