I’ve heaped plenty of praise on the fast-developing PJ Maybe -focused “Judge Dredd: Ladykiller” story (by John Wagner, Carlos Ezquerra and Annie Parkhouse) and “Scarlet Traces: Cold War” (by Ian Edginton, D’Israeli and Annie Parkhouse) in 2000AD in recent weeks in our weekly New Comics column. But “Tharg’s 3rillers: Mindmine“, by Rory Mcconville, Colin Macneil, Peter Doherty and Simon Bowland is proving a great tale, concerning a vicious little weapon called a mind mine. Caught in a blast from one, it’s driven Osrid Caxon, a member of the Marsoldarian Army’s Psychic Explosives Disposal Unit just a little bit crazy. This second episode (of three) is packed with further intrigue and great art – and well worth a read.
Over at Titan Comics, their Doctor Who Summer event, Doctor Who: Supremacy of the Cybermen, continues with #2 – written by superstar team-up Cavan Scott, George Mann with art from Ivan Rodriguez and Walter Geovanni. The stakes are raised for the Ninth, Tenth, Eleventh and Twelfth Doctors who encounter the full mechanised menace of The Cybermen…
Well worth picking up if you didn’t pick up the ongoing comic is the latest Twelfth Doctor hardcover collection, Doctor Who: Twelfth Doctor Volume 4: The School of Death. With a great script from Robbie Morrison and fantastic art from Rachael Stott, this is real “old school” Doctor Who with a modern slant, with the Doctor and Clara investigating the fishy goings-ons under a creepy Scottish boarding school.Plus, the Doctor also get trapped inside the comic book pages – and only you can save him! This hard cover format is a fantastatic format for stories like this and a great way to catch up with the series if you’ve “come in late”.
Another hot pick this week is Dream Gang by Brendan McCarthy, published by Dark Horse, a re-mastered edition of the story that first appeared in Dark Horse Presents. It’s Brendan at his finest – and has earned him well-deserved praise from both his fans and fellow comic creators. Read our interview with Brendan McCarthy
UK Newsagents Releases
There are plenty of comics on sale in newsagents that still delight in bringing you such subversive delights, including 2000AD, The Beano, the new Danger Mouse comic, Commando (latest release intel here), Judge Dredd Megazine, Panini Comics Marvel Collector Editions titles, Titan Comics superhero titles and VIZ, with great strips also featuring in titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Doctor Who Adventures, Titan’s Doctor Who: Tales from the TARDIS (collecting their strips from the US format titles), Mega, TOXIC and many others.
Still on sale this week in newsagents is Panini Comics first issue of their new Lion Guard comic, packed with original adventure stories featuring Kion and his group of friends on their journey to protect the Pride Lands and defend the Circle of Life. The magazine is jam-packed with puzzles, crafts, posters, awesome competitions, a must-have cover-gift and an interactive sticker sheet to accompany the activities inside the magazine.
Encouraging imaginative play and early years learning, Issue One comes with two jigsaw puzzles plus a collectable figurine.
Don’t forget the wonderful Phoenix Comic is on sale in many (but not all) Waitrose supermarkets and selected high street WH Smiths stores – and some comic shops (stockist list here), as well as available on subscription.
So let’s not get too downhearted by some British publishers lack of faith in full-blown cover to cover comic strip action and humour that only those of us over a certain age remember.
Hachette Partworks, whose partwork titles include Doctor Who: The Complete History and Judge Dredd: The Mega Collection, continue their How To Draw The Marvel Way, along with their re-release of their hugely successful part work, Marvel’s Marvel Ultimate Graphic Novel series.
Some of you in certain areas of the country may also be able to pick up a copy of the new Star Trek Graphic Novel Collection, which is currently being road tested by Eaglemoss.
Note that you may now have to subscribe if you want to continue buying Part Works some are not distributed in newsagents after their first few issues.
Digital Comic Picks
Aces Weekly Volume 23 is out now. Just £1 a week gets you this and more to come forever – well, you know… till the mountains fall into the sea: Dylan Teague, Paul Rainey, Marc makes comics, David Leach, Jeffrey Vaughn, Brendon and Brian Fraim, Jok LP and Rodolfo Santullo, plus Roberto Corroto Cuadrado and Ertito Montana. Up to 200 pages of cool stuff – for a pound a week!
Tune in now at www.acesweekly.co.uk/shop
Don’t miss out on all the Previous Volumes, either, which have up to 200 pages of comics including Extras, and in full form feature in an exclusive Week-to-Week facility, which transforms any volume’s serialised stories into continuous comic book-sized narratives.
British Comic Publishers
2000AD/Rebellion
2000AD Prog 1994Featuring: Judge Dredd: Ladykiller by John Wagner, Carlos Ezquerra and Annie Parkhouse; Anderson: Psi Division by Emma Beeby, Nick Dyer, Richard Elson, Ellie De Ville; Outlier: Survivor Guilt by TC Eglington, Karl Richardson and Ellie De Ville; Tharg’s 3rillers: Mindmine by Rory Mcconville, Colin Macneil, Peter Doherty and Simon Bowland; Scarlet Traces: Cold War by Ian Edginton, D’Israeli and Annie Parkhouse.
Titan Comics
Doctor Who Supremacy of the Cybermen #2 of 5Writers: George Mann & Cavan Scott
Artists: Ivan Rodriguez & Walter Geovanni
Cyberships on fire in the Thames, as the Ninth Doctor battles for the soul of London! Dinosaur danger for the Eleventh Doctor, as the Cybermen attempt to conquer human prehistory! Caught in the middle of an ancient alien war, the Cybermen present a third side for the Tenth Doctor to face! And for the Twelfth Doctor – a deeply personal showdown with the architect behind the universe’s current chaos. No TARDIS, no help, no rescue: THERE IS NO RESISTANCE… ONLY THE CYBERIAD!
Cover A: Alessandro Vitti & Nicola Righi
Cover B: Photo Cover
Cover C: Fabio Listrani
Doctor Who: Twelfth Doctor Volume 4: The School of Death
Writer: Robbie Morrison
Artist: Rachael Stott
Colorist: Ivan Nunes
Letterer: Comicraft
Cover: Alice X. Zhang
On sale in comic stores: 17th August 2016
On sale in book stores: 13th September 2016
There’s something fishy going on at the remote Scottish school of Ravenscaur… Something that has bedevilled students and teachers alike… something that has lurked in the caverns beneath the school for millennia! Only the Doctor and Clara can unravel a deadly conspiracy that reaches as high as the Prime Minister of England!
New Graphic Novels On Sale This Week in Bookshops
Available in book shops and comic shops, distributed by Turnaround Distributors
▪ Attack on Titan 19 (Kodansha, 9781632362599)
▪ Attack on Titan: Before the Fall 8 (Kodansha, 9781632362605)
▪ Axiom (Legendary, 9781937278731)
▪ Deadpool & The Mercs For Money Vol. 0: Merc Madness (Panini, 9781846537387)
▪Dream Gang by Brendan McCarthy (Dark Horse, 9781506700007) – Read our interview with Brendan McCarthy
▪ Kiss Him, Not Me 6 (Kodansha, 9781632362650)
▪ Nocturne of Remembrance (Vertical, 9781942993520)
▪ Say I Love You Volume 15 (Kodansha, 9781632362698)
▪ Sonic the Hedgehog 3: Waves of Change (Archie, 9781627389396)
▪ Tokyo ESP, Volume 6 (Vertical, 9781942993032)
▪ Tsubasa Omnibus 9 (Kodansha, 9781632362209)
US Comics On Sale This Week
List in part courtesy First Age Comics Lancaster – all the comics below can be ordered through your local comic shop, as can the 2000AD and Titan Comics titles above
Aliens Defiance #3All New Inhumans #10
All New Wolverine #11
Aquaman #5
Back to the Future #11
Batgirl & The Birds of Prey #1
Batman #5
Batman Rebirth #1 backorder
Batman & Robin Trade Paperback Volume 3: Death of the Family
Black Hammer #2
Black Widow #6
Bobs Burgers Ongoing #14
BPRD Hell On Earth #144
Captain America Sam Wilson #12
Civil War II Amazing Spider-Man #3
Civil War II Gods of War #3
Civil War II X-Men #3
Daredevil Punisher #4
Demonic #1
Descender #14
Disney Magic Kingdom Comics #2
Doctor Fate #15
Earth 2 Society #15
Empress #5
Fallen #1
Grimm Fairy Tales Robyn Hood I Love NY #3
Green Arrow #5
Green Lanterns #5
Gwenpool #5
Harley Quinn #2
Horizon #2
Hunt #2
I Hate Fairyland #8
Injustice Gods Among Us Year 5 #16
Injustice Gods Among Us Year 4 HC Vol 2
Jum Butcher Dresden Files Wild Card #5
Justice League #3
Klaus #7
Kong of Skull Island #2
Legends of Tomorrow #6
Lumberjanes #29
Mars Attacks Occupation #5
Marvel GN Collection Volume 119 Marvel What If HC
Marvel GN Collection Volume 122 Uncanny Avengers Red Shadow HC
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #5
Mighty Thor #10
My Little Pony Friends Forever #31
Nightwing #3
Power Man & Iron Fist #7
Rivers of London Night Witch #4 of 5
Scooby Apocalypse #4
Simpsons Comics #232
Spider-Woman #10
Star Trek Ongoing #60
Star Wars Poe Dameron #5
Suicide Squad #1
Supergirl Rebirth #1
Superman #5
Superman Rebirth #1 backorder
Teen Titans Go #17
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Ongoing #61
Transformers More Than Meets the Eye #56
Transformers Till All Are One #3
Ultimates #10
Uncanny Avengers #12
Uncle Scrooge #17
Web Warriors #10
Wicked & Divine #22
Wrath of the Eternal Warrior #10
Xena Warrior Princess #4 & 5
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- About the Author
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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: 2000AD, British Comics, Doctor Who