Out this Saturday: LENNY THE LETTUCE!

Lenny the Lettuce was a mini-strip in The Beano two years ago and this Saturday he stars in his own comic!

The character is the creation of Marc Jackson who has the permission of Beano publishers D.C. Thomson to feature Lenny in his own 24 page full colour comic. Ha! It's Lenny the Lettuce will make its debut at the Macc-Pow! comics convention of Saturday 25th June in Macclesfield, as part of the Barnaby Festival. 

The comic features a fun, self-contained story for all ages, with a day in the life of Lenny the Lettuce. Here's a preview of the first few pages...

After that, anything can happen! Want to see more? Come along to Macc-Pow! on Saturday to buy your copy of the comic. I'll be there too, along with writer Leah Moore, comics creators Paul Grist and Emma Chinnery, and more guests. For more info see here:
https://www.facebook.com/maccpow/

For more info on Marc and his comics:
https://www.patreon.com/marcmakecomics

Beano Annual 2017

Here's a cover for The Beano Annual 2017 that has appeared on a few online bookshops. Now bear in mind that this may or may not be how the published layout will look as sometimes websites receive a preliminary version. We'll know for sure when the book becomes available on the D.C. Thomson Shop itself. The artwork is by Nigel Parkinson.

The Beano Annual 2017, along with its companion annuals from D.C. Thomson, is scheduled for 1st August 2016. 

Comics return to Kendal in October

Two years ago I had the pleasure of being a guest at the Lakes International Comic Art Festival in Kendal, Cumbria. A completely comics-focused event that took place in various parts of the small town and was thoroughly enjoyable and superbly organized. I won't be there this year but a fine selection of top comics folk will be. Here's the info...

The fourth Lakes International Comic Art Festival will run from 14-16 October 2016 in Kendal, Cumbria, celebrating great comic art from across the world. It is the only one of its kind in the UK taking over the whole town of Kendal, on the edge of the Lake District, for a weekend. 

Guests revealed so far are Joe Kelly, Bryan Lee O'Malley, Luke and Steve McGarry, Mick McMahon,Ken Niimura and Benoit Peeters - with the recent additions of artists Charlie Adlard, Rufus Dayglo and Duncan Fegredo; writer, artist and editor Ilya; and writers Leah Moore and John Reppion.

Joining a growing list of already-announced top international and British comics guests in Kendal in October will be Hanneriina Moisseinen, Virpi Oinonen, Ville Ranta, Johanna "Roju" Rojola and Petteri Tikkanen, along with musicians Niko Kumpuvaara and Aleksi Ranta.

Their visit is part of an extension to the Lakes Festival's rapidly-expanding Comic Creator Exchange Program with other major comics events around the globe.

The festival features comic artists from around the world, as well as performance, film, exhibitions, comic trails, workshops, master classes, live drawing and independent retailers and publishers. The events programme is bursting with opportunities to get up close and personal with some of the leading comic artists and writers from across the world – see them draw, talk about their work and bring comics to life.

A free Family Zone provides drop-in activities for all ages, alongside a series of fantastic workshops for kids and teenagers. The Lakes International Comic Art Festival brings the town together for a weekend to celebrate the amazing world of comic art.

Exhibitors in the Comics Clock Tower "marketplace" for 2016 include - to name but a few! - the Cartoonists' Club of Great Britain, Italian illustrator and cartoonist Silvia Carrus, Buzzfeed illustrator James Chapman, Disconnected Press, Forbidden Planet, the writer and artist on Rick and Morty Sarah Graley, Page 45, graphic designer and illustrator Simon Russell, Soaring Penguin and independent publisher and writer Tom Ward.

The Lakes International Comic Art Festival run 14th - 16th October 2016. Sign up for the Festival's newsletter here

Web: www.comicartfestival.com

KNOCKOUT in 1960

The original Knockout weekly endured quite a few changes over its long run (1939 to 1963). I've shown some earlier issues here before so now here are a few pages from the issue dated 3rd September 1960. By this time Fleetway had taken over the comics line from The Amalgamated Press and had restyled Knockout to look more like their other adventure comics Lion and Tiger. Indeed, Fleetway's comics now carried a unifying brand, 'A Five Star Weekly', in the same way that Odhams would brand their line as 'Power Comics' six years later. 

The cover artwork is by two of Fleetway's finest. Eric Parker drew the Battler Britton vignette and the illustration for Famous Combat Forces, while Bill Lacey handled the main illustration. Bill Lacey even signed his work here; one of the few Fleetway artists to do so.

Inside, the issue kicked off with a complete Battler Britton story. I'm not sure who the artist is here. (As always, click on images to see them full size.)

Knockout at this point contained a good variety of adventure strips, adventure text stories, and humour strips. One of the latter was Blarney Bluffer, drawn by Angel Nadal. It was later reprinted and retitled Gabby McGlew in Valiant. 

Westerns were still popular in 1960 and Knockout had Pony Express, drawn by Bill Lacey. Most comics of the time had little or no colour interiors and what's notable about comic artists back then is how superbly they mastered the techniques for black and white illustration. Bill Lacey being a prime example, with clear storytelling and no clutter.

The prose stories also featured exceptional artwork. This one is from The Nightriders, a Dick Turpin adventure. Art by Ronald Simmons.

Plenty going on with this page featuring two funnies. I think Professsor Knockout is by Nadal, but I don't know who drew Our Vera the Interferer.

The adverts in comics are a good reflection of the times. Back then, kids were encouraged to "Look for the Golly" (a paper figure that had been inserted behind the label on the jamjar) and if they collected ten they could send away for a metal brooch. These were very popular in the sixties, although I must admit they never appealed to me. Long gone now of course, and just an embarrassing footnote in history. 

The Mad Emperor was a serial that ran for just nine episodes in 1960. The artwork, by Robert Forrest, was absolutely incredible. (You can find out more about the artist here:
http://bookpalace.com/acatalog/ArtistsBiographies.html#BIOGF )

Billy Bunter was of course a mainstay of Knockout throughout its run, and even continued into Valiant for many years when the two comics merged. This busy full pager is by Albert Pease. (Bunter would soon become the cover star of the comic as it was re-branded Billy Bunter's Knockout. I'll show an issue of that soon!)

This issue also featured an advert for the Knockout Annual. A snip at 8/6d (42 and a half pence) but relatively expensive in 1960.

Further reading:

http://lewstringer.blogspot.co.uk/2012/12/knockout-no1-1939-and-1971.html

http://lewstringer.blogspot.co.uk/2016/05/this-week-in-1952-knockout-no690.html

Ron Turner's SPACE ACE Vol.6

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