Preview: 2000AD Prog 2151

Courtesy of Rebellion, here's a preview of a few pages from 2000AD Prog 2151, in the shops on Wednesday 2nd October with a great wraparound cover by Stewart Kenneth Moore...

• UK and DIGITAL: 2nd October 2019 £2.99
• NORTH AMERICA: 2nd November 2019 $30 (per pack)
• DIAMOND: AUG192162
• COVER: STEWART KENNETH MOORE

In this issue:

JUDGE DREDD: GUATEMALA by John Wagner (w) Colin MacNeil (a) Chris Blythe (c) Annie Parkhouse (l)

DEFOE: THE DIVISOR by Pat Mills (w) Stewart Kenneth Moore (a) Ellie De Ville (l)

BRINK: HATE BOX by Dan Abnett (w) INJ Culbard (a) Simon Bowland (l)

HOPE: UNDER FIRE by Guy Adams (w) Jimmy Broxton (a) Ellie De Ville (l)

THE FALL OF DEADWORLD: DOOMED by Kek-W (w) Dave Kendall (a) Annie Parkhouse (l)

Available in print from: newsagents and comic book stores via Diamond Available in digital from: 2000 AD webshop and apps for iPad, Android, Windows 10

See you at NOR-CON this weekend!

This weekend (Saturday 28th and Sunday 29th September) Nor-Con, The Norfolk TV, Film and Comic Con takes place at the Norfolk Showground Arena in Norwich. I'll be there as one of the guests, along with Mike Collins, Grant Perkins, Nigel Parkinson, Peter Davison, Nicoloa Bryant, Sophie Aldred and more! 

This will be my first visit to Norwich, and my final convention for the time being, so I'm looking forward to seeing some familiar faces as well as new ones too! Come along and join us. I'll be bringing along my comics (Combat Colin, Derek the Troll, and Pedantic Stan) and doing commissioned sketches over both days. 

For more info on the event, visit their website at this link:
https://www.nor-con.co.uk

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This blog is on hiatus until the weekend now. As I've mentioned before, Blimey! will end later this year so expect less updates from now on. My other blog at http://lewstringercomics.blogspot.com will continue though, so please follow that. 

Cover Preview: BEANO No.4004

Here's a peek at Nigel Parkinson's cover for The Beano No.4004. The issue has a theme of "slime" to several of the stories and it'll be in the shops on Wednesday 25th September, priced £2.75. 

While I'm at it, I may as well show you a glimpse of my (non-slime) Pup Parade strip for that issue. This week the spotlight is on Tubby! 

Preview: 2000AD Prog 2150

Britain's longest running adventure weekly, 2000AD notches up 2,150 issues this week so what better time for a bumper sized 52 page issue and a bunch of new stories? Admittedly most of the stories are continued from the previous runs of those series but it's a good a place as any to jump on board if you haven't read the comic before. Here are a few preview pages I've selected as a teaser. On sale this Wednesday!

• UK and DIGITAL: 25th September 2019 £4.99
• NORTH AMERICA: 25th October 2019 $25.19 (per pack)
• DIAMOND: JUN191887
• COVER: JOSEPH MICHAEL LINSNER

In this issue:
JUDGE DREDD: GUATEMALA by John Wagner (w) Colin MacNeil (a) Chris Blythe (c) Annie Parkhouse (l)

HOPE: UNDER FIRE by Guy Adams (w) Jimmy Broxton (a) Ellie De Ville (l)

BRINK: HATE BOX by Dan Abnett (w) INJ Culbard (a) Simon Bowland (l)

FUTURE SHOCKS: RESTRUCTURING by Karl Stock (w) Will Simpson (a) Annie Parkhouse (l)

ANDERSON, PSI DIVISION: JUDGE DEATH: THE MOVIE by Alan Grant (w) Jake Lynch (a) Jim Boswell (c) Simon Bowland (l)

DEFOE: THE DIVISOR by Pat Mills (w) SK Moore (a) Ellie De Ville (l)

SINISTER DEXTER: WAITING IN CHAIRS by Dan Abnett (w) Steve Yeowell (a) John Charles (c) Ellie De Ville (l)

THE FALL OF DEADWORLD: DOOMED by Kek-W (w) Dave Kendall (a) Annie Parkhouse (l)

Available in print from: newsagents and comic book stores via Diamond Available in digital from: 2000 AD webshop and apps for iPad, Android, Windows 10

Preview: MISTY Presents THE JORDI BADIA ROMERO COLLECTION

Coming next month is a new Misty collection from Rebellion, but unlike the previous three, this one will focus on one artist. The other big difference is that it'll be hardback and in a larger format. Misty presents The Jordi Badia Romero Collection is a fine selection of 1970s supernatural treasures by a superb artist and is not to be missed! Mostly in black and white, with colour reproduction of any pages that were originally in colour. There's an introduction by David Roach and at the back a cover gallery of Romero's Misty covers. 

• CREATIVE TEAM: Various (w) Jordie Badia Romero (a)
• RELEASE DATE: 17th October 2019
• HARDCOVER, 78 pages
• PRICE: £19.99 (UK) $24.99
• DIAMOND: AUG192166
• ISBN: 9781781086896

Deluxe over-sized art-book celebrating the art of a lost master of horror illustration! Celebrating the incredible art of Jordi Bad a Romero from supernatural girls comic Misty, this sumptuous hardcover art book collects stories from the 1970s that showcase this remarkable, and criminally-overlooked, artist who died in 1984. This is a must for collectors of artist-focused biographies and visual history guides.

Available in print from: book stores, Amazon, and UK comic book stores via Diamond

Available in digital from: Treasury of British Comics webshop & apps for iPad, Android and Windows 10

Preview: BEANO No.4003

Here's the cover to this week's Beano, which uses one of Laura Howell's great images from the Minnie the Minx story inside. This extra-length four pager written by Nigel Auchterlounie and drawn by Laura is entitled The Dark Minx Returns, and should not be missed!

Also in this issue, a three-page Roger the Dodger story by Danny Pearson and Barrie Appleby plus regular length strips for all the other favourites such as The Bash Street Kids, Bananaman, and of course Dennis and Gnasher! 

There's also a new Pup Parade mini-strip from me, and this week I'm spotlighting Sniffy! 

All in Beano No.4003, with 36 full colour pages for £2.75. On sale from Wednesday 18th September! 

WARLORD returns again this week

There's another story featuring Lord Peter Flint, Warlord in one of the Commando comics that goes on sale this week. Here's the PR direct from D.C. Thomson. Great to see these classic characters revived... and there'll be more to come from Dundee! Stay tuned.

5263: Home of Heroes: Codename Warlord: Ship of Fools

Get ready for the second return of Codename Warlord in Commando. This time the intrepid Lord Peter Flint is going deep undercover – disguising himself with a beard and a German accent! Pretending to be a prominent German shipbuilder, Britain’s top agent comes face to face with the biggest battleship he’s ever seen – the ‘Fuhrer’ Class megaship. Can Flint stop fanatical fools turning the tide of the war? You’ll have to read issue 5263 to find out!

| Story | Iain McLaughlin | Art | Manual Benet | Cover | Manuel Benet |


5264: Gold Collection: Hurri to the Rescue 

One Kennedy is great – but two is even better! The illustrious duo of Cam Kennedy and Ian Kennedy grace issue 5264 Hurri to the Rescue. McOwan’s script about an RAF hating solider named Jake Conroy who, once stranded on a Pacific Island, is forced to partner with two pilots, is masterfully brought to life by Cam Kennedy in one of his later issues of Commando. All this topped off with a stunning Ian Kennedy cover, doing what Kennedy does best — dazzling us with aircraft!

| Story | McOwan | Art | AC Kennedy | Cover | Ian Kennedy |
Originally Commando No. 750 (1973).

5265: Action and Adventure: Monsters in the Fog

There’s something weird going on in the Tunisian desert! A whole platoon is missing and the sole shell-shocked survivor is talking about monster attacks. Then a whole town appears overnight, the lake drains and a mysterious thick fog clouds the area. The shapes moving through the smog are not what they seem – but they’ll kill you none the less!

| Story | Dominic Teague | Art | Vicente Alcazar | Cover | Neil Roberts |


5266: Silver Collection: The Outriders

Trouble on wheels in The Outriders! Featuring motorbikes, the Transport Corps, and the Sicilian Mafia! When the no-good Nick Bertini disappeared after a mob hit, Danny Mitchell and Mo Brookes assumed the conman had gone on ‘holiday’ to see relatives in Sicily, little did the pair expect to see him in Italy, in a cushy job in the US army! Bertini’s re-emergence could only spell one this for the two – TROUBLE! But they only joined the army to ride motorbikes! 

| Story | Ian Clark | Art | Ibanez | Cover | Dalger |
Originally Commando No. 2885 (1995).

Next event... NOR-CON!

The next convention you'll find me at will be Nor-Con, at the Norfolk Showground Arena. A two-day event over 28th and 29th September. Other guests include Mike Collins, Nigel Parkinson, and Martin Griffiths, with TV guests including Nicola Bryant, Sophie Aldred, and Peter Davison. 
https://www.nor-con.co.uk

This will be the first time I've been a guest at this show so I'm looking forward to it!

This will also be my final convention of the year... unless any convention organiser reading this wants to invite me to their event? Let me know if so. 

Preview: DOCTOR WHO MAGAZINE No.543

A new issue of Doctor Who Magazine hits the shelves this Thursday! 84 packed pages of news, interviews, reviews and features, plus all new comic strip featuring the 13th Doctor and another Daft Dimension strip from me. 

This issue looks back at the years when John Nathan-Turner was the producer so I thought I'd revisit the 4th Doctor's regeneration and put my own Daft Dimension twist on it. See it in full when Doctor Who Magazine No.543 goes on sale on Thursday 19th September! Available from WH Smiths, supermarkets, comic shops, and all good newsagents! 

Omagh Comic Fest report

I'm back from the Omagh Comic Fest and a good time was had by all. You can read my brief report on the show and see a few photos over on my other blog here:
http://lewstringercomics.blogspot.com/2019/09/back-from-omagh.html

Advance Preview: 2000AD Prog 2149

In shops next Wednesday...

• UK and DIGITAL: 18th September 2019 £2.85
• NORTH AMERICA: 18th October 2019 $32.80 (per pack)
• DIAMOND: JUN191887
• COVER: GLENN FABRY & KAREN HOLLOWAY

In this issue:
JUDGE DREDD:  THE FALL OF BARBARBARA GRIMM by Michael Carroll (w) Nick Dyer (a) Quinton Winter (c) Annie Parkhouse (l)

SINISTER DEXTER: NARROW MINDED by Dan Abnett (w) Steve Yeowell (a) John Charles (c) Annie Parkhouse (l)

FUTURE SHOCKS: CONGESTED ANIMA by Mark McCann (w) Glenn Fabry (a) Adam Brown (c) Ellie De Ville (l)

JAEGIR: VALKYRIE by Gordon Rennie (w) Simon Coleby (a) Gary Caldwell (c) Ellie De Ville (l)

Available in print from: newsagents and comic book stores via Diamond Available in digital from: 2000 AD webshop and apps for iPad, Android, Windows 10

Andy Capp gets political

For the first time in 62 years, Andy Capp has put down his pint to make a political stand.... and he's not in favour of Brexit! 

Controversial for some, although most of the comments I've seen are in his favour, as one might hope from readers of the Daily Mirror. After all, it's the average working person who'll be hardest hit by Brexit. 

The Mirror asked Andy to explain himself, and he has, with the help of his writers, summing up the whole Brexit situation concisely and in a very funny way. You can read all about it here...
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/andy-capp-breaks-62-year-20051795

Good on you, Andy! Voice of the people!

See Andy Capp in the Daily Mirror every day!

The OMAGH COMIC FEST beckons!

It's this Saturday! Looking forward to meeting friends old and new on my journey to Omagh in Northern Ireland! If you're in the area, come and join us. I'll be bringing along my comics (but no too many 'cos of flight weight restrictions) and doing sketches all day. See you there! 

About reviews

My apologies for those of you still waiting for me to review your comics. I was running late with them anyway but that virus I had the other week knocked me about more than I thought and I'm still getting my act together. Naturally I have to put paid work first, and this blog has to take a backseat to that and other priorities. 

As you've seen, I've continued posting brief plugs for comics and cut and pasting press releases for Rebellion's books, but actually doing a proper review, reading the comic and formulating a decent article, takes time I don't have at present. I'll do them whenever I can though. Thanks for your patience. 

Please don't ask me to review any more comics though as this blog will be closing in a few months. Blimey! was never intended to be a review site, but it wandered down that way and I'll be getting it back on track, as a blog about old comics and related items, before the end. 

ROY OF THE ROVERS 65th Anniversary Special - out now

Rebellion have taken the unusual step of releasing their latest special in two formats. You can buy the Roy of the Rovers 65th Anniversary Special either as a luxurious hardback book for £19.99, or as a "floppy" comic for £9.99. Both have the same 128 pages of content, with slight differences to the cover text. 

I reviewed the hardback edition a few weeks ago and you can read my thoughts on it here:
https://lewstringer.blogspot.com/2019/08/preview-roy-of-rovers-65th-anniversary.html

I bought the "floppy" version from WH Smiths today. It was displayed alongside the football mags which, presumably, is where it's intended to be rather than with the children's comics or in the 2000AD/older readers section. Not being a great football fan, I'm happy enough with the comic-format edition, but faithful fans of Roy of the Rovers might prefer the hardback edition as a proper collectors' item.

This is a very nice publication, recounting the history of the character and including features and/or interviews on the artists and writers, plus a few selected strips representing the changes over the decades. It mostly focuses on "classic" Roy of course, but it rightly brings us up to date by including the rebooted modern version too. 

Rebellion have really done us proud with the specials they've produced this year... and it's not over yet! Look out for The Thirteenth Floor special next month!

TECHNOFREAK No.2 is out now!

It's actually been out for a few months now but I'm still catching up with stuff so here at last is a quick plug for Technofreak No.2. A new professional independent British comic published by Sunday Lunch Comics. 

You may have seen the ad for it in 2000AD recently and if you enjoy that comic you should get a kick out of Technofreak. Sci-fi detective adventure with a good helping of humour, created by John Charles, Barry May, and Tom Newell (with expert lettering by Nikki Foxrobot). 

I was commissioned to do a humour strip for this issue so I combined the traditional UK comics look with a sci-fi slant to come up with The Catnip, the weekly comic you've never heard of ('cos it's from a from a thousand years in the future). It appears on the back page of this issue, featuring the Technofreak co-star Maurice the Cat. 

Technofreak is an enjoyable comic and I wish it well for the future. You'll find it in comic speciality shops or you can order it directly from the publisher at their website at this link:
https://www.sundaylunchcomics.com/shop-1

Workin' Klass Super Hero by Glenn Fabry

I believe this was Glenn Fabry's first comic, self-published 40 years ago. I bought it in 1979 and I've put it up for auction this week on eBay. As it was a self-published 'zine sold via mail order and a few comic shops, the print run would have been limited, so this is quite a rare item! Still in very nice condition, and it could be YOURS next week. 

See my eBay page for more photos of the comic. All bids appreciated!
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/WORKIN-CLASS-SUPER-HERO-No-1-GLENN-FABRY-EARLY-COMIC-1979/202774460915

Are you a fan of Ken Reid's work?

Admittedly the header is a daft question. I've never met anyone who's read a good sampling of Ken Reid's work who isn't a fan of his fantastic creativity and darkly funny style. Well, in case you didn't already know, the best place to go for afficiandos of Ken's work and career is the Kazoop! blog hosted by Irmantas Povilaika. 
http://kazoop.blogspot.com

There you'll find great articles on Ken's strips from throughout his life, and well researched historical anecdotes. 

It's not solely a blog about Ken Reid though. You'll find plenty of material on other vintage British strips and their creators as well! 

As you know, Blimey! blog will be ending later this year, so if you're looking for an alternative for a fix on classic UK comics, Kazoop! is the one to go to. Accept no imitations! 

(Irmantas is also the publisher of the definitive books on Ken Reid's Odhams strips. A marvellous two-volume hardback set you can purchase here:
https://www.kazoop-comics-shop.com )

Preview: DR.MESMER'S REVENGE

Rebellion continue to unearth treasures from comics of the past and re-publish them for both the new and nostalgic market. The next collection from the archives will be Dr.Mesmer's Revenge, a supernatural adventure series that ran in Lion and Thunder in 1971/72. (It was never in Thunder comic, as the cover unfortunately erroneously states.) 

Written by Dionne Avenell and drawn by Carlos Cruz (whose art graced many comics back then) Dr.Mesmer's Revenge was one of the serials that gave Lion a breath of fresh air and along with strips such as Black Max, Adam Eterno and The Spellbinder made the comic a must-buy in the early 1970s. 

This 128 page collection reprints the entire series from the weekly, plus a couple   of stories that presumably appeared in Lion annuals or holiday specials. It's good basic horror stuff in the Hammer film tradition (but tailored for kids obviously). Give it a try! It's available to pre-order now directly from Rebellion:
https://treasuryofbritishcomics.com/catalogue//RCA-B0052

• CREATIVE TEAM: Donne Avenell (w) Carlos Cruz (a)
• RELEASE DATE: 3rd October 2019
• PAPERBACK, 128 pages
• PRICE: £14.99 (UK)
• ISBN: 9781781086872

Hammer Horror meets Doomlord in this 1970s supernatural comics gem! After several artefacts are stolen from his home, the mysterious Egyptologist Dr. Mesmer resurrects a five-thousand-year-old mummy called Angor a Pharaoh possessed with great mystical power. Together they set out to retrieve the missing items, bringing terror and destruction in their wake!
Can anybody stop them? Both the army and constabulary will need to work together in order to stop Dr. Mesmer and his unearthly ally!

Available in print from: book stores, Amazon, and UK comic book stores via Diamond

Available in digital from: Treasury of British Comics webshop & apps for iPad, Android and Windows 10

HIGH VIS FESTIVAL, - this Saturday!

I always like to give plenty of plugs for the cons I'm invited to as it's the least I can do, so here's another reminder that tomorrow (Saturday 7th Sept) I'll be at the High Vis Street Culture Festival, in the Custard Factory, Digbeth, Birmingham. Street art, music, and comics! And admission is FREE! Come along and check it out.

Cover preview: Next week's 2000AD (Prog 2148)

It's always good to see work by Dylan Teague in 2000AD and for next week's issue he's illustrated the cover! On sale Wednesday 11th September.


• UK and DIGITAL: 11th September 2019 £2.85
• NORTH AMERICA: 11th October 2019 $32.80 (per pack)
• DIAMOND: JUN191887
• COVER: DYLAN TEAGUE

In this issue:
JUDGE DREDD:  THE FALL OF BARBARBARA GRIMM by Michael Carroll (w) Nick Dyer (a) Quinton Winter (c) Annie Parkhouse (l)
INDIGO PRIME: FALL OF THE HOUSE OF VISTA by Kek-W (w) Lee Carter (a) Ellie De Ville (l)
SINISTER DEXTER: NARROW MINDED by Dan Abnett (w) Steve Yeowell (a) John Charles (c) Annie Parkhouse (l)
THARG'S 3RILLERS: RED ROAD by Andi Ewington (w) Ben Willsher (a) Simon Bowland (l)
JAEGIR: VALKYRIE by Gordon Rennie (w) Simon Coleby (a) Gary Caldwell (c) Ellie De Ville (l)

Available in print from: newsagents and comic book stores via Diamond Available in digital from: 2000 AD webshop and apps for iPad, Android, Windows 10

This week's BEANO (No.4001)

The Beano No.4001 is out today with 36 pages full of all-new fun as always. On a personal level, I'm very pleased that my new series of Pup Parade mini-strips begins in this issue, - and they're on the cover topline as well. 

I haven't been in the Beano for almost a year so I'm very happy to be back! 

The Beano No.4001, £2.75, is in all good newsagents and supermarkets now. 

'NEMESIS THE WARLOCK: THE EARLY HERESIES' HARDCOVER ANNOUNCED

UPDATE: This book sold out within hours of this news being posted. 

NEWS JUST IN:

Pat Mills and Kevin O'Neill's groundbreaking series for 2000 AD available now available in a new hardcover limited edition

Rebellion is pleased to announce the brand new, limited edition hardcover collection, Nemesis the Warlock: The Early Heresies.

Exclusive to the 2000 AD webshop and developed in conjunction with 2000 AD’s licensed publisher in France, Delirium, this hardcover edition of The Complete Nemesis the Warlock perfectly showcases the ground-breaking writing of Pat Mills and the stunning art by Kevin O’Neill, Jesus Redondo, and Bryan Talbot.

There are only 250 English language copies of this limited edition English-language hardcover edition. Larger than previous paperback editions at 210mm x 280mm, it also features a 16-page colour cover and Star Scan gallery.

With an introduction by Mills with afterword by O’Neill, this volume includes the stories Terror Tube (2000 AD Prog 167), Killer Watt (2000 AD Prog 178) and Nemesis the Warlock books 1-4 (The World of Termight (2000 AD Progs 238-240, 243-244), The Alien Alliance (2000 AD Prog 246-257) , The World of Nemesis (2000 AD Progs 335-349), and The Gothic Empire (2000 AD Prog  387-406)), plus The Sword Sinister (2000 AD Sci-Fi Special 1981) and The Secret Life of the Blitzspear (2000 AD Annual 1983).

Nemesis the Warlock is one of 2000 AD’s most popular characters, an alien freedom fighter battling against the xenophobic genocide perpetrated by Torquemada, the diabolically evil leader of a human race that has retreated into vast caverns beneath the surface of the Earth, now renamed Termight. Intent on purging all alien life from the galaxy and punishing ‘deviants’, Torquemada’s sinister motto – “Be pure! Be vigilant! Behave!” is one of the most recognisable slogans in comics and the strip, thanks to Mills’ mind-blowing inventiveness and O’Neill’s incredible art, continues to have a huge influence on comics even to this day.

The BEANO CHRISTMAS SPECIAL is in the shops now!

Bizarrely enough, shelved beside The Dandy Summer Special!

I noticed this in WH Smiths today. The ink may be barely dry on the Summer Specials but the Beano Christmas Special is out now! 68 pages of all new strips and activity pages in the bookazine format. 

(Before anyone asks; no, I'm not in it. I just thought I'd give it a plug.)

As I noted the other week, last year there was some confusion from some who don't buy these comics so I should explain that this is not the annual. Nor is it the Christmas issue of the regular weekly. It's an additional special issue that will be on the shelves for the next few months (or however quickly it sells out). 

A perfect stocking stuffer to get kids for Christmas, or to read this Autumn while you await the festive season!