Presenting… The Really Heavy Greatcoat’s “New National Anthem”

By John Freeman on September 20, 2020

Not content with beavering away on a new graphic novel, cartoonist Nick Miller still finds time to draw the occasional “The Really Heavy Greatcoat” comic strip, when the mood takes him. “The New National Anthem” debuted this morning, in the style of his past “Greatcoat Review of the Year” continuations of the strip we created over three decades ago.

The Really Heavy Greatcoat’s “New National Anthem”

“The Really Heavy Greatcoat” was created by Lancaster-based artist Nick Miller and I back in the 1980s, and was published on a fairly regularly for about 20 years in alternative Lancaster print titles such as On The Beat and Off the Beat and, later, online, on virtual-lancaster.net.

The Really Heavy Greatcoat’s last appearance in print was in the now defunct Comics International, but Nick did publish a number of RHG-inspired strips on the web platform Tapas, alongside his The Worry Man pocket cartoon, and a number of “Review of the Year” items.

When last seen in a regular strip, Kevin, the current owner of the Really Heavy Greatcoat – a talking garment with transcendentally dimensional pockets – was a student. He was clearly not postgraduate material, so Nick and I reckon he’s still living in a bedsit in Lancaster somewhere, eking out a life on benefits… and still railing against the world as we know it…

Nick Miller has been a cartoonist since he was able to hold a pencil, also working as an illustrator and graphic designer. He’s been working in this field for over 30 years with clients in the UK, US, Italy, China, Luxembourg, Croatia and was the regular poster artist for Lancaster Comics Day.

His cartoons have been used in academic texts, advertising, apps, children’s books, children’s comics, graphic anthologies and sport magazines.

• Greatcoat Review of the Year 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008

• The Really Heavy Greatcoat Archives (on Tapas)

John Freeman

The founder of downthetubes, which he established in 1998. John works as a comics and magazine editor, writer, and on promotional work for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He is currently editor of Star Trek Explorer, published by Titan – his third tour of duty on the title originally titled Star Trek Magazine.

Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Babylon 5 Magazine, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics. He has also edited several comic collections, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”.

He’s the writer of “Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies” for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs” with Dave Hailwood.