As 2015 draws to a close, top writer Garth Ennis seems to have taken over the US comic release list this week, but of all the titles on sale, I think Dreaming Eagles #1 from much-talked-about publisher Aftershock Comics is well… Read More ›
Month: December 2015
2Tone Comics in Hebden Bridge and other Comic Creators Count the Cost of Christmas Storms
Fans of independent comic shop 2 Tone Comics in Hebden Bridge have rallied to help owners Mandy and Tom after the store was devastated by flooding over Christmas, wreaking havoc on many businesses in the Yorkshire town. The store is one… Read More ›
The Awesome Comics Podcast End of Year Special – A White Riot of Comics Goodness!
It’s been a fantastic year for the world of small press comics, and what would the last Awesome Comics Podcast of the year be if there wasn’t a talk about some of the highlights of the year that was 2015? There are… Read More ›
ARGH! Comics Need You! Or Rather, Bay TV Liverpool Need You For a TV Show About Comics…
Can you laugh out loud while someone drones on for hours and hours about bloomin’ comic books? If so, Bay TV Liverpool want you to be part of the audience at Liverpool’s Central Library on Saturday 30th January 2016. You will witness the… Read More ›
Panel Borders: Drawing The Beano
In Drawing The Beano, the latest Panel Borders podcast, Alex Fitch talks to writers / artists Laura Howell and Hunt Emerson who have contributed a number of strips to The Beano since 2002, including “Little Plum”, “Ratz”, “Minnie the Minx”… Read More ›
Starblazer remembered by legendary comic artist Enrique “Quique” Alcatena
DC Thomson’s 1970’s Starblazer – “Science Fiction Adventure in Pictures” – is remembered by Enrique “Quique” Alcatena in a new Spanish-language documentary titled, simply, Alacatena, directed by Diego Arandojo. Enrique “Quique” Alcatena is regarded as one of Argentina’s most prestigious cartoonists who also drew several… Read More ›
Missing in Action: Marvel UK’s “Just William” Project
A comics company lives or dies by its catalogue, and back in the 1980s and 1990s Marvel UK, like others, was always considering new ideas from editors. Some fell at outline stage, such as my proposed roleplaying game magazine (suggested following… Read More ›
Commando Closes 2015 With Four Cracking Comics
Closing out 2015, here are the last issues of DC Thomson’s Commando (Issues 4875 – 4978) for the year, with the next release scheduled for 14th January 2016. These four issues are on sale in all good newsagents on Thursday 31st… Read More ›
Comic Creator Spotlight: The Art of Ron Smith, Part Two – The Hotspur Mark II 1959 to 1969
My first article regarding the work of Ron Smith acted as a introduction, to remind us how great this veteran artist, now retired, has been over the course of his career. This next pair of articles will focus on one aspect of Ron’s… Read More ›
Hachette Launches “Draw The Marvel Way” Part Work in January
Hachette, the British publisher of titles such as Doctor Who: The Complete History and Judge Dredd: The Mega Collection is to launch How To Draw The Marvel Way on 6th January in all good newsagents. The part work – evocative… Read More ›
Artists Wanted to help bring “Oor Wullie’s Bucket Trail” to Dundee
A major art project inspired by the Sunday Post‘s “Oor Wullie” will take over Dundee next summer – and the project is still looking for artists to be involved. Oor Wullie’s Bucket Trail is a major public arts event that… Read More ›
In Review: Asterix and the Missing Scroll
Written by Jean-Yves Ferri Art by Didier Conrad Original title: Le Papyrus de César Published by: Les Éditions Albert René UK Publisher: Orion Children’s Books Out: Now The Book: Julius Caesar has finished writing the history of his campaigns in Gaul. His publisher, Libellus… Read More ›
Eagle Daze: The Life and Times of Leonard James Matthews – Part Three
Leonard Matthews, General Managing Editor of Fleetway and the Eagle Group of Comics, was a “Creative Visionary”… but that, Roger Perry argues in his extensive biography of the man which continues here on downthetubes, is only due to him having utilised… Read More ›
Christmas Fun’n’Games From Tesco
Over on his Blimey comics history blog, Lew Stringer has been running his now traditional Christmas Comics feature showing the Christmas covers from the comics of yesteryear. We aren’t about to try to compete with Lew but did think that… Read More ›
The British Comics Industry: Looking Back on 2015, Looking Forward to 2016
With the festive season upon us and 2015 racing to a close, over on Comic Book Resources, staff writer and comics retailer Brian Hibbs, in an article titled “Tilting at Windmills: Trouble on the Horizon?“notes we’re in an extremely odd… Read More ›
Something for the Weekend: US Comics (and more) on sale 23rd December 2015
It’s Christmas, so time to dash out for some last-minute stocking fillers for the comic fans in your family! This week, my top pick this week, along with the latest issues of 2000AD, Arcadia, Batman 66 Meets The Man From U.N.C.L.E. #1,… Read More ›
Marvel UK Heroes Lost in Action: Officer Outbody by Glenn Dakin and Ross Dearsley
A Marvel UK character that fell foul of the company’s implosion in the 1990s
Doctor Who creators recall their “Embarrassing Moments” for Paul Cornell
Ace author Paul Cornell has a terrific blog packed not only with news about his work – a new episode (#7) of his podcast, The Cornell Collective is out now, for example – but some wonderful posts on things Doctor Who and more…. Read More ›
Pitch In for Perlin! GoFundMe Appeal Launched for veteran Marvel artist
Veteran US artist Don Perlin – perhaps best known for his work on Marvel’s Ghost Rider, The Defenders and Transformers – recently had surgery to stop bleeding in his head. Writer and editor Clifford Meth, who has previously led successful… Read More ›
Titan Comics Reveals Heroes Reborn “Godsend” mini-series variant covers
Titan Comics have just revealed their variant covers from their all-new forthcoming mini-series Heroes: Godsend written by Heroes Reborn scriptwriter Joey Falco and with art from Roy Allan Martinez (Immortal Iron Fist). This five-part story arc, launching in March 2016,… Read More ›