NOTE: Blimey! is no longer being updated. Please visit http://lewstringercomics.blogspot.com for the latest updates about my comics work.

Wednesday, January 01, 2014

First comics of 2014

Years ago, shops used to be closed on New Year's Day but times change. Amongst the newspapers delivered to newsagents today were the first of this year's comics; 2000AD and Toxic

2000AD Prog 1862 continues the new stories that began in the Christmas triple-issue Prog 2014 a few weeks ago, so we have the second chapters of Strontium Dog, ABC Warriors and Ulysses Sweet, plus a complete Future Shock and the beginning of a new Judge Dredd epic, Titan. 


Britain's sole surviving adventure comic weekly enters its 37th year with a strong line-up. 36 thrill-packed pages and still only £2.35.

For younger readers, Toxic magazine No.231 comes bagged with several gifts including a Toxic Catapult Pen, a sturdy metal and plastic freebie ideal for kids to flick whatever they choose across a room. Use such power responsibly. 

Inside, there's a bunch of breezy features on movies, games and suchlike, an Angry Birds board game, and a few strips including Team Toxic, written and drawn by myself. As you may recall, Team Toxic went to reprint about ten months ago, but this issue marks the return of brand-new episodes. In this first new adventure, the Team encounter Guffzilla, a fart creature from Kid Zombie's nether regions. 

Toxic is £2.99 and is published every three weeks.

A new publication that launched at the end of 2013 was the Marvel's Mightiest Heroes Graphic Novel Collection. These hardback books are being packaged by Panini UK for Hachette, with Ed Hammond as editor and Alan Cowsill writing background material about the comics and characters. The books will reprint classic 1960s material alongside more contemporary stories. The first edition reprints Avengers No.1 from 1963 by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, and Avengers vol.3 No.0, and 19 to 22 by Kurt Busiek and George PĂ©rez. Launch price is a very cheap £1.99. The second volume (featuring Spider-Man) will be £6.99, then the partwork settles on its full price of £9.99 per book.

If you're quick you'll still be able to catch the annual Comicraft New Year's Day Font Sale. Every Jan.1st, for one day only, Comicraft price their excellent fonts at just $20.14 each. These are the top quality lettering fonts in the business, perfect if you're producing your own comics, or if you're a designer in any capacity. Some of those fonts adorn this very blog, used for the Blimey! title banner and elsewhere. Don't settle for less. Buy the best!
http://www.comicbookfonts.com/      

Finally, my wishes to you all for a healthy and prosperous New Year. 2013 was a very bad year for me, with the passing of my mum, the last of my family, (details here if you're interested) but I'm hoping 2014 brings better fortunes - for all of us. 

12 comments:

Colin Brown said...

A good new year to you too Lew. I'd missed the blog about your Mum at the time so thanks for the link. Your blog is one of the most enjoyable on this big wide web. I have to limit myself or I could lose hours clicking on the various links and finding new delights in old memories. May the best of the past be the worst of the future.
Colin

Lew Stringer said...

Thanks Colin. Much appreciated. It's understandable that you missed the post about my mum as it's on my other blog (the one where I only post about my own work).

Wishing you a Happy New Year and hope you find time to explore this blog further.

Crossbones X said...

There are BLAMBOT fonts too Lew you can buy and some comics use those.

Lew Stringer said...

True, but I still think Comicraft have the better style to their fonts, and they were the first to introduce comic book computer fonts.

Anonymous said...

Did you use their fonts to letter that Toxic Team page?

Lew Stringer said...

The lettering for Toxic is done by the designers at Egmont. I don't know if that's a Comicraft font or not.

Manic Man said...

Oh, I don't know if you would call that marvel hardcover collection new.. it's reissuing of the one from 2012-2013.. bit quick for a re-issue really.. I didn't think the first run had even finished yet but since I have the stories of main interest and the 'special bonus stuff' was very lack luster, I didn't bother with it much.. last time the Dark Phoenix saga was the first one.. this time avengers.. I wonder what the next reissue will start with?

Lew Stringer said...

Are you sure? I think the previous collection used different stories and never mixed 60s and modern in the same book. (in fact, I don't think they reprinted any 1960s strips.)

Lew Stringer said...

Just checked; the previous series reprinted different stories, MM. It's not a reissue.

Manic Man said...

Interesting.. same spin art (or at lest very much the same) and same name and all.. interesting tweaking... still not interested but might have been a better idea for them to highlight that issue as I know a number of people that would have brought it (and might start now) if they knew it wasn't just reissue.. I'll past it on ^_^

Lew Stringer said...

Not quite the same name but close, and still using a fairly dull font for the title.

Surely though, people who bought the previous books will know it's not a reissue as they won't already have that Perez Avengers story?

However, when it comes down to it, these books are aimed at people new to Marvel, who have discovered the characters through the movies. Hardcore fans will already have the stories in graphic novels or individual issues.

Manic Man said...

mostly good points though some of the people I know that want to buy, can't remember the names of writers and artists anyway ^_^

though sad to say.. what I've seen of the movies goes with the one theory I have and seams very true.. everytime they make a film or anything that is close or 100% to the comics, it is a fail. People that watch movies aren't interested in the comics and the ones that read the comics aren't interested in the movies.. while there is a small overlay for people that for some reason enjoy films and comics but don't care that while they are meant to be the same character, they aren't.. that being said.. I've pretty much given up with all mainstream comics with long running characters as.. well.. character change over the years, they don't do as some big changes as they have to get the 'new generation'..

I only have about three regular comic orders these days, and one is a digital comic, and the other two can be a bit.. erratic releases (one is a series of mini-series these days, and the other has had a major set back due to the creator's wife being very unwell).. the only ones of the 'big' companies I buy these days are filling in old gaps (best buy of last year, Complete Bone by Jeff Smith)

but I do see your point ^_^

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