We’ll have more on the Cor! & Buster Special out this April from Rebellion soon – there’s plenty to tell you – but for now, here’s an item drawing on the official Previews information for this brand new British humour comic.
With a cover from Neil Googe (artist on 2000AD‘s “Survival Geeks”, The Flash and creator of Bazooka Jules), unlike the Free Comic Book Day Funny Pages collection, out 4th May, the 48-page Cor! & Buster Special is a one shot offering new takes on some of the greatest characters from Britain’s golden age of humour comics – back for an edgy celebration of daft, zany fun.
A panel from a strip written by John Freeman with art by Lew Stringer for the 2019 Cor! & Buster Special © Rebellion Publishing Ltd
From the world’s naughtiest baby, Sweeny Toddler to Gums, the most incompetent shark in the seven seas, a whole new generation of readers are about to experience comics’ humour at its finest.
(Longtime British humour comic fans will have recognised all the characters featured on Neil’s cover, including Buster, Faceache, Frankiestein, Ivor Lott and Tony Broke).
The first issue of Buster
Alongside DC Thomson’s Beano and many others, humour comics are, and have been a constant staple of the British newsstand. Dozens of titles filled by some of the industry’s greatest talents, such as Leo Baxendale and Ken Reid.
IPC/Fleetway titles such as Cor!, Buster, Whizzer and Chips and Shiver and Shake entertained generations of children for decades and were part of the acquisition by Rebellion of arguably the world’s largest archive of English-language comics in 2016 and 2018.
Buster was once the flagship weekly humour title for Fleetway Editions, launched in 1960 and merging with many other great titles such as Whizzer and Chips and Shiver and Shake across 40 years of publication, sadly drawing to a close in 2000.
Memorable strips – both humour and adventure, and this is a small sampling – included “Buster“, the comic’s fictional editor who was originally promoted as the son of the Mirror‘s Andy Capp, although this connection with Reg Smythe’s long-running strip was dropped in the first year; “Beastenders“, a spoof of EastEnders; cool superhero “Captain Crucial“, vampire character “Deadly Headley“; “Ivor Lott and Tony Broke“; “The Leopard of Lime Street“; “Nellyphant“; “Sweeny Toddler“, created by Leo Baxendale; and “Tom Thug“, created by Lew Stringer.
Cor!! launched in 1970, running for just four years until it merged with Buster, but is also memorable for strips that included “Gus the Gorilla” and strips that included “The Goodies“, drawn by “Charley’s War” artist Joe Colquhoun, under license from the BBC, “Spectre Inspector“, “Football Madd“, “Val’s Vanishing Cream” and “Chalky“. Some of the strips for this were written by 2000AD creator Pat Mills.
The full line up of talent involved in this new Buster and Cor Special hasn’t been revealed yet, and there are some great (and surprising) creators involved, but announced so far are comics top talents that include artist Abigail Bulmer (2000AD, Angry Birds, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), John Freeman (The Real Ghostbusters, Doctor Who), writer Paul Goodenough (Dreamworks Dragons), Neil Googe, Beano and Star Wars writer Ned Hartley, Cavan Scott (Doctor Who, Star Wars Adventures and one of the writers on IDW’s new The Real Ghostbusters title), Beano and TOXIC artist Lew Stringer and artist Tanya Roberts (How To Train Your Dragon, Toy Story, TMNT).
Editor on the Cor! & Buster Special, Keith Richardson, said: “Humour titles like Cor! and Buster were a massive part of many a childhood but have been sadly missing from the newsstand for years – the time is ripe to bring these amazing characters back for a new generation. Just at a time when many kids will be on their Easter break, this special will introduce them to some of our favourite classic characters, but all with a modern twist. For us, it’s time to put the comical back into comics!”
We’re bursting to tell you some more of the names attached to this book, which we hope will be the first of many humour comics from Rebellion, but look out for an interview with editor Keith Richardson about this and other projects soon.
• The Cor! & Buster Special goes on sale 17th April 2019 price £4.99 and will be available in all good newsagents and through comic shops (Diamond PREVIEWS order code FEB191918)
• Find out more about the FCBD 2019 all-ages Free Comic Book Day title Funny Pages from Rebellion here, which marks its eighth year as a Silver Sponsor of Free Comic Book Day – and check out this preview here
• Read Mike Gent’s background feature on Cor!! here
• When “The Goodies” took over Cor!!, drawn by Joe Colquhoun
• Check out this great unofficial web site devoted to Buster – www.bustercomic.com
• Read an interview on the 2000AD web site with Ned Hartley and TANYA Roberts about their work on last year’s 2000AD Re-Gened FCBD title
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Buster and Cor! © 2019 Rebellion Publishing Ltd
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John is the founder of downthetubes, launched in 1998. He is a comics and magazine editor, writer, and Press Officer for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He also runs Crucible Comic Press.
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.
Categories: British Comics, downthetubes Comics News, downthetubes News
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