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| Cover by Neil Googe. |
This April, Rebellion are launching a Spring Special featuring brand new stories of classic humour characters!
Cor!! and Buster Special features a cover by Neil Googe showing a cast of classic characters in Trafalgar Square, including Ivor Lott and Tony Broke, Faceache, Frankie Stein, X-Ray Specs and Buster himself, - and I'm pleased to say that the special will include a three-page intro strip that I drew, from a script by John Freeman.
Here's the PR....
The greatest characters from Britain’s golden age of humour comics return this Easter for a one-shot celebration of daft and zany fun!
Rebellion Publishing is proud to announce the Cor!! and Buster Special will be tickling your funny bone this spring and a whole new generation of readers are about to experience comics’ humour at its finest!
The 48-page special will hit newsstands in the UK and Ireland, and comic book stores in the UK, Ireland, and North America, on 17th April, retailing at £4.99.
It will be the first use of the vast number of classic humour characters by Rebellion since it acquired the archive of comics publisher IPC and the Cor!! and Buster Special offers new takes on some of the greatest characters from Britain’s golden age of humour comics, with an edgy celebration of daft, zany fun.
From the world’s naughtiest baby, Sweeny Toddler, to Gums, the most incompetent shark in the seven seas, this one-shot special will feature top comics talent including a cover by Neil Googe (The Flash), and strips by Ned Hartley (Star Wars), Cavan Scott (Doctor Who), Abigail Bulmer (2000 AD) and Tanya Roberts (TMNT).
The special will also complement Funny Pages, Rebellion's title for Free Comic Book Day on 4th May, which will be available for free from participating comic book stores around the world.
Editor on the Cor! and Buster Special, Keith Richardson, said: "Humour titles like Cor!! and Buster were a massive part of many a childhood but have been sadly missing from the newsstand for years - the time is ripe to bring these amazing characters back for a new generation. Just at a time when many kids will be on their Easter break, this special will introduce them to some of our favourite classic characters, but all with a modern twist. For us, it's time to put the comical back into comics!"
Humour comics were once a constant staple of the British newsstand, with dozens of titles filled by some of the industry's greatest talents, such as Leo Baxendale and Ken Reid. IPC/Fleetway titles such as Cor!!, Buster, Whizzer and Chips, and Shiver and Shake entertained generations of children for decades. They were part of the acquisition by Rebellion of arguably the world's largest archive of English-language comics in 2016 and 2018.
More info soon, - and keep an eye on the Down the Tubes website for an exclusive interview with the project's editor, Keith Richardson!
I'm selling off some of my original artwork from Oink! comic and this week there are two Tom Thug half-pagers up for auction on eBay. These are the original strips I drew back in 1987 and are still in very nice condition. Black ink on Bristol board.
You can find out more about them, and see more photos of the pages, at my eBay store here:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/graphite47/m.html
All bids appreciated! Good luck!
As mentioned on this blog last year, the wonderful artist Mike Noble passed away in November after an illness. Fellow artist Lee Sullivan, who worked with Mike in his later years, has produced this heartfelt tribute to the great man. I agree with every word. Mike was my favourite adventure strip artist too, and a fine man.
Follow this link to see the video:
https://youtu.be/V-3kRxx6nFI
From my blog's archives, here's how Buster comic was announced to readers of the Daily Mirror. The full page advert above appeared in the Mirror dated Monday 23rd May 1960....
...but two days before that, on Saturday 21st May 1960, this news item was the first announcement of the character...
Update: To explain further, back in 1960 the Mirror Group owned Fleetway, so this was a legitimate connection. However, I understand that Reg Smythe (Andy Capp's creator) wasn't happy about it so he never put Buster in the Andy Capp strip. Buster dropped the "Son of Andy Capp" sub-title after several months, but the comic continued until the last week of 1999, just five months short of its 40th anniversary! One of the longest-running comics in history.
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This blog is rarely updated now but you can still follow my other blog here:
http://lewstringercomics.blogspot.com
It's 54 years this week since the first issue of TV Century 21 arrived in newsagents. Better known as TV21 (which it later became officially) it's still regarded as the best comic of the 1960s.
Above is the full page advert for issue 1, which appeared in the Daily Mirror on Wednesday 20th January 1965.
I've covered TV21 a few times on this blog over the years, including this look back at that very first issue....
https://lewstringer.blogspot.com/2015/01/50-years-ago-today-tv-century-21-no1.html
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I don't post on Blimey! so often now, but my other blog, which focuses on my own work, is regularly updated...
http://lewstringercomics.blogspot.com
