Here's how the first issue of Valiant was advertised to readers, in a full page ad in Knockout dated 6th October 1962. This was definitely a case of Fleetway bringing in new comics to replace the old, as Knockout merged into Valiant the following year.
Valiant enjoyed a long, healthy run, absorbing Smash!, TV21, and Lion along the way until it eventually merged into Battle in 1976. By then, the "NEW, EXCTING, DIFFERENT" Valiant had itself become old fashioned (despite a valiant attempt at a revamp, pardon the pun) and it was time for the grittier new comics such as Action and 2000AD to take over.
Related blog posts:
https://lewstringer.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/captain-hurricane-arrives.html
https://lewstringer.blogspot.co.uk/2016/10/this-week-in-1976-final-valant.html
Children's weekly comic The Phoenix has recently started a four-week series of "Epic Lorenzo Collector Covers" featuring the work of top artist Lorenzo Etherington. These are the regular covers as seen in the shops. They're not rare variants you'd have to pay premium for or anything like that.
As you can see from the two already published, these are fantastic pieces of dynamic comic art. Better still, each issue features its cover as a pull-out A3 poster too!
The Phoenix is a real success story of modern British comics. Independently published, it's now on its 277th issue, features quality work by contemporary creators and no paid ads.
Contributors to current issues include Jamie Smart, Neill Cameron, Faz Choudhury, The Etherington Brothers, and more. It has proven to engage young readers who eagerly look forward to every weekly issue.
To find out more about it, check out The Phoenix website here:
https://www.thephoenixcomic.co.uk
With just under two weeks to go, the Enniskillen Comic Fest have announced their latest guest. It's none other than writer Alan Hebden, who will be a familiar name to readers of Battle, 2000AD and Commando.
Here's how event organiser Paul Trimble announced it on the Comic Fest Facebook page:
Hey there folks! Just TWO weeks away from the best comic event of the year! Hope your all looking forward to it! As a last minute treat we here at Enniskillen Comic Fest are delighted to announce yet another special guest, this time in the form of none other than ALAN HEBDEN! Alan has created a wide variety of classic comic characters including Major Eazy and El Mestizo for Battle along with fellow guest Carlos Ezquerra. He is the creator of Fighting Mann and Wardog for Battle with yet another Comic Fest guest Cam Kennedy. He has also created Meltdown Man and wrote Return Of the Mean Team. Not only that he has created a variety of Future Shocks and Episodes of M.A.C.H 1 all for 2000AD! Now how's about that for a last minute announcement!
With other guests including John Wagner, Carlos Ezquerra, Alan Grant, Ryan Brown, Cam Kennedy, Glenn Fabry, Ian Richardson, Nigel Parkinson, Davy Francis and more, the Enniskillen Comic Fest looks set to be a great event! I'll be there too. See you there!
Find out more here:
https://www.facebook.com/Enniskillen-Comic-Fest-1030761763641321/
Good to see this ad in the latest 2000AD spreading the word!
The weekly is long gone but the annual keeps on coming! Amazon have revealed the cover to The Dandy Annual 2018, which is a special 80th anniversary edition. Cover by Nigel Parkinson.
I have several pages in this book, and I'll show you previews over the coming months. For now though, here's a panel from a Keyhole Kate page I did.
The Dandy Annual 2018 is scheduled for July (but more likely to be August or September in the bookshops).
Following recent blogs by Andy Oliver and myself, Phil Boyce has now joined in on his own blog to help promote the British comics industry.
On The Oink Blog, Phil Boyce says "Just as the music industry has changed so much, just as the TV industry is changing, so too are comics. Just as I said at the time the UK industry is leading the way and I'm very happy to see this still being reported in the wider comics press."
http://the-oink-blog.blogspot.co.uk/2017/04/the-ever-evolving-british-comics.html
It's not the first time that Phil's praised the industry of course. See his post from 2015 here:
http://the-oink-blog.blogspot.co.uk/2015/12/uk-comics-alive-and-kicking-butts-of.html
I can understand that some prefer the days of weekly anthology comics, but those days are practically gone, except for Beano, 2000AD, and The Phoenix. Most comics are monthly now, focus on one character, and have been that way for a very long time. (Not that comics like that are new in the UK of course. The 1950s saw an explosion of British independent comics mimicking the American format.)
It's good to see a genuine comics fan like Phil Boyce helping to spread the word that the UK comic industry may have changed but it's still alive and kicking!
