The second digital Comic Creatives UK Anthology from Comic Creatives UK, a Discord community set up a year ago to support established and new British comics talent, has just been published. It offers an entertaining assortment of strips from industry newcomers, and some established comic creators.
Crammed to the gills with the strange, the striking and the seriously funny, the new Comic Creatives UK Anthology is available on Tapas, Webtoons and Itch.
The free anthology, comprising an enjoyable mix of one page and longer strips by writers John O. Burke, Tom Davies, Lady Geoffrey, Leo Healy, Pete Hobson, Dan Pollard, artists Phil Appley, Tim Burnell, Michael McDonnell, Ewan Power, Just Niko, Leo Rodrigues, Tony Rollinson, Tony Rothwell, Owen Watts, Torgo Wells, Eliza Wolfson, Jack Waugh, colourists Lizah van der Aart, Fabrizio Costagliola and Owen Watts, and letterers Robin Jones, Chris Mole, Rafael and Tim West.
I particularly enjoyed Ewan Power’s wordless story, “Action in the Jungle”, and Tim Davies’ scripting on “The Sorcerer” drawn by Tim Burnell. Eliza Wolfson provides stand out art in the wordless “Inner Space”, written by Lady Geoffrey, and there’s a delicious twist in the tale to “31 All Hallows Lane”, written by Dan Pollard with art by Tony Rothwell.
Worth a read, and there are definitely some creators whose names you should be watching out for elsewhere, but I’ll leave you to judge your favourites among this diverse assortment of styles and stories. Why are you still here?
John Freeman
• The Comic Creatives UK Anthology 2023 is available on Tapas, Webtoons and Itch
• Join the Comic Creatives UK Discord
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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