It may only be published three times a year, but editor John Lawrence keeps to a regular frequency and always delivers a quality comic. Ron Turner's Space Ace No.8 is out now, featuring more classic work by the late, great artist Ron Turner.
This 40 page issue reprints four short Space Ace stories from the 1963 publication The Book of Space Adventures. Each story has been recoloured, re-lettered, and remastered by John Ridgway, so in effect it's a new version of the classics and a team effort between the two artists.
There's also a four page article written by John Ridgway, where he explains his painstaking process to colourise the strips.
There's also a lively two page letters section rounding off the issue.
In this age of multi-part story arcs, crossovers, and "event" comics, it's a refreshing change to have short, self-contained adventure stories. Something of a lost art in many cases. Fans of Ron Turner will be happy to see this latest issue and I hope anyone genuinely interested in classic British comics will buy it too.
Ron Turner’s Space Ace is not available in newsagents. Issue 8 costs £8.95 UK, £12.50 for Europe and £14.50 for international orders. Copies may be obtained via PayPal (please use friends and family option) at: spaceace.54@virginmedia.com. Otherwise cheques (UK funds only) payable to: John Lawrence, to 39 Carterweys, Dunstable, Bedfordshire, LU5 4RB
A new issue of Ron Turner's Space Ace (No.7) is out now! Once again, editor John Lawrence has done an excellent job compiling classic 1950s material for modern readers and nostalgists alike. The colourisation by John Ridgway may be controversial for purists of Turner's stark black and white art but there's no denying that John has done a remarkable job.
The 40 page issue features two stories: Trouble on Titan, a complete 24 page serial that had appeared in Lone Star Magazine from January to June 1955, and a 10 pager, The Time Transmitter, which originates from Lone Star Annual in 1960.
Plus there's a short old interview with the late Ron Turner and a lively two page letters section.
Ron Turner’s Space Ace is not available in newsagents. Issue 7 costs £8.95 UK, £12.50 for Europe and £14.50 for international orders. Copies may be obtained via PayPal (please use friends and family option) at: spaceace.54@virginmedia.com. Otherwise cheques (UK funds only) payable to: John Lawrence, to 39 Carterweys, Dunstable, Bedfordshire, LU5 4RB
John Lawrence has just published Ron Turner's Space Ace No.6 (or Vol.6 as they prefer) and it's another superb edition. The comic's 40 luxuriously printed pages feature the final Space Ace serial from 1956, but don't worry; there are more shorter stories to be collected. The Collectors from Space runs to 24 pages and although its premise of aliens collecting artifacts from Earth isn't new (and probably wasn't even new 60 years ago) it's told in an engaging and exciting way.
It's the artwork that is the main attraction of course, and it's easy to see why Ron Turner's work is still so highly regarded. He was certainly one of the best science fiction artists in the industry. The strips originally appeared in black and white but for these modern collections they've been painstakingly colourised by John Ridgway. Some purists may prefer Ron's superb original version but John does a stunning job on the colours.
There's also a back up story, The Lens, which runs to 8 pages. Like the lead strip, it's an exciting page turner and the Ron Turner/John Ridgway collaboration works well.
There's also background information on the strip thanks to part of an old interview with Turner, and a great feature on the "lost story"; part one of what would have been another serial but which was abandoned when Ron Turner realised he could no longer reliably commit to producing serials.
Last but not least there's a two page letters section. (It's always good to see responses from readers printed in the comics themselves.)
So, if you're interested in the work of one of the UK's best artists, don't miss out on ordering a copy of Space Ace today!
Ron Turner’s Space Ace Volume 6 costs £8.95 (UK) or £12 (Europe) and £14.00 (other overseas) including postage and is available via PayPal at spaceace.54@virginmedia or by cheque made payable to John Lawrence at 39 Carterweys, Dunstable Bedfordshire LU5 4RB
John Lawrence has just published Volume 5 of Ron Turner's Space Ace and it's dazzlingly good. The 40 page publication, full colour on quality paper stock, reprints two Space Ace stories from the mid 1950s. The Nine-Bomb Menace smoothly edits a six parter into one 24 page epic, and there's a shorter back-up story, Magnetic Meteor. There's also an interview with the late Ron Turner about the lead story, plus a letters section.
These Space Ace collections are far more than just reprints of course. Artist John Ridgway has painstakingly adorned the pages with his wonderful colorization techniques. It's a process that's far more intricate than merely colouring the strips, as John has added depth and his own enhancements. I suspect there was some line reconstruction needed too, in order to make the old strips printable, as some panels do bear John's distinctive inking style.
These sixty-year old stories rattle along at a fast pace and get the job done efficiently with no padding. It's a sharp, no-nonsense method of storytelling that is sadly too absent in many modern comics.
Ron Turner's Space Ace Vol.5 is available to buy directly from the publisher John Lawrence and is available for £8.95 (UK), £12 (Europe) or £14.00 (International) including postage via PayPal to spaceace.54@virginmedia.com or cheque or postal order to John Lawrence, 39 Carterweys, Dunstable, Beds. LU5 4RB.
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My apologies to those of you waiting for me to review your books and comics. As I'm sure you appreciate, blogging is only a part time hobby that I fit in between deadlines, and Blimey! is primarily a blog about vintage comics, but I will get around to promoting your titles when I've had chance to read them.
Ron Turner's Space Ace volume 4 turned up today and it's another great issue. Where the previous edition had featured several short stories, this one contains a long 24 page strip plus an 8 page back up.
The longer story, The Island Universe, was originally a six part serial in Lone Star comic in 1954 and was Turner's first Space Ace story. For this collection, John Ridgway has carefully edited out the title banners and recap captions of each episode so the story flows better as one uninterrupted strip. John has also colourised the strip and re-lettered it. A controversial move perhaps, as hardcore Turner fans might prefer to see the strips exactly as they were originally presented as black and white chapters. On the other hand, the colouring is excellent, so I can see the argument for both sides really.
The back up strip is The Raiders from Space, which originally appeared in Lone Star Volume 3 No.1 in 1957. The first short Space Ace story.
The stories are good standard SF tales typical of the period. The sort of yarn where our heroes think the obliteration of an entire alien "heathen" planet is justified because some of its inhabitants pose a deadly threat to Earth. "They asked for it!" says Ace. I suppose we're expected to believe the whole alien species was evil, but to modern eyes it's a bit like destroying the Earth because of Nazis. Of course it's all just lighthearted fun really and we're not expected to think too deeply about it. The selling point of the book is the artwork and light entertainment.
Publisher John Lawrence tells me that although copies of the original editions of Space Ace and Lone Star frequently turn up on eBay, the copies that feature The Island Earth are very rare. Therefore I'm sure this modern edition will be very collectible!
This beautifully produced edition also includes a two page interview with Ron Turner about the story within, plus a three page letters section. It really is a must-buy for fans of Ron Turner's work and of classic UK comics.
Ron Turner's Space Ace Vol.4 is available for £8.95 (UK) or £14.00 (overseas) including postage via PayPal to spaceace.54@virginmedia.com or cheque or postal order to John Lawrence, 39 Carterweys, Dunstable, Beds. LU5 4RB.
John Lawrence, longtime fan of the late artist Ron Turner, has published another collection of classic 1950s strips by the illustrator. Ron Turner's Space Ace Volume 3 is an A4 sized 40 page softback book featuring four complete stories featuring the comics character Space Ace.
The strips originally appeared in Lone Star magazines and annuals in 1958/59 in black and white. For this collection, artist John Ridgway has carefully restored and 'colourised' them. More than a simple case of colouring, John has breathed new life into the strips. The results are very impressive indeed.
The book also contains a three page interview with Ron Turner regarding his work on Space Ace, and a two page letters column.
This is marvellous stuff. The plots and hardware may seem somewhat dated perhaps but that's irrelevant to collectors and enthusiasts of Ron Turner's artwork. In fact it's part of the attraction of such material. We really need more old strips archived like this before they're forgotten forever.
Ron Turner's Space Ace is a labour of love for John Lawrence. Although the price may seem slightly expensive it has to be remembered that the print run is very limited and that this is a non-profit venture. The printing and paper quality is excellent and its sturdy laminated cover makes the book look very classy indeed.
Copies are available priced £8.95 each (UK), 13GBP (Europe), 14GBP (International) including postage and packing. Order your copy via PayPal at:
spaceace.54@virginmedia.com
