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A Slice of Comics History: “Ultimate Science Fiction”, Neil Bailey and Steve Dillon’s early comic work

By John Freeman on March 24, 2025

Although the late Steve Dillon is best known today for his art for 2000AD, on Preacher for DC Comics, and as co-creator of Abslom Daak, Dalek Killer with Steve Moore for the then Doctor Who Weekly (now Doctor Who Magazine), his comic career began in 1970s, alongside now crime novelist and fellow Lutonian, Neil Bailey.

Steve’s first comics work was for a comic called Sci Fi Adventures, published with Neil and Paul Mahon in 1975 while still attending Icknield High School in Luton. Strips included “The Space Vampire”, and “Escape from Planet of the Apes”, archivist Steve Penfold noting here that this was drawn to a standard well beyond his years.

Together with Neil, Steve then contributed to the short-lived Ultimate Science Fiction, aged just 15, a comic zine launched in early 1977, drawing numerous strips, including “The Inheritance” and “Pi”.

We previously featured an advertisement for this comic zine thanks to cartoonist and comic archivist Lew Stringer, as part of our tribute to the late 2000AD and Preacher artist, taken from us in October 2016.

An advertisement for Steve Dillon's Ultimate Science Fiction, published in 1977 (with thanks to Lew Stringer) — An advertisement for Steve Dillon’s Ultimate Science Fiction, published in 1977. “He was only 15 at the time,” Lew Stringer has noted on his social media, “but, as you can see, incredibly talented.”

It’s believed only two issues of Ultimate Science Fiction were published before Steve’s meteoric comic career began. A recent eBay sale from Ewan_B, whose shop sells classic zines and comics, offered a tantalising glance of the content of the first issue, priced just 10p.

As you can see from the editorial Ultimate Science Fiction had a difficult birthday, Neil and Steve explaining how revised print quotes delayed publication, cautioning a price rise to 12p for #2; and Neil catching chickenpox necessitating Steve draw almost the whole of the first issue.

There’s also an appeal at the end, to “Comic Critic Type Persons” to not be too hard on their endeavours, as they are only 15…”

Who imagined, least of all Neil and Steve, perhaps, where the release of Ultimate Science Fiction would lead?

*The cover of Ultimate Science Fiction #1 by Neil Bailey and Steve Dillon (1977)*

“This small press comic, advertised in the fanzine Comic Media News, brought Steve to the attention of its editor Richard Burton,” Lew Stringer notes. “Shortly after, when Richard was an editor at Marvel UK, I understand he suggested Steve as an artist for Nick Fury in Dez Skinn’s Hulk Comic. The rest is history!”

Fellow comic creator Alan Craddock recalls: “I swapped a copy of mine and Dave Huxley’s Blood Sex and Terror comics via slow mail with Steve. He wrote back and said he was only 15 and wasn’t sure about receiving a comic for over 18s.”

David Hathaway-Price, curator of the marvellous FANSCENE comic fanzine archive, has kindly provided us with the cover of Ultimate Science Fiction #2, and opening page of the second part of “The Inheritance”…

Ultimate Science Fiction #2 by Neil Bailey and Steve Dillon (1977) - Cover

Ultimate Science Fiction #2 by Neil Bailey and Steve Dillon (1977) - Inheritance

*The late Steve Dillon at work. Image: The Steve Dillon Exhibition*

In an interview on the Luton Culture Trust website, published in 2022, promoting the Steve Dillon Exhibition, the family note “Ultimate Science Fiction was something [Steve] created with his school friend Neil Bailey.

“Steve’s Mum and Dad, Muriel and Bernard, still keep in touch with him which is lovely. Neil also went on to become a prolific comic book artist and creator.

“Steve’s talent for drawing came very young,” they explained. “We found some of his childhood artwork, which included a drawing of a fire engine from when he was five. That drawing was very advanced for someone of that age, so it was a gift that he had. He used this gift and worked very, very hard to develop his skills and make a living from it. He’d often be up in his room working, focussed for hours.

Steve's "Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D." for Hulk Weekly, published by Marvel UK — *Steve’s “Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.” for Hulk Weekly, published by Marvel UK*

“He was a massive comic book fan himself, and he’d buy comics weekly and decided that was what he wanted to do, and he worked hard until it happened. He would enter competitions and send his work off to publications too, so he was very motivated to pursue a career in comic book drawing from a young age.”

Crime novelist Neil Bailey

After working over 30 years in the publishing industry for Time Inc, IPC Media, Northern & Shell and Mad magazine, Neil Bailey is now writing fiction full time. His early comic credits include scripts for the British MAD magazine, including a skit on the cop show, The Professionals.

His first novel, When She Was Bad, was released in June 2016 to five star reviews and much acclaim. It was shortlisted for the 2018 ‘Write Here, Right Now’ prize from Simon & Schuster. The follow-up, Bad For Good, continued the adventures of Barclay and MacDonald and was published in May 2017. An omnibus collecting the two novels, Barclay & MacDonald, is also available.

2018 saw the publication of a ghost story, The Woman At Twenty-six, and in 2020 Dexter Kirby Press published his murder mystery, A Necessary Murder. Bad to the Bone was published in 2021.

The Steve Dillon Exhibition

Since Steve’s death, a touring exhibition of his work has been set up by his family, to showcase and honour the work of a comic book legend, and celebrate his work. You can find more information about this here, and check out upcoming dates of exhibitions, which features over 50 of his artworks, on Instagram, Facebook and X.

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.