Copies of The Collected Cloak, a superb collection of the strip by Mike Higgs, first published in the weekly comics Pow! and Smash! from 1967 to 1969, introduced by Alan Moore, are now available for preorder from your Local Comic Shop. If they haven’t heard of this new ComicOz collection, point them toward the Diamond UK August Catalogue!
Pre-orders should ideally be made to your Local Comic Shop by Thursday 27th August 2026.
Published by ComicOz, this marvellous 230 page collection is introduced by Alan Moore – yes, that Alan Moore, his clear love of the strip and its creator, who has retained ownership of the Cloak down the decades, surpassing his anathema toward the industry.
This large size hardback book includes all of Mike Higgs’ “Cloak” serials from Pow! and Smash! from 1967 to 1969, alongside those he created for other publications, such as the 1986 Brickman special and Crikey magazine.
But that’s not all: there’s also an interview with Mike Higgs himself included about his career, conducted by the book’s publisher Nat Karmichael, showing how The Cloak developed from the character’s original incarnation as The Shudder in early 1960s fanzines; and never-before published and rarely-seen pieces of artwork, too.
For those disturbingingly unfamiliar, The Cloak (mostly) ran in the 1960s pages of Pow! and Smash!. This wickedly funny spoof of life in the 1960s, a strip that inspired cartoonists such as Lew Stringer to become comic creators themselves, was created by Mike Higgs, who carried the strip into further fields after the demise of the Odhams comic line.
Australian publisher Comicoz, in partnership with Mike and Pow! and Smash! owners Rebellion, have now collected all the Cloak’s works in this fantastic 200-page plus hardcover volume.
Distributed in the United Kingdom, Ireland, and parts of Europe by Diamond UK, the best way for you to grab a copy of The Collected Cloak will be by putting in an advance order from your Local Comic Shop using the PREVIEWS Order code AUG262180.
Orders need to be placed now, and the book should be out in October / November, priced just £29.95 – a very reasonable price for a limited edition hardback.
Be aware that some LCS may not be carrying this brilliant collection, so you may have to ask around, or encourage your favourite to do so. It should be listed on Forbidden Planet soon
• Order The Collected Cloak from Forbidden Planet (Affiliate Link)
Pre-orders should ideally be made to your Local Comic Shop by Thursday 27th August 2026
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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, British Comics - Collections, Comic Previews, Comics, downthetubes Comics News, downthetubes News
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Pre-ordered my copy from Comicoz itself…
Sounds like an essential purchase for many UK comic enthusiasts like myself!
Great News! Mike Higgs is terrific!
I’ve never heard of this before but it looks fun. Reminds me of Calamity James a little, which also had random jokes in the background and detailed panels.