Dr.What and his Time Clock (1964)

First episode. 30th May 1964

Considered to be the first spoof of Doctor Who in comics, Dr.What and his Time Clock appeared in Odhams' Boys' World Vol.2 No.22 (30th May 1964) to Vol.2 No.40 (3rd October 1964).

The artwork was by Artie Jackson, who would also contribute to Odhams' Wham! and Smash!, specifically on Danger Mouse for the latter comic. (No relation to the TV character that came much later.)

6th June 1964

13th June 1964

20th June 1964

The character of Dr.What was clearly modelled on William Hartnell's Doctor Who, although his method of time travel was completely different. Dr.What had invented a "Time Clock" that propelled him into the past or the future, in several serial adventures in different time periods.

8th August 1964

There's a rumour that pressure from the BBC forced Odhams to drop the strip, but I'm not convinced by that. The strip ended along with some other strips in the very last issue of Boys' World; a common fate for less popular strips when two comics merged. (Boys' World merged into Eagle the following week.) 

Final episode. 3rd October 1964

Some episodes of Dr.What and his Time Clock were reprinted in an IPC holiday special years later. (I think it may have been in the first Whizzer and Chips Holiday Special but I'm not sure. I sold my copy long ago.)

Anyway, with the first Doctor revised for the recent Doctor Who Christmas Day episode I thought it was an appropriate time to show this strip. I hope you enjoyed these examples!

Why I won't be buying Doomsday Clock

DC Comics are about to release Doomsday Clock No.1, a 12 issue limited series which, according to the publishers, is a sequel to Watchmen.

That's right. Watchmen. The sublime 1986 groundbreaking series by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons (superbly coloured by John Higgins) that has worked perfectly well as a stand-alone story for 30 years. Now, DC have decided it's time to do a continuation, written by Geoff Johns and drawn by Gary Frank, which will co-star Superman and the other DC Universe superheroes. Gibbons and Moore were not consulted (and would no doubt have declined even if they were asked). The only true link with Watchmen is they're using the font based on Dave Gibbons' lettering.

To make something clear from the outset, both Geoff Johns and Gary Frank are top of the range creators with impressive CVs in comics. I've nothing personal against them and I've enjoyed work from both of them in the past. I'm sure Doomsday Clock will be a well produced comics series, but I won't be supporting it.

Thing is, Watchmen was created as a complete story and achieved that superbly. It's an intelligent, well structured graphic novel (or fat comic if you prefer) set on an alternate Earth where a godlike being named Dr.Manhattan changed the course of history. (Perhaps you've seen the film.The comic is far superior.) In three decades it has never needed a sequel. It certainly was never intended to tie in with the DC Universe and have guest appearances from Superman, Batman, and other members of the Justice League. Yet that's exactly what DC are doing. It's like some movie company suddenly deciding that Citizen Kane would be improved with a sequel featuring Ant and Dec.

There's been rumours that this was going to happen since DC introduced the often meandering Rebirth theme to their comics last year. Off-panel suggestions that Dr.Manhattan was pulling the strings. Apparently Doomsday Clock is about the DC Universe being broken, presumably due to Dr.Manhattan's doing, and Superman and co. trying to fix it. No doubt it'll end with another big revamp for the DC Universe. DC produce some great comics, but follow them long enough and the company tends to lurch from one reboot to another, from Crisis, to Zero Hour, to Rebirth. Wait a few years and there'll be another.

The metaphor of Superman vs Dr.Manhattan is that Watchmen was one of the comics responsible for superhero comics becoming darker and grittier, and it's time to put things right. It's a very flawed excuse, because Watchmen was never designed to be a template for the DCU to "go dark". It's the fault of editors and creators who followed who chose that path with their characters. Watchmen can't be blamed for the appalling Identity Crisis storyline for example, where goofy supervillain Doctor Light became a rapist. 

Okay, the concept of Superman fighting Dr.Manhattan is something that will no doubt have many of the "who's the strongest" infatuated fanboys drooling with delight, but even if you think it sounds like a good idea, consider the moral aspect. As I understand it, when Watchmen was created, Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons had a contract that said that the rights of the book would revert to them when it went out of print. Only problem was, DC made sure it never went out of print. Now, this latest fiasco, merging Watchmen characters into the DC Universe, ensures they're DC property indefinitely.

I don't want to support tactics like that, and I won't be buying Doomsday Clock on principle. The Watchmen creators aren't interested in it (Dave Gibbons has said "I won't be reading it") and I stand with them. I knew Alan and Dave very well back in the days when they were working on Watchmen and it was always a pleasure to hear of their passion for the comic and how they were structuring it. They were good, optimistic times for comics and creator's rights. I'm sickened by this "sequel" and will be steering well clear of it. 

Obviously I won't be chastising anyone who does buy it, and I won't be falling out with anyone over it, but I wanted to put my own thoughts out there. Agree or disagree; it's up to you.

If you haven't read Watchmen, buy that instead. No sequels necessary.

Doctor What (1964)

My Doctor Flu strip is currently running in The Beano but there have been many spoofs of Doctor Who in comics over the years of course. The first was Dr What and his Time Clock, a weekly humour-adventure serial that ran in Boys' World in 1964, published by Odhams. The haistyle and clothing of the character is obviously based on that of the first Doctor as portrayed by William Hartnell.

Here's the episode from Boys' World Vol.2 No.33, dated 15th August 1964. The art is by Artie Jackson, who later drew Danger Mouse (preceding the TV cartoon of the same name/concept) for Smash! in 1966. Jackson also drew many of the Danny Dare strips for Wham!

 

Boys' World was a glossy comic magazine in the style of Eagle. Comics historian Steve Holland recently wrote a book about about it and published it through his Bear Alley Books imprint. You can find out more details here:

http://bearalleybooks.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/boys-world-ticket-to-adventure.html

Crikey! No.1 reviewed

I had a pleasant Saturday morning yesterday when Crikey! number one arrived in the post. A very appropriate day for it to arrive, I thought, considering that Saturdays used to be the main day that weekly comics were published, and that Crikey! is a magazine devoted to those nostalgic days of the 1950s to 1970s. And, like all nostalgic comic memories, yesterday was a warm summer's day, - perfect weather for sitting in the back yard and reading the mag, just as I had with my comics in decades past.

Forgive the self-indulgent opening to this review, but that gives you a flavour of what Crikey! is mainly about. Far from being a serious examination of the comics genre, the aim of Crikey! is to be bright and breezy, tinged with the nostalgic recollections of its contributors.


However, that is both Crikey's strength and its weakness. Whilst the personal touch works on the whole, and helps to carry the reader back to those days, it can also distract from the focus of the articles a little bit at times. (Not enough to worry about though.) I also spotted a few errors that really should have been picked up: Wham! did not merge with Smash! in July 1968 for example. (It merged into Pow! in January 1968.) The Toymaker did not first appear in Smash! in 1965 (Smash! didn't come out until 1966!), he appeared in Buster.

Don't get me wrong, the light approach to the articles is refreshing and pleasant to read, but I was left wishing there had been a little more research done on some features. The article called The Terrible Toys of Dr Droll speaks of "the dark artwork" but doesn't bother to mention the artist's name (Solano Lopez). Crikey! is well illustrated throughout with pages and panels from numerous strips, but the images rarely feature artist credits or specific dates. Don't nostalgics want to know the identities of their anonymous childhood favourites?

There's a few other niggles too: a good article chronicling Leo Baxendale's involvement with Wham! is accompanied by artwork by Gordon Hogg, Mike Lacey, Ken Reid and others (all uncredited again) but none by Baxendale himself. On another page, an example of House of Dolmann artwork appears in the Terrible Toys article for no reason whatsoever.


That's the minus points out of the way. Thankfully Crikey! has many more positive than negative aspects. The design is good; lively without being cluttered, the layout is professional, and the printing is sharp and clear. There's an excellent mixture of content: nostalgic recollections such as Brian Clarke's My Comicy Saturday; a look at the history behind the anti- American comics campaign in Britain in the 1950s; an interview with Ken Reid (reprinted, I think, from a Fudge book); features on the origins of Wham! and the tone of Misty... all good stuff. Although an article on Jackie written by someone who admits to never having read it, seemed somewhat lacking.




Topped off with a great cover by Mike Kazybrid featuring tons of characters from the past (can you name them all?) Crikey! is well worth checking out. (Some will no doubt moan at the price for a black and white mag but remember this is a fanzine, with a far limited print run to things like SFX or Empire magazines. It's all about unit costs. You're getting a bargain here.) Despite my slight reservations on the lack of depth to some features, I would recommend the magazine to everyone who has a genuine interest in British comics.

Yes, the magazine has its annoying faults, but Brian Clarke should be congratulated for getting off his backside and producing what many of us have been wanting to see for years: a fanzine about UK comics! It's up to us to support it as much as we can. I can't see why anyone who really likes old British comics wouldn't subscribe to it. The focus of Crikey! is on a classic and prolific period in UK comics history so there's plenty to cover in future issues and I for one am eagerly looking forward to issue 2 (out in October).

Crikey! No.1 is out now, 52 pages for a very reasonable £3.99. Ordering details are at the official website here:
http://www.crikeyuk.co.uk/

Fleetway faves return in ALBION ORIGINS

Once again, Titan Books have released another gem in their determination to re-present some of the best British comics of past decades. In the same format as their previous hardbacks Charley's War, King of Crooks (The Spider), and The Steel Claw comes Albion Origins.

As the cover logo makes obvious, Albion Origins is aimed at the readers who bought the Wildstorm Albion graphic novel (published in the UK by Titan). Inside the book are a selection of some of the early adventures of characters that Albion revived: Kelly's Eye and House of Dolmann (from Valiant) and Janus Stark and Cursitor Doom (from Smash!). It's a good choice of stories. The Kelly's Eye strip is a long serial from the early 1960s (before Tim Kelly was joined by the Doctor Who influenced Dr.Diamond and his Time Clock) and House of Dolmann and Janus Stark reprint the very first stories of those characters. Cursitor Doom is also one of the early strips of that character, from 1969.


Albion Origins features just four of the many characters that made British comics unique, but what a bunch! These bizarre and basically unhinged characters may seem unsettling for readers used to American superheroics, but it's their very strangeness that's in their favour. No square-jawed clean cut heroes here. Tim Kelly is probably the closest thing to a superman Valiant had, but he revels in his invincibility a little to much to be sane. Same goes for Dolmann, a ventriloquist who not only talks to his puppets but squabbles with them too, even when he's alone with them! Then there's Janus Stark, a black-eyed angle-faced cross between Houdini and Oscar Wilde, and finally Cursitor Doom, who was a mystic investigator but looked more like a burly nightclub bouncer! (Brian Bolland's new cover for the book captures the darkness and weirdness of the characters perfectly.)


A few slight niggles; Steve Holland's introduction seems to imply that Incredible Hulk, Batman, Fantastic Four, Daredevil and Spider-Man were all running in Smash! at the same time ("swamping British creativity") which wasn't the case. Also, he quite rightly gives credit to the several artists who worked on Janus Stark, but there's no mention of Tom Kerr, who drew the second Janus Stark story reprinted in this very book. (And a great Tom Kerr strip it is too, with plenty of detail and atmosphere, as can be seen from the example below.)


Once again, as with the Albion trade paperback, no humour strips are represented in this collection, despite Grimly Feendish and Bad Penny being major characters in Albion. Whilst I appreciate that space is limited, surely a couple of pages could have accommodated those old single page strips? Perhaps if Albion Origins is the success it deserves to be Titan will hopefully consider a humour collection featuring The Nervs, Eagle Eye Junior Spy, Bad Penny, Dolls of St.Dominics and others who played a part in the Albion saga.

Those small points aside, Albion Origins is an excellent collection. Reproduction of the strips is extremely good considering scans of 40 year old comics were the source material. Thankfully, no attempt has been made to edit out the title logos at the beginning of each episode, and every strip retains the toplines, resumé captions, etc as they did in their original publications. Some may dislike this, thinking they disrupt the flow of story, but in truth they add to the authenticity of those bygone comics, when cliffhangers were described as "spine chilling" and each installment "breath taking". All of which was part of what made British comics of the sixties so compelling and exciting.


Albion Origins, hardback, Titan Books. 112 pages. £14.99 R.R.P. but available for less from Amazon.co.uk here.

New comic! ACES WEEKLY is here!

Remember, remember the 30th of September... because this Sunday sees the launch of an all-new anthology comic, Aces Weekly, - and you won't even have to leave the house to buy it! 

Aces Weekly is a brand new comic that is exclusively online, not in paper form, not requiring trudging around newsagents, not needing to wait for the postman to deliver it. It's a comic that you subscribe to and that you can access from your computer, - all for a very reasonable price.

And, as revealed on this blog back in May, issue 1 includes an all-new Combat Colin three-pager in full colour. Yes, the buffoon in a bobble hat is back!

Here's all the info from the official press release...

David Lloyd (V for Vendetta, Kickback) empowered the world
with his iconoclastic Guy Fawkes mask in V for Vendetta. Today, comic
conspirator Lloyd is changing the world with his publishing launch of an ambitious new online magazine called Aces Weekly.

Aces Weekly is a sequential art magazine, available exclusively through on-line subscription which will be released as seven weekly issues which form a volume. Each issue will have 3 landscape pages from 6 teams of contributors, plus many pages of extras such as artists sketches etc. Readers subscribe to volumes which cost £6.99/$9.99 per seven issue volume. 

Aces Weekly will be available exclusively on-line and feature all-new material.
Stored online, readers have access to their magazine wherever they have
web access. The website goes live September 30, 2012. 

What makes Aces Weekly special? The creators have more control then ever before. Lloyd explained the origin of the magazine, “The aim was to create something very much like a traditional weekly comic but without limiting the subject matter. We asked a range of creators who we knew to be excellent - the reason for the ' aces ' of our name - to do whatever they liked within certain bounds of taste, and they just came up with a great mix of stories. Creators in this business rarely get asked to do whatever they like, so that's part of the pull of the project for them. And they're enthused by the newness of the project and its potential for growth.”

Bambos Georgiou is the managing editor; “Most comic companies use creators to make money for the company, this company has been set up to make money for the creators. This time readers will know their money is going direct to the creators." All strips are creator owned.

Progenitor by Phil Hester & John McCrea

Lloyd, who along with writer Dave Jackson has created Valley Of Shadows for Acesweekly.co.uk, has gathered together some of the top names in the comic industry to appear in Aces Weekly, such as Kyle Baker, Steve Bissette, Colleen Doran, Bill Sienkiewicz, Billy Tucci and Herb Trimpe, including, alongside him in the first volume ; Phil Hester & John McCrea (Progenitor), JC Vaughn & Mark Wheatley (Return Of The Human) Alain Mauricet & Alexandre Tefenkgi (Shoot For The Moon) and David Hitchcock (Paradise Mechanism) who all contribute twenty-one page stories serialized over the first seven issue run. Also included in the first volume are stand alone three page strips by Lew Stringer (Combat Colin), Carl Critchlow (Thrud The Barbarian), David Leach (Psycho Gran), Esteban Hernández(Harmony), Phil Elliott (Gimbley)Rory Walker (Chloroform) and Mychailo Kazybrid & Bambos (Dr Queer).

Check out www.acesweekly.co.uk 
Goes on sale September 30, 2012, a seven
issue subscription costs £6.99/$9.99/€7.99
 
For updates email info@acesweekly.co.uk

Visit www.acesweekly.co.uk to see the best that comics have to offer!

Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/acesweekly
Follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/acesweekly
 
******************************

Obviously we're all hoping this project is going to succeed. Vested interest aside, it sounds like an exciting new comic and I'm eagerly looking forward to seeing what my fellow "Aces" have produced. (And very pleased that Oink's Psycho Gran is returning in an upcoming issue!) I really hope comic enthusiasts (and people new to comics) will support this because with the problems with distribution and retail in the UK the digital format is definitely one way forward. Aces Weekly is all-comic, no filler, no pandering to TV/toy brands, and definitely not bagged with a plastic toy!

The Fab 4000 project attracts Hollywood talent

News from Tim Quinn of a very worthy project including a concert at The Cavern on Monday 29th May...

A project created by the children of St Vincent’s School for the blind in Liverpool has inspired two Hollywood stars to fly over and pay a visit to the school. Chyler Leigh, star of the US TV series, ‘Supergirl’, and her musician/actor husband, Nathan West, were so impressed by the students’ creation of a brand new super-hero comic book featuring the pupils themselves showing how everyone can help to make the world a better place, even without super-powers, that they have arranged to drop into the school and give a few drama lessons at the end of May.

Word about the comic book spread through the cast of ‘Supergirl’ who all agree that it is a beautiful idea. Chyler and Nathan intend to help make the comic book go global via a website they are creating. They have also arranged to play 2 benefit concerts for the school at Liverpool’s legendary Cavern Club on 29th May. Chyler will be singing with Nathan’s band, East of Eli on the night and they will be welcoming the school choir on stage for a few numbers. They are also promising special surprise guests to join them on the gig, and will be holding a celebrity auction of Hollywood items. 

Before her role in ‘Supergirl’, Chyler was one of the leads in the award winning TV series ‘Grey’s Anatomy’. 

Tim Quinn writes:

Having spent many years of my career editing the extraordinary characters of Marvel Comics, the last thing I expected on my return to my hometown of Liverpool was to find real-life super-heroes wandering the corridors of a local school. But that is exactly what happened when I visited St Vincent’s School. I’d been invited into the school by the Head Teacher, Dr John Patterson who told me that his pupils were crazy for all things super-hero.  I hadn’t realised it was a school for the blind until I turned up there early one morning. I was moved to see that all of the students were dressed as super-heroes. It was an extraordinary sight to see them walking the school corridors with capes, masks, canes and seeing eye dogs.  

Sitting chatting with the students later that morning, I asked them what it was about super-heroes that they enjoyed so much.
“I love the colours,” said a girl, blind from birth.
“I like that they want to help everybody,” explained another student.
The children had been pulled into the super-hero world by listening to the award winning American TV series ‘Supergirl’.

Turns out that the students also enjoyed helping everybody. They had come up with a project to raise funds to send to people suffering from the blight of Black Fly in Africa. The dreaded Black Fly lays eggs in water systems causing people to go blind. Obviously a cause close to the children of St Vincent’s hearts. I’ve found a lot of heart at St Vincent’s School.

Inspired by the children, I worked with a fellow Marvel artist to create a brand new super-hero team based on St Vincent’s amazing pupils. The comic book tells the story of how they have come together to help people less fortunate than themselves. We call the team THE FAB 4000 – The World’s Largest Super-hero Team. We invite readers from other schools to get involved and become members of the team by following a simple super-hero charter that is featured in the comic.

I’m very happy to relate that the work of St Vincent’s pupils has come to the attention of the stars of ‘Supergirl’. Chyler Leigh and her actor/musician husband Nathan West were so moved to hear the story that they have arranged to fly over to the UK to visit the school and produce 2 benefit concerts for the school at the Cavern Club in Liverpool. Chyler and Nathan will be making a documentary about the children of the school and their extraordinary concept while they are in town. Chyler explains, “We think this idea is brilliant and we want to help to make it go global. We are so looking forward to our first visit to Merseyside.”

Flying straight from the cast of TV’s ‘Supergirl’ series, actress Chyler Leigh and her actor/musician husband Nathan West’s band East of Eli will be playing 2 very special gigs at Liverpool’s Cavern Club at 4pm and 8pm on Monday 29th May. The concerts are to benefit Liverpool’s St Vincent’s School for the blind. Chyler and Nathan are also bringing unique Hollywood and DC Comics items to include in an auction during the shows. PLUS: A brand new comic book will be launched by the pair that night! Look out for ‘The FAB 4000!’

Tickets going fast from:

4pm show:
https://www.cavernclub.org/events/event/east-eli-ft-chyler-leigh-benefit-concert-afternoon/

8pm show:
https://www.cavernclub.org/events/event/east-eli-ft-chyler-leigh-benefit-concert-evening-vip/

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

East of Eli and Chyler Leigh links:

https://youtu.be/aBKkzLr3Lt4

https://youtu.be/OR7wOy_i1eo

https://youtu.be/aFU658CHyIA

Perfect for Christmas nightmares

The Scarfolk Annual is coming this October. A perfect present for Christmas... if you think they're ready for it. 

If you know what Scarfolk is, you know what to expect. If not... be prepared to laugh... or be traumatised. It depends on you.

Here's the PR from their promo on Amazon:

A SCARFOLK SANCTIONED BOOK
AUTHORISED EDITION, AS SEEN ON THE RADIO

The Scarfolk Annual is the facsimile of a book discovered in a charity shop in the north west of England in August 2018. The shop, and indeed town, do not wish to be identified as they are keen to “discourage the ‘occult-totalitarian tourism’ that as afflicted other areas of Britain” as people hunt for further socio-archaeological traces of the mysterious, missing town of Scarfolk – Britain’s own Brutalist Atlantis.

Apart from the archive of Scarfolk materials which was sent anonymously to the late Dr Ben Motte and formed the basis of the book Discovering Scarfolk, this children’s annual is, to date, the only complete artefact from Scarfolk ever to be unearthed ‘in the wild’.

It’s clear The Scarfolk Annual was not written to entertain children at Christmastime; its purpose was to indoctrinate young minds; in fact, one might go as far as to say destroy young minds, to an end that has been lost to us.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Scarfolk-Annual-Richard-Littler/dp/0008307016

Daleks in the 21st Century

The Daleks return to our TV screens on Saturday night (September 1st, 7.20pm, BBC1) in the start of a five week run of Doctor Who. It occurred to me this week that I've actually seen every Dalek story that's been televised. Yes, I'm that old. 

Back in 1965, or 2065 as the comic insisted, TV Century 21 ran a regular Daleks comic strip on its back cover. For me, this was an even bigger draw than the spectacular strips inside which featured Fireball XL5, Stingray, Lady Penelope and others. I was therefore over the moon when TV21 No.23 featured The Daleks as the main cover feature. I'm pretty sure this is the first time The Daleks dominated the cover of any comic, so it's little wonder that this issue is highly collectible.

Covers of TV21 at this time always featured Gerry Anderson characters, so this issue (and a subsequent one which also featured Daleks) were very unusual. The reason they were featured was to promote "the exciting Dalek film being made by Regal Films International". You'll note there's curiously no mention of Doctor Who, even though the movie would be released as Dr.Who and The Daleks. 

The other reason for the cover feature was because that issue featured a competition to win an Inflatable Dalek by giving a name for the Red Dalek. All readers had to do was explain why they chose one of the six names listed. Interestingly, the comic strip had already featured a red Dalek with a name, - Zeg, - which was a far better than any of those names listed. 

Want to see what that issue's Dalek comic strip was like? Here you go...

Script: David Whittaker. Art: Richard Jennings.

This strip made such an impression on me when I was six that I distinctly remember making little Plasticine models of the Daleks, their flying saucer, and the snake creature so that I could re-enact the story.

What's great about The Daleks is that even today new generations of children find them just as fascinating as we did when they first appeared. TV21 was set in the 21st Century and now here we are in the real 21st Century and Daleks are still around. Long may they rule!

Desperate Times

Today's Daily Mirror, The Sun, and The Dandy

Yesterday's explosion of media interest in The Dandy online, and today in the national press, has been astounding. The rumours of the world's oldest comic facing its possible demise due to falling sales brought forth a ton of support and encouragement for The Dandy's survival. (Except for someone crowing "I told you so" and claiming he should be the new editor. There's always one.)

Even some bloggers who don't particularly like the modern version of the comic were hoping The Dandy will survive, and such optimism is very much appreciated by all involved with the comic. 

A spokesperson for DC Thomson said that they were currently carrying out a review of their magazines and that no firm decision had yet been taken.

The story broke on Monday night, initially it seems by The Guardian. Other online press sites swiftly picked up on it, basically repeating and re-wording the original news item. During Tuesday, the rumours were all across the Internet and were being reported on radio and TV in interviews with people such as Paul Gravett, Gary Northfield, Simon Donald, Rich Johnston, and Dr Chris Murray. The story spread abroad, with even The Washington Post covering it

So widespread is this story that it's too time consuming to follow every post, every thread, every comment. However from what I have read there's one thing that most of the media seems to have ignored: the work lost to artists. Comic fans appreciate this of course but the general press does not. They'll mention everything from cover prices to nostalgic whimsy for long-gone characters but what seems to have been overlooked is that cutbacks in the comics industry affect the livelihoods of cartoonists and writers, and freelancers receive no redundancy payments. The British comics industry still survives, but cutbacks are suddenly happening all over and everyone's swimming towards the same lifeboat.

Imagine a similar rumour going around about, say, the closure of an engineering firm, or cutbacks in schools, or shops closing some branches etc. Quite rightly, the paramount focus would be on people losing their jobs. Yet when the comics industry is threatened with cutbacks the media totally ignore the fact that the main people losing out are the ones crafting the stories that entertain readers or help teach children to read. (Although as we cartoonists are often told "It's not a proper job". In that case perhaps we should be exempt from paying proper tax.)

Interestingly, one newspaper reporting the rumour has mentioned the effect it has on creators and surprisingly it's today's edition of The Sun. It's cartoonist Steve Bright who makes the astute observation and at the end of his comments he says:

"Its publishers assure us that there is still an exciting future for The Dandy via new media opportunities. Whether that embraces the dwindling army of comic artists remains to be seen.

Drawing funny comics has always been a serious business for us. Today, it is also a very sad and worrying one." 

Well said, Steve. If the public stop to consider that comics are produced by people doing a job of work then it'll have been worthwhile.

See also Jamie Smart's excellent and passionate article for The Guardian: 

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2012/aug/14/why-the-dandy-still-matters?INTCMP=SRCH

The increased interest in The Dandy has led to many people saying they're going to start buying the comic again. That is indeed wonderful news, although as many newsagents no longer stock the comic those potential new readers might face considerable difficulty. My suggestion would be to try your local newsagents first, and if they don't have it try the bigger retailers such as WH Smith, Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury, etc.

Good luck! And as the old saying goes, Always Keep A Dandy Handy.

Aces Weekly - Don't miss out!

One of the new British comics launched this year was Aces Weekly, an anthology of brand new strips by a variety of creators. Similar to the traditional weekly comics of old in fact, but with important differences. Aces Weekly is exclusively digital, and all the strips are creator-owned. When you buy Aces Weekly you're not lining the bulging bank account of some big corporation. The comic is based on a profit-sharing scheme and although all the work is done up front for nothing, any profits are then divided equally amongst the contributors. 

Aces Weekly is the brainchild of V for Vendetta artist David Lloyd, who set up the concept with his own money earlier this year. The editor is Bambos Georgiou, who has numerous years of experience as an editor, writer, letterer and artist, and the contributors range from all over the world. Each volume of the comic consists of seven weekly issues for just £6.99 / $9.99 / €7.99 - a pound an issue! You can't say fairer than that.

The beauty of digital comics is that they're always available, so for those of you who haven't yet subscribed, here's what you're missing. In Volume One...

SHOOT FOR THE MOON
by Alexandre Tefenkgi and Mauricet

PROGENITOR
by Phil Hester, John McCrea and Matthew Wilson

VALLEY OF SHADOWS
by David Jackson and David Lloyd

RETURN OF THE HUMAN
by JC Vaughan and Mark Wheatley

PARADISE MECHANISM
by David Hitchcock from a plot by Kerry Hitchcock

COMBAT COLIN
by Lew Stringer

THRUD THE BARBARIAN
by Carl Critchlow

PSYCHO GRAN
by David Leach

A TALE FROM GIMBLEY
by Phil Elliott

DR QUEER
by Mychalio Kazybrid and Bambos Georgiou

HARMONY
by Estéban Hernandez

CHLOROFORMS
by Lucy Stone and Rory Walker

...and in Volume Two, which began a few weeks ago...

THE CAT THAT CAME TO CALL
by Kathryn Layno

SANTA CLAUS VS THE NAZIS
by Benjamin Dickson and Gavin Mitchell

BLUE CAT
by James Hudnall and Val Mayerik

THE KEPT WOMAN
by Algesiras and Yishan Li

LEGION ZERO
by Ferg Handley and Kev Hopgood

CATALYST ISLAND
by Henry Flint



Remember, Aces Weekly is exclusively digital. There's no point in 'waiting for the print edition' because there isn't going to be one. Producing a print edition would bump up the price considerably (due to paying printers, distributors, and retailers) and would make it unfeasible. I appreciate that some people can't access some digital comics because they require an iPad, but Aces Weekly can be read on any computer or tablet device. (Except, I understand, for small devices such as iPhones.)

Intrigued? Want to support a new UK / international comic? Follow the link to the Aces Weekly website and subscribe today!
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FRANKENTHING: A new Banx creation!

Many of you will be familiar with the work of Jeremy Banx, inventive creator of excellent strips such as Burp, Mr. Bignose, and Hector Vector and his Talking T-Shirt for Oink!, co-creator of The Driver for the original Toxic, and cartoonist for the Financial Times amongst other publications. Now he's unleashed another creation upon the world in the form of Frankenthing.

Frankenthing is a new comedy horror e-book written by Banx, profusely illustrated with his expert penmanship. It's available for the Kindle for just £1.99. (And there's a Kindle app for the iPad so you can read it on that instead if you wish.)

Here's the description of the book:

Dr Frankenstein tries to make a friend for his Monster. But it’s not so easy. The locals have locked up their cemeteries, they’re patrolling the streets and even the village butcher won’t serve him anymore.
So he makes one from something the castle cat (called Igor, of course) dragged in from the garden. Even though he hasn’t a clue what the something is.
Thus Frankenthing is born.
Frankenthing and the Monster become great friends. They play and laugh and dance. But Igor is lurking. He enjoyed killing Frankenthing so much the first time; he can’t wait to get his teeth and claws stuck in again.
Written and illustrated by award-winning cartoonist Jeremy Banx, FRANKENTHING is a humorous horror story filled with jokes, quirky characters and bizarre plot twists. For children and adults of all ages. 

It's a great read and Banx's artistic skills are better than ever. A must for fans of his work and for anyone interested in a good fun story with an edge to the humour. To go to the Amazon page to buy it click here. 

This week in 1971: COUNTDOWN No.38

Here are a few pages from the issue of Countdown that kids were reading this week in 1971. There's nothing significant about this issue, but the truth is every issue of Countdown was special because the artistic quality was so high so I thought you'd like to see an issue chosen at random.

As mentioned in previous posts a while ago, Countdown was published by Polystyle Publications and edited by Dennis Hooper, who had been the original art editor on Countdown's rival, TV Century 21. By 1971, TV21 had abandoned the license to publish strips based on Gerry Anderson TV shows so Countdown nipped in and took over. In essence, Countdown was a new version of TV21 in all but name. It also carried features on space exploration, as had TV21. 

Countdown's initial main selling points had been UFO and Doctor Who. Both still featured in this issue (No.38) but by this time the regular cover stars were The Persuaders, the new high profile ITC show starring Roger Moore and Tony Curtis. The art was by Harry Lindfield and continued inside...

Doctor Who was involved in an adventure set in the American Civil War, with artwork by Frank Langford...

The Doctor also featured in an advert for Sugar Smacks cereal, which in 1971 had a free Dr.Who badge in every pack. What better incentive to eat more sugary food and rot your teeth?

Gerry Anderson's TV series were represented with the first part of a new UFO serial running to six pages. Art by Gerry Haylock. Reprints of Stingray and Fireball XL5 also featured in the issue, which had previously appeared only six years earlier in TV21.

Countdown was also the title of the ongoing strip saga of the same name illustrated by John Burns. An original strip, but using spacecraft designs from 2001: A Space Odyssey. This serial definitely deserves to be collected in a reprint edition but the rights surrounding the 2001 designs seem to be a setback. 

One of the regular articles in the comic at this time were photographs taken from Apollo 15, the ninth manned space mission. I was 12 years old at the time and anything regarding space exploration was exciting as far as I was concerned. An actual close up photo of the Moon, on the back of a comic! I'm afraid that rival comics such as Hornet or Tiger couldn't top that with relatively mundane photos of footballers! 

Countdown was a great comic, although perhaps most kids preferred its competitor, Look-In, because a few months later Countdown underwent a big revamp to become TV Action with a focus on more grounded shows such as Hawaii Five-O and The Protectors. It still retained a high quality of art though, and issues are worth seeking out.