Cartoonists from around the world have set up a new online agency, Drawn & Quartered.com Ltd., in Bermuda because of the Island's good track record in e-commerce.

The latest e-venture to hit the Island's shores is a Web site set up by American political cartoonist Robert Edwards, known in the trade as "Red".

He has set up www.drawnandquartered.com which is an agency which represents the work of international and award-winning editorial cartoonists and caricaturists.

Mr. Edwards, who is the chairman and chief executive officer of the new company, said about the move to Bermuda: "It is an Island out to prove itself and I for one have been impressed by its reputation, hard work and track record."

The firm was incorporated by an online legal company on the Island, the Web site was set up by a local IT business and the site is hosted by a local Internet service provider (ISP).

The company will provide images for use for many purposes from publications to Web sites, slide presentations or as framed prints for exhibitions or office use. Original artwork can also be bought on-line.

The company will make money by publications and businesses buying the rights to use the works from the on-line gallery.

The Web site is listed both by artist alphabetically and by subject matter to make illustrations easier to find.

Mr. Edwards said: "Cartoonists have always looked far and wide for creative inspiration and now Bermuda provides superb sanctuary for their world-view."

Bermuda's CCS Group helped set up the web site for the company after the Bermuda International Business Association advised Mr. Edwards on how to take his idea forward.

A statement from CCS said: "Edwards is one of the new breed of entrepreneurs looking to establish both a strong image and lasting presence over the Internet. His company has produced an extensive and diverse on-line catalogue of images, created by a growing group of editorial news cartoonists and caricaturists.

"The collection includes images that can be used for every conceivable purpose, with on-line commissions welcomed for original artwork."

The company was incorporated by Appleby Spurling and Kempe, via their on-line incorporation, and then CCS provided the technical backup to put together the web-site, configuring the Web server for the site now hosted at Northrock.

Tom Quinn, who heads up the professional services division of CCS said: "It was refreshing to to work with an individual with a very different slant on the way the web should work.

"Drawn and Quartered challenged us to produce an innovative but irreverent website which could cope with a large number of images and still be fast loading and easy to navigate. I hope that we have achieved that goal."

Mr. Edwards, who set up the company without physically visiting Bermuda, said he was delighted with the results so far.

Mr. Edwards will come to Bermuda the first time later this year and will be a guest speaker at the annual e-commerce eCC conference in Hamilton in October. He will also be the Bermuda-conference's cartoonist in residence for the duration of the conference.

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Drawn to e-business: Robert Edwards, director and chief executive officer of Drawn & Quartered.com Ltd., has set up the latest online company in Bermuda.