Previewed pages from 'Riddler's Fayre' were prominantly featured at an exhibition of comic art at this year's Greenbelt arts festival.

The exhibition featured the work of Robert Crumb, Neil Gaiman, Jeff Anderson and Jack Chick � quite a selection. The theme of the exhibition was Christian themes in comics and even featured the life of Pope John Paul II transformed into a comic mini-series by Marvel.

Among my own favourites were 'Too Much Coffee Man' and some of the late 40s / early 50s American comics that were banned under the American Comics Code � tame by today's standards, but totally outrageous and full of invention.

The most commented on work was that of Jack Chick, especially his portrayal of the four horseman of the apocalypse as communism, the papacy, death and � well, someone in a clerical colour � Presbyterianism?

The exhibition was compiled from the collection of the curator Steve Spicer (pictured), a graphic artist and one of the Greenbelt organisers. Steve has my highest admiration for being the only cartoonist fired from 'Buzz' magazine.

Comics are obviously a source of great passion and inspiration for Steve who also had some of his own work on show, based on the life of Christ in which Jesus is portrayed with a receding hairline. (Well, why not?).

There were other comic events at the festival including a panel chaired by Mike Maddox who wrote the text for the award-winning 'Lion Graphic Bible'. On the panel were Shiku, the 2000AD artist who had worked on titles such as 'Slaine'; Steve Carroll (that's me), writer of 'Riddler's Fayre'; Ross Lawhead, son of Stephen Lawhead and writer of the 'Hero' comics; and Paul Cornell who, as well as writing for 2000AD, also wrote the 'Father's Day' story for the latest Dr. Who series. (That's the one where Rose Tyler goes back to 1987 to save her father.)

The panel were asked to talk about influences, which ranged from Frank Hampson's 'Dan Dare' to Grant Morrison's 'The Invisibles' and all the way back to 'Dan Dare' again. When asked why I wanted to write for comics I stated that I had always written stories from the age of twelve.

If literary novels are classical music, then comics are Rock 'n' Roll, and I prefer playing Rock 'n' Roll.