After fan speculation on comics messageboards, it has now been confirmed that the world's longest running comic The Dandy is to switch from weekly to fortnightly publication at the end of this month. Confirmation came from publisher DC Thomson's own website subscription page. (See clipping above, and visit HERE to subscribe.)
Launched in 1937, The Dandy will celebrate its 70th anniversary in December. It was published weekly since issue 1, but switched to fortnightly frequency during World War 2 to save paper and was published on alternate weeks with The Beano, (which also went fortnightly then). Both comics resumed weekly publication again in the 1950s.
It's thought the first new fortnightly edition will be the one dated August 4th (on sale August 2nd). Content changes are also rumoured. The Beano continues as a weekly comic.
More information in due course.
If there's one type of comics history book I can't stand it's the type that fills its pages with tedious resumés of comic character's lives, recounting their adventures blow by blow in text form. If I was interested in the plots, I'd seek out back issues of the comics themselves, (or reprints) not read second-hand accounts in words only. For me, such "backstory history" is as boring as listening to someone tell you the entire story of last night's episode of CSI, when you'd rather wait for the DVD to come out. Comics; they work best in words and pictures, not as written text. That's the point of them being done as comics.
And breathe....
Thank Grud that Thrill-Power Overload by David Bishop is nothing like that. This is exactly the sort of comics history book I like. It tells the story behind the comic and its characters, which means it has a depth that's much more rewarding than a collection of plot synopses. Here is the history of 2000AD, the weekly science fiction action comic, celebrating its 30th anniversary, and revealing its struggles and triumphs against the odds, including opposition from within IPC (its original publisher).
Most importantly, it's a story written by an insider, for David Bishop was one of several editors that 2000AD has had steering it over the past three decades. Using his contacts and his experience, Bishop set out to chart the definitive story behind the self-proclaimed "Galaxy's Greatest Comic". In researching the book, Bishop interviewed as many people connected with 2000AD as he could, including editors, artists, writers and publishers. A few turned him down, but the majority were happy to reveal their candid views on the comic and some pull no punches.
A 250 page weighty hardback on quality paper, Thrill-Power Overload is full colour throughout and is well illustrated with artwork from 30 years of the weekly, stemming right back to the unpublished dummy issue of the comic when it was titled AD2000. (See photo above.) Most of the copy here has appeared before, as a series of features for Judge Dredd Megazine a few years ago, but it's good to see it reformatted and collected, plus there's new material too, to bring it up to date.
Although the book doesn't hold back on its revelations of the highs and lows of the comic, Thrill-Power Overload remains a positive read because it's a celebration of such a positive event: 30 years of a British weekly comic. 2000AD may have its establishment critics, and may not appeal to some of the traditionalist British comic collectors but it's survived longer than Lion, Valiant, and many of the other much-respected "old school" weeklies. In fact, it's the only surviving UK comic of the many that were launched in the 1970s. Not bad for a title that met such resistance in the beginning and was only expected by some to survive six months. However, it went on to launch the careers of some of the top names in the world of comics, such as Dave Gibbons, Alan Moore, Kevin O'Neill, Alan Davis, Mike McMahon, Brian Bolland and many more.
Thrill-Power Overload is a hefty book at a hefty price (£34.99 RRP) but Amazon.co.uk are currently offering it for a reasonable £23.10.
A new issue of the thrice-yearly Spaceship Away was published recently (issue 12). For those who haven't heard of this title, it's a 44 page full colour comic magazine featuring brand new Dan Dare strips that are produced exactly as they looked in the 1950's Eagle. In fact, the strips are so exact that the serials are broken into two page installments (complete with Eagle logo and 1950s layout) plus they're often drawn by Don Harley, one of the original Dan Dare artists! Those cynics who say "comics aren't like they used to be" should be pleased that this comic for one proves them wrong.
Spaceship Away is a labour of love published by dedicated Dan Dare fan Rod Barzilay. However it has full permission of the copyright owners, the Dan Dare Corporation, which means that this isn't "fan fiction" or "small press" as such; it's an official semi-professional Dan Dare comic, as legitimate a home as Eagle was to chronicle the ongoing adventures of the "Pilot of the Future".
In recent issues Rod has expanded the page count to include more sf comic strips such as Jet Morgan (Journey into Space, reprinted from Express Weekly) and Hal Starr (by Jeff Hawke creator Sydney Jordan, newly coloured by John Ridgway). The comic also includes other brand new Dan Dare stories by Keith Page and Tim Booth, plus a few one-page humour strips (the standout one being Dan Bear by Andy Boyce) and various features and exclusive artwork.
In my experience, most of the comic fans who bemoan the lack of UK adventure comics aren't subscribing to Spaceship Away for some reason. Admittedly the price is high at £6.99 an issue, but quality colour reproduction as seen here isn't cheap, and a limited print run will push the unit cost up. Also, the subject matter may be considered too dated for some tastes, and not "grim and gritty" enough for some 20 something fanboys. (Rod states in the current issue that three quarters of the readership are in the 50 to 70 age group. Hey, if that doesn't make it an "adult comic" then what does?) However, I always thought that the concept of being a comics fan was to appreciate good storytelling and artwork, in which regard Spaceship Away should appeal to all age groups, irrespective of whether one was a child of the Fifties or not. (Personally speaking, I never read Eagle as a kid, but I can really appreciate the strip now.)
Spaceship Away reminds me of the comics of yesteryear in that it's an anthology title, so there's plenty going on in its pages. The only thing that lets it down a little in my opinion is the awkward title masthead design, which betrays its PC desktop publishing origins and detracts from the professionalism of the rest of the comic. Perhaps Graham Bleathman (who is spotlighted inside this issue) could be commissioned to design a new logo?
If you wish the UK still had "proper comics" and you've never given Spaceship Away a try, here's your chance. All the back issues are still available from the publisher at http://spaceshipaway.org.uk/ where you can also subscribe to future issues. No.12 is out now, and issue 13 will be published in October.
Remember Adam Eterno? The Man Who Would Not Die? Cursed to live forever, drifting through time haphazardly from one age to the next? This popular strip appeared in Thunder in 1970, moved over to Lion when the two comics merged, and ended up in Valiant when Lion was absorbed into that comic in 1974. The strip then lasted until Valiant's final issue in 1976.
