Martin Conway - Nemo & The Leagues

Some years back I was paired with a writer and tasked with creating a comic strip centred on high school teens in a band.

The initial brief coupled with my drawing style at the time leant a little too close to Hewlett’s Gorillaz (at peak fame) so the decision was made to soften the designs, drawing on Hergé’s Tin Tin and Saturday morning cartoons like Doug and Recess for inspiration.

Unfortunately the publisher pulled out, funding dried up and the project went nowhere. In the years that followed however, I found myself returning to the characters and setting, fleshing out their identities and cementing a stylistic tone.

Initially just a way of keeping my skills sharp between illustration gigs, it’s only now as I pivot into concept art that I realise their value, with my penchant for world building equal to that of drawing. Without further adieu I give you Nemo & The Leagues.