Forty years ago the weekly magazine Look and Learn was a parental purchase in many British households as parents saw its articles as educational while its younger readers saw its comic strips, including the now legendary Trigan Empire, as exciting…. Read More ›
Steve Holland
In Review: Hurricane and Champion: the Companion Papers to Valiant
The Book: Top British comics archivist Steve Holland has re-launched his Bear Alley Books imprint with Hurricane and Champion: The Companion Papers to Valiant an all-new index to two classic British comics detailing the histories of both papers and reveals… Read More ›
Hurricane and Champion: the Companion Papers to Valiant
Top British comics archivist Steve Holland has re-launched his Bear Alley Books imprint with Mean Streetmaps, a collection of essays on crime noir, and an all-new index to two classic British comics. Hurricane and Champion: The Companion Papers to Valiant… Read More ›
Tube Surfing: Chief Judges, Troll Bridge and 100 Days of Winter
Just spotted this ace ‘brief history’ of the various chief judges of Mega-City one over at the 2000AD Covers Uncovered blog. Well worth a read. Cartoonist Sean Azzopardi sent me his 100 Days of Winter collection. It’s great and reviewer… Read More ›
In Memoriam: Modesty Blaise creator Peter O’Donnell
We’re very sorry to report the death of Modesty Blaise creator Peter O’Donnell, who died over the Bank Holiday weekend at the age of 90. Peter, who lived in Brighton, celebrated his 90th birthday earlier this month, had been ill… Read More ›
It’s Fantastic: Johnny Future Flies in from the Sixties
Never before reprinted, Bear Alley Books have just announced they are to reprint the complete adventures of Johnny Future, a stunning British superhero strip which first appeared in 1960s comic Fantastic. The stories, featuring art by Luis Bermejo, will be… Read More ›
Bear Alley Announces Cursitor Doom, Phantom Patrol Collections
Top British comics archivist Steve Holland has been hinting at it for months now, but he’s finally announced the first titles publishing limited edition collections of some old, classic British comics under the imprint of Bear Alley Books: Cursitor Doom… Read More ›
Comics Go to War!
Comics International editor Mike Conroy has written War Comics: A Graphic History
Tube Surfing: 4 May 2009
• Over on Comic Book Resources, Brian Cronin has just completed a month of posting reviews of a different self-published comic book each day. Check out the archive of reviews here • Meanwhile, Matthew Badham has perhaps taken a leaf… Read More ›
Tube Surfing: 27 March 2009
• This weekend sees the opening of the touring Doctor Who exhibtion in Glasgow’s superb Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum with costumes, props and more from the revived series going on show from this Saturday through to January 2010. Forbideen… Read More ›
Tube Surfing: 18 December 2008
• Latest details on the subscription-only weekly comic The DFC are among the updates to our British Comics On Sale Now list on the main downthetubes site. The page has gotten quite lengthy thanks to all the information some publishers… Read More ›
Tube Surfing: 12 August 2008
• (via Forbidden Planet International): The Observer, ComICA and Jonathan Cape have teamed up again this year for a second graphic short story competition following the success of the first such endeavour last year (which was won by Cathy Brighton’s… Read More ›
Tube Surfing: 20 July 2008
• Tank Girl co-creator Jamie Hewlett has been interviewed by The Guardian. “His is the pen behind Eighties comic-strip heroine Tank Girl, virtual band Gorillaz and the opera Monkey,” the article opens, “and soon you’ll be seeing his animated title… Read More ›
Tube Surfing: 3 July 2008
Steve Holland of Bear Alley reviews Paul Gravett’s Mammoth Book of Best Crime Comics here. He dubs it a ‘must-have collection.’ Over at the Forbidden Planet Blog, Alex Fitch gives us the lowdown on many of the neat podcasts coming… Read More ›
Tube Surfing: Remembering Michael Turner, Virgin’s Dan Dare Collection
Scurrying around the web for comic related news, so you don’t have to
In Memoriam: Mike Western
Sad news via Steve Holland’s Bear Alley: one of the giants of British comics, Mike Western, has laid down his pen for the last time. Mike, who suffered a heart attack in 2007 and was laid low by it for… Read More ›
Look and Learn Returns
(With thanks to Steve Holland): The first issue of the Look and Learn Company‘s limited run (48 issues) of a magazine made up of the best of the original Look and Learn has just been published and released to subscribers, printed to… Read More ›
Look and Learn web site due to launch soon
Over on Bear Alley, comics expert Steve Holland reports that the Look and Learn web site, with which he is heavily involved, officially launches in a matter of days. This is run by a company which now owns the publishing… Read More ›