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Lew Stringer’s “Derek the Troll” – Back in Print At Last!

By John Freeman on September 8, 2016

Humour artist and writer Lew Stringer has been actively contributing to British (and some American) comics for over 30 years, freelancing for titles such as Viz, The Beano, Doctor Who Magazine, Oink!, Buster, TOXIC, Transformers, and many more. After the success of reviving his Batman parody Brickman last year in the self-published Brickman Returns, he’s now bringing more of his old characters back into print.

Derek the Troll and Rock Solid, Space Hero were both characters that Lew created in the mid-1980s at the start of his career.

Derek the Troll, the affable-but-stinky denizen of pre-history, appeared in Warlock and White Dwarf magazines published by Games Workshop.

Rock Solid, the space-faring psychopath, was a short-run serial in the first five issues of Swiftsure, an independent British comic published by Harrier Comics in 1985.

Now, Lew has compiled the complete adventures of these forgotten strips into one 32 page comic, Derek the Troll, launching at ICE 2016, the International Comic Expo, in Birmingham this Saturday, 10th September 2016.

“These are strips I did in the early years of my career” he tells us, “and you can see my style develop a little with each chapter, particularly on Rock Solid. I still think they stand up well after 30 years.

“Anyone who followed my Combat Colin and Oink! strips should enjoy them as it’s the same daft style of comedy. I hope new readers appreciate the strips too as I’ve always tried to keep my humour timeless so it works for any generation. I’m pleased to finally see this material back in print.”

• Derek the Troll is also available to buy by mail directly from Lew Stringer at his website www.lewstringer.com

• Lew’s work can also be seen on his regularly updated blog:
http://lewstringercomics.blogspot.co.uk

• Derek the Troll: The only troll worth your time. 32 pages: full colour covers, black and white interiors. £3.50 plus £2.50 postage

About the Author
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John Freeman

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.