Christmas 2015 may be fast approaching, but cartoonist Joe Matthews is already planning for 2016 – by trying raise funds to publish a very personal graphic novel; his own adaptation of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, working with David McCluskey… Read More ›
Month: December 2015
An All-New “Garth” Story Continues the Mirror Hero’s Original Adventures
It’s been many years since the last official new Garth adventure appeared in the Britain’s national Daily Mirror but his many fans still hanker for his return – and now an unofficial continuation of the character, written and drawn by Bill Storie,… Read More ›
Celebrating the Genius of Ken Reid at Christmas
Over on this always-entertaining blog about British comics, cartoonist Lew Stringer has posted a number of terrific Christmas strips drawn by the wonderful Ken Reid. You’ll have seen some of the pages before on Lew’s blog over the years but others… Read More ›
Awesome Comics Podcast Episode 25: A Creating Comics Adventure!
As Tony Esmond couldn’t make it this week (he’s busy helping Santa’s elves, apparently), it’s just Vince Hunt and Dan Butcher holding the fort on this week’s Amazing Comics Podcast, and they spend it cooking up a storm with lots of… Read More ›
IDW announces Al Williamson’s Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back Artist’s Edition
The legendary late artist Al Williamson’s Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back stories have been collected in the award-winning Artist’s Edition format by US publisher IDW, to be released in April 2016. Al Williamson is an artist much admired by comic creators worldwide and, back… Read More ›
Freaks, Heroes and Horrors, Good Grief! A Dastardly Digital Bundle of Comics Now On Sale
Following up on my plug earlier today for 100% Biodegradable Issue 11, there’s a fab “Freaks, Heroes and Horrors Bundle” on offer from four ace independent publishers on the digital platform Drivethrucomics – and it’s bigger than ever this time around. Offering… Read More ›
100% Biodegradable Issue 11: All Action, All New and Out Now for Christmas!
Issue 11 of the digital anthology 100% Biodegradable is out now on Drivethru (Comicsy and ComiXology release to follow soon), sporting a rather lovely cover from Andrew Hartmann and Charlie Hogg, to complement the “Moby Douche” strip written by the… Read More ›
Road to Perdition and Doctor Who artist Richard Piers Rayner interviewed
The latest episode of Jeremy Bement’s Doctor Who Panel to Panel podcast features an interview with Road to Perdition and Doctor Who artist Richard Piers Rayner, along with its usual selection of news items and a review of Titan Comics 2015 Doctor Who Holiday Special, a… Read More ›
Radio 4 re-broadcasts “Eagle” documentary
Available now on BBC iPlayer for about a month is the Radio 4 documentary Eagle: The Space Age Weekly, hosted by Sir Tim Rice and includes author Philip Pullman amongst the guests, as well as the voices of Marcus Morris… Read More ›
New “Polar Express” prints from Dark Hall Mansion celebrate the festive season
The wonderful art print publishers Dark Hall Mansion have just released this special holiday treat – officially licensed limited edition “The Polar Express” prints by leading contemporary artist, Nicolas DeLort, who also created their brilliant Universal Classic Monsters series. Released in partnership… Read More ›
Irish Men in Malta: Big Bastard by Danny McColgan and Neil O’Driscoll
One great thing about conventions is that its an opportunity to meet the people behind the comics you’ve read and enjoyed – but for me, it’s also about finding new comics to enjoy. At this year’s Malta Comic Con, this… Read More ›
Something For the Weekend: US Comics (and more) on Sale 16th December 2015
I’m still playing catch up and racing to meet some pre-Christmas deadlines, so no detailed list of new comics again this week. Sorry! Luckily for you, Mark Braithwaite at Lancaster’s First Age Comics has still posted his list of new titles, so his list… Read More ›
Eagle Daze: The Life and Times of Leonard James Matthews – Part Two
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 (Part One here), is only due to… Read More ›
What, No New Ghostbusters Comic? (Yet, anyway…)
There’s a new Ghostbusters arriving in cinemas in July 2016 and the licensing campaign is picking up “extraordinary momentum”, according to the company handling branding deals, with no less than 23 partners on board – but, as yet, it doesn’t look like… Read More ›
Have Yourself Some Convict Commandos For Christmas!
Here’s the lowdown on the latest issues of Commando, Issues 4871-4874 on sale now – the penultimate release for 2015, with four more issues out on 31st December. It’s been a year of change for the title, with editor Calum Laird… Read More ›
Titan Comics releases Doctor Who: Tales from the TARDIS in the UK
Clearly not content with just having its anthology Doctor Who Comic on sale in UK newsagents, Titan Comics has just released a 76-page Who special, Tales From the TARDIS, a US format title that leads with the company’s Doctor Who: The… Read More ›
Comic Creator Spotlight: The Art of Ron Smith, Part One
As a comic fan of long standing, one of my real pleasures is identifying and applauding some of the artists that I feel never got the appreciation that they so richly deserved. But I have found that even with the… Read More ›
Artist Ian Kennedy Talks About His Return To 2000AD
To put it quite simply, Ian Kennedy is the most experienced British comic strip artist working today. Beginning his career as a staff artist at DC Thomson in Dundee in 1949, he went self-employed in 1954 for the simple expediency… Read More ›
Amazing Comics Podcast Episode 25: Tally Burtram and Bajo Mano
This week Vince Hunt, Dan Butcher and Tony Esmond are joined by the creator of the procedural cop drama comic Bajo Mano Tally Burtram to talk about the series and how it came to be. She also tells the ACP crew about… Read More ›
Marc Jackson’s “Ka-Punch!” Comes to Comic Heroes
Anarchic comic creator Marc Jackson‘s new comic strip ‘KA-PUNCH!’ is to launch in the January issue of Comic Heroes magazine. The first appearance runs to two full pages and the following issues will feature single pages strips. “The story will… Read More ›