Here’s this week’s round up of new comics in British newsagents and comic shops skewed, as ever to highlighting British creators and publishers.
There are collections aplenty from Titan Comics this week, well worth checking out if you missed the regular issues of the titles in question. Doctor Who: The Eighth Doctor: A Mater of Life and Death collects the mini series by George Mann, with some absolutely exquisite art from Emma Vieceli – definitely one to check out if you’re a fan of Paul McGann’s Doctor from the TV movie, audio adentures or Doctor Who Magazine strips.
Other collections out this week are Dragons: Defenders Of Berk and The Troop, the latter by Noel Clarke (star of Doctor Who and Star Trek) are all available now.
It’s also a big week for Assassin’s Creed fans as Titan prepare for the launch of the highly-anticipated film next month, with new instalments of Assassin’s Creed: Locus #3 and Assassin’s Creed: Templars #7. Plus, the final part of the company’s 2016 event Doctor Who: Supremacy Of The Cybermen #5 is now available, as is and Doctor Who: The Twelfth Doctor Year Two #11, which has been very well received by fans already.
On the news stand, 2000AD Prog 2007 sees Pat Mills and Clint Langley delight with “Flesh”, where even dropping an asteroid on a planet can’t keep a bad dinosaur down; and Patrick Goddard delivers some terrific art on the latest episode of “Savage: The Marze Murderer”. And if that’s not enough thrill power for you, Judge Dredd Megazine 378 is also on sale now offers a creepy tale from Peter Milligan, Jake Lynch and Tiernen Trevallion as Judge Dredd investigates the “Psychic Slasher” with a definitely kooky Psi-Judge in tow; and the issue also pays tribute to Steve Dillion, and his youger brother Glynn (Nao of Brown) is interviewed in the same issue.
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, Danger Mouse comic, Commando (latest release intel here), EPIC!, Judge Dredd Megazine, Panini Comics Marvel Collector Editions 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.
Don’t forget the wonderful Phoenix Comic is on sale in many (but not all) Waitrose supermarkets and 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.
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.
Digital Comic Picks
We are again in that great, between-volumes, period for new Aces Weekly subscribers! If you join the AW subscribers now or before 21st November, when the landmark, quarter-century, Volume 25, starts, you get Volume 24 in complete form to begin your subscription, with 25 and all following volumes coming to you in 7 weekly parts every Monday night – for just £1, in any currency, per week! There is no better deal on the planet for discerning comics readers!
Here’s some teaser art of President Logan McKinley, who makes his first appearance in The Flight – Book 3, written by Jeff Vaughn, illustrated by Brian & Brendon Fraim, just one of the strips that will feature in Volume 25. Book One was featured in Volume 20, and Book Two was showcased in Volume 23. Both are still available.
If you already subscribe to Aces Weekly, then publisher David Lloyd and the team are welcome any help you think you can give them to let everyone know about the comic, and they greatly appreciate anything you can do. Cyberspace publishing benefits reader and creator alike in the way Aces Weekly does it do it, and will always do it, but it needs help to make its way to the target it deserves to reach. Spread the word!
British Comic Publishers
2000AD/Rebellion
Cover by Tom Foster
In this issue: Judge Dredd: Cube Root by Arthur Wyatt (Writer), Jake Lynch (Artist), John Charles (Colour), Annie Parkhouse (Letterer); Savage: The Marze Murderer by Pat Mills (Writer), Patrick Goddard (Artist), Annie Parkhouse (Letterer); Hunted by Gordon Rennie (Writer), PJ Holden (Artist), Len O’Grady (Colourist), Simon Bowland (Letterer); Counterfeit Girl by Peter Milligan (Writer), Rufus Dayglo (Artist), Dom Regan (Colourist), Ellie De Ville (l); Flesh: Gorehead by Pat Mills (Writer), Clint Langley (Artist), Ellie De Ville (Letterer).
Cover by Ryan Brown
In this issue: Judge Dredd: Psicho by Peter Milligan (Writer) Jake Lynch (Artist) Tiernen Trevallion (Colourist) Annie Parkhouse (Letterer); Blunt by TC Eglington (Writer) Boo Cook (Artist) Simon Bowland (Letterer); Angelic: Home is The Hunter by Gordon Rennie (Writer) Lee Carter (Artist) Simon Bowland (Letterer); Anderson: The Deep End by Alec Worley (Writer) Paul Davidson (Artist) Len O’Grady (c) Ellie De Ville (Letterer).
Features: interview with Glyn Dillon, obituary of Steve Dillon, Thrill-power Overload. Bagged reprint: Sinister Dexter: Pros and Cons.
It seems we jumped the gun by more than just a tad with our item on Rebellion’s first collection of Scarlet Traces by Ian Edginton and D’Israeli’s, the celebrated comic book sequel to H.G. Well’s The War of the Worlds. This is due for publication in January 2017. Our apologies for any confusion.
Beginning with a visionary adaptation of the seminal novel, the collection also includes the first of three stories set a decade after the Martian invasion. Great Britain has cannibalized Martian technology and now Hansom cabs scuttle along on multi-limbed crab legs, and the Martian heat-ray has become the weapon with which the British Empire dominates the world. When the bodies of several young women are found washed up on the banks of the Thames, Captain Robert Autumn and his former Sergeant-Manjor Archie Currie are drawn into a mystery that leads them from gin palaces to the corridors of power and the very Hall of the Martian King…
• Pre-order this book from Amazon.co.uk here (using this link helps support downthetubes)
Still On Sale:
The 2000AD Script Book
Original scripts by leading comics writers accompanied by the final art, taken from the pages of the world famous 2000AD comic. FROM THE MINDS OF THE MEGA-MASTERS For the first time Rebellion presents an astonishing and insightful collection of 2000AD scripts, written by some of the most successful and critically lauded talent behind the Galaxy’s Greatest Comic.
Featuring original script drafts and the final published artwork for comparison, this is a must have for fans of 2000AD and is an essential purchase for anyone interested in writing comics.
• Order this book from Amazon.co.uk here (using this link helps support downthetubes)
Dan Dare: The 2000AD Years Volume Two
Dan Dare, Pilot of the Future is a British icon. He was created by Frank Hampson in 1950, and first appeared in the Eagle comic where he was an instant hit with the British public. Almost a decade after the original series had ended, Dan Dare was resurrected in the pages of a brand new sci-fi comic for boys – 2000 AD! In this volume: Dan Dare and the crew of the Eagle One continue their journey through deep, uncharted space, where they encounter a host of evil alien tyrants, including dare’s arch-nemesis the Mekon! This volume of Dan Dare concludes the iconic British hero’s adventures within the pages of 2000 AD.
• Order this book from Amazon.co.uk here (using this link helps support downthetubes)
Titan Comics
Assassin’s Creed: Locus #3
Writer: Ian Edginton
Artist: Caspar Wijngaard
The streets of Victorian London are a much darker place than the avenues of new York… as Pinkerton agent Tommy Greyling is finding out! Hot on the tail of a murderer, it seems there’s more to this mystery than meets the eye. Luckily for Tommy, he’s in the hands of the Assassin Brotherhood!
Cover A: Caspar Wijngaard
Cover B: Verity Glass
Cover C: Valeria Favoccia
Assassin’s Creed: Templars #7
Writer & Artist: Dennis Calero
Under the watchful eyes of Abstergo, Dre Bolden has been viewing the memories that Otso Berg hopes hide the missing piece in the puzzle threatening to dismantle the Templars. As Dre relives the experiences of his Barbary coast based ancestor, he realises how much he has to learn about the people who hold his life in their hands.
COVER A: Adam Gorham
COVER B: Dennis Calero
COVER C: John McCrea
Doctor Who: Supremacy Of The Cybermen #5
Writers: George Mann & Cavan Scott
Artist: Ivan Rodriguez
The storming conclusion to the 2016 Event! Universes will live and die, and timelines will be changed for ever. You MUST NOT MISS this staggering finale!
Cover A – Alessandro Vitti
Cover B – Photo Cover
Cover C – Fabio Listrani
Doctor Who: The Twelfth Doctor Year Two #11
Writer: Robbie Morrison
Artist: Mariano Laclaustra
ALL-NEW STORY ARC BEGINS! Robbie Morrison returns for more adventures with the Twelfth Doctor, with a new comics companion in tow! Who can stand alongside the Doctor on an intertemporal romp of piracy, peril, and paranoia? And what affect will they have on the Twelfth Doctor’s future?!
Cover A – Verity Glass
Cover B – Will Brooks
Cover C – Simon Myers
Rivers Of London: Black Mould #2
Writers: Ben Aaronovitch & Andrew Cartmel
Artist: Lee Sullivan
There’s a mould problem in South London. Not the usual stuff that smells funny and can be hell on the lungs. This mould is possessed by some dark power full of bad intentions and it’s another case for London’s one and only trainee wizard cop, PC Peter Grant!
Cover A – Paul McCaffrey
Cover B – Lee Sullivan
Cover C – Dan Boultwood
Samurai: Brothers In Arms #3
Writer: Jean-Francois Di Giorgio
Artist: Frederic Genet
Continuing their quest to understand their family history and regain their lost honor, Takeo and his brother stumble across a battle in a quiet little town. As monks face of against the local warlords troops, the brothers enter the fray…
Cover A – Frederic Genet
Cover B – John McCrea
Cover C – Jung Shan
Sherlock: A Study In Pink #6
Writer: Steven Moffat
Artist: Jay
It’s the final chapter of the first Sherlock manga adaptation, as Sherlock faces his taxi-driving nemesis, and his first case with John comes to an unexpectedly violent conclusion! Plus: Mycroft revealed!
Though it’s the end of this miniseries, Sherlock and John will return for more manga adventures in ‘The Blind Banker’ – coming soon!
Cover A – Claudia Ianniciello
Cover B – Photo Cover
Cover C – Antonio Fuso
Titan Comics Collections
Doctor Who: Eighth Doctor Volume 1
Writer: George Mann
Artist: Emma Vieceli
From a sleepy Welsh village under attack from living art, to symbiotic shards on a crystalline planet, from a theater haunted by the Silvered, to a stately home overrun by the ancient woods, and on to the great Resurrection Barges of the Bakti, the eighth Doctor and new companion Josie Day are on course for a grand adventure like no other! And what is the surprising secret Josie has carried with her all along? Collects Doctor Who: The Eighth Doctor #1-5.
• Buy Doctor Who: Eighth Doctor Volume 1 from amazon.co.uk
Dragons: Defenders Of Berk Collection Volume 1: Ice and Fire
Writer: Simon Furman
Artists: Iwan Nazif, Arianna Florean & Jack Lawrence
Four fantastic Dragons tales! In “The Endless Night,” a witch visits Berk and plunges the whole town into darkness! How can Hiccup and his friends fight such a powerful foe? In “Snowmageddon,” Hiccup and friends investigate a town which has gone mysteriously quiet; what dangers will they discover? Plus two special bonus stories! Collects Dragons: Defenders of BerkDigest Volumes 1 and 2.
The Troop
Writer: Noel Clarke
Artists: Joshua Cassara
From broken homes, shattered lives and empty, drug-fuelled existences comes a band of youngsters with extreme powers. Misguided and desperate, they find themselves hotly pursued by black-suited killers who want them dead, until they are brought together by a seemingly benevolent billionaire. But just what is his agenda and what will it take to make a pack of reckless teenagers into the awesome team of superheroes called The Troop? Collects The Troop #1-5.
Small Press Spotlight
The latest Ron Turner’s Space Ace is available now, featuring three stories featuring the 1950s space hero, all drawn by Ron Turner, re-mastered by John Ridgway. It’s a great full colour collection of zany space opera. Read our review here
New US Comics On Sale in UK Comic Shops
Information courtesy of First Age Comics from their order list. For details of every US comic release (and more) in all comic shops, visit Diamond Comics Previews page. Not every comic shop stocks the full range but every comic can be ordered from your local comic shop
2000AD Prog 2007
Adventure Time Comics #5
Aliens Life & Death #3
All New Wolverine #14
Amazing Spider-Man #21
Aquaman #11
Archie #14
Batman #11
Black Panther #8
BPRD Hell On Earth #147
Britannia #3
Carnage #14
Cave Carson Has A Cybernetic Eye #2
Cinema Purgatorio #7
Cosplayers Xmas Special
Cyborg #5
Deadpool #22
Doctor Fate #18
Doctor Strange #14
Doctor Who 12th Dr Year Two #11
Doctor Who Supremacy of the Cybermen #5
Doom Patrol #2
GI Joe Revolution #1
Green Arrow #11
Green Lanterns #11
Harbinger Renegade #1
He Man Thundercats #2
Infamous Iron Man #2
Invincible #121
Jessica Jones #2
Judge Dredd Megazine #378
Justice League #9
Kill or Be Killed #4
Lucifer #12
Marvel Mightiest Heroes Volume 76: Captain Britain
Micronauts #7
Nightwing #9
Old Man Logan #13
Paper Girls #10
Pathfinder Worldscape #2
Patsy Walker AKA Hellcat #12
Raven #3
Reborn #2
Rick & Morty Lil Poopy Superstar #5
Sherlock Study in Pink #6
Silk #14
Simpsons Comics #234
Spider-Man #9
Star Trek Waypoint #2
Suicide Squad #6
Suicide Squad Most Wanted #4
Superman #11
Thanos #1
Trinity #3
True Stories #2
Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #14
Uncanny X-Men Annual #1
• First Age Comics will be hosting a Small Business Day / Christmas / book-signing event in store on Saturday 3rd December 2016.
• First Age Comics, 3 Moor Lane, Lancaster LA1 1QD | Open: Tuesday-Saturday 10am-5.30pm | First Age Comics also has a shop site on e-Bay: http://stores.ebay.co.uk/First-Age
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, British Comics - Current British Publishers, Doctor Who, downthetubes Comics News, downthetubes News