Thursday, September 13, 2018
Meanwhile, this week in 1934...
It's been ages since I posted anything about old comics, and it's mainly been due to the time involved in research. I'm still busy, but here's a quick glimpse into the past with the cover scanned from my collection of The Joker No.359, which was in newsagents exactly 84 years ago in 1934.
It's full of typical slapstick fun that was common in British comics of the time, using the comic strip format perfectly in a visual sequence involving a pie. Artwork by John Jukes.
The full comic had 8 pages, tabloid size (ie: same size as the Daily Mirror, Daily Mail, etc) and was printed on green paper. All for just 1d. (Half a new pence.)
It's full of typical slapstick fun that was common in British comics of the time, using the comic strip format perfectly in a visual sequence involving a pie. Artwork by John Jukes.
The full comic had 8 pages, tabloid size (ie: same size as the Daily Mirror, Daily Mail, etc) and was printed on green paper. All for just 1d. (Half a new pence.)
Wednesday, September 12, 2018
Stand by for THE TEMPEST No.2
You know it's a good week when a new comic by Alan Moore and Kevin O'Neill is released. The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: The Tempest No.2 is out now and it's another brilliant issue.
UPDATE: Although it is out now in the USA, it won't be in UK comic shops until the 19th September. (Thanks to Kevin O'Neill for the info.)
With so many comics these days having such standard covers (often characters looking angry or moody) it's a refreshing change that The Tempest is shaking things up every issue with spoofs of bygone British comics. Last month it was a homage to Classics Illustrated. This month it's TV21 that gets the treatment. (Next issue will have a Misty / Tammy homage.)
The story itself is packed with references to old characters from comics, film, tv, and literature. It wouldn't be The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen otherwise. Most readers should spot the Captain Marvel and James Bond references, but it's possible that only me, Steve Holland, and the ghost of Denis Gifford will notice some of the others. (The Larks! Useless Eustace!) However, it doesn't matter if most people don't recognise The Purple Hood or Mark Tyme, etc. The whole comic has such a well told sense of mad fun that it carries the reader along and the main plot isn't dependent on knowing who the incidental characters are parodying.
Alan Moore's scripts are still head and shoulders above those of many of his contemporaries. Others have attempted the type of story where everything in fiction is connected, but no one does it better. Kevin O'Neill's art is as superb and intricate as always. An artist who's given 100% throughout his career.
The bonus features this issue include a spotlight on the shoddy way that Frank Bellamy's Eagle art was treated by publishers, and a pin-up of Electrogirl. Sizzlin'!
If you want a top quality comic, pick up The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: The Tempest today.
UPDATE: Although it is out now in the USA, it won't be in UK comic shops until the 19th September. (Thanks to Kevin O'Neill for the info.)
With so many comics these days having such standard covers (often characters looking angry or moody) it's a refreshing change that The Tempest is shaking things up every issue with spoofs of bygone British comics. Last month it was a homage to Classics Illustrated. This month it's TV21 that gets the treatment. (Next issue will have a Misty / Tammy homage.)
Alan Moore's scripts are still head and shoulders above those of many of his contemporaries. Others have attempted the type of story where everything in fiction is connected, but no one does it better. Kevin O'Neill's art is as superb and intricate as always. An artist who's given 100% throughout his career.
The bonus features this issue include a spotlight on the shoddy way that Frank Bellamy's Eagle art was treated by publishers, and a pin-up of Electrogirl. Sizzlin'!
If you want a top quality comic, pick up The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: The Tempest today.
(W) Alan Moore (A/CA) Kevin O'Neill
Opening with a 1919 deathmatch between two American superhumans in the ruins of Utopia, the second issue of Alan Moore and Kevin O'Neill's final volume of the beloved comic series takes its readers on a breath-taking ride over a waterfall of storytelling styles, from a startling 21st century Lincoln Island and its current incarnation of the legendary Captain Nemo, through a New York coping with an ageing costume-hero population, to a London where a drastic escalation is commenced by the rejuvenated sociopath controlling MI5. All this, and a further reprinted adventure of 1960s super-team The Seven Stars awaits in issue two of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Volume IV: The Tempest.
In Shops: Sep 12, 2018
SRP: 4ドル.99
Tuesday, September 11, 2018
New Treasury books for 2019
Cover art by Phil Gascoine.
A browse through Amazon this evening caused me to notice a few new books that I'm sure will be of interest to Blimey! readers. Scheduled for their Treasury of British Comics line for next year are three more collections of classic strips. These will include...Fran of the Floods, by Alan Davidson and Phil Gascoine, from the popular Jinty weekly.
www.amazon.co.uk/Jinty-Fran-Floods-Gascoine-Phil/dp/1781086729/
Wildcat Book 1: Turbo Jones by Barrie Tomlinson and Ian Kennedy, reprinting the story from the short-lived Wildcat comic.
www.amazon.co.uk/Wildcat-Turbo-Jones-Barrie-Tomlinson/dp/1781086656/
Cover art by Ian Kennedy.
...and one I know lots of people have been hoping to see...
Billy's Boots, Book One written by Fred Baker and drawn by John Gillatt (although John didn't take over the strip until later, so that'll be corrected as these early episodes were by Mike Western, Tom Kerr, and others). The story reprinted from Scorcher from 1970.
www.amazon.co.uk/Billys-Boots-1-Fred-Baker/dp/1781086710
Cover art by Tom Kerr and Mike Western.
These three books are currently scheduled for the early part of 2019 and I'm sure more will follow. No doubt Rebellion will reveal more info officially over the coming weeks! These are exciting times for fans of classic British comics and I hope you'll give the books your full support!
Monday, September 10, 2018
New mag: TV YEARS out this Tuesday
Admittedly this is nothing to do with comics, but it's something I'm sure many of you will be interested in. Available in newsagents from Tuesday 11th September is the first issue of TV Years, a new magazine dedicated to television.
TV Years No.1 swings the spotlight on the 1980s, and includes features on shows of the era and interviews with stars from Grange Hill, Blue Peter, and more. It's edited by renowned tv historian and reviewer Graham Kibble-White, and there's a great team of writers so things are looking good!
Issue 1 has 100 pages and will cost just £3.99.
You can follow the mag on Twitter for previews, news, and more updates:
https://twitter.com/TVYears
TV Years No.1 swings the spotlight on the 1980s, and includes features on shows of the era and interviews with stars from Grange Hill, Blue Peter, and more. It's edited by renowned tv historian and reviewer Graham Kibble-White, and there's a great team of writers so things are looking good!
Issue 1 has 100 pages and will cost just £3.99.
You can follow the mag on Twitter for previews, news, and more updates:
https://twitter.com/TVYears
Sunday, September 09, 2018
ICE is coming!
No, that's not a weather forecast (hopefully not anyway), but a reference to ICE 2018, the International Comic Expo that takes place in the centre of Birmingham next Saturday, 15th September.
I always look forward to this event, which is one of my favourite comics conventions. Friendly, busy, and all about the comics!
This year's guests will include John Wagner, Alessandro Vitti, Hunt Emerson, Nigel Parkinson, Laura Howell, John McCrea, and many more (plus me!).
Yes, there'll be four Beano artists there this year, so if you want to talk Beano, or want a sketch of your favourite character, come along and join us!
Full details of tickets etc:
https://internationlcomicexpo.wordpress.com
I always look forward to this event, which is one of my favourite comics conventions. Friendly, busy, and all about the comics!
This year's guests will include John Wagner, Alessandro Vitti, Hunt Emerson, Nigel Parkinson, Laura Howell, John McCrea, and many more (plus me!).
Yes, there'll be four Beano artists there this year, so if you want to talk Beano, or want a sketch of your favourite character, come along and join us!
Full details of tickets etc:
https://internationlcomicexpo.wordpress.com
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