A surprise addition to The Treasury of British Comics, Cosmic Comics is a 68 page softback produced under licence by indie publisher Hibernia Comics. Perfect for those wanting to see more humour strips from the archives, Cosmic Comics is a compendium of some of Kevin O'Neill's earliest mainstream comics work from comics such as Tornado and 2000AD.
Here you'll find Kevin's Captain Klep, Dash Decent, a few Future Shocks, some of the excellent covers he illustrated, and much more! Writers include Dave Angus, Kelvin Gosnell, and me! (Yes, The Truth About Santa that Kevin and I collaborated on is reprinted from The Oink! Book.)
The book is a fine tribute to Kevin O'Neill's early work with strips that have rarely been seen since their first printing. Brilliant stuff showing that Kevin is in Ken Reid's league for detailed, manic humour artwork. A must buy!
Cosmic Comics is ONLY available by mail order and you can get it directly from Hibernia Comics here:
https://www.comicsy.co.uk/hibernia/
I'm behind with my reviews but I didn't want to wait until after Christmas when some of you might be spent out so I've condensed several plugs for various comics into one posting. I hope that helps to draw your attention to these worthy titles and to encourage you to support them.
First up are two comics from independent UK publisher Zebra. Midwinter No.1 is based on the classic video game created by the late Mike Singleton about a future coping with the aftermath of an asteroid striking the Earth. The story by Dan Whitehead and art by 2000AD's P.J. Holden is a cracking opening issue and I'm eagerly looking forward to future issues. It has a great cover by Steve Pugh too, so this is an essential buy!
http://www.comicsy.co.uk/midwinter/store/products/midwinter-1/
The other title from Zebra Comics is Hex Loader, with a script by Dan Whitehead and art by Conor Boyle. An intriguing mystery with fantasy elements and an unpredictable cliffhanger. Again, one to definitely follow!
http://www.comicsy.co.uk/hexloader/
An indie publisher who has been around for a while now is Kult Creations, and their latest new comic is Reverend Cross, "first ever female vicar action hero" assigned by the church to take down supernatural threats! Issue 1 is a reprint of an earlier solo edition but this time it has a colour cover. With story by professional comics creator John Short and art by Jason Dennis it's a fast paced blast of fun and fear.
Reverend Cross No.2 tweaks the creative team by having Gabrielle Noble as the artist but her version of Cross is as cool as ever.
Issue No.3 of Reverend Cross has just been published and there's a creative shake up again as this time the comic contains four short stories instead of one full-length story, and each one has a different artist. It's good to see each creator's version of the character, and with John A. Short writing all the strips they still maintain the right character and tone.
The Reverend Cross comics are fast, fun and self-contained, and can be ordered from the Kult Creations website where you'll find more info:
http://kultcreations.blogspot.co.uk
Not exactly a comic (although it does contain some strips) is It's Ghastly, an excellent 72 page publication from Hibernia Comics recounting the history of the short-lived but well-remembered Scream! weekly. It's the definitive story of the comic, containing interviews, features, unused art, and 16 pages of The Nightcomers, a series that was never published due to Scream's sudden cancelation. A must-buy for anyone interested in comics history!
http://www.comicsy.co.uk/hibernia/store/products/its-ghastly-the-untimely-demise-of-scream/
It wouldn't be Christmas without a ghost story, and a new book by Self Made Hero has several. Ghost Stories of an Antiquary is a collection of short stories by M.R. James (1862 to 1936) adapted into comics form by Leah Moore and John Reppion. Artists are Aneke, Kit Buss, Fouad Mezher, and Alisdair Wood. It's a fantastic book at a reasonable price and belongs on the bookshelves of every comics reader.
http://www.selfmadehero.com/news/2016/10/leah-moore-and-john-reppion-ghost-stories-of-an-antiquary-vol-1/
I couldn't let this set of reviews pass in December without another shout out to Joe Matthews and Dave McCluskey for their superb comics adaptation of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. A slick 80 page production in full colour, and a perfect stocking filler for children of all ages. Only £10.00 too!
ISBN 978-0-9934490-2-4
...and last but not least, while I'm here, I'd like to give another plug to Jessica Martin's graphic novel Elsie Harris Picture Palace, the fictional story of Elsie Harris who starts out as a waitress before circumstances and her talent lead her to greater things. It's the sort of story that would make a perfect movie to be shown on TV over the festive period so it's an ideal read for this time of year. Order your copy directly from Jessica at her website:
http://www.artymisspublishing.com/new-products/
I hope there's at least one title there that will take your fancy to treat yourselves or someone for Christmas. I'll be plugging more new comics next year.
It's Ghastly! No, that's not some out of touch middle-aged herbert's view of modern comics, but the title of a brand new publication covering the history of the short-lived Scream! comic. Out now from Hibernia Comics, the 64 page magazine is packed with features and interviews, all well illustrated with permission from Scream's copyright holders Rebellion.
Here's the contents page to whet your appetite...
Scream! was published back in 1984 by IPC but only lasted a short time before falling victim to industrial action that affected its printers. (Along with some other IPC titles, Scream! was off the shelves for a few weeks but never returned when the others did. It was later merged into Eagle.) As well as the articles, there's also exclusive gems such as the covers that were never published...
...and the strip The Nightcomers that never made it to print...
I'll be reviewing It's Ghastly when I've more time next week, but in the meantime here's the link for you to buy a copy of this excellent publication:
http://www.comicsy.co.uk/hibernia/
Over the last few years Hibernia Comics have produced some excellent collections of classic British strips and now comes another fantastic publication. Eagle Adventure Special is a 64 page comic featuring selected self-contained serials from the 'new' Eagle of the 1980s/90s.
With permission from the Dan Dare Corporation, Hibernia have gathered some of the best material for this special. Stories include Dan Dare, Doomlord, Dolebusters, Codename: Bronski, and more, featuring the talents of top class creators such as John Wagner, Carlos Ezquerra, John Burns, Jim Baikie, Carlos Cruz, and others.
For anyone who misses the classic IPC holiday specials of old, this will be a treat. For newer readers unfamiliar with the material, this will be a revelation of a period of British adventure comics for boys that has sadly now passed. For anyone genuinely interested in quality comics artwork, this will be a must-buy. So basically, if you like comics, this is for you!
Once again, Hibernia Comics have outdone themselves in keeping such classic material alive. Most of this material is new to me, as I didn't follow Eagle too regularly. It's impressive stuff, as good as any period in UK comics history.
An excellent publication for all ages, the Eagle Adventure Special isn't available in newsagents but you can order a copy directly from Hibernia Comics at this site:
http://www.comicsy.co.uk/hibernia/
I've had this book a few weeks now but I'm eventually catching up with doing my reviews so please excuse its lateness.
Hibernia Comics have been producing some excellent reprint albums of classic 1980s British strips and their latest release, The House of Daemon, is one of the best. With scripts by John Wagner and Alan Grant, and art by José Ortiz, you know you're in for a treat. The serial originally appeared in Eagle Nos.25 to 47 in 1982 to 1983 and this book collects the run.
The story is an atmospheric supernatural tale of a haunted house, but it goes beyond the usual 'ghost story' tradition to plunge its occupants into nightmarish otherworldly situations. There are quite a few twists along the way and although the horror has to be reigned in to a certain extent (because it appeared in a children's comic) it's still quite creepy and a good 'all ages' horror comic.
The art by José Ortiz is perfect for the horror theme, creating the right tone and menace throughout, plus of course his mastery of the human figure is superb. Sometimes collections like this feel a bit 'choppy', because the episodes were never designed to be read in one book, but with writers as skilled as Wagner and Grant the serial flows perfectly. It would actually make a very good movie, but as a comic it also stands on its own as a fantastic story.
The reproduction of the strips is top class too. Although the pages are scanned from the comics, not the original art, they've reproduced perfectly, with sharp blacks and subtle grey tones.
The House of Daemon is available from Hibernia Books here:
http://www.comicsy.co.uk/hibernia/
Ireland based publisher Hibernia Comics have produced another winner in the form of an 86 page collection of a classic strip from Scream! weekly. The Dracula File contains the complete run of the fondly remembered story from the 1980s written by Gerry Finley Day and Simon Furman and illustrated by Eric Bradbury and Geoff Senior.
Scream! was a horror comic for boys published by IPC but sadly cut short after 15 issues by a strike. Even though it was only around for a fleeting time the comic has its fans who remember it well. The Dracula File, featuring Dracula in present day England, was one of the best strips in the comic, notably for the atmospheric artwork by the late great Eric Bradbury. Egmont now own the rights to the strip but have allowed Hibernia to publish the comic by special arrangement.
The Dracula File collects all of the episodes plus material from the Scream Holiday Special and bonus features. It's available to buy now directly from the publisher. Check out their other books too. I highly recommend all of them:
http://www.comicsy.co.uk/hibernia
Ireland-based publishers Hibernia Comics, who have previously published collections of strips such as The Tower King and The Thirteenth Floor (see here) have recently released two more books, - and they're the best yet.
First up is The Best of Library of Death, which reprints the short self-contained horror shockers from 1980s weekly Scream! As the comic's editor Ian Rimmer explains in his introduction, the beauty of these stories is that he was able to commission a variety of writers and artists. And what talent! In this collection there are strips by Ron Smith, Mike Western, Cam Kennedy, Steve Parkhouse, José Casanovas and more. There's a couple of early Dave Gibbons strips too, which although used in the 1986 Scream! Holiday Special had originally been commissioned in 1973 for an aborted IPC horror comic.
I'd forgotten what a high standard of work had appeared in Scream! Although it wasn't a 'blood and gore' horror comic it certainly had some creepy moments of terror in its strips such as The Punch and Judy Horror Show illustrated by Brendan McCarthy.
Fans of Steve Dillon should be interested in this too, with the five page Beware the Werewolf strip illustrated by the artist from a script by Simon Furman.
The other book published by Hibernia this week is Baker's Half-Dozen, collecting the complete war serial from Speed comic (1980).
Although 2000AD was already running credits at the time, Speed had more of a 'traditional' (ie: old fashioned) attitude about it and the creators of the strip were uncredited. There's no certainty who wrote Baker's Half-Dozen (possibly Angus Allen) but there's no mistaking the dynamic artwork by the excellent Mike Western.
The plot is typical boys' comic fare; fast moving, uncomplicated and full of potential for action at any given moment. "North Africa, 1942. Six allied soldiers led by the violent and mysterious Sergeant Baker - had formed themselves into a fast-moving desert raiding force."
It's the powerful, tough artwork of Mike Western that makes the strip memorable. Western was one of Fleetway/IPC's top artists, - and one of the best comic artists the UK has seen. If you're already a fan of his work you'll know this book is essential for your collection. If you're not so familiar with him (he died in 2008) this is the chance to own some of his best material.
Both The Best of Library of Death and Baker's Half-Dozen have excellent sharp printing and are squarebound softback books. Publisher David McDonald is doing a wonderful job bringing these classics back with the permission of Egmont UK. As I've said before, I think that independently licensed books like these are the only way we'll see certain British strips back in print. Let's hope Hibernia Comics continue to delight us with such productions.
You can order copies of the books from the Hibernia Comics website here:
http://www.comicsy.co.uk/hibernia/
It seems the only way some British comics classics are ever going to see the light of day again is if fans obtain permission to publish their own limited edition reprints. Such is the case with Hibernia Comics, who gained permission from the Dan Dare Corporation to publish a collection of The Tower King, a 32 year old strip from the pages of Eagle.
The Tower King was written by Alan Hebden and illustrated by José Ortiz, and for many of us was the highlight of the revived Eagle in 1982. This 80 page collection brings together all 24 chapters with superb reproduction on crisp white paper. The concept is brilliant boys adventure material; in the 1980s an accident with a solar power satellite triggers off the deletion of all electric power on Earth, bringing chaos and anarchy. Small groups of survivors battle for their lives in a sort of Medieval state with the remnants of what remain. One group is led by our hero, Mick Tempest, nicknamed 'The Tower King' because his people are located in the tower of London.
With the 'decompressed' methods of modern adventure comics it comes as a refreshing change to read such a tightly packed, fast-paced story. Admittedly, there's not much room for any characterization, but the action and inventiveness more than makes up for that. The structure of these old three-page episodes was to resolve the previous week's cliffhanger, pile on the action, intrigue, and excitement, and leave a new cliffhanger for the following week. Alan Hebden ably proves how absolutely brilliant he is at it. (Some modern-day stories in 2000AD seem so slow and gentle in comparison.) It's a storytelling technique that deserves far more respect from some quarters of fandom than it receives, but thankfully there are a lot of fans who do appreciate this classic method of episodic storytelling.
As for the artwork, José Ortiz was the perfect choice for this kind of tense, exciting action strip, making busy, detailed scenes look effortless. He depicts the world of The Tower King as a grimy, damaged and dangerous place, making even the sillier aspects of the plot appear convincing.
As was typical of many adventure serials of the time, the ending of The Tower King seems all too convenient and somewhat rushed. I'd guess this was due to Alan Hebden perhaps being told to wrap everything up at short notice. However, this in no way detracts from the overall story, and at least we get a proper ending, unlike some UK adventure strips which tended to leave things unresolved.
If you remember this strip from the 1980s you'll no doubt be eager to revisit it, and if it's new to you it's an ideal way to read one of the best British adventure strips of its time. Editor David McDonald and designer Richard Pearce have done a great job on this collection. Limited to just 200 copies, The Tower King is available to buy now directly from the publisher:
http://www.comicsy.co.uk/hibernia/store/products/the-tower-king/
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