They’ve been jolly polite over at New British Comics: editor Karol Wisniewski sent me a copy of #2 eons ago (long before Wasted #3, below!) and again, it’s slipped through the cracks. Which it really shouldn’t have, because NBC#2 is every bit as good as the first issue, released last April (reviewed here on downthetubes).
Not only does it have a terrific line up of creators, culled from indie talent in the UK and Poland, including Dan White, Dave Thomson, Pawel Gierczak, David Hailwood, Tony Suleri, Maddku, Jacek Zabawa, Paul O’Connell and Rob Miller; it also features a great range of strips.
Highlights of this collection, for me, are White’s (biographical?) ‘Last Summer’; Dave Thomson’s phantasmagorical ‘Feeding Spiders’, worthy, surely of much wider exposure; Hailwood and Suleri’s SF shocker ‘Spare Parts’, first seen in the Temple APA but well deserving second exposure here; and David Robetrtson and Frank Lamour’s ‘Under the Rainbow: Mercy’ a disturbing tale of voodoo. But there is even more to enjoy in this fine mix of styles and genres.
Published in Poland in both a Polish and English edition by Wisniewski, the contents and strips are the same in both editions but the only difference is language. Once again, this is a brilliant project, truly deserving support from the comic community. So, what are you waiting for? (Other than this review, of course…)
• New British Comics is now available through SmallZone’s online shop – smallzone-shop.co.uk
• There’s now a new web site about the project at: newbritishcomics.blogspot.com
• More information and sample pages visit: www.polygobooks.com/newbritishcomics
• In addition to the book a Polish website dedicated to comics – www.komiks.nast.pl – has started publishing online British comics (click here for these)
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.
Categories: British Comics