Christmas comes early

I posted a few weeks ago about how Phil-Comics were venturing into publishing with a book on classic Christmas comic covers. Well the book is now out and a very impressive volume it is. The Dandy and The Beano 1937 - 1969 Classic Christmas Comic Covers is a beautifully produced hardback showing all the covers in their original published size.

It's a very professional looking product and Phil mentions he had the assistance of DC Thomson's Gordon Tait with the digital design aspect. The book is printed on quality matt stock and the reproduction of the covers is perfect. The vibrancy of the colours adds a warmth to the winter themes of the strips and captures the spirit of Christmases of long ago.

Every page is a delight to read. The artwork is of course top notch with artists James Crichton and later Charlie Grigg on The Dandy covers and Reg Carter and Dudley Watkins on the Beano covers. There also appears to be a couple of panels by Leo Baxendale on the 1959 Christmas Beano cover.

Something I didn't know before reading this volume was that between 1938 and 1940 there were two Christmas issues for each comic. This book features them all. 

I know some UK comic fans prefer to wait to see if books like this turn up remaindered in discount stores but the success of this volume will determine whether there are any future collections of DCT material. Such a quality item deserves your support so I hope that (as I did) you'll order a copy directly from the publisher at http://www.phil-comics.com/christmas.php

Four COMMANDO comics out now

The latest batch of Commando comics are out this week, with a new trade dress behind the logo in the form of a Union flag. Here's the press release from DC Thomson...

Commando Issues 4651-4654 – On sale 7^th November 2013

Commando No 4651 – Battle On The Beach

In 1941, Jim, Alec and Rick are three young members of the Home Guard on the south coast of England who dream of doing their bit to help in the war. Constantly overlooked by their CO because of their youth, though, they seem destined to sit out the action.

   However, a wild storm is destined to send the three friends into action alongside a crack Commando unit…and into a deadly personal battle with three fanatical members of the Hitler Youth.

Story: Mac MacDonald

Art: Keith Page

Cover: Keith Page

http://www.commandocomics.com/latest-issues/7th-november-2013-collection?issue=4651

Commando No 4652 – The Tiger Is Loose

They called him “The Tiger”…

   He was a tattered, gaunt giant of a soldier, the lone survivor of a blazing wreck in the desert — and the shock had robbed him of his memory. He knew two things only, his name — O’Leary — and that he had a grim hatred of Germans. But if O’Leary was a man of mystery, he was also a man of many talents. He could shoot like a sniper, command an armoured car, lay field guns, and he could fight — like a tiger!

   When advancing German troops over-ran the desert like jackals, preying on helpless cut-off British patrols, herding the brave, beaten men into prison cages, someone should have warned the Germans…someone should have told them…that “The Tiger” was loose!

Introduction

There’s a little bit of licence in the title and on the cover of this Commando. Despite what’s indicated, there aren’t actually and real furry tigers in the story. The tiger in the title is the fighting fury holding the gun. Fury is a good word to use for the whole story charges along at a furious rate — something which suits inside artist Sio’s style beautifully — leaving you breathless by the ending.

   Ken Barr’s cover, by contrast, seems a little understated…until you realise that both figures are ready to strike, and strike hard.

   You might need a lie down after this one.

Calum Laird, Commando Editor

The Tiger Is Loose originally Commando No 52 (Jan 1963)

Story: Eric Castle

Art: Sio

Cover: Ken Barr

http://www.commandocomics.com/latest-issues/7th-november-2013-collection?issue=4652

Commando No 4653 – Wings Of Justice

In 1928, former Royal Flying Corps pilot Teddy Morgan was making a comfortable living as part of a daredevil wing-walking act in a flying circus.

   Then a former comrade-in-arms turned up with a job offer that Teddy simply couldn’t refuse — the chance to take to the skies in combat once more.

   Teddy’s new employer was a ruthless Central American dictator. Not only that, he had to work alongside his old enemies, the Germans.

   Before long, Teddy was wondering if he was fighting on the right side…

Story: Steve Coombs

Art: Carlos Pino

Cover: Carlos Pino

http://www.commandocomics.com/latest-issues/7th-november-2013-collection?issue=4653

Commando No 4654 – Loyalty!

When he first met Sergeant Khan, Captain Peter Wade wondered whether he could trust the Indian. But he had no time to worry about it, for the Japs were on the offensive and pretty soon all his attention would be focussed on them. Then came the day when he was hit by a bullet — fired by one of his own men!

With its clashing characters and unrelenting action, this is an explosive Commando story — but my main reason for saying this is that there an awful lot of explosions contained within its pages!

   In the future — with The Ed travelling to Commando HQ each day via jetpack or flying car — if we managed to produce interactive Commandos with 3D CGI characters and sound effects (or something), then this booming tale would be in danger of causing shell shock amongst its readers. Back here in the present we hope you enjoy it just as much (ear plugs not required).

Scott Montgomery, Deputy Editor

Loyalty!, originally Commando No 2194 (June 1988), re-issued as No 3668 (November 2003)

Story: R.A. Montague

Art: Ibanez

Cover: Jeff Bevan

http://www.commandocomics.com/latest-issues/7th-november-2013-collection?issue=4654

Firework Fun in the 1960s

The days of characters in British comics having fun with fireworks may seem irresponsible in retrospect but back then it was just plain fun. Here's a few strips from the 1960s, starting above with a Big Head and Thick Head back page story from The Dandy No.1198 (dated 7th November 1964, on sale 2nd November of that year). At first glance you may think this is by the strip's original artist, Ken Reid, but Ken had left by then and was busy at Odhams on Frankie Stein for Wham! This is actually by his successor, Frank McDiarmid, who did an excellent 'ghosting' of Ken's style. (Frank later went on to illustrate many strips, including Cheeky for IPC.)

I was 5 when I first read that strip and it amused me no end when Big Head would call Thick Head a 'nit'. It's an insult that seems to have gone out of fashion over the years, but was used a lot in TV comedy programmes and movies at the time too.

Next up, is a Footsie the Clown page by Graham Allen, as published in Wham! No.125 (dated 5th November 1966, on sale Oct.31st).

Next, a strip that is by Ken Reid; The Nervs from Smash! No.145 (dated 9th November 1968, on sale 2nd Nov that year). A mind boggling amount of detail in this double pager...

Finally, from that same issue of Smash! No.145 in 1968 is The Cloak by Mike Higgs, with a good old bonfire ending...

As always, click on the images to see them larger. Search my blog with the search window on the right to find more fireworks strips from UK comics.

If you've having fireworks this week, take care and have a safe November 5th. 

Crucible No.1 - just 69p!

Digital comics are sometimes criticized for being as expensive as the paper versions, despite not having print and distribution costs. Well, that accusation certainly can't be leveled at Crucible No.1, which has 24 full colour pages for just 69p from Apple's Newsstand. More info on the Crucible website: http://cruciblecomic.co.uk/

Here's the press release:

Crucible, the co-creation of John Freeman and Smuzz, is a science fiction adventure set in world where the many workless are assigned 'Tasks' to earn money In the first story the Temple of Orlyth hires a rag tag gang – a thief, a mage and two mis-matched warriors – to retrieve a sacred artefact in an abandoned mine. But others are also after their prize and they soon confirm what the adventurers suspected – most Tasks are deadly!

Described as " Science fiction – with dwarves!" by co-creator John Freeman and "Comparable to Tolkien at his most ironic. Matches Dune for obsessive world-building " by artist Smuzz, Crucible is a project the pair have been working on as a concept for several years.

Currently published in print in STRIP: The Adventure Comics Magazine, on sale from UK newsagents, the co-creators decided to test the water for a full iPad edition of the comic using PressPad, which will also include background features and short text stories along with the strip.

John Freeman is a comics writer and editor who cut his teeth in the comics industry at Marvel UK editing titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Death's Head II and Overkill. He has written strips for companies such as Marvel, Judge Dredd Megazine, STRIP (creating Black Ops Extreme with PJ Holden for that title). Currently Managing Editor for digital comics publisher ROK Comics, in what spare time he has he runs the British Comics news site www.downthetubes.net.

Perhaps best known by comic fans for his work for 2000AD on ABC Warriors, Marvel and Games Workshop, Smuzz is a critically-acclaimed illustrator whose award-winning art has featured in the SF magazine Interzone. In addition to co-creating and drawing Crucible, he recently launched his own children's book, If I Had a Dog, as a delightful digital edition. You can find him online at www.smuzz.org.uk

In If I had a Dog, a little boy imagines all the exciting things he could do if only he had a dog. In the end, it's not the dog, but his imagination that makes the magic...

"We're hoping the availability of Crucible on iPad will raise awareness of the title outside the UK," said John Freeman.

Crucible is one of a number of creator-owned strips that has been published in STRIP Magazine by Print Media Productions. Other strips include Age of Heroes by James Hudnall and John Ridgway and Warpaint by Phil Hester and John McCrea.

Issue Three of STRIP Magazine is expected to be on sale in November in all good newsagents in the UK.

Action, - Uncensored!

I noticed this book listed on Amazon yesterday: Uncensored Action (The Best of Action). Or just The Best of Action according to the cover. From the brief description it looks like this 288 page paperback from Titan Books will reprint some classic material from the pages of IPC's Action, the boy's comic that shocked a nation in 1976 with its portrayals of violence. The powers-that-be back in the day hated the comic and it was withdrawn several months after its launch, to return in a much toned down form weeks later. 

According to the book cover shown above (which of course may be different when it's eventually published in August 2014) the contents will include the controversial Kids Rule O.K. This strip survived Action's relaunch but suffered the consequence of having panels censored and an ending that went against the grain of its original concept. 

Here's a page from an issue of Action (25th Sept. 1976) before the ban. Art by Mike White...

Copyright © Egmont

No doubt The Best of Action will also feature background details on the rise and fall of the comic. However, this isn't the first time that Titan Books have covered this fascinating saga. Back in 1990 they published Action: The Story of a Violent Comic by the social and media historian Martin Barker. This compelling book reprinted many of Action's strips - including the ones that never made it to the shelves, comparing the published versions with the original uncensored pages, accompanied by text and research by Professor Barker. Perhaps Titan's new book will be similar, but if you don't have a copy of Martin Barker's edition it's well worth tracking down on eBay or wherever to read about this interesting part of British comics history.