A piggin' good read

One of the new British comics blogs that joined the Internet during Blimey's hiatus was The Oink! Blog by Phil Boyce. Dedicated to the cheeky humour comic Oink! that ran from 1986 to late 1988 the blog is a great trip down memory lane for readers and creators. 

Every fortnight Phil looks back at the issue of Oink! that would have been on sale exactly 27 years ago. This week's post reflects on issue 15 which was a bit of a mini-revamp issue featuring a batch of new stories (including the first Pete and his Pimple and the first episode of Ham Dare - Pig of the Future). You can journey back to 1986 here:
http://the-oink-blog.blogspot.co.uk/

The Internet Explodes

As most of you are no doubt aware, Doctor Who celebrates its 50th anniversary with a 75 minute special episode on Saturday 23rd November. If that hasn't had people speculating enough the BBC have today released a seven minute prequel to that episode! You can find it here on the BBC's You Tube page:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-U3jrS-uhuo

Yes - the Internet is buzzing with discussion about it already. If you're a fan of the series it's a vital part of the story (and of Doctor Who history in general) that's not to be missed!

Also out today is Doctor Who Magazine No.467. It's a special bumper edition with 116 pages and comes in a card envelope (shown above) together with 12 Anniversary Art Cards showing 12 Doctors plus a retro-styled 16 page mini mag showing how Doctor Who Magazine might have looked if it had been around in 1964. (The design isn't quite sixties enough but it's close - and it's a great bit of fun.)

As this is a comics blog I can't let the 12 page comic strip in the latest DWM go unmentioned. It's a truly exceptional complete story written by Scott Gray with artwork by the hugely talented David Roach and colours by James Offredi. One of the best stories to have appeared in a British comic this year.

Such a whopping amount of goodness comes with a higher price and this issue is £7.99 - but well worth it. Available from WH Smith, Asda, Tesco, and many other retailers.

Alan Moore's life story on screen

A biography of Alan Moore's life is now at a screen near you. An iPad screen that is, as comic creator Gary Spencer Millidge has unleashed Alan Moore: An Extraordinary Gentleman as a full colour 16 page comic exclusively on the iPad and the iPad mini. And it's free!

A version of the strip appeared ten years ago in the book Alan Moore: Portrait of an Extraordinary Gentleman, along with contributions from many other comic creators (including myself). That book was published to commemorate Alan's 50th birthday, so Gary decided to update his story for the writer's 60th (which is on November 18th) with four extra pages.

Gary appreciates that not everyone has an iPad so won't be able to access the comic. (He doesn't own one himself either.) However, having downloaded the comic earlier I can thoroughly recommend it for any of you who do have the device. Gary has cleverly used images from comics that are relevant to Alan Moore's life story and it makes for an engrossing read. If only all biographies were as entertaining as this!

You can read much more about the background to this digital comic at Gary's blog: http://millidge.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/electronic-al.html

To download the comic Alan Moore: An Extraordinary Gentleman you need the free SEQUENTIAL app for the iPad which can be found here:https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/id629759394?ls=1&mt=8

Dudley D. Watkins to be honoured with commemorative plaque

From The Dandy No.1212 - Feb.13th 1965

One of the greatest and most skilled comic artists of the 20th Century, Dudley D. Watkins, is to be honoured by the Scottish government with a commemorative plaque. 

As I'm sure all readers of this blog are aware, Dudley Watkins was the original artist of Desperate Dan, Lord Snooty, Biffo the Bear, The Broons, Oor Wullie and many other strips. His versatility enabled him to master both humour and adventure strips for The Dandy and other DC Thomson titles. 

Although born in Manchester, Mr.Watkins grew up in Nottingham and later moved to Dundee. He sadly passed away in 1969 but his work continues to be appreciated by artists and collectors far and wide.

For more information see John Freeman's excellent Down the Tubes website:
http://downthetubes.net/?p=12906

The Power of Panini

Marvel Legends 91 - On sale Nov.14th

When I was seven I (along with thousands of others) discovered the excitement of Marvel superheroes through the 'Power Comics' of the 1960s published by Odhams, which featured Marvel reprints in their UK weeklies. Those comics such as Fantastic and Terrific are long gone but in 1972 Marvel set up a British branch to bring their characters to our shores. (You'll find plenty of information about Odhams and Marvel UK in this blog's archive.) Sadly Marvel UK is also no more but over the last several years Panini UK have held the license to publish Marvel material in Britain.

This month the Marvel Collector's Editions published by Panini have reluctantly had to raise their cover price from £2.95 to £3.50. The first rise in four years. Now, £3.50 may seem a lot for a comic but they're actually great value for money compared to the US imports. 

A typical $3.99 American Marvel comic will set you back around £2.25 to £3.00 (depending on the seller) for a 32 page title featuring 20 pages of story. A reprint title by Panini gives you 76 pages reprinting three comics for £3.50. Granted, the Panini comics are still running a year or two behind the US originals, but they're still a great way to catch up on any storyline you may have missed. Even better, they're introducing a new generation of readers to Marvel Comics who can discover the UK editions by visiting their local newsagent. (American comics haven't been sold in newsagents for years and few towns have a comics speciality shop.)

Personally I feel the UK format is superior to the US originals. Panini's comics have laminated card covers and a nicer paper stock. They also carry letters pages (often absent from American comics now) and the occasional pull-out poster that remind me a bit of the 'Power House Pin-Ups' from the days of Fantastic.

This may be coming across as a promo piece for Panini UK. I guess it is in a way, - unsolicited I hasten to add. I just felt that with the price rise the comics are likely to lose a few readers - so a little push to perhaps bring in one or two new readers wouldn't hurt.

There are seven 'Marvel Collectors Editions' at present: The Mighty World of Marvel (featuring Daredevil, Villains For Hire, and Avengers Academy); The Astonishing Spider-Man (reprints Superior Spider-Man, Avenging Spider-Man and, at present, Spider-Man:Noir); Avengers Assemble (featuring various Avengers titles); Essential X-Men (various X-titles); Wolverine and Deadpool (what is says on the tin); Incredible Hulks (Hulk and Red Hulk) and Marvel Legends (Thor, Iron Man and Captain America). All are available from WH Smith and selected newsagents. Give 'em a try.

There's a Facebook page for these comics here:

https://www.facebook.com/MarvelCollectorsEditions

Panini UK's website where you can find out more on these and other comics:

http://www.paninicomics.co.uk