After we plugged the alternative arts magazine Dangerous Ink recently, editor Tom Green very kindly sent downthetubes copies of the most recent issues — and I’m very impressed.
Quite aside from the comics-related interviews — which include 1960s Batman actor Adam West and 2000AD and one time Jane artist John M. Burns — there’s a smashing number of comic strips and illustration included in the magazine, of which Jenny’s Weird Friend by Shug (which first featured in Reet! magazine back in 2004) and Batmook by James Howard are my favourites. (Just as an aside, Volume 1 Issue 4 features a double spread of Kreepy Kat, a strip well worth traking down online).
Balancing the comics with alternative art are interviews with pop surrealist Leslie Ditto and illustrator Andy Hixon, and a creepy comic by Spyros Verykios that balances between the two ‘halves’ of the title.
Melding comics with alternative art may seem a weird combination for a magazine but it works. The design is excellent, with plenty of space given over to stunning and, on occasion, thought-provoking visuals. The writing is succinct and enjoyable, and the choice of comics from a variety of quarters affords their creators a print platform they might not otherwise have enjoyed.
This is a great looking, well put together title that’s well worth tracking down and giving a try.
• Dangerous Ink is available from selected newsagents, comic shops and the Dangerous Ink web site.
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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.
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