Illustrator Sam Taylor’s fun celebrity takedowns in his NME comic strip

London-based illustrator Sam Taylor’s brash cartoonish work is inspired by the 90s and he often satirises current political and cultural happenings in a funny, vibrant way. His comic strip for NME called Slime Zone epitomises his approach perfectly as he dissects the world around him week by week. “NME’s creative director Simon Freeborough got in touch with me about the relaunch of the mag and said they had space for illustrations or comics,” says Sam. “Every week the comic is about different stuff, but Slime Zone is my universe so there are recurring characters that exist in all of my work. Flies, worms, The Blob, they’re my ‘cast’.”

Similar in aesthetic to Kyle Platts, the strip is made up of four frames and rather than a strict narrative flow, Sam presents four things on the same theme. “Most weeks I want the strip to be news related but if there’s no suitable news – and by that I mean something stupid a celebrity has done or something pretty light-hearted – I make it up, which usually means I extend whatever interests and personal work I’ve been doing that week into Slime Zone,” explains Sam. “It’s the best part of doing it as I always have an outlet for my ideas.”

From takes downs of Donald Trump, Kanye and Miley Cyrus to more surreal illustrations involving characters from The Simpsons, X-Men and Super Mario, it’s an eclectic mix from Sam’s wild imagination. “I’m constantly drawing, constantly trying new things and slowly evolving, and I try to vary how they look week to week,” says the illustrator. “I want to condense them to their purest form so it’s literally just a funny little 5cm square that makes people happy when they’re on the tube or wherever. I’m just trying to make the world a better place.”