Pedantic Stan, The Comics Fan collection reprinted

By John Freeman on September 1, 2023

Pedantic Stan (2023 Edition) by Lew Stringer and John Freeman

Lew Stringer has just released a second edition of Pedantic Stan, The Comics Fan, featuring all the strips featuring the character first published in the comics magazine Speakeasy.

A first edition, published in 2018, rapidly sold out, but the pandemic put paid to subsequent world domination and an inevitable spin-off cartoon series* to capitalise on that success.

“Pedantic Stan, The Comics Fan” was created back in the days of the British comics fandom of the 1980s, when our community was very different and far less diverse than it is today. If I recall correctly, the strip, published in the comics magazine Speakeasy, sprang from a story of Alan (“You Don’t Have to Vote for me Every Year”) Moore literally being followed everywhere by fans at conventions. He was even pursued into the toilet at one UK Comic Art Convention for his autograph. (It was this kind of behaviour that led him to stop attending them).

I wrote some of the early strips, but Lew continued it after I had to focus my time on my editorial work at Marvel UK, and contact between us wasn’t as easy as it is today when it came to “script conferences”!

This collection of Pedantic Stan, The Comics Fan, like his recently-released Fanzine Funnies, is an A5 sized 16 page landscape mini-comic that reprints all the “Pedantic Stan” strips.

The only strip this collection doesn’t include is the return of Pedantic Stan story from the The Most Important Comic Book on Earth, as both of us felt, if you haven’t already, that you really should go out an buy a copy of that fantastic book which raises awareness of environmental issues. It features the work of 300 contributors including Chris Packham, Dame Judi Dench, Lucy Lawless, Alan Moore, Ricky Gervais, Sir Lenny Henry, Doug Braithwaite, Robert Kirkman, Aneke, Dani, and Davey Jones, which should be more than enough reasons to get one.

Pedantic Stan, The Comics Fan by John Freeman and Lew Stringer

Copies of the new edition of Pedantic Stan are available from Lew at conventions, including NICE at the Bedford Corn Exchange, Bedford this weekend (2nd – 3rd September 2023).

I’ll also have a small number for sale at the Lakes International Comic Art Festival, where you’ll find me on the B7 Media stand in the Lakeview Comics Marketplace.

Copies will also be available soo n from Lew via eBay, where he also sells his other comics and original comic art.

• Check out Lew’s blog for details of his upcoming convention appearances

• Buy original art by Lew Stringer and his collections of his creator-owned comics such as Combat Colin here

• Buy a copy of The Most Important Comic Book on Earth featuring the return of Pedantic Stan and much, much more besides | Amazon UK (Affiliate Link) | Bookshop.org (Affiliate Link)

Readers’ Note: No comic fans were harmed in the making of this comic strip, and there is no truth to the rumour that Pedantic Stan really collected Alan Moore’s wee in a bottle

* A lie, sorry, but we’re open to offers

Pedantic Stan, The Comics Fan © John Freeman and Lew Stringer

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.