Here’s the rundown of the latest Commando titles on sale now from DC Thomson, which continue in part to celebrate artist Ian Kennedy’s 40-year plus career… Commando 4263: Fury StrikeStory: Alan Hemus Inside artwork and full wraparound cover: Ian Kennedy… Read More ›
Comics
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Pictures from France: Sarah McIntyre in Angoulême
downthetubes may have one of the best Scottish comics correspondents in, er, Scotland, in the form of Jeremy Briggs, but we don’t have a foreign correspondent: and yet, British comic creators regularly attend the biggest annual French Comics Festival, Angoulême… Read More ›
Alex Ronald’s Red Sands Resurrrected
At the end of 1994 Alex Ronald, who’s also a member of the downthetubes forum, wrote and drew Red Sands, his first comic, with the intention of getting noticed by 2000AD. One year later, he was a regular artist for… Read More ›
New Starblazer Comic?
As much as we would like to tell you that DC Thomson have published issue 282 of their science fiction digest Starblazer, we can’t. However we can show you artist Graeme Neil Reid’s idea of what the cover of Starblazer… Read More ›
In Review: Clifton – Jade
Colonel Sir Harold Wilberforce Clifton, former RAF pilot, former British spy, current Scout leader and not a grumpy person, as he would rather grumpily tell you, first appeared in the Begian edition of Tintin magazine in 1959 with the same… Read More ›
Win an original sketch by Graeme Neil Reid
Throughout December and January artist Graeme Neil Reid posted up 18 different ink sketches ranging from comic superheroes, sci-fi film and Doctor Who characters on his blog, now you have the chance to pick one of theses sketches and have… Read More ›
British FX designer Mike Trim headlines Andersonic Nine
The latest issue of the brilliant Gerry Anderson ‘zine Andersonic (Issue 9) is now available and features a new, nine-page interview with designer Mike Trim, who discusses his work on the Anderson series from Thunderbirds through to UFO. His latest… Read More ›
Make Your Own Film-Inspired Comic Strip Challenge
(via Andy Diggle and Creative Review): UK indie film magazine Little White Lies is challenging comic creator to re-imagine your favourite film as a six frame comic book story. The best mini-strips will then be featured in the next issue…. Read More ›
In Memoriam: William Ritchie
Willie Ritchie, sitting at DC Thomson editor Morris Heggie’s desk in DCT Meadowside, Dundee with his beloved “Baby Crockett” in October 2009. Photo courtesy Morris Heggie We’re sorry to report the passing of the popular comics artist William Ritchie, who… Read More ›
Dying to be dead? Forbidden Planet has the answer…
The top comics and specialist store Forbidden Planet London is offering horror fans an exclusive opportunity to win your own gruesome demise in John Meaney’s (Thomas Blackthorne’s) next Angry Robot title – or to get your hands on a gorgeous… Read More ›
Commando celebrates Ian Kennedy anniversary
The latest batch of issues of DC Thomson’s long-runing war picture library title Commando includes the first two of four re-issues of classic Ian Kennedy illustrations for the comic. Number 4261 was the first cover he executed and 4262 was… Read More ›
TV21 Turns 45…
— or at least it would have done, had it had the longevity of The Beano! We have Lew Stringer to thank for pointing out that 45 years ago, City Magazines launched the first issue of TV Century 21 –… Read More ›
Striker bounces back again – into Nuts
Football comic Striker has kicked off its 25th anniversary year by signing exclusively to Nuts, Britain’s biggest-selling weekly mens lifestyle magazine published by IPC. (We’re betting the team mascot might just be a bit racier than its past cheerleader, pictured… Read More ›
The Dark, Freeman titles from Markosia
(Before any hardcore fans of this blog get hugely excited, we should point out that Freeman is the name of one of the books due soon from Markosia, not the name of one of its creators…) March will see the… Read More ›
Beezer Blog Launched
Comic creator and Beezer fan Simon Mackie has launched a new blog that aims to chart the history of DC Thomson’s best-known large format humour comic. The Beezer was a large format (tabloid newspaper/A3 sized) weekly published by DC Thomson… Read More ›
New Biography of Showbiz Legend Lew Grade
A new biography of British media entrepeneur Lew Grade – without whom shows such as Thunderbirds, UFO and The Muppets might never have been made – is to be published by Aurum Press next month. All My Shows are Great… Read More ›
How to create comics the Steve Whitaker way
The late, great Steve Whitaker drew this guide to creating comics back in the 1990s and it’s available online via Flickr if people want to use it for teaching purposes, published under a Creative Commons license. Printed in the Society… Read More ›
Arthur Ranson exhibition opens at Orbital
Tonight (Thursday 14th January) sees the opening of an exhibition of art by 2000AD contributor Arthur Ranson at London’s Orbital Comics. The exhibition spans his 30-year comic career: Arthur’s credits are numerous, including, of course, “Button Man”, “Judge Anderson” and… Read More ›
Tube Surfing: Ro-Jaws, Rebellion, Crikey!, Rankin, Road and Comic Fairs!
Ro-Jaws returns to 2000AD this week, making a comeback in the A.B.C. Warriors strip by Pat Mills and Clint Langley, who also provides the cover for Prog 1667, right.Originally designed by Kevin O’Neill for the Ro-Busters strip in Starlord weekly… Read More ›
In Review: Glister and the Faerie Host
Glister and the Faerie Hostby Andi WatsonPublished by Walker BooksOut: Now The Book: It’s coming up to Halloween and already Glister’s father is bustling around getting ready for Christmas! The Butterworths are putting up decorations for the tree and making… Read More ›