Big 'Iron Man' push in latest TOXIC

The synergy between comics and multimedia in today's childrens magazines may not be to everyone's taste but there's no doubt such promotions help sell the mags. The latest issue of Toxic (No.115, out yesterday) features heavy promotion for the Iron Man movie (great entertainment and performances by the way, and Marvel's best movie to date).

Iron Man articles dominate the magazine and there's even an exclusive free 24 page Iron Man Marvel comic. In return, Marvel Studios have allowed Egmont to show clips from the movie on the Toxic website that can be saved as QuickTime movies:

http://www.toxicmag.co.uk/news/ref:T481AF8F3B2487/

http://www.toxicmag.co.uk/news/ref:T481AF7CE62F3E/

http://www.toxicmag.co.uk/news/ref:T481AF6BBBD0DA/

and an interview with the star of the movie Robert Downey Jr:

http://www.toxicmag.co.uk/news/ref:T481AF5B5ECF58/

Toxic is of course just a small part of the huge promotional bandwagon for the Iron Man movie. However if it attracts new readers to the magazine and they also enjoy the comic strips within then that's a few newbies introduced to the world of comics. (Next issue promotes the new Indiana Jones movie, and a brand new comic strip, Robin Hoodie begins by John A. Short and Laura Howell).

Toxic No.115 is on sale in all major newsagents and supermarkets now, priced £2.25

Above: A panel from the latest Team Toxic strip.

Robots and Robin Hood at Bristol Expo

News just in from the people at Accent UK, the independent UK comics publisher:

Bellamy’s ROBIN HOOD in Bristol! By special arrangement with Geoff West of The Book Palace, independent comic publisher, Accent UK will have a supply of the newly released Frank Bellamy’s ROBIN HOOD the Complete Adventures book at both the International Comic Expo in Bristol on 10th / 11th of May 2008 and the Komiks.DK festival in Copenhagen on 31st May / 1st June 2008. Copies will be available to view and purchase from Accent UK’s tables or order through the Book Palace website as normal. This gives everyone attending the events the chance to see for themselves first hand this excellent book which brings back into print Frank Bellamy’s legendary early comic strips which have proven elusive for so many years! The book reprints Bellamy’s classic strip from the old British title The Swift with a special introduction and end notes from noted comics historian, Steve Holland. Special flexicover, 144 pages £14.99.

Accent UK , the team behind last year’s popular ZOMBIES and WOLFMEN titles will also be releasing their latest themed graphic novel anthology at the shows, ROBOTS featuring a host of new and emerging comic talents in its 204 pages at the special expo price of £8, for full list of creators and previews please see www.accentukcomics.com, www.bookpalace.com and www.comicexpo.net and www.komiks.dk.



If past releases are anything to go by Accent UK's Robots will be another worthwhile comic book. The quality of the Frank Bellamy book is of course assured. I'll certainly be picking up a copy of both books at the Expo and will review them here as soon as I have time. - Lew

BULLETPROOF: Website launched for new UK adventure comic

Briefly mentioned here last August, the new UK independent comic Bulletproof is now on sale in comic stores and available from the publisher online. This value for money 80 page package features work by numerous comic creators, both established and new. There's also a 16 page sampler available, titled Bulletproof #0. Editor/publisher Matt Yeo explains...

"It's certainly taken longer than we expected," said Editor-in-Chief and Publisher, Matt Yeo, "but it's great to finally launch our new-look site and put the finishing touches to our 16-page, black & white, Bulletproof #0 sampler."

Originally launched as a standalone comics site a few years ago, Bulletproof Comics was set up to showcase and promote the work of up-and-coming British creative talent. The site contains material from new writers, artists and creators as well as work from established industry professionals.

"We had a 'soft launch' for our first printed comic book last year in the form of our 80-page, black & white anthology, Bulletproof #1, containing work from the likes of Steve Yeowell, Alan Grant, Mike Perkins, Garen Ewing and more," said Yeo. "The online response was great, so we pushed forward with a website redesign, whilst simultaneously putting together issue #0 and the forthcoming Bulletproof #2."

"We're intending to make Bulletproof #2 as exciting as our launch issue, and it'll be another 80-page monster of a comic, featuring our usual mix of genre strips from superheroes, sci-fi and fantasy to adventure, crime and slapstick humour."

"Beyond that we have a number of mini-series and one-shots in the works, as well as more exciting products due later this year."

"There's just such a huge wealth of creative comic book talent in the UK that struggles to reach a wider audience, and that's where we step in," Yeo said. "We want to provide online and print-based platforms to make it easier for creators to get their work out to the rest of the world."

"It's a really exciting time for us, and there are some amazing comic book creations and creators ready to be unveiled, so expect more news from Bulletproof Comics soon!"

• Bulletproof issue #0 and Bulletproof #1 are on sale now from the Bulletproof Comics Online Store.

• To find out more about Bulletproof Comics, check out: www.bulletproofcomics.co.uk

2000AD.... promoted in 1977AD

Another quick blog today. (More to come this week, with news of two new UK indie comics.) As most comic fans know, 2000 AD celebrated its 30th anniversary last year, - a remarkable achievement for a British comic, only eclipsed by a handful of others. The "Galaxy's Greatest Comic" has changed somewhat since it began, but here's how the first issue was promoted in the pages of IPC's Krazy Comic dated 26th February 1977....


Note the typical IPC hyperbole. Descriptions include "shattering" and "breathtaking", making the comic sound exciting and unmissable, - which to many of us it was! Somehow today's comics ads seem comparatively sedate in comparison!

WAR-TOYS # 3 Out this week!

After a few weeks delay, Image Comics release Elephantmen: War Toys No.3 this week. The 40 page $2.99 comic will be available in the USA on Wednesday (30th April) and in the UK on Thursday (1st May). A choice of two covers are available: one by Boo Cook (left, above) and the other by Ladronn (right, above).

The title strip is written by Richard Starkings with art by Moritat, and described thus:
"Even in the face of blistering resistance, it seems that nothing can stop MAPPO's advance across Scandinavia. But as Hip Flask comes face to face with the last vestiges of humanity in the frozen Scandinavian wastes, he discovers that only the dead see the end of warfare."

The back up strip is once again Brickman by myself. (A panel of which is shown below.) After the War-Toys mini series concludes with this issue, the regular Elephantmen comic resumes soon with No.12. Brickman skips that issue, but will return in No.13 in the summer.


The issue also features a nice tribute to 1980's Marvel UK colourist Steve Whitaker (who also coloured V For Vendetta) who died recently.

More info on Elephantmen: War Toys here:

http://www.hipflask.com/issues/wartoys3/index.html

More info on Brickman here (including an opportunity to buy the Brickman Begins collection):

http://brickmancomics.tripod.com/

Dudley Watkins and the Bimbo

With a title guaranteed to raise a smile for the wrong reasons today, D.C. Thomson's Bimbo was a "nursery comic" (for very young children) published from 1961 to 1972. However, unlike the comparatively insubstantial pre-school magazines of today, Bimbo featured a good number of comic strips, making up just over 50% of its content. (Judging by the issue shown here from 1965.)

Amongst the strips (all of which met Thomson's usual high standards) was Tom Thumb by Dudley Watkins, taking up the front cover. Watkins was of course Thomson's prize artist, and at the same time he was illustrating Bimbo covers he was also doing the same for The Beano (Biffo the Bear), The Topper (Mickey the Monkey), and The Beezer (Ginger), plus interior strips Desperate Dan and Lord Snooty. A remarkable output and always of substantial quality.

Interestingly, Bimbo featured a regular Baby Crockett strip, - a character that also appeared in The Beezer. Both versions were drawn by Bill Ritchie, although the Bimbo strip was naturally tailored for the younger reader.


With 11 out of its 20 glossy pages devoted to comic strips, Bimbo was an ideal publication to encourage children to read. It also stimulated their minds with the sequential art form as they learned to imagine movement and passage of time between panels. With standards of literacy dropping today, perhaps modern "activity magazines" should take note and shift their emphasis towards featuring more comic strips rather than mostly "make and do" pages.

Comic oddities: SBONCYN

I have to confess from the outset that I know absolutely nothing about this comic other than the one copy I have in my collection. However, I thought it may be of interest to historians to include it on the blog and hopefully inspire a bit more information about it via reader feedback.

Sboncyn was a Welsh language comic from a publisher based in Caenarfon, North Wales. Featuring just 16 pages with only four in full colour, the one shown here (issue 28) is dated August 1982. I've no idea if the comic is still being published but I visit North Wales every year and have never seen it in newsagents so I assume not.


On the whole, the artwork is quite crude in its execution. The exceptions being the Dick Turpin spoof Dic Dau Wn and mischievous schoolgirl Wini Wirion. The strips are mostly single pagers, with a few double pagers included. They're all humour strips except for a Western adventure strip in the centre pages. Several of the strips have a maritime theme for some reason, perhaps inspired by the location of the publisher and that the comic would be sold along the coast?


I'm sure Welsh readers of this blog may be able to shed more light on this comic. If so, please leave a comment below. Thanks in advance!