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Crowdfunding Spotlight: The Chefs of Death, a daft homage to Eagle’s Doomlord

By John Freeman on October 14, 2023

The Chefs of Death, a new photo comic homaging the “Doomlord” strip from Eagle of the 1980s, has smashed its modest Kickstarter target, offering a bonkers looking story, and all sorts of appealing rewards for anyone wanting to be eaten by an alien. No, seriously.

The comic is a slice of sci-fi madness as Zarmdov, the deadliest lifeform in the Universe, is sent on a mission to find a new source of sustenance for the citizens of his planet, and, sadly for humanity, he finds us absolutely delicious.

The only two people who become aware of his existence are journalists Robert Mills and Audrey Pearce, but can they save the entire world from being eaten? And will the normally utterly rubbish Prime Minister John Borrison be of any help at all?

The new comic, by author Alex Finch, photographed over the summer, lettered by Neil ‘Bhuna’ Roche, stars the award-winning and critically acclaimed stand up comedian Ian Lane, one of the co-hosts of A Very British Horror podcast and comic writer Chris Denton, Doctor Chloe Taylor, professional actors Ben Scheck (Criminal Audition, Radio 4’s I, Severus) and Louisa Gosse (Mamet’s Oleanna), Alex Finch, along with Katherine Monk, Jennifer Blythe, Jonathan Simmons, Mauro Persic, Oscar Kugblenu and many more.

“Way, way back in 1982 when I was seven years old, a new comic hit the shelves in the form of the Eagle, and what made very different from its competitors was that while it had some traditionally drawn strips (‘Dan Dare’, ‘The Tower King’), it had a number of photo stories,” says Alex, “ including cop drama ‘Sgt Streetwise’, football daftness ‘Thunderbolt and Smokey’ and anthology series, ‘The Collector’.

“Best of all though was ‘Doomlord’, a sci-fi adventure where an alien from the planet Nox came to Earth to discover if we posed a threat to the rest of the Universe, and soon discovered that yes, humanity was bloomin’ awful and should be wiped out immediately, if not sooner.

“Written by Judge Dredd co-creator John Wagner and his regular writing partner / much loved Batman scribe Alan Grant, it was the first time I’d ever read a comic which featured a violent anti-hero and a bleak view of humanity, and even at such a young age I fell in love with it, and apart from Tom Baker’s Doctor Who, nothing has influenced my passion for science-fiction more.

“Ever since that age I’ve always wanted to create my own photo strip comic, and, well, it took longer than planned, but I got here in the end!”

The Chefs of Death - PM in Denial — *The Prime Minister, John Borrison, denies the existence of aliens*

Journalists Robert Mills and Audrey Pearce may be the only people who can prevent the Earth meeting a horrifying
fate in “The Chefs of Death” — *Journalists Robert Mills and Audrey Pearce may be the only people who can prevent the Earth meeting a horrifying fate in “The Chefs of Death”*

A mix of sci-madness and tongue-in-cheek humour, rewards offered in The Chefs Of Death campaign include Zarmdov’s eight page cookery ebook, which has sold over one hundred and twenty three billion copies across the universe, though 98.2% of those copies were bought at gun point just minutes before the lifeform was eaten; and the opportunity to feature in a “Victim of Zarmdov” photo gallery.

The Chefs of Death - Kickstarter Exclusive Cover — *The Kickstarter exclusive cover of The Chefs of Death, and one reward, a cookery eBook*

The Chefs of Death - Cookery ebook — *The Kickstarter exclusive cover of The Chefs of Death, and one reward, a cookery eBook*

The campaign also has a number of stretch goals that will add further strips to the comic, including “Tales From A Different Dimension – A Delightful Dimension” and “Love Story”.

With proceeds of the comic sale going to Cancer Research and its overall appeal as a Doomlord homage, what’s not to like? Head to Kickstarter now to check this out.

Several Moments of Madness by Alex Finch

Alex Finch is the writer of the novel Several Moments Of Madness, released last year, and he’s also written for View From The Cheap Seat, The London Film Festival and Everything Theatre, as well as running own blog, Comedy To Watch.

Neil ‘Bhuna’ Roche is a small press comic illustrator based in Stockport, Cheshire. He’s illustrated stories for Zarjaz, Massacre for Boys, Paragon, Unit 666, and is the series artist and publisher of Killing Moon, via PigDog Press.

• Check out The Chefs Of Death here on Kickstarter

• Check out The Chefs of Death official website at thechefsofdeath.com | Twitter

With thanks to Robert Brown for the alien alert

John Freeman

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.