Inspired by the legendary Odhams “Power Comics” titles, Wham!, Smash! and Pow!, Belfast-based Sector 13 Comics will launch Whapp!, Splank! and Yow! at Enniskillen Comic Fest this coming weekend, 8th – 9th June, 2024.
Created to benefit NHS Charities Together, all proceeds after printing and postage costs will go to the charity. Token payments made to writers and artists were funded from the sale of some choice books from the editors’ extensive comics collection.
Anthology titles, very much like their 1960s inspiration, all three comics are filled with humour and adventure strips with more than the usual touch of the surreal.
Highlights include strips from BEANO artist Nigel Parkinson, currently drawing “Dennis” for DC Thomson’s weekly humour title, and Dave Windett, who has worked for almost every humour comic you have ever heard of.
The titles also include strips from the award-winning team of Metaphrog, and from writer Kek-W, of 2000AD fame.
Gary Whitlock and Joseph McCafferty produce some superb art on publisher and editor Peter Duncan’s own Cthulhu Kids stories, while Joseph does double duty on a brace of traditional war tales. One is written by Enniskillen Comics Fest organiser, Paul Trimble, while the other is a prose story by former 2000AD and Battle editor, Steve MacManus.
Plus, we’re treated to pages and pages of strips by Belfast-based Davy Francis, star of Oink! back in the day.
The three books come in different formats with material designed to take advantage of the differences in paper size and quality.
“Whapp! is a 32-page, oversized “Summer Special”, printed on heavy newsprint, just right for full page spreads and pages that need that little bit of extra room to look especially spectacular,” says Peter Duncan. “Watch for Joseph Parangue, Scott Twells, and some spectacular work from Davy Francis.
“Kek-W introduces newcomer Jack Parsons with art that really deserved the extra room the larger pages gave him. Plus, former Buster artist Mark Bennington, Gary Bell and Paul Spence all take full advantage of the format making Whapp! one of the most exciting things we’ve ever produced.
“Oh, and before I forget, covers and centrespread are two brand new strips by Nigel Parkinson!
“Yow! is an A5 digest comic, with stories specially designed for the format. 52 pages, with some extra-surreal strips from Julius Howe, Pete Howard and Keith Mcveigh, and amazing art from Rob Anthony, Adam Brown and Ste Chinnock, among others. That Davy Francis guy turns up here as well!
“Splank! is the book we’ve been working on for a long time,” Peter notes. “In the end, to balance cost with quality, we went with an A4, softcover, square-bound book. It’s a chunky 112 pages, packed with superb stories and art.
“We pulled out all the stops and we’re very proud of what our writers and artists have done. Mention has to be made of ‘Thunderbags’, a 20-page superhero parody by Alan Nolan and Davy Francis, brought to life by the colouring of Patrick Brown, ‘The Bogs’ written by David Howard, which shows a different side to the art of Andrew Richmond, and the two strips drawn by Dave Windett, one of which goes even further back into the past of our editor.”
Like the first issue, Splank! and its sister titles are suitable for kids, but that does not mean compromise. There are strips on classical composers, the Dada art movement and the “nicest” anarchist of all time, all mixed with slapstick and terrible Dad jokes.
“This has been a very special project for me,” says Peter. “Not just because it recalls Wham!, Smash! and Pow!, the titles which made me a comics fan, but because it is designed to raise money for NHS Charities Together.
“Over the past fourteen years I’ve seen, unfortunately firsthand, the dedication and compassion of NHS Staff – and I want to say thank you by giving something back.
“Huge thanks must go to the tireless Pete Howard and his artists, especially Adam Brown, who we could see develop in skill strip by strip. To Gary Whitlock, Brett Burbridge, and the two Josephs for bringing my own scripts to life and to Stephen Reid for his encouragement and contributions, and to Keith McVeigh, for bringing a new voice to Splank!
“I am incredibly proud of these books, and want to thank everyone involved,” Peter ends. “I’ve enough material for another issue later in the year, so Splank! will be back.
“And even if it’s not your sort of thing, I hope you will consider making a donation to ‘NHS Charities Together’ at my Justgiving page.”
• You can preorder all these Sector 13 Comics here: boxofrainmag.co.uk/store
• Splank! Fundraising Page on JustGiving
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.
Categories: British Comics, Comic Previews, Comics, downthetubes Comics News
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