Hook Jaw #1 – Diamond UK Variant by Brian Williamson

Following up on our previous post featuring the covers of the first issue of Titan Comics Hook Jaw project, we have this exclusive for you – Brian Williamson‘s stunning retro-styled Diamond Comics UK variant, complete with Action comic-styled masthead!

Launching this December the five issue mini-series, published under license, is written by Si Spurrier (Cry Havoc, Weavers, Doctor Who, Numbercruncher) and illustrated by long-established independent comics talent Conor Boyle, with colours by Giulia Brusco and edited by legendary British comics editor and marine life expert artist, Steve White.

A classic scene from the original “Hook Jaw” strip in Action. Art by Ramon Sola

Titan’s razor-sharp new title re-surfaces with a range of variant covers to collect from phenomenal artists including Conor Boyle, John McCrea (The Mummy), Marc Laming (Uncanny Avengers), Anna Dittmann, and Steve White.

The mini-series is set to be an intense modern iteration of the titular ocean predator, which debuted in the controversial Fleetway Editions comic Action in the 1970s, written for the most part by Ken Armstrong, with early input from Pat Mills and initially drawn by Ramon Sola. Action Launch Editor Pat decided that unlike the Jaws movie that inspired the strip, the shark should be the nominal hero of the strip, and that greedy and immoral humans were the villains. In the mix would be a human character the reader could empathise with, that of Rick Mason, who appears in the first two Hook Jaw stories, although his appearance in the second, like his head, is cut short. Most of the other humans in the strip are the dregs of humanity, and are deservedly disposed of by Hook Jaw in grisly fashion.

Hook Jaw was one of many strips so violent Action, the forerunner to 2000AD, was banned from the shelves after just 36 issues. A rare surviving copy of a mostly pulped Issue 37 was recently sold at auction for over £4000.

Hook Jaw #1
Writer: Si Spurrier
Artist: Conor Boyle
Colorist: Guilia Brusco
On sale: 14th December 2016

The classic Killer Great White – re-imagined by comics superstar Si Spurrier! In the troubled waters off Somalia, a rag-tag group of marine scientists studying a pack of female great white sharks find themselves caught in a conflict between pirates and the might of the US Navy. But why is the CIA so interested in the work of the scientists? And just how will they face up to the shadowy terror of the legendary great white – HOOK JAW?!

• Hook Jaw #1 will be on sale in all good comic shops from Titan Comics on 14th December 2016, including Forbidden Planet – pre-order it here

• Find out more about the original Hook Jaw strip here in our “Sevenpenny Nightmare” section

HOOK JAW ™ REBELLION PUBLISHING LTD, COPYRIGHT ©  REBELLION PUBLISHING LTD, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

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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.

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Categories: British Comics, British Comics - Current British Publishers, downthetubes Comics News, downthetubes News

Tags: Action, Anna Dittman, Brian Williamson, Conor Boyle, downthetubes News, Giulia Brusco, Hook Jaw, John McCrea, Keith Armstrong, Marc Laming, Pat Mills, Si Spurrier, Steve White, Titan Comics