Independent comics publisher SHIFT has announced Mad Robot Comics’ brilliant Sci-Fi thriller Beyond Thunder Child is joining the pages of their flagship, eponymous comics anthology.
“For everyone who backed and enjoyed the original Thunder Child series, the story isn’t over,” says co-writer Matthew Hardy.
Beyond Thunder Child continues the saga in a Britain devastated by Martian invasion, picking up the threads left in the wake of the Thunder Child‘s heroic sacrifice, released in collection back in June (AmazonUK Affiliate Link)
Across SHIFT Volume 3, Issues 5-10, (Issue 5 due in newsagents from this Thursday, 13th November 2026, available to order online here), readers will experience three brand-new interconnected three-part stories exploring courage, loss, survival and resistance in a world forever changed.
Created especially for fans eager to return to this universe, there’s an exclusive pre-order collection on offer – the perfect way to continue the journey and ensure you don’t miss a single chapter.
• Order SHIFT Volume Three Issue 5 online here
Three Complete Stories
The Lights in the East
Written by Rob Jones • Art by Ben Æ Filby
A traumatised and battle-weary Major hides from both the invaders and his own memories in occupied Lowestoft. When circumstances force him into contact with a growing resistance movement, he must choose between surrendering to fear or rediscovering the fighting spirit that once drove him forward.
Crimson Tide
Written by Andy Lanning • Art by Norrie
Left behind when the Thunder Child sailed, Alfie joins a desperate flotilla of refugees seeking safety by sea. But strange red weed, impenetrable fog, and dangers both familiar and unknown turn their escape into a nightmare journey where past regrets may demand a terrible price.
Dreams Tinted Red
Written by Matthew Hardy • Art by Geoff Senior
A woman awakes in a military hospital plagued by vivid visions of destruction, impossible memories and unanswered questions. As she follows a trail that leads back to the Major, she finds herself at the centre of a mystery whose secrets could reshape everything she thought she knew.
• Pre-order Shift / Mad Robot – Beyond Thunder Child here
Prices include shipping in the UK, with international orders dispatched three at a time, at a discounted rate
• The War of the Worlds: Thunder Child (AmazonUK Affiliate Link)
A dramatic tale that runs parallel to the events of H.G. Wells’ classic novel, The War of the Worlds.
The War of the Worlds: Thunder Child follows the exploits of the crew of the eponymous ironclad torpedo ram, the HMS Thunder Child. Sitting alongside the events of Wells’ novel, the story takes place against a backdrop of strange occurrences and creeping terror, all leading up to the Thunder Child‘s final heroic showdown with the invaders from Mars.
This is a terrifying and thrilling tale soaked in blood, recriminations, sacrifice and loss, the first act in a new take on the well-known science-fiction classic with a unique cast and its own story to tell. A story of the horrors and conflicts of the crew as they experience the first desperate days of the Martian invasion and face the possible collapse of the British Empire and civilisation itself – threatened both from the stars… and from within.”
- About the Author
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John is the founder of downthetubes, launched in 1998. He is a comics and magazine editor, writer, and Press Officer for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He also runs Crucible Comic Press.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine and Overkill for Marvel UK, Babylon 5 Magazine, Star Trek Magazine, and its successor, Star Trek Explorer, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics; and has edited several comic collections and graphic novels, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”, and Hancock: The Lad Himself, by Stephen Walsh and Keith Page.
He’s the writer of comics such as 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.
Categories: British Comics, British Comics - Collections, British Comics - Current British Publishers, Comic Previews, Comics, downthetubes Comics News, downthetubes News
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