The Panel Gallery, Dedicated To Comic Artwork, Opens In Northampton

In comic book circles, Northampton is best known as the home town of comic book writer Alan Moore, and it features prominently in much of his work, including The BoJeffries Saga, Big Numbers, Voice Of The Fire, Jerusalem, Show Pieces, and The Show. But the English town may be about to have yet another claim to comic book fame.

The Panel Gallery, in Abington Square, Northampton, just oped as the UK’s first dedicated comic art gallery. The opening exhibition features art including work by Jack Kirby, Gil Kane, Esad Ribic, Adi Granov, Alan Davis, John Bolton, Glenn Fabry and many more. The gallery’s curator Jeff Chahal, who owns the town’s comic store Close Encounters and rums the local comic convention NICE, says “We feel it’s time the people that create the rich worlds that so many enjoy visiting get the recognition they so rightly deserve.” Jeff says he has seen an increase in interest in comic art over the last few years. “The box office success of films based on the Marvel and DC universes means lots of people are interested in owning artwork featuring their favourite characters. We look forward to introducing the creative forces that drive the global juggernauts that so many enjoy to a much wider audience… I’ve been planning to open the gallery for some time now – but the Covid-19 pandemic means that it’s only now that it has become a reality. I’m delighted that we’ll be opening the doors to the public in time for Christmas.”

The first exhibition has been curated from the personal collection of Chahal, numbering forty pages, including Sláine by Glenn Fabry, three pages of Justice League by John Byrne and Mark Farmer, Garth by Frank Bellamy, Abslom Daak: Dalek Killer by Steve Dillon and Scalped by Jock, Silver Surfer by Herb Trimpe, Thor pages by Jack Kirby, Esad Ribic, Carlos Pacheco, George Perez and Bob McLeod, and by Gil Kane and Geoff Isherwood, Hulk by Bill Sienkiewicz, Absolute Carnage Vs Deadpool by Marcelo Ferreira, Punisher War Zone by John Romita Jnr,  Grimwood’s Daughter by Kevin Nowlan, Ultimate Thor by Carlos Pacheco and Spawn Dark Ages by Liam Sharp.