Order your Six Pack for Christmas!

Now you can order all six of my comics in one parcel and save money! That's Combat Colin issues 1 to 4, Derek the Troll, and Pedantic Stan the Comics Fan. Six separate comics, 200 pages in total! 

Combat Colin reprints the strips that appeared in Action Force and Transformers in the late 1980s'early 1990s. Most pages have been scanned from my original art. 

Derek the Troll reprints the strips that appeared in Warlock and White Dwarf magazines in the late 1980s. PLUS the second half of the comic reprints the complete Rock Solid, Space Hero series that appeared in Swiftsure comic in 1985. 

Pedantic Stan, the Comic Fan reprints the 1990s strip that appeared in Speakeasy fanzine. It was created by John Freeman and myself. John wrote the first six or so and I drew it, then I took over as writer and artist from then on.

Six comics in one parcel. Shop early for Christmas! Here's the link:
http://www.lewstringer.com/page7.htm 

Please note: The prices on my website are for UK customers only. If you live outside the UK, contact me at lew.stringer@BTopenworld.com for postage rates. 

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New merchandise with Combat Colin, Derek the Troll, and more!

These days, comics characters aren't just confined to the strips. They're often part of a multi-media expansion too, including merchandise. I've decided to venture into that field with my characters and I've set up a shop on Redbubble to sell clothing, mugs, stickers, phone skins... and more! 

Yes, now you can buy a Derek the Troll T-shirt, a Combat Clock, a groovy jazz tote bag and other items! The sales are entirely handled by Redbubble. You order from them, they manufacture the goods and post them to you, and I get a small percentage. (And it is very small too, but Redbubble are doing all the work so that's fair enough.) 

Items are made to order so there's no surplus. I've intended to produce some merchandise like this for a while now, but as I don't drive and travel to shows by train it's difficult to carry too much stock (along with a suitcase full of comics) to conventions. This solves the problem, with Redouble handling the merchandise while I just focus on the comics. Bear in mind this means that I won't have any of these items with me at conventions, so if you want a T-shirt, clock, stickers, etc you have to order from Redbubble. 

Interested? Please have a browse and purchase anything you'd like from the Redbubble website here:

https://www.redbubble.com/people/LewStringer

Click on each photo at that website to see the full range in that category.

What do you think of this latest venture? Let me know by posting a comment below!

GOOF! No.8 - out today!

The eighth issue of the online humour comic Goof! is available from today! It features the latest chapter of my all-new Derek the Troll adventure, plus fun strips by Joe Matthews, Emmeline Pidgen, Marc Jackson, and many more! Comics to read on your desktop of device for a subscription of just £12 for 12 issues. (And when you subscribe you'll get access to all previous issues too of course!) Suitable for all ages.

Here's a preview of some of the strips in Goof! No.8...

The strips in Goof! are all creator-owned, and any profits are shared amongst the contributors, so all subscriptions are very much appreciated! Spread the word and subscribe today!
https://www.goofcomic.co.uk

The Christmas GOOF! is here

Cover art © Marc Jackson

The online comic Goof! celebrates the season with its first Christmas issue, available from today! The monthly humour comic features several festive-themed stories from Emmeline Pidgen, Rick Eades, Joe Matthews and more. 

© Joe Matthews

As my Derek the Troll strip is set way in the dim and distant past, I couldn't do Christmas but I made sure to feature him in a winter setting. It has some other elements of traditional Christmas comic strips too. (Basically it's Christmas in all but name. I couldn't miss a chance to put snow on the logo could I?) 

© Lew Stringer

If you're new to Goof! it's a monthly online anthology comic for children that costs just £12 for a 12 issue subscription (just a pound an issue). Even if you're only subscribing now you'll still have immediate access to all the back issues. That's the wonder of Goof! Then, around the first weekend of each month, you'll receive e-mail notification that a new issue is available to read online. 

https://www.goofcomic.co.uk

© Emmeline Pidgen

Remember, this is exclusively an online comic, only available by subscription, so if you see pirated copies they're breaking the law and will be spending next Christmas in jail! Ho-ho-ho! Happy reading! 

© Rick Eades

Get ready to GOOF!

Who's up for a brand new monthly British humour comic? It's lively, it's for all-ages, it's all-colour, it's digital, and I'm doing all-new Derek the Troll strips for it. It's GOOF! and it'll be available next month! Here's publisher Marc Jackson with the details....

On Saturday June 23rd, not only will I be hosting the 3rd annual MACC-POW! Macclesfield in Cheshire’s day of comics, as part of the 10 day Barnaby festival in the town, I’ll also be launching a brand-new online comic for all-ages, called GOOF!

GOOF! harks back to the good old days of comics for children (especially in the UK) that had a sense of craziness, anarchy and all-out fun whilst embracing the modern age. It’s a monthly, 30 page digital comic that costs just £1 per issue (£12 for the year maths fans) that you can subscribe to and read online at www.goofcomic.co.uk On the first Saturday of every month, you’ll receive a link to read it in your inbox, just like that.

Taking inspiration from BEANO, the Dandy (in fact it was thinking about the Dandy’s sad demise that started this whole process) the classic OiNK comic and the one-off 1983 Marvel special ‘Channel 33 1/3’ by Dicky Howett and Tim Quinn, whilst embracing the great work that both Jamie Smart’s MooseKid comics and David Lloyd’s Aces Weekly have done for putting quality comics online. GOOF! aims to connect those two groups and offer something fresh and unique for all-ages comics, that stands tall with its’ mighty predecessors!

Here’s the awesome bit and the part I still am pinching myself about… I have lined up some of the greatest cartoonist from around the world, maybe even the known universe to be involved and they will bring their incredible versatility to create a truly unique event in all-ages comics. The UK’s Lew Stringer will bring back his Derek the Troll character, I Kill Giants artist Ken Niimura delivers a one-off and exclusive drawing especially for the launch issue, Observer comics prize winner 2017 Tor Freeman introduces us to ‘Spells in the Forest’ alongside MAD magazine’s Luke McGarry. Lorenzo Montatore from Barcelona brings the crazy with ‘BOX’, the wonderful Emmeline Pidgen brings wonderful witchery with ‘Nona the Ninth’, Dan Moynihan creates ‘Mark and Spark’, Fulton Beal introduces the madcap adventures of ‘Flot and Zot’. Up and coming new comics talent Jessica on Paper gives us ‘Life Jacket’, Jolly Jim Boswell delivers ‘Stick Pig’ and US cartoonist Andrea Bell, shows us all ‘How to be cool’ Genie Espinosa introduces ‘Olivia and Puff’ Joe Matthew goes cosmic with ‘Space Dawg’ and even the legendary Fred Hembeck, famed for his work for both Marvel and DC in the 80’s is creating a new comic!

In addition, alongside that line-up, GOOF! features new characters and comics from Jess Smart Smiley (US) Andreas Schuster (Canada) Rick Eades (UK) Mari Ahokoivu (Finland) and Macclesfield illustrator Dick Vincent (UK)

Each cartoonist brings a different style, a different take on what making an all-ages comic means to them, whilst having fun with the medium itself. GOOF! aims to show you the kind of comics you might expect and something brand new, showing children and adults alike that this is an amazing time for the medium and presenting them in throughly modern way. Crazy adventure comics, funny animals comics, comics that show you how to be cool to your friends, even comics about cooking and culinary skills… we got ‘em!

These comics are exclusive to GOOF! so if you want to check them out, this is the only place to do it.

This project brings a new role for me as an editor and general man in charge, as I have being bringing the comic together since early January. Scouring instagram feeds for hot new talent and dipping into my address book to reach out to the old-pros who I know can deliver. I’ll be heavily promoting GOOF! from here on in (as will all the creators to make it the success I truly believe it should be) and we’ll be promoting and introducing what is inside at larger events such as the Lakes International comic-art festival in October, who have offered me great support so far. Keen to not get left out of the comics action too, I’ll also debut a new strip called ‘Donald Dogsbody does the dishes’ and I can’t wait to see him as part of this amazing line-up.

Visitors to MACC-POW! can sign-up and start reading issue zero on the day right there and then. Half of our creators will be in attendance in person including Lorenzo Montatore and Genie Espinosa from Spain, giving the event a truly international flavour. I hope that children will then engage with those creators and talk to them about the new characters they enjoyed and maybe event get a signed drawing of their favourites. Making it a truly interactive first for a comic launch of this kind.

Wherever you are in the world, GOOF! will be waiting for you at www.goofcomic.co.uk so don’t miss out on, comics for everyone!

Sign-up now to be the first to read the comic on June 2rd at www.goofcomic.co.uk

Images
GOOF! and all related imagery and content © Marc Jackson 2018
Derek the Troll © Lew Stringer 2018
Spells in the Forest © Tor Freeman 2018
Stick Pig © Jim Boswell 2018
Olivia and Puff @ Genie Espinosa 2018

If you want to learn more about Derek the Troll see here:
http://lewstringercomics.blogspot.co.uk/2016/09/derek-troll-launches-this-saturday.html

You can read regular updates about my work by following my personal blog here:
http://lewstringercomics.blogspot.co.uk

Derek the Troll - back in stock!

Just arrived from the printers this morning: my comic Derek the Troll is back in stock! The first printing sold out recently so I've had a second printing done. 

It reprints some of my earliest professional work from the mid-1980s. All the Derek the Troll strips from Warlock and White Dwarf plus the complete Rock Solid, Space Hero serial from Swiftsure Nos.1 to 5. 

I'll be bringing some along to all the conventions I attend this year but you can also buy it directly from me at my website:
http://lewstringer.com/page7.htm

Order now for Christmas

Once again, my apologies for the lack of posts about classic comics this past week. This is a busy period with new strips for Epic! plus pages to do for The Dandy Annual 2018 along with my regular strips for Beano, Toxic, and Doctor Who Magazine. Hopefully, I'll have time to research and show some old British comics next week. 

By the way, I'll be posting out another lot of orders soon so if you wanted to order my comics before Christmas, now would be a good time. Brickman Returns! and Derek the Troll/Rock Solid are still in print, (both of them are 32 page comics) and the Print Pack is also available. To find out more info, and ordering details (UK only) see my online shop here:
http://www.lewstringer.com/page7.htm

Please don't support unofficial online versions or pirated copies. If you want to read my creator-owned comics, buy them from me. Thanks. 

Meet LUCAS MUCUS!

He's the vilest villain in the galaxy and he wants to conquer the Earth! Can Rock Solid, Space Hero stop him? The only way to find out is to buy my comic, Derek the Troll, available directly from me at:
http://www.lewstringer.com/page7.htm

Derek the Troll re-presents some very early comic strips of mine from the mid-1980s. There's the title character Derek the Troll, who appeared in Warlock and White Dwarf magazines published my Games Workshop, and the aforementioned Rock Solid, Space Hero, who originally appeared in Swiftsure comic. And there's a couple of bonus Combat Colin strips as back up from the pages of The Transformers.

Ideal for older children to adults, Derek the Troll is a 32 page comic on quality paper with fantastic sharp printing for just £3.50 plus £2 postage. Treat someone (or yourself) for Christmas! And you'll be showing your support of UK comics too!

Troll in town!

Copies of my Derek the Troll comic are now on sale at Nostalgia and Comics, 14 - 16 Smallbrook Queensway, Birmingham B5 4EN. My thanks to Dave and the gang for stocking them. 

Derek the Troll/Rock Solid No.1 is a 32 page comic that collects all the Derek the Troll and Rock Solid, Space Hero strips that I did back in the mid-1980s! Some of my earliest published work. It retails for £3.50.

If you can't make it to Birmingham but want a copy, you can order it directly from me at my online shop:
http://www.lewstringer.com/page7.htm

ICE 2016: Jolly good show!

Badge art by Staz Johnson

Having returned from ICE 2016 yesterday and had a good rest to catch up on lost sleep, I thought I'd commit a brief review to this blog. I've always rated the International Comic Expo (ICE) highly and this year was equal, even better, than previous years. It was a tremendous show and I thoroughly enjoyed it. 

The venue, 'The Studio', in Birmingham's Cannon Street, is ideally suited just a couple of minutes walk from New Street Station. It's deceptively bigger on the inside, and perhaps aware of this, one of the lift frontages is decked out like a TARDIS. The Studio is an ideal place to host a comics convention, with large rooms on three levels for exhibitors and various rooms along its corridors for talks and presentations. 

As I was launching my new Derek the Troll one-off comic at the event I'd taken along a stack of them, hoping that at least 50% would sell. By 5pm I'd sold out! Brickman Begins also sold out, and I only had a couple of copies of Brickman Returns remaining by the time the event closed. 

I was also busy sketching all day, and even have some to finish at home as I ran out of time, so my thanks to every one of you who stopped by my table! This was my last event of 2016 so you all made it very special and one to remember. 

Sketch in progress.

My apologies for not having time to get around to see friends on other tables. Sadly, I missed Jessica Martin, who was only there for the day, and the Etherington Brothers, and only had time to wave to Jenika Ioffreda. Next time! 

It was great to catch up with many other comic pals though, and to meet new people. I became a bit of a fanboy on meeting the legendary Steve Parkhouse, whose work I've enjoyed for many years. (As a little lad I used to have the Marvel pin-ups on my wall that he drew for Fantastic.) 

Steve Parkhouse and Peter Hogan.

Here's a few more snaps taken on the day...

Ian Churchill

Joe and Michelle Matthews.

Bambos Georgiou and David Leach.

Ian Edgington and Dave Taylor

On Saturday afternoon it was my pleasure to be a guest on a panel alongside Robbie Morrison, Rachael Stott, (Titan's Doctor Who 12th Doctor comic) and Sarah Milman (indie comic Heart of Time) hosted by the Geek Syndicate (http://geeksyndicate.co.uk/). Lots of laughs and well attended. 

Rachael Stott, Robbie Morrison, Sarah Millman, and some old bloke.

There was an artwork auction on the day, with items from many of the guests up for bids with the money raised going to charity. I submitted my original art for the Derek the Troll postcard which I'm pleased to say went for higher than I expected.

The next day saw the same venue host another event, Comics Uncovered, which comprised many seminars and workshops for people wanting to either break into comics or brush up on their skills. It also enabled attendees to relax and mix with the guests in an informal atmosphere (the bar) which was a good way to wind down the weekend.

Thanks to Shane Chebsey and his team for making ICE2016 / Comics Uncovered such an enjoyable event. Last but not least, to name-check a few friends old and new who were there, it was a pleasure to catch up with Deborah Tate, Robbie Morrison, Nigel Parkinson, Nika Nartova, Phil and Pippa Winslade, Simon Furman, Rachael Stott, Geoff Senior, Dylan Teague, David Leach, Paul Trimble, Bambos Georgiou, Ryan Brown, Karen Rubins, John Short, Ian Churchill, Gary Erskine, Pete Doherty, Staz Johnson, Patrick Chaduc, Jeff Chahal, Jimmy Broxton, Peter Hogan, Jatinder Ghatora, Joe Matthews, Mel Horton, Duncan Fegredo, Sean Phillips, and many more. 

ICE 2016 proved that the UK comics community is alive and well and as bright and barmy as ever. It was a great representation of the British comics industry (not forgetting the U.S. guests too of course) and showed that it's still in good hands. Anyone who still harbours doubts about the quality of modern comics only needs to look at the incredibly high standard of scripts and art that are around today to prove otherwise. Long live UK comic conventions, and long live ICE!

The photograph of the panel discussion is by Leonard Sultana who runs an interesting blog called An Englishman in San Diego, which features interviews, vlogs and reviews of various comics events. 
http://www.anenglishmaninsandiego.com

If you missed the event, you can still order copies of Derek the Troll and other comics from my online shop and I'll post them to you:
http://www.lewstringer.com/page7.htm