Comic shops are telling us they have stock of this week’s top-selling comic collection in the UK, Judge Dredd: The Cursed Earth Uncensored, but once they’re gone, they’re gone, because publisher Rebellion has announced the book has sold out, so no more will be available once stock is exhausted. (A paperback collection is now in the works and no, we don’t think McDonalds is buying them all up).
Comic fans won’t be best pleased to learn that the price of US comics in comic shops are about to increase, the result of the drop in the value of the pound against the US dollar. Diamond Comic Distributors has informed comic book stores that prices have increased as a result of changes in exchange rates, the first time they have done this in eight years.
The new print comics prices will come into effect on Monday 18th July for new orders and today at noon (Friday 15th July) for reorders. The cost of British titles, such as 2000AD, is currently unaffected.
As Bleeding Cool has noted, this means a $4.99 comic book that was on sale in British comic books shops for around £3.60 to £3.75 will rise to £4.50
So far, it looks like digital comic prices for US comics – at least those sold through major sites such as comiXology – remain unchanged (£2.99 for a $4.99 comic book) – and of course, the price of digital comics such as Aces Weekly, fast approaching the launch of Volume 23, is unaffected, too.
If the pound declines again, prices may change again, although some agencies expect the situation to ease now the political situation in the UK is beginning to stabilise.
Art from Johnny Red Volume 4: Flying Gun
Still, let’s not be too downhearted – after all, how could we, here at downthetubes, with the comic shop release at last of Johnny Red Volume 4: Flying Gun from Titan Comics? This brilliant continuation of previous volumes has been a long time coming, collecting further strips from the pages of Battle about the English air ace seconded to the Eastern Front, written by the late Tom Tully and drawn by the late, great, John Cooper.
Let’s hope Titan’s Johnny Red mini-series from Garth Ennis and Ken Burns spurs strong sales and encourages Titan to green light Volume 5.
UK Newsagents Releases
There are plenty of comics on sale in newsagents that still delight in bringing you such subversive delights, including 2000AD, The Beano, Commando (latest release intel here), Judge Dredd Megazine, Panini’s superhero titles, Titan Comics superhero titles and VIZ, with great strips also featuring in titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Doctor Who Adventures, Titan’s Doctor Who: Tales from the TARDIS (collecting their strips from the US format titles)Mega, TOXIC and many others.
Plus, the wonderful Phoenix Comic is now on sale in many (but not all) Waitrose supermarkets and – at last, selected high street WH Smiths stores – and some comic shops (stockist list here) as well as available on subscription.
So let’s not get too downhearted by some British publishers lack of faith in full-blown cover to cover comic strip action and humour that only those of us over a certain age remember.
Hachette Partworks, whose partwork titles include Doctor Who: The Complete History and Judge Dredd: The Mega Collection, continue their How To Draw The Marvel Way, along with their re-release of their hugely successful part work, Marvel’s Marvel Ultimate Graphic Novel series.
Some of you in certain areas of the country may also be able to pick up a copy of the new Star Trek Graphic Novel Collection, which is currently being road tested by Eaglemoss.
Note that you may now have to subscribe if you want to continue buying Part Works some are not distributed in newsagents after their first few issues.
Coming soon to Aces Weekly. Art by and © Dylan Teague
Digital Comic Picks
Aces Weekly Volume 22 has just completed its run and Volume 23 will launch on Monday 18th July. Expects strips from Dylan Teague, Roberto Corroto Cuadrado and Ertito Montana, Paul Rainey, all put together by David Lloyd.
Hot Tip! if you subscribe to Aces Weekly now, before the next volume starts on 18th July 2016, for the usual just £1 per week – in any currency – you’ll get the whole, massive seven-weeks-worth of Aces Weekly Volume 22, complete now, with Volume 23 coming directly to you for every week of its seven weekly parts until its completion, and then right on to the next and the next!
Tune in now for the best readership in original digital comics at www.acesweekly.co.uk/shop
Don’t miss out on all the Previous Volumes, either, which have up to 200 pages of comics including Extras, and in full form feature in an exclusive Week-to-Week facility, which transforms any volume’s serialised stories into continuous comic book-sized narratives.
Biodegradable #13
The latest issue of digital action adventure and SF anthology 100% Biodegradable – Issue 13 – is on sale now, and features some great strips from a 2000AD droid and many other great comic creators. (I’m not counting myself as one of those “greats”, but I’m in the mix, too). Here’s a peek at some of the pages – Buy it from DriveThru here
British Comic Publishers
2000AD/ Rebellion
2000AD Prog 1989
Featuring: Judge Dredd: Reclamation by Michael Carroll, Colin MacNeil, Len O’Grady, and Annie Parkhouse; Brink by Dan Abnett, INJ Culbard, and Simon Bowland; Future Shocks: Meat by Martin Feekins, Jon Davis-Hunt, and Ellie De Ville; Black Shuck: Sins of the Father by Leah Moore, John Reppion, Steve Yeowell, Chris Blythe, and Ellie De Ville; Scarlet Traces: Cold War by Ian Edginton, D’Israeli, and Annie Parkhouse.
A Brian Bolland spread from 2000AD’s Judge Dredd: The Cursed Earth
Judge Dredd: The Cursed Earth Uncensored
Published in 2000 AD in 1978, “The Cursed Earth” was the first great Judge Dredd epic, but the story ran into trouble when two episodes – ‘Burger Wars’ and ‘Soul Food’ – featured parodies of Burger King, Ronald McDonald, the Jolly Green Giant, the Michelin Man, and a number of other prominent corporate characters in a raucous and shameless satire of American consumer culture.
After concerns of legal action at the time the then publisher IPC decided collections of this classic strip would omit the satirical stories. But now, following recent changes in UK law governing parody, Judge Dredd: The Cursed Earth Uncensored reprints the story in its entirety for the first time.
Using original artwork on loan from fans, the reproduction in the hardcover edition is second to none and includes the original colour centre spreads, also never before reprinted.
• Forbidden Planet is still listing The Cursed Earth for sale here – but you may have to be quick if you want one!
• Scorch Comics, Eastbourne, has set up an online ordering for Judge Dredd: The Cursed Earth here
Titan Comics
Doctor Who: The Fourth Doctor #4 – Cover A
Doctor Who: The Fourth Doctor #4
Writers: Gordon Rennie & Emma Beeby
Artist: Brian Williamson
Colorist: Hi-Fi
Letterer: Comicraft
The penultimate chapter of ‘GAZE OF THE MEDUSA’! Sarah Jane and Professor Odysseus are trapped in the ancient past, while the Doctor and the Professor’s daughter, Athena, attempt to steal the Lamp of Chronos from Lady Emily Carstairs and her giant Scryclopes! And looming large over both time zones… the ‘MEDUSA’ itself!
Cover A: Mark Wheatley
Cover B: Photo
Cover C: Kelly Yates
Cover D: Brian Williamson
Cover E: Todd Nauck
Doctor Who: The Tenth Doctor Year 2 #12
Writer: Nick Abadzis
Artist: Eleonora Carlini
Colorist: Arianna Florean
Letterer: Comicraft
Anubis is back, and the Doctor, Gabby and Cindy are nowhere near ready for what this ancient being is about to throw at them! With the universe fraying at the seams, Anubis propels the TARDIS team on a trip into the deep, deep past… when the laws of reality were still new!
Cover A: Claudia SG Ianniciello
Cover B: Photo – Will Brooks
Cover C: Stephen Byrne
Cover D: Simon Myers (Beatles Red Homage)
Doctor Who: The Tenth Doctor Archives Omnibus Volume 3
Writers: Tony Lee, Matthew Dow Smith, Jonathan L. Davis
Artists: Al Davison, Blair Shedd, Matthew Dow Smith, Kelly Yates
Colorists: Lovern Kindzierski, Charlie Kirchoff, Phil Elliott
Letterers: Neil Uyetake & Robbie Robbins
Cover: Tommy Lee Edwards
The third Tenth Doctor Archives collects the story arcs ‘Tesseract’ and ‘Final Sacrifice’! Witness the TARDIS assaulted by bizarre, five dimensional beings! Martha and UNIT battling an ancient evil under Greenwich! And, finally, theTenth Doctor’s new companions, Emily Winter and Matthew Finnegan, must face the predations of the Advocate on a war-ravaged alien world… and not everyone will make it out alive!
Collects: Doctor Who: Tesseract; Doctor Who: Final Sacrifice
Johnny Red Volume 4: Flying Gun
Writer: Tom Tully Artist: John Cooper
From the pages of classic war comic Battle comes the finest air-combat strip ever created in Britain!
Johnny Redburn has just led Falcon Squadron on a successful mission over Stalingrad. But Major Rastovitch has a new mission for Johnny: to fly an important Russian official to a top-secret conference in England in the incredible “Flying Gun”. The stakes are high and danger never far away …
Michael Moorcock Library: Elric Volume 3 – The Dreaming City
Writer: Roy Thomas (The Avengers, Conan the Barbarian, Iron Man)
Artists: P. Craig Russell (Killraven, Sandman, Coraline)
Following his triumphant return to the city of Imrryr, Elric: The Dreaming City chronicles the Eternal Champion’s most epic adventure to date as he attempts to reclaim the Ruby Throne, rescue his beloved, Cymoril, and reconcile with his damaged psyche.
Sherlock: A Study in Pink #2
Concept by: Steven Moffat & Mark Gatiss
Writer: Steven Moffat
Artist: Jay
The Japanese Sjerlock Manga continues in an all-new English edition, adapting the episodes of the smash-hit BBC America/Hartswood Films TV show! As Sherlock (Benedict Cumberbatch) and John (Martin Freeman) move in to 221B Baker Street and begin their tentative crime-solving partnership, the mystery of a citywide spate of ‘serial suicides’ remains – and Sherlock is dragged deeper into the depraved world of the killer!
Cover A: Jay.
Cover B: Photo
Cover C: Claudia Iannicello
New US Comics On Sale Now
The following titles are on sale now in all good UK comic shops. List courtesy First Age Comics, Lancaster
Abe Sapien #35
Action Comics #959
Adventure Time #54
Agents of Shield #7
All New X-Men #11
Archangel #2
Back to the Future #10
Bloodshot Reborn #15
Civil War II #3
Daredevil #9
Dark and Bloody #6
Dark Knight III Master Race #5
DC Comics Bombshells #15
Deadpool #15
Detective Comics #936
Dungeons & Dragons #3
Earth 2 Society #14
Flash #2
Guardians of the Galaxy #10
Gwenpool #4
Hal Jordan & the Green Lantern Corps Rebirth #1
Hip Hop Family Tree #11
Horizon #1
Knights of the Dinner Table #233
Kong of Skull Island #1
Legend of Wonder Woman #8
Magic Whistle Vol 3 #2
Marvel Mightiest Heroes vol 67 War Machine HC
Marvel Universe Guardians of the Galaxy #10
Mickey Mouse Shorts Season 1 #1
Millarworld Annual 2016 #1
Morning Glories #50
New Avengers #13
New Superman #1
Nightwing Rebirth #1
Ninjak #17
Old Man Logan #8
Power Man & Iron Fist #6
Prometheus Life & Death #2
Rick & Morty Lil Poopy Superstar #1
Rocket Racoon & Groot #7
Silk #10
Star Trek Ongoing #59
Vision #9
Wacky Raceland #2
Walt Disney Comics & Stories #733
Weavers #3
Web Warriors #9
Wicked + Divine #21
Wonder Woman #2
Wrath of the Eternal Warrior #9
The X-Files #4
With thanks to First Age Comics, 3 Moor Lane, Lancaster LA1 1QD | Open: Tuesday-Saturday 10.00am-5.30pm | First Age Comics also has a shop site on e-Bay | Find them on Facebook
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: 2000AD, British Comics, downthetubes Comics News, downthetubes News
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