Liam Cobb illustrates the collapse of the Heygate Estate in latest comic Conditioner 

Date
17 August 2017

Liam Cobb has been keeping busy over the past year to complete his small-yet-anecdotal collection of comics. Having previously featured his past publication Shampoo, his recent offering, and brilliantly named,  Conditioner is filled with as much wit, charm and beauty as its predecessor.  

Conditioner is the latest of the series. The pages are decorated with soft tones of red, pink and purple that are cleverly juxtaposed with dry and hilarious conversations. His last comic Shampoo told multiple stories of human life, a sky-high rooftop pool, a burning house and a love story. Conditioner follows from this with a new mixture of relevant and thought-provoking tales. “There are three stories in Conditioner, the same as Shampoo, and each one is a complete story in itself,” Liam tells It’s Nice That. “The main story is based on the Heygate Estate in Elephant and Castle when they kicked everyone out.”

“Game over” and other incriminations are plastered across graffiti walls while a couple walk side by side across a lengthy bridge. A full tide drowning all but the Heygate Estate follows shortly after a four-panelled sequence of the building during demolition. Lustful, colourful and intricate details — most of which include plants — makes the whole devastating occurrence and story seem rather sensual.

“I get inspired by all sorts of stuff,” says Liam. His comics are filled with various observations from his surroundings which means that each page has a direct, significant and familiar message within. “I’m still interested in architecture and nature, which was quite a strong theme in Shampoo. I’ve been looking outside of the comics scene for inspiration and steering towards painters and print makers too.” 

“Whenever I start a story I sometimes think it’s going to be one thing, but then as I’m making it I realise it’s going to become something different. I let the work take it’s own direction and I won’t try to force things if they don’t feel right. So I’ve become quite used to just dropping ideas, even if I really like them,” says Liam. “Originally I was going to call Shampoo Conditioner last year and just keep the name as the title for all of the comics. But then my partner came up with the idea to name them in this order.”

Alongside the two titles, Liam has plans to fill the gaps with mini comics. “I’ve already made one called Lather, and the others will of course be titled Rinse and Repeat,” he says. It’s obvious that there’s a running theme and dialogue throughout his work here, and we can’t help but enjoy the prelude of where he’s going to take it next. 

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Liam Cobb: Conditioner

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Liam Cobb: Conditioner

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Liam Cobb: Conditioner

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Liam Cobb: Conditioner

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Liam Cobb: Conditioner

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Liam Cobb: Conditioner

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Liam Cobb: Conditioner

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Liam Cobb: Conditioner

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Liam Cobb: Conditioner

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Liam Cobb: Conditioner

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Liam Cobb: Conditioner

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Liam Cobb: Conditioner

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About the Author

Ayla Angelos

Ayla is a London-based freelance writer, editor and consultant specialising in art, photography, design and culture. After joining It’s Nice That in 2017 as editorial assistant, she was interim online editor in 2022/2023 and continues to work with us on a freelance basis. She has written for i-D, Dazed, AnOther, WePresent, Port, Elephant and more, and she is also the managing editor of design magazine Anima. 

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