tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-327380972012-01-29T00:11:20.252ZSomewhere I can talk about my favourite subjects: old British comics, story papers and paperbacks.Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12010426017572710283noreply@blogger.comBlogger23151100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32738097.post-82675087298941763802012-01-28T05:03:00.002Z2012-01-28T07:44:19.268Z

Edward de Roo has turned up on Bear Alley before, at which time I had a dig around and found out zero about him. I thought I'd have another stab at it and found a little; and this time I've also made an attempt to compile a list of his work. Edward John De Roo was born 7 July 1922, the son of Isaac De Roo and his wife Hazel. Isaac was a first generation American, his parents having imigrated

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12010426017572710283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32738097.post-74973411056866384202012-01-27T05:03:00.001Z2012-01-27T05:03:00.302Z

I'm pleased to announce that the second proof of Pages from History arrived during the week and I'm putting in a print order today. So those of you who have been kind enought to pre-order the book should get their copies before the official publication date of 6 February. For those of you who get in the last week of the month, there's still time to order a copy at the discount rate. I wanted to

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12010426017572710283noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32738097.post-57976894286592445142012-01-27T05:02:00.001Z2012-01-27T05:02:00.211Z

(* © Evening News)

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12010426017572710283noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32738097.post-63246160394865113972012-01-26T05:03:00.001Z2012-01-26T05:03:00.281Z

(* © Evening News)

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12010426017572710283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32738097.post-5100030440677400542012-01-25T05:03:00.002Z2012-01-25T09:46:04.288Z

(A few people spotted my not-deliberate mistake yesterday... I posted Wednesday's strips on Tuesday; I've now dropped in the missing episodes.) (* © Evening News)

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12010426017572710283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32738097.post-63931754676471755862012-01-24T05:03:00.003Z2012-01-25T09:48:05.342Z

(* © Evening News)

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12010426017572710283noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32738097.post-77256630187288246702012-01-23T05:03:00.003Z2012-01-25T09:47:10.966Z

As promised, here's another Paul Temple adventure for your delectation and, hopefully, delight. As with the previous series, I'll be running these Monday through Friday with a break at the weekend so I get a chance to post a cover gallery or some bits of random research rather than doing what I'm supposed to be doing, which is working on the next book. We've all got to have a break some time.

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12010426017572710283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32738097.post-28776565673374717422012-01-22T05:03:00.002Z2012-01-22T05:03:00.559Z

Although Philip Pullman is nowadays best known for the three novels that make up the His Dark Materials trilogy, which were bestsellers in the latter half of the 1990s and into the new millennium, he had earlier written a series of four novels set in Victorian England featuring Sally Lockhart. Although thought of as being aimed at children, they have surprisingly (or, perhaps, not so surprisingly

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12010426017572710283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32738097.post-34998966289649367302012-01-21T05:03:00.001Z2012-01-21T05:03:00.245Z

I had an enquiry during the week asking what I knew about Captain Henry Taprell Dorling, who wrote naval thrillers under the name Taffrail. To be honest, I knew nothing, so I did a little digging around and came up with the following. Dorling was born in Duns, Berwickshire, on 8 September 1883, the son of Francis Dorling of Farnborough, Hampshire, a Colonel in the Royal Sussex Regiment, and his

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12010426017572710283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32738097.post-26994713410452783122012-01-20T05:03:00.015Z2012-01-20T09:07:29.125Z

I'm very grateful to everyone who has so far pre-ordered the Pages from History Illustrated by C. L. Doughty book. It was a title I was a little nervous about because, for all his talents, Doughty is not a well known name amongst collectors. The lack of reprints in the past has consigned a great many very talented artists and writers to obscurity and even the recent boom in British comics'

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12010426017572710283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32738097.post-3097339424460550552012-01-20T05:01:00.013Z2012-01-20T05:01:02.382Z

Neville DearAngus McBrideAngus McBrideAngus McBrideAngus McBrideSeverino Baraldi? (* World of Wonder © Look and Learn Ltd.) Pages from History Illustrated by C. L. Doughty  Don't forget to take advantage of our 10% off pre-order offer!

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12010426017572710283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32738097.post-56467568342835355722012-01-19T05:03:00.003Z2012-01-19T23:53:50.371Z

 Ron EmbletonWilf Hardy?Angus McBrideMartin Aitchison(* World of Wonder © Look and Learn Ltd.) Pages from History Illustrated by C. L. Doughty  Don't forget to take advantage of our 10% off pre-order offer!

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12010426017572710283noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32738097.post-42496663448431765162012-01-18T05:03:00.002Z2012-01-19T23:52:34.056Z

 Neville DearGraham Coton Angus McBride ?Martin Aitchison (* World of Wonder © Look and Learn Ltd.) Pages from History Illustrated by C. L. Doughty  Don't forget to take advantage of our 10% off pre-order offer!

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12010426017572710283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32738097.post-10765905484056892002012-01-17T05:03:00.004Z2012-01-19T23:50:37.413Z

Ron EmbletonAngus McBrideGraham CotonSeverino Baraldi?Angus McBride (* World of Wonder © Look and Learn Ltd.) Pages from History Illustrated by C. L. Doughty  Don't forget to take advantage of our 10% off pre-order offer!

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12010426017572710283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32738097.post-54951639755336403402012-01-16T05:03:00.016Z2012-01-19T23:48:57.259Z

Wilf Hardy Clive UpttonSeverino Baraldi?Luis Arcas? (* World of Wonder © Look and Learn Ltd.) Pages from History Illustrated by C. L. Doughty  Don't forget to take advantage of our 10% off pre-order offer!

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12010426017572710283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32738097.post-89216919462813085002012-01-15T05:03:00.000Z2012-01-15T05:03:00.152Z

B. E. M. Ward was the author of a handful of small (4¾" x 7¼") books published by London-based Regency Press in 1945-46. I've never seen any of them but, via Morgan Wallace, I now have a scan of one of the covers, possibly the first book they published. The cover is by Doug who also signed his name Douglas on other similar chapbooks from the same period. Having fruitlessly search for information

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12010426017572710283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32738097.post-80324239221309631012012-01-14T05:03:00.007Z2012-01-18T06:19:30.430Z

Reginald Hill, the crime novelist who created Superintendent Andy Dalziel and Sergeant Peter Pascoe in his first novel, A Clubbable Woman, died on 12 January 2012 at the age of 75 after fighting cancer for a year. Born Reginald Charles Hill in Hartlepool, Durham, on 3 April 1936, he was the son of Hartlepool United footballer Reg Hill, who moved his family to Cumbria when his young son was aged

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12010426017572710283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32738097.post-129126686503407082012-01-13T05:03:00.000Z2012-01-13T08:14:07.073Z

And the good news for today is that the proof of Pages from History Illustrated by C. L. Doughty is in and I'm very pleased with the way the book has come out. There is still some minor adjustments to be made and I'm waiting on reports from my little team of proofreaders, but I'm not anticipating any major problems. With that in mind, the book is now available for pre-order and I'm anticipating

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12010426017572710283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32738097.post-26322809951401430092012-01-13T05:01:00.001Z2012-01-19T23:46:41.383Z

Eustaquio Segrelles Emilio FrejoEustaquio SegrellesEmilio Frejo(* World of Wonder © Look and Learn Ltd.)

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12010426017572710283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32738097.post-3724677604022097932012-01-12T05:03:00.008Z2012-01-19T23:42:33.569Z

  Ron Embleton Angus McBride Ron Embleton (* World of Wonder © Look and Learn Ltd.)

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12010426017572710283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32738097.post-17491086210191321952012-01-11T05:03:00.002Z2012-01-11T20:42:01.442Z

Wilf HardyNeville Dear Alexander OliphantWilf Hardy (* World of Wonder © Look and Learn Ltd.)

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12010426017572710283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32738097.post-54016204638206440422012-01-10T05:04:00.008Z2012-01-28T08:25:49.605Z

JANUARY 2012  Ampney Crucis Investigates: Vile Bodies by Ian Edginton & Simon Davis. Rebellion ISBN 978-1907992940, 19 January 2012, 96pp, £11.99. [£9.59 from Amazon] England, 1928. Lord Ampney Crucis was a dashing, smart and charming young man, tipped to rise to the top of high society. But then the Great War happened, and a close encounter with an otherworldly entity in no man's land drove

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12010426017572710283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32738097.post-19218460362337059032012-01-10T05:02:00.046Z2012-01-28T09:47:01.882Z

A round-up of forthcoming books relating to or reprinting British comics and cartoons, along with some selected original graphic novels. JANUARY 2012 Ampney Crucis Investigates: Vile Bodies by Ian Edginton & Simon Davis. Rebellion ISBN 978-1907992940, 19 January 2012. Frontier: Dealing With Demons by Jason Cobley & Andrew Wildman. Print Media Productions  ISBN 978-0956712134, 28 January

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12010426017572710283noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32738097.post-90116135343846853592012-01-09T05:02:00.010Z2012-01-09T05:02:00.743Z

A round up of recently released titles reprinting or relating to British comics. Some titles announced for publication in the past few months but which have yet to appear can be found on the Upcoming Releases listing. An expanded, annotated and illustrated version of this list covering releases in 2010 can be found here. An expanded listing for January to April 2011 can be found here

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12010426017572710283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32738097.post-15930358955236919722012-01-08T05:03:00.095Z2012-01-08T23:43:23.326Z

Andrew Garve was the pen-name of reporter and foreign correspondent Paul Winterton (1908-2001), who worked for the News Chronicle in the 1930s, becoming their Moscow correspondent in 1942 for the duration of the war. After publishing a number of non-fiction books, his first novel appeared under the pen-name Roger Bax. A few years later he began writing as Andrew Garve and, later still, he began a

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12010426017572710283noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32738097.post-80298293986057597932012-01-07T05:03:00.001Z2012-01-07T05:03:03.691Z

Alice Maud Meadows was once described by Percy Muir (in English Children's Books) as the successful author of "Frantic Flossie" novelettes, her early career having been established writing novelettes for cheap penny library titles like Edwin Brett's The Princess's Novelettes. She later edited Brett's Keepsake Novels (1906-10) and was probably involved editorially with Brett's earlier cheap

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12010426017572710283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32738097.post-12775139962429854852012-01-06T05:04:00.031Z2012-01-06T05:04:01.661Z

This is the first Comic Cuts column written in 2012, so Happy New Year to you all. I hope you survived Christmas and aren't feeling too partied out as I have an annoucement to make. Finally, after months of working on it, I've finished the Pages from History book. All 172 pages of it. I managed to complete the layouts on Tuesday and then had the joyful (?) task of writing over 100 captions to

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12010426017572710283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32738097.post-62119968826083340742012-01-06T05:02:00.001Z2012-01-06T05:02:02.858Z

   Angus McBride (* World of Wonder © Look and Learn Ltd.)

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12010426017572710283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32738097.post-1289019781189422662012-01-05T05:03:00.002Z2012-01-07T23:23:39.431Z

Musio? Ken PettsC. L. DoughtyC. L. Doughty (* World of Wonder © Look and Learn Ltd.)

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12010426017572710283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32738097.post-36351922402765536832012-01-04T05:03:00.002Z2012-01-07T23:20:57.029Z

 Wilf Hardy David NocklesGerry Wood(* World of Wonder © Look and Learn Ltd.)

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12010426017572710283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32738097.post-65492587024629570722012-01-03T19:16:00.001Z2012-01-04T07:19:57.789Z

Ronald Searle, best known as the creator of St Trinian's, died peacefully in a hospital in France on 30 December 2011, aged 91. Born in Cambridge on 3 March 1920, Ronald William Fordham Searle was the son of a railwayman and was educated at Boys' Central School, Cambridge. He worked as a solicitor's clerk and in the HP department of the Co-op, spending his evenings studying at Cambridge Technical

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12010426017572710283noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32738097.post-52634327371074199702012-01-03T05:03:00.008Z2012-01-07T23:19:34.510Z

    Mike WhittleseaAlexander Oliphant (* World of Wonder © Look and Learn Ltd.)

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12010426017572710283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32738097.post-13524191634395634732012-01-02T05:03:00.008Z2012-01-09T08:22:49.524Z

We begin the new year with a return to the pages of World of Wonder and a splash of colour. World of Wonder was a British educational magazine that ran in the early 1970s. I have — thanks to a very kindly soul donating them — a fairly reasonable run of issues. They're a bit battered but many of the illustrations still shine out and in them I've found beautiful examples of work by Ron Embleton,

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12010426017572710283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32738097.post-36888721573759789172012-01-01T06:03:00.000Z2012-01-14T08:59:46.796Z

This is an expanded and annotated, illustrated listing of titles reprinting or relating to British comics. A full listing covering releases in 2010 can be found here. JANUARY 2011 Dan Dare: Trip to Trouble by Eric Eden & Frank Bellamy. Titan Books ISBN 978-1848563667, 28 January 2011. It's chocks away once again as Dan Dare, Pilot of the Future, returns! First published in classic British

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12010426017572710283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32738097.post-30455619057564509142012-01-01T06:02:00.000Z2012-01-14T08:59:17.628Z

An expanded look at recently released books relating to or reprinting British comics and cartoons, along with some selected original graphic novels. A fuller list of recent releases can be found below, and expanded coverage of releases from January to April 2011 can be found here. MAY 2011 The Bendatti Vendetta by Robbie Morrison & John Burns. Rebellion ISBN 978-1907519864, 12 May 2011,

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12010426017572710283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32738097.post-70949646112685957402012-01-01T06:01:00.000Z2012-01-14T08:58:39.020Z

September 2011 The Beano and the Dandy Celebrate Dennis the Menace. D. C. Thomson ISBN 978-1845354602, 12 September 2011, 144pp, £12.99. [£8.99 from Amazon] Menaces and Minxes of all ages will enjoy this premium pack. A luxury book with a fantastic DVD of classic Beano animation, plus a fabulous reproduction of The Beano comic from 1951 featuring the first ever Dennis the Menace comic strip!__

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12010426017572710283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32738097.post-31493407844133591892012-01-01T05:03:00.086Z2012-01-01T05:03:00.168Z

Tracking down hard data on the state of the comics industry isn't always easy but I have to hand a decent list of sales figures for 2011 with enough information to present the following charts covering the Top 75 annuals and Top 23 graphic novels for 2011. For those of you not used to the traditional British annual, the annuals published in 2011 are usually dated 2012, a tradition that began

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12010426017572710283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32738097.post-31191882185575746942011-12-31T05:03:00.001Z2011-12-31T05:03:00.593Z

 (* World of Wonder © Look and Learn Ltd.)

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12010426017572710283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32738097.post-27916020914040840302011-12-30T05:05:00.015Z2011-12-30T05:05:00.273Z

This is going to be brief as I've spent most of the week relaxing in front of the television, and almost as much of the week thinking how lousy TV is nowadays. There's usually just enough to keep me and Mel entertained of an evening, with the occasional dip into a box set or a film on DVD, so it usually works out quite nicely; Christmas, on the other hand, means family and, most years, my

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12010426017572710283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32738097.post-62435335213168914242011-12-30T05:04:00.001Z2011-12-30T05:04:01.029Z

Alan Moore recently spoke at the Nine Lessons and Carols for Godless People at the Bloomsbury Theatre on 18-23 December 2011. The interview below was recorded backstage by Adam Smith. (* © The Rationalist Association.)

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12010426017572710283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32738097.post-28994215575319428532011-12-30T05:03:00.001Z2011-12-30T05:03:00.327Z

 (* World of Wonder © Look and Learn Ltd.)

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12010426017572710283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32738097.post-37027845554601624842011-12-29T05:03:00.001Z2011-12-29T05:03:00.843Z

 (* World of Wonder © Look and Learn Ltd.)

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12010426017572710283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32738097.post-83765879607422325252011-12-28T05:03:00.001Z2011-12-28T05:03:00.979Z

 (* World of Wonder © Look and Learn Ltd.)

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12010426017572710283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32738097.post-30197739528895425582011-12-27T05:03:00.001Z2011-12-27T05:03:00.613Z

 (* World of Wonder © Look and Learn Ltd.)

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12010426017572710283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32738097.post-16684366336547823752011-12-26T05:03:00.001Z2011-12-26T05:03:01.630Z

 (* World of Wonder © Look and Learn Ltd.)

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12010426017572710283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32738097.post-71419517336282714912011-12-25T05:03:00.001Z2011-12-25T05:03:03.696Z

 (* World of Wonder © Look and Learn Ltd.)

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12010426017572710283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32738097.post-43006785976188390732011-12-24T05:03:00.001Z2011-12-24T05:03:02.151Z

 (* World of Wonder © Look and Learn Ltd.)

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12010426017572710283noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32738097.post-27134307189798574732011-12-23T05:04:00.091Z2011-12-23T05:04:00.545Z

Merry Christmas! The tree is up and decorated, there's tinsel around all the light fittings and dangly things that brush the top of your head every time you walk through the living room. It's Christmas time in the Alley! I've had a busy week on the run-up to Christmas, having decided to try and get Bear Alley Books back on track while everyone else is worrying about wrapping gifts and getting

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12010426017572710283noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32738097.post-26389483605388799242011-12-23T05:03:00.002Z2011-12-23T05:03:00.170Z

 (* World of Wonder © Look and Learn Ltd.)

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12010426017572710283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32738097.post-10141296267755438902011-12-22T05:03:00.002Z2011-12-22T05:03:00.042Z

  (* World of Wonder © Look and Learn Ltd.)

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12010426017572710283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32738097.post-37336978939386884542011-12-21T05:03:00.016Z2011-12-21T05:03:00.515Z

'A Leap Into the Future' appeared in the early issues of World of Wonder, which we have been discussing in recent weeks. The (irregular) trip through the illustrations of WoW will return in the new year but for the next eleven days we will be publishing an episode each day for folks who fancy a break from the Christmas and New Year festivities. The artist is Gerry Wood, who later went on to

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12010426017572710283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32738097.post-27166901195753028222011-12-20T05:03:00.001Z2011-12-20T05:03:01.663Z

 (* Artwork © Look and Learn Ltd. Reprinted by permission.)

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12010426017572710283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32738097.post-60742626875097496012011-12-19T06:03:00.001Z2011-12-19T06:42:41.097Z

 (* Artwork © Look and Learn Ltd. Reprinted by permission.)

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12010426017572710283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32738097.post-17018341259799863332011-12-18T05:03:00.035Z2011-12-18T05:03:03.361Z

Edith S. Billings wrote a couple of historical novels and is not the kind of author I would normally stumble across. However, she popped up on the radar of my mate John Herrington, who dropped me a line asking what thoughts I had on her somewhat erratic claims about how old she was. It begins with a rather straightforward claim on a passport application in which Edith S. Billings claimed she was

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12010426017572710283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32738097.post-1163921976300608102011-12-17T07:05:00.002Z2011-12-17T07:05:00.341Z

Who is the mysterious Cha' Bril? His career in the UK was brief and even then had a stop-start quality to it which made me wonder whether Cha' Bril was actually a pen-name used by someone who knocked out some SF covers between other assignments. His work appears in two batches: first, two covers for Badger Books in July 1960 illustrating R. Lionel Fanthorpe's Asteroid Man and A. J. Merak's

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12010426017572710283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32738097.post-30740679971334886042011-12-16T05:03:00.009Z2011-12-16T05:03:02.627Z

I've little to report after last week's excitement. Back in August I agreed to write a couple of pieces for the upcoming volume of Del Tebeo al Manga, a history of comics published by Panini in Spain, having already contributed to an earlier volume (above). The deadline was four months away so I wasn't in a hurry to get to it... and, suddenly it was December and the deadline was this week. I had

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12010426017572710283noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32738097.post-91691972902349484932011-12-16T05:02:00.001Z2011-12-16T05:02:01.214Z

 (* Artwork © Look and Learn Ltd. Reprinted by permission.)

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12010426017572710283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32738097.post-14086186969063388642011-12-15T05:03:00.001Z2011-12-15T05:03:01.988Z

 (* Artwork © Look and Learn Ltd. Reprinted by permission.)

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12010426017572710283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32738097.post-27370519554463152702011-12-14T05:03:00.001Z2011-12-14T05:03:00.428Z

 (* Artwork © Look and Learn Ltd. Reprinted by permission.)

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12010426017572710283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32738097.post-2550085209265618812011-12-13T05:03:00.001Z2011-12-13T05:03:01.923Z

 (* Artwork © Look and Learn Ltd. Reprinted by permission.)

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12010426017572710283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32738097.post-37405969369881721292011-12-12T05:03:00.001Z2011-12-12T05:03:01.702Z

 (* Artwork © Look and Learn Ltd. Reprinted by permission.)

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12010426017572710283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32738097.post-36393670428779134112011-12-11T08:24:00.000Z2011-12-11T08:24:18.094Z

The Alan Moore / Frank Miller spat, which began with Miller's vitriolic attack on the Occupy movement and (so far) ended with Moore's comments in a recent interview, has attracted quite a bit of attention in the UK media and is now inspiring cartoons. If you spot any more, let me know. (* The Luvvies by Andrew Birch, 9 December 2011 (top) © The Independent.)

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12010426017572710283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32738097.post-10739133510485262342011-12-11T05:03:00.002Z2011-12-11T11:31:32.509Z

Arthur Henry Brown was born in Appledore, Kent, on 24 August 1924, the youngest son of William Brown and his wife Annie Florence (nee Gibson). Along with his two older brothers, Brown grew up in Appledore and showed an early aptitude for creative writing, winning a national story competition run by Cadbury's at the age of eight - the prize being 30 bars of chocolate. After working for the Co-op

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12010426017572710283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32738097.post-17438636742963418192011-12-10T05:03:00.004Z2011-12-10T05:03:00.459Z

Wendy: The British Comic Not Published in Britainby Jeremy Briggs There is a modern comic associated with DC Thomson that gets mentioned from time to time but most people know little about it because, unlike Commando, BeanoMAX or the other DCT titles, we can't just go into a shop and buy one - not in the United Kingdom at least. Wendy is a comic magazine aimed at 8-15 year old girls with a

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12010426017572710283noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32738097.post-40920052335245737292011-12-09T05:04:00.174Z2011-12-12T09:15:30.644Z

Some good news just arrived — always nice to have on the run-up to Christmas. There is to be a French-language edition of Eagles Over the Western Front. Look and Learn Ltd. has just signed a deal with a publisher in France, who will do their own 3-volume collection of the strip. The deal also covers the three introductory pieces I wrote for the volumes. So watch out for Aigles sur le front

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12010426017572710283noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32738097.post-21041397608057555462011-12-09T05:02:00.003Z2011-12-09T05:02:00.283Z

 (* Artwork © Look and Learn Ltd. Reprinted by permission.)

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12010426017572710283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32738097.post-32641274856843937942011-12-08T05:03:00.001Z2011-12-08T05:03:00.233Z

 (* Artwork © Look and Learn Ltd. Reprinted by permission.)

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12010426017572710283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32738097.post-48039390637655523202011-12-07T05:03:00.001Z2011-12-07T05:03:01.797Z

 (* Artwork © Look and Learn Ltd. Reprinted by permission.)

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12010426017572710283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32738097.post-88458527085599868452011-12-06T05:04:00.003Z2011-12-06T05:04:00.511Z

As I mentioned on Friday, further information about the upcoming Trigan Empire movie is likely to trickle out over the next few weeks and months. Well, it hasn't taken long. At shortly before midnight last night, Chris Weston tweeted... ... with a link to the Wikipedia entry on the Trigan Empire strip.

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12010426017572710283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32738097.post-18652078739581243902011-12-06T05:03:00.001Z2011-12-06T05:03:01.485Z

 (* Artwork © Look and Learn Ltd. Reprinted by permission.)

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12010426017572710283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32738097.post-55835431597007239672011-12-05T05:03:00.001Z2011-12-05T05:03:01.037Z

With the 200th anniversary of Charles Dickens' birth due on 7 February 2012, there are a great many celebrations of the authors' works planned. BBC Radio 4 has already nailed its colours to the mast, with the announcement of a number of shows to be broadcast over the next couple of months. I was looking for something Christmassy for the run-up to December 25th and found this superb adaptation of

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12010426017572710283noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32738097.post-37221133761545605082011-12-02T23:03:00.003Z2011-12-06T08:49:24.326Z

About two and a half years ago, I was talking to someone and had one of those "Don't tell anyone, but..." conversations that fires you up to the core. The kind of excitement where you can feel your heart thumping in your eardrums and brings you out in a momentary sweat. "Don't tell anyone, but Trigan Empire has just been optioned as a movie," said... well, it was "a good human source" as Nick

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12010426017572710283noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32738097.post-91594755199431897062011-12-02T00:02:00.002Z2011-12-03T09:02:56.564Z

This has been a bit of a no news week as far as work on the next Bear Alley Books book is concerned. Between gardening and scanning the World of Wonder illustrations intended for this week's blog, there wasn't any time left over last weekend. This week has been pretty jam packed and any spare time I had was taken up with trying to catch up with e-mails — the number of unread e-mails was starting

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12010426017572710283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32738097.post-19979502809918477772011-12-02T00:01:00.002Z2011-12-02T00:01:00.321Z

Anne McCaffrey, the American science fiction writer, died on Monday, 21 November, following a stroke. She was 85. McCaffrey is probably best known for her Dragonriders of Pern series, set on a distant planet colonised by humans where deadly spores (threads) descend regularly from a neighbouring planet. The human colonies are protected by genetically manipulated fire-breathing dragons and it is

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12010426017572710283noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32738097.post-54212540115607303142011-12-01T05:03:00.002Z2011-12-01T22:34:27.907Z

      Martin Aitchison (* World of Wonder © Look and Learn Ltd.)

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12010426017572710283noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32738097.post-76182332465080809352011-11-30T05:03:00.002Z2011-12-01T22:47:58.019Z

Alexander Oliphant Alexander Oliphant Wilf Hardy  Ron Embleton (reprint from Look and Learn 72, 1 June 1963)(* World of Wonder © Look and Learn Ltd.)

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12010426017572710283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32738097.post-85608250966814591322011-11-29T05:03:00.003Z2011-12-03T22:37:00.696Z

Alessandro Biffignandi? ? ? C. L. Doughty(* World of Wonder © Look and Learn Ltd.)

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12010426017572710283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32738097.post-5827493194082610232011-11-27T05:03:00.004Z2011-12-08T07:52:38.434Z

David Langdon OBE, who died on 18 November aged 97, came to prominence as a cartoonist in the 1930s drawing for Punch but his most famous character was born out of the wartime blackout. Mr. Billy Brown of London Town was a pinstriped, bowler-hatted gentleman who, in a series of posters on safety issues for London Transport, everything from taking care when you step off a bus in the dark to

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12010426017572710283noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32738097.post-71320908363367757952011-11-25T05:03:00.062Z2011-12-11T19:26:48.716Z

This week's progress report on the C. L. Doughty collection has - unlike last week - some progress to report! I spent all weekend and Monday on completing the artwork clean-up and relettering of three of the strips, so I now have 65 pages finished, subject to proofing. The fourth strip is scanned but the pages are so huge I had to do each one in four parts which need to be pieced together like a

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12010426017572710283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32738097.post-9149018046685612122011-11-23T05:02:00.004Z2011-12-03T22:35:04.543Z

C. L. DoughtyG. Robinson John M. Burns (* World of Wonder &copy: Look and Learn Ltd.)

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12010426017572710283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32738097.post-62698312308401733142011-11-22T05:03:00.003Z2011-12-03T22:39:20.199Z

G. B. Bertoli? Our second selection of World of Wonder illustrations includes a feature on the chemical composition of the body. I find this kind of trivia endlessly fascinating and it's absolutely guaranteed to distract me from the job in hand, which is cleaning up the pics for this column. If you want to follow up on how much your body might actually be worth, there are some interesting takes

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12010426017572710283noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32738097.post-22850625617353570992011-11-21T05:03:00.006Z2011-12-03T22:32:24.955Z

Carlo Jacono Over the next few days I'm planning to run some illustrations from the pages of World of Wonder, an educational weekly that appeared between 1970 and 1975. Edited in London by Bob Bartholomew, the paper was intended to be a cross-European magazine and was designed in such a way that the text could be easily removed and translated text could be dropped in. The results were printed in

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12010426017572710283noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32738097.post-85449151936624952122011-11-20T05:03:00.002Z2011-11-21T17:25:37.889Z

Sir Fred Hoyle (1915-2001) was a British scientist who made some astonishing, occasionally controversial, claims about the universe. He was a champion of the steady state theory but, coincidentally, also coined the term 'Big Bang' for an alternative theory now widely accepted. I read an article some time ago which argued that Hoyle should have received a Nobel prize but... well, read the article.

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12010426017572710283noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32738097.post-63798527614086504112011-11-19T05:03:00.001Z2011-11-19T05:03:00.240Z

BASH STREET'S SCHOOLby Jeremy Briggs The Bash Street Kids are some of the best known and beloved Beano characters. Their first appearance was in the issue of the comic dated 13 February 1954 when their strip was initially called 'When The Bell Rings' and was drawn by their artistic creator Leo Baxendale. Their popularity continues today, almost sixty years later, with their adventures now being

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12010426017572710283noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32738097.post-2818037461858779862011-11-18T05:03:00.002Z2011-11-18T07:52:24.802Z

Work continues on the C. L. Doughty book, albeit slowly as I spent some time over last weekend writing up Mick Anglo and then had to dig around for information on Terry Willers on Tuesday, which cut into what little spare time I have at the moment. But the good news is that the first pass on two of the four strips is now complete and most (85%) of the third strip is also clean. I need to go over

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12010426017572710283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32738097.post-10965790939250137882011-11-18T05:01:00.001Z2011-11-18T05:01:00.262Z

 (* Artwork © Look and Learn Ltd. Reprinted by permission.)

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12010426017572710283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32738097.post-27663728611198703422011-11-17T05:03:00.001Z2011-11-17T05:03:01.030Z

 (* Artwork © Look and Learn Ltd. Reprinted by permission.)

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12010426017572710283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32738097.post-63654202146921425992011-11-16T05:03:00.001Z2011-11-16T05:03:00.674Z

 (* Artwork © Look and Learn Ltd. Reprinted by permission.)

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12010426017572710283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32738097.post-62496366549410635232011-11-15T20:36:00.000Z2011-11-15T20:36:07.742Z

Terry Willers, whose career in cartoons, comics and animation lasted 60 years, died on 9 November, aged 76. Willers had lived in Ireland for most of his later life, in Carrigower and for over 40 years in Rathdrum, both in County Wicklow. In 1992, Willers was the co-founder and chairman of the Guinness International Cartoon Festival, which ran for three years in Rathdrum. He was a winner of the

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12010426017572710283noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32738097.post-75245868104084556402011-11-15T05:03:00.001Z2011-11-15T05:03:00.730Z

 (* Artwork © Look and Learn Ltd. Reprinted by permission.)

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12010426017572710283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32738097.post-89163316229284621382011-11-14T05:03:00.001Z2011-11-14T05:03:00.383Z

 (* Artwork © Look and Learn Ltd. Reprinted by permission.)

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12010426017572710283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32738097.post-20897172689622376842011-11-13T09:30:00.001Z2011-11-13T11:27:42.159Z

Mick Anglo, best known as the creator of Marvelman, Britain's most infamous superhero, died on 31 October at the age of 95. Born Maurice Anglovitz in Aldgate East, London, on 19 June 1916 and educated at the Central Foundation School, Anglo went on to study art at the John Cass School, London. His first professional work was drawing fashion sketches — his family being in the tailoring business

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12010426017572710283noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32738097.post-33212779705550947822011-11-13T05:03:00.000Z2011-11-13T06:12:53.809Z

Kenneth Roy Hayles was born in Cowes, Isle of Wight, in 1923 but emigrated to Australia shortly after the Second World War. He returned to England in 1952-64, working as a screenwriter for Republic and others, penning episodes of Stryker of the Yard, a half-hour series distributed in cinemas in 1953-54 and later shown on TV (at least as late as 1972). One of Hayles' stories, 'The Case of the Two

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12010426017572710283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32738097.post-61730956383923993282011-11-12T05:15:00.001Z2011-11-12T07:25:14.588Z

Back in the early 1980s, a series of magazines was published by Viaduct Publishing with the title Complete Bestsellers, later shortened to Bestsellers. I was digging around for information on the artists who had contributed to the various issues and found that the series had extended beyond those titles currently listed on the Fictionmags Index. I found a reference to a vol. 4 no.3, although

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12010426017572710283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32738097.post-4766119257336971922011-11-11T05:03:00.021Z2011-11-11T05:03:00.160Z

Having commented a couple of weeks ago on how planned projects can drag on, I'm pleased to say that the next offering from Bear Alley Books is starting to shape up. The title will be Pages From History: Illustrated by C. L. Doughty and the end book will be about double the size I originally planned. The origins of the book date back to early 2010 when I was working on a collection of H. Rider

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12010426017572710283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32738097.post-11322480559253556832011-11-11T05:02:00.001Z2011-11-11T05:02:00.296Z

 (* Artwork © Look and Learn Ltd. Reprinted by permission.)

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12010426017572710283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32738097.post-82103273287927030542011-11-10T05:03:00.001Z2011-11-10T05:03:00.562Z

 (* Artwork © Look and Learn Ltd. Reprinted by permission.)

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12010426017572710283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32738097.post-26715485725669347392011-11-09T05:03:00.001Z2011-11-09T05:03:00.982Z

 (* Artwork © Look and Learn Ltd. Reprinted by permission.)

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12010426017572710283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32738097.post-7252897971152220542011-11-08T05:03:00.001Z2011-11-08T05:03:00.213Z

 (* Artwork © Look and Learn Ltd. Reprinted by permission.)

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12010426017572710283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32738097.post-68308358170579162232011-11-07T05:03:00.001Z2011-11-07T05:03:00.458Z

A classic novel by Jack London, his follow-up to the more famous The Call of the Wild, The Sea-Wolf is the brutal story, which London clothed with references to psychology, philosophy and evolutionary theory. The leading player, Humphrey van Weydon, is a priviledged intellectual, thrown into the hands of the cruel Wolf Larsen, who rules over his ship, The Ghost, and its crew with his fists. Van

Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12010426017572710283noreply@blogger.com1