SHIFT comic anthology soars again, despite the odds!

By John Freeman on October 16, 2024

Absent from newsstands for some time, it’s great to see GetMyComics anthology title, SHIFT, back on newsagents shelves – with Volume Two, Issue Nine recently released, and a bumper tenth issue out in December, bringing the long-running “To the Death” saga by Simon Furman and Geoff Senior to a close.

Behind the scenes, the SHIFT team, led by publisher and editor Adrian Clarke, have not been having the easiest of times, as recently recounted in an open letter to subscribers and readers. After Adrian’s daughter was diagnosed with Chronic Kidney Disease (Nephrotic Syndrome), publishing and other projects pretty much took a back seat for many months.

Now, though, they are back to publishing, wrapping SHIFT Volume Two – and making plans into 2025.

Over on the SHIFT store, you’ll also find they have added a bundle of their recent SHIFT Presents titles, which you may not have seen, including the brilliant The Man from Zodiac, Sherlock Holmes and the Empire Builders, Odd John and Mr Custa. Well worth checking out!

SHIFT Volume Two Issue Nine – available here – continues the adventures of “Elena” by Darren Pearce and Stuart Jennett, “Terminal City” from Dean Motter and Michael Lark, “Ind-xed” by Fraser Campbell and Lucy Sullivan – and the penultimate episode of Simon Furman and Geoff Senior’s “To The Death“; plus, “The Girl of Their Dreams” by Baden James Mellonie and Patrick Goddard, and a preview of “The Panharmonion Chronicles“.

Elena
Ind-xed
To the Death

SHIFT Volume Two Issue Ten – a double issue, available to preorder here – offers the pulse pounding, gut punching, heart wrenching conclusion to “To The Death“; and features the next instalments of “Elena”, “Terminal City”, and “The Man From Cancer”, plus the final instalment of the amazing “Ind-xed” – and a brilliant short story “Karma, INC“, by Matthew Hardy and Clark Bint.

With 2000AD, Judge Dredd Megazine, Quantum and SHIFT now on newsstands, despite much reduced shelf space in many shops for publications, it’s good to see a continued belief in print anthologies from comic publishers big and small. Check them all out and consider giving them your support!

• The SHIFT online store is here – theshift.store

• SHIFT Presents Online Store

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.