Cover Preview: MASTERS OF BRITISH COMIC ART

Here's news of a book that I'm sure will be appreciated by fans of British comics. Masters of British Comic Art will weigh in at over 300 pages and will be published by Rebellion next April. Written by artist and historian David Roach it features over 400 scans shot from original artwork and includes notable UK comic artists such as Reg Bunn, Dave Gibbons, Dudley Watkins, Frank Bellamy, Yvonne Hutton, Tom Browne, Roy Wilson, Hunt Emerson, Leo Baxendale, Ken Reid, Bob Dewar and many, many more, with a cover by Brian Bolland! "Well over 100 artists" said David Roach, "and is as complete a history of British comics and artists as I could put together". 

Sounds like a must-buy! You can pre-order it from Amazon now:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Masters-British-Comics-David-Roach/dp/1781087598/

Codename WARLORD returns this month!

Big news from D.C. Thomson today. The character Peter Flint, Codename: Warlord is to return in brand new stories in Commando comic. Flint originally appeared in the war weekly Warlord back in 1974. Warlord is recognised as a groundbreaking title which began the dynamic revitalisation of boys' comics, leading to Battle Picture Weekly, Action, and 2000AD. 

Warlord No.1 from 1974.

Here's the full information from the D.C. Thomson Press Release...

Codename Warlord returns in the pages of Commando.

Commando presents Codename Warlord, the return of beloved character Lord Peter Flint to comic pages for the first time in over twenty years.

Published since 1961 by DC Thomson Media, Commando is Britain's longest-running war comic, with over five thousands issues to its name. Unlike other DC Thomson titles, Commando has persevered almost unchanged since its first issues but now, something new comes to its pocket sized, black and white interiors pages. 

Reminiscent of other DC Thomson mergers of the past; Bullet merging with Warlord, and Warlord merging with The Victor, Warlord comes to Commando pages, kicking off with the Britain's top secret agent, Lord Peter Flint,

Last published in 1986, Lord Peter Flint headlined many issues of Warlord, from comics to codes, from letter pages to merchandise and a secret agent club,

His latest interpretation is from prolific Commando writer, lain Mclaughlin who has over twenty-five Commando issues, including two series, to his name in less than two years. McLaughlin, who was a diehard fan of Flint growing up, tackles the Warlord spy with ease. He says:

"The first issue of Warlord came out on a week when I was off school with a stinker of a cold. My dad bought me this new comic to cheer me up a bit - and also so he could read it himself. I read that issue of Warlord and I was hooked. After that, I read every issue for the next six or seven years. A huge part of what kept me reading was Codename Warlord with Lord Peter Flint. He was part James Bond, part Scarlet Pimpernel and completely brilliant. The scripts and the art came together to tell wonderful, gripping stories that stick in the memory even to this day. When I was asked to come up with ideas to bring Lord Peter Flint to the pages of Commando I leaped at the chance. Flint is a fantastic character with so much potential for the kind of fantastic adventure stories Commando is famous for. I hope the readers have as much fun reading Flint's return as I had writing it,"

What's more, artist Manuel Benet was also a fan of Codename Warlord, and was delighted to take the mantle on, saying "[Flint] is a hero l would like to work on" when he was offered the job of depicting the spy. His work is topped off with an amazing wraparound cover by lan Kennedy, who also did some of the original covers for Warlord in its heyday.

Lord Peter Flint is just the first in a series of characters from the archive to be brought back in the pages of Commando by DC Thomson's Heritage Comics - but we're afraid that information is top secret... coded messages to follow.

Commando lssues 5255 'Codename Warlord' and 5263 'Codename Warlord: Ship of Fools' are out 22nd August and 19th September in select WHSmith stores or digitally via the Comixology or Readly apps. Alternatively orders can be placed by emailing shop@dctmedia.co.uk

5255: Home of Heroes: Codename Warlord

Story: lain Mclaughlin 
Art: Manuel Benet 
Cover: lan Kennedy 

5255: Home of Heroes: Codename Warlord: Ship of Fools

Story: lain Mclaughlin 
Art: Manuel Benet 
Cover: Manuel Benet 


The press pack from D.C. Thomson came with these great reproductions of the original Warlord Secret Agent Code Book, Identity Card, and Badge, all based on the 1970s originals...

The first PUP PARADE (1967)

The Bash Street Dogs have been semi-regular characters in the Beano for a long time now but their genesis was gradual. As far as I can discover (and also going by memory) they first appeared, as you might expect, in The Bash Street Kids strip. The earliest example I have is this episode by Gordon Bell from The Beano No.1282, dated 11th February 1967... although they already seem established at this point so it's possible they first appeared a week or two earlier? 

However, their first solo strip was this one-off Dogs' Tale strip for The Beano Summer Special 1967. As Summer Specials are completed months before release, this strip (drawn by Dave Sutherland) would have been drawn late in 1966... around the same time of their appearance in The Bash Street Kids strip I showed above.

If memory serves me right, The Bash Street Dogs turned up a few times during 1967 in the Kids' strip, and were clearly popular with the young readers. Finally, they were awarded their very own strip in The Beano No.1326, dated December 16th 1967. The new series was called Pup Parade and was drawn by Gordon Bell...

As you can see, the Pups looked a bit different to begin with. Less "cute" and a little more aggressive perhaps. It's often the case that new characters take a while to find their "look" as the artists settle into drawing them. The dogs didn't even have names at this point, and Bones was lacking his distinctive cap (as well as being far bulkier than he would be later). 

A week later, in the Christmas issue (No.1327) of The Beano for 1967, we can see some refinements were already happening. The dogs look more affable and Bones has gained his red cap. They'd also gained the dustbin that serves as the place they hang out...

A few weeks further on, and they introduce themselves to us with their names. (Beano No.1330, January 13th 1968.) Their proportions have changed, and they're now drawn the way we remember them; shorter and friendlier looking...

...and that's pretty much how they've remained since. I'm sure Pup Parade proved to be a great success because it ran for quite a while in the Beano and has returned numerous times over the past 52 years. The late Gordon Bell was a superb cartoonist who gave the pups their personalities and established them as firm favourites. 

As the current artist on Pup Parade I consider it an honour to be commissioned to write and draw these great characters for the Beano. I've just started work on my third series and I'm pleased to say that Pup Parade will be back in the Beano from issue No.4001, on sale 4th September 2019. This time it'll only be a mini-strip of 3 or 4 panels, so the focus will mainly be on one or two pups rather than all nine of them every week. All the dogs will appear in the first new episode though as you can see from the clip below! Check it out in September! 

Cover Preview: 2000AD Prog 2143

Here's an advance preview of the cover to next week's 2000AD, arriving in shops on Wednesday 7th August. Give the UK's longest surviving adventure weekly comic your support!

• UK and DIGITAL: 7th August 2019 £2.85
• NORTH AMERICA: 7th September 2019 $32.80 (per pack)
• DIAMOND: JUN191887
• COVER: TIERNEN TREVALLION

In this issue:
JUDGE DREDD:  CONTROL by Rob Williams (w) Chris Weston (a) Chris Blythe (c) Annie Parkhouse (l)
INDIGO PRIME: FALL OF THE HOUSE OF VISTA by Kek-W (w) Lee Carter (a) Ellie De Ville (l)
ANDERSON, PSI-DIVISION: MARTYRS by Emma Beeby (w) Aneke (a) Barbara Nosenzo (c) Simon Bowland (l)
THISTLEBONE by TC Eglington (w) Simon Davis (a) Annie Parkhouse (l)
ABSALOM: TERMINAL DIAGNOSIS by Gordon Rennie (w) Tiernen Trevallion (a) Ellie De Ville (l)

Available in print from: newsagents and comic book stores via Diamond Available in digital from: 2000 AD webshop and apps for iPad, Android, Windows 10

Preview: THE BEST OF THE STEEL COMMANDO

Cover art: Geoff Campion.

Another vintage collection is released by Rebellion's Treasury of British Comics in a few weeks. This time the book will be in digest format and the subject matter is The Steel Commando, the WW2 robot who featured in Thunder comic (and then in Lion and Thunder) in the early 1970s.

The book contains a selection of stories, rather than religiously sticking to a consecutive run. As the episodes of The Steel Commando were usually self-contained this is ideal for a "pick and mix" collection. Artwork is by veterans such as Alex Henderson, Jack Pamby and Charles Roylance, and there's even some Captain Hurricane episodes in there too from when he met old "Ironsides" as the robot was nicknamed. 

Here's the PR from Rebellion, along with a preview of the first episode. The book is a perfect treat for fans of this lighthearted war story and I'm sure it'll prove popular for many. 

Art: Alex Henderson.

• CREATIVE TEAM: Frank Pepper (w) Alex Henderson, Vince Wernham (a)
• RELEASE DATE: 22nd August 2019
• DIGEST PAPERBACK, 164 pages
• PRICE: £6.99
• ISBN: 9781781086810
A new collection of a forgotten 20th Century classic, presented in the popular digest format. With superhuman strength, bulletproof casing and an unstoppable resolve, the Steel Commando is the Allies’ ultimate weapon in the war against the Axis powers. There’s just one bug in his circuits - he’ll only take orders from Ernie Bates, the laziest soldier in the British Army! Watch ‘Ironsides’ and ‘Excused Boots’ Bates carry out thrill-filled missions in dangerous enemy territories! This fun-packed army adventure also includes an early comic strip crossover as the Steel Commando joins forces with the mighty Captain Hurricane!

Available in print from: book stores, Amazon, and UK comic book stores via Diamond

Available in digital from: Treasury of British Comics webshop & apps for iPad, Android and Windows 10