The Cor! & Buster Humour Special is still on sale in WHSmith and selected newsagents for another couple of weeks, so if you’re looking for a brilliant all-ages treat for your kids, why not pop out and buy it now? But don’t just take our word for it – what did others think?
The Special has sold well, but the more we can help get out there, the even better chance 2000AD and Judge Dredd Megazine publisher Rebellion will soon be back putting another Special together, or – we can but hope! – perhaps even consider a more regular offering.
Who wouldn’t want a new, all-ages humour and adventure comic on the British news stand alongside Beano and The Phoenix, offering new strips featuring a terrific mix of classic comic heroes?
Here’s some highlights from reviews of the current Special.
(Declared bias – I wrote one of the strips, drawn by Lew Stringer, which is why we didn’t review it ourselves here on downthetubes!)
“Cor!! & Buster is a good name for 2000AD’s humour special. Besides paying homage to their humor comics of yore, it’s an accurate description of what you’ll be getting – an issue busting at the seams with excellence, that doesn’t repeat itself or rely on a single joke for material yet is consistently funny from start to finish.”
Rachel Bellwoar, Comicon
“… it’s essential that anyone of a certain age analysing these re-imaginings judges them on their own merits rather than looking for a re-creation of their own childhoods… It was always going to be a difficult balancing act putting together a revival anthology that is accessible to new, younger readers but also has enough retro appeal that it leaves readers who remember these characters from their own childhoods satisfied. But Rebellion have achieved that here. Whatever group you fit into there’s something for you in the Cor!! & Buster Humour Special. A very promising start for a year of similar output from Rebellion that we can only hope eventually leads to the regular presence of these titles on newsagent shelves again in the not too distant future.”
Andy Oliver, Broken Frontier
“One of the highlights for sure, is the return of Sweeny Toddler by one of its original artists, Tom Paterson! It’s a strip that I personally have fond memories off as a kid, so it’s great to see it make a return.”
Benjamin Williams, ComicBookNews
Lew Stringer’s pencils for a panel from “Who’s in Charge?”
“‘Who’s In Charge?’ written by John Freeman and drawn by Lew Stringer. This strip unites the mascots of various defunct comics, not just Buster and Cor!! but also Cheeky Weekly, Shiver and Shake, Whizzer and Chips, and more titles that will either provoke warm feelings of remembrance or sound like jumbles of random syllables, depending on whether or not you read this stuff as a kid.
“The creators’ appreciation for British comics history shines through: it is not often that you see Victorian characters Weary Willie and Tired Tim popping up for a sight gag.”
Doris V. Sutherland, Women Write About Comics
“The stand out strip is ‘Sweeny Toddler’ by Tom Paterson with lettering by JR.Senior which really captures the art and story of classic Sweeny. Indeed the only fault of the collection is the original art of the characters were once so distinctive for older readers that some of the new interpretations (and that they are in colour) jar a little. But this is for a new generation, right?”
Tony Foster, ComicFlix – his 13-year old co-reviewer recommended ‘Kid Kong’, ‘Faceache’, ‘X Ray Specs’ was their favourite, ‘Who’s In Charge’ for the messing about, and ‘Swines of Anarchy’ for the art!
“It’s thoroughly entertaning and good wholesome fun and a lovely trip down memory lane for forty somethings everywhere. But for new readers, it’s going to open a whole host of worlds and ensure that comics will carry on making the next couple of generations smile…”
Chris Andrews, Mass Movement
• The Cor!! & Buster Humour Special is still on sale in WHSmith and selected newsagents for another couple of weeks – or buy a copy direct from the Rebellion from the 2000Ad web shop
Delivering all-new strips and new takes on many a classic comic character, edited by Keith Richardson, the full list of contributing creators comprises of Sammy Borras, Jim Boswell, Lizzie Boyle, Abigail Bulmer, Mick Cassidy, Andy Clift, Robin Etherington, The Feek, David Follett, John Freeman, Paul Goodenough, Neil Googe, Ned Hartley, Mike Hoffman, Lee Langford, Steve Mannion, Grainne Mcentee, Pye Parr, Brett Parson, Tom Paterson, Cavan Scott, Matt Smith, Tanya Roberts, Karl Stock, Lew Stringer, Tiernan Trevallion, Edward Whatley and Alec Worley
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, downthetubes Comics News, downthetubes News, Features, Reviews
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