Sapphire & Steel Competition: Nigel “Spleenal” Auchterlounie joins the fun

Recent news of a possible return to our screens of the spooky Sapphire & Steel prompted various comic artists to pipe up that they’d love to draw a new comic based on the show, so we’re challenging our readers to do just that. It’s just for fun and open to any style – realistic, cartoon, montage, or even a one-off illustration (but strip preferred). All we ask is that you tell your new Sapphire & Steel tale in one or two pages. No epics!

The winner – I’ll pick three – will receive some goodies from my hoard of British comic-related goodies, and we’ll publish the best entires here on downthetubes.

Nigel Auchterlounie (AKA Spleenal) has just joined in the fun, a cartoonist who has worked on everything from all-ages comics like Dennis the Menace to biting, one-page satirical strips that, when posted on Twitter, point out the inconsistencies and unfairness behind the policies and actions of our current coalition government. For Blank Slate Books, meanwhile, he has produced Spleenal and Weak As I Am. The former is a comedy, while the latter is his own unique take on the superhero genre.

I hope you enjoy his entry, below…

• Please send your Sapphire & Steel competition entries to the downthetubes web site address – no high res files, ideally 1600 pixel width at least and no web links. Entries must be received by 12 noon on Thursday 8th October 2015. Good luck!

Read our news story about the possible return of Sapphire & Steel and the launch of the competition here

• Check out Nigel’s official site here or follow him relentlessly on Twitter until he can no longer hide @spleenal

Sapphire & Steel: The Blacjk Tree Assignment by Nigel Auctherlounie

Sapphire & Steel: The Blacjk Tree Assignment by Nigel Auctherlounie



Categories: Comics Competitions, downthetubes Comics News, downthetubes News, Science Fiction, Television

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5 replies

  1. Makes even less sense than the series.

    There’s no reason for Sapphire’s eyes to turn black (the only precedent for this is when she was possessed by The Darkness, in Assignment 2, and – even then, it had to be summoned, and invited to talk).

    Likewise, the dialogue in this piece, is unrecognisable as that characterised in the series.

    There is no indication of Time having ‘broken through’, in this piece (an absolute given in every story), no trigger, and no real resolution.

    Poor, I’m afraid.

      • Sorry, Nigel; I’m pretty deeply steeped in Sapphire & Steel, so the points I highlighted really do stick out like a sore thumb 🙁

      • That’s alright Rob. You’re right that Time’s not broken here. They’re stopping an attempt to break time by creating repeated moment, much like the dinner party assignment. You’re right about there being no reason for Sapphire’s eyes to turn black too. She turns them black only because she wants to. As a way encouraging the man to leave the wood and never come back. That these two points weren’t apparant to you is a failing on my part as the writer.

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