Oink! comic Dan Dare Parody on offer on eBay

By John Freeman on February 2, 2024

There’s still time to bid on the original artwork for a daft Dan Dare parody strip that featured in the OINK! Book 1989, published 1988, written by Lew Stringer and drawn by the late J.T. Dogg (Malcolm Douglas).

Ham Dare by Lew Stringer and JT Dogg for the Oink! Book 1989

Lew, better known to Oink! readers for writing and drawing “Pete’s Pimple” and “Tom Thug“, is offering all three pages of the “Ham Dare” strip he co-created spoofing the well-known Eagle space hero. The complete story is up for grabs – two pages in full colour and the third in black and white / grey wash.

Lew is also currently selling his cover art for the extremely silly comic, Brickman Returns, published in 2015, featuring Brickman and his partner Trowel fighting advancing bad guys such as Gnatwoman, Ostrich, and the Mad Cobbler.

Lew Stringer is a writer and artist of humour comics and has been freelancing in the UK comics industry for almost 40 years, who currently draws for The Dandy Annual, “The Daft Dimension” for Doctor Who Magazine, and “Sgt Shouty” for The77. Quite why he isn’t more regularly in comics such as BEANO and Monster Fun is, frankly beyond us.

His credits involve work for a range of age groups, including “Combat Colin” for Marvel UK, “Tom Thug” for Fleetway, “The Pathetic Sharks” for Viz, “Team Toxic” for Toxic Magazine and more, including work on The Dandy, Oink!, Buster, Sonic the Comic. He’s also had a lifelong interest in the history of British comics and has written articles for the BBC website, Comics World magazine and others.

Malcolm Douglas (8th October 1954 – 22nd March 2009) was an artist, who, sadly, died battling cancer aged just 54. Perhaps better known by his alias of J.T. Dogg, he was one of the main artists on Oink! comic throughout its run in the late 1980s. His work for Oink! included pig biker serial “Street Hogs” (written by the late Mark Rogers), which was followed by Dan Dare spoof “Ham Dare, Pig of the Future”, written by Lew. Malcolm also contributed the regular centre spread “Oink! Superstar Posters” which showcased his talents even more.

*Ham Dare Poster for Oink! by JT Dogg aka Malcolm Douglas*

Before working for Oink!, his credits included “Mickey Drivel“, for the National Union of Students, and “The Students of Dog College“, for the University of Aston; he also chronicled the exploits of “The Pirates of the Jolly Roger” for the adult magazine, Knave, for a time, and drew some football strips, including “Fred the Red” for Manchester United’s match programmes usually working with Oink! co-conspirator, Tony Husband.

Paying tribute back in 2009, Lew noted “Whilst many of us on that comic were still breaking in our styles, with our rawness and inexperience visible on the page, Malcolm’s abilities were accomplished and solid, and helped raise those early issues far above a level they might otherwise have been without his input.

“Ham Dare” proved to be a success with the readers and after its initial serial (issues 15 to 19), it returned in the Oink! Book 1989, the strip that’s being offered for sale, and the Oink! Holiday Special 1989.

“My [“Ham Dare”] scripts were a standard Dan Dare spoof (including the required pig theme) but Malcolm turned the series into something exceptional. He really went to town on detail and research, getting the colour and tone of the spoof just right. Due to Malcolm’s superb artwork, I always felt that Ham Dare was more true to Dan Dare than the series running in new Eagle at that time.”

After Oink! folded, Malcolm moved on to freelance for UK adult comics such as Brain Damage, Gas, and Kev F Sutherland’s UT. He also illustrated for Fiesta.

“In later years he dropped out of comics and no longer drew for a living,” Lew noted, “but became very involved with the folk music scene, producing books for the English Folk Dance and Song Society. His knowledge of folk music earned him great respect amongst his fellow music fans.”

• You can bid on the “Ham Dare” pages here on eBay | Check lout Lew’s other items for sale here

• Lew is online at lewstringercomics.blogspot.com

• Malcolm Douglas web site is long gone from the “live” Internet, but Wayback Machine has it archived here – this link is to a 2009 “snapshot”

• The Oink! Blog – Remembering J.T. Dogg

• Malcolm Douglas – Bear Alley Obituary – tribute by Steve Holland

• Malcolm Douglas – The Guardian Obituary – tribute by Ron Day, Dave Eyre and Raymond Greenoaken

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.