Rebellion Releases — 4 June 2025

JUST WHEN YOU THOUGHT IT WAS SAFE!

After our massive 40 Years of Scream Archival Collection brought together every single strip published in Scream! between issues 1-15, the fans howled out for more, selling out the print run TWICE in short succession! And we hear your cries of terror: this Halloween we’re publishing a second collection which rounds out the Scream Archival Collection with every single Scream! Holiday Special published since the 1980s!

Produced ‘from the depths’ of King’s Reach Tower by the mysterious ‘undead’ editor Ghastly McNasty, the first issue of Scream! was unleashed by IPC on 24th March 1984. More tongue-in-cheek than horrific, the comic was an immediate hit with younger fans as it included a pair of fake vampire fangs attached to the cover and a number of fantastic new strips from such talents including Alan Moore, John Wagner, Jose Ortiz, Cam Kennedy, Tom Tully, Alan Grant and Eric Bradbury.

This new collection — due in October but available to pre-order now — features every Scream! Holiday Special, making this a historical record which traces the evolution of British horror from 1985 right through to the modern day. Classic comics and stories from creators including Dave Gibbons, Robin Smith, Barrie Tomlinson, Ian Gibson, Eric Bradbury and more are joined by contemporary chills from Frazer Irving, Henry Flint, Torunn Gronbekk, Alex Paknadel and more.

This volume is also designed as a companion piece for the previous volume, creating two thrilling tomes of terror to fill your shelf with fear!

To make the release even more ghoulishly exciting, true horror afficionados can take home a webshop-exclusive slipcase edition which pays homage to the classic style and design of the Scream! Holiday Specials of old.

The full list of specials included in this Archival Collection are:

SCREAM! HOLIDAY SPECIAL #1 (1985)
SCREAM! HOLIDAY SPECIAL #2 (1986)
SCREAM! HOLIDAY SPECIAL #3 (1987)
SCREAM! HOLIDAY SPECIAL #4 (1988)
SCREAM! PRESENTS: SPINECHILLERS HOLIDAY SPECIAL (1989)
SCREAM 2017 HOLIDAY SPECIAL
SCREAM 2018 HOLIDAY SPECIAL
SCREAM! PRESENTS THE THIRTEENTH FLOOR: HOME SWEET HOME
SCREAM 2020 WINTER SPECIAL
SCREAM! 40TH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL

And now, this week's releases...

2000AD Prog 2435
Cover; Toby Willsmer

JUDGE DREDD // THE FIRST 100 by Dan Abnett (w) Colin MacNeil (a) Chris Blythe (c) Annie Parkhouse (l)
ROGUE TROOPER // TIDES OF WAR by Andi Ewington (w) Paul Marshall (a) Pippa Bowland (c) Jim Campbell (l)
GHOSTED // BOOK ONE by Guy Adams (w) Megan Huang (a) Simon Bowland (l)
SILVER // PERFIDIOUS by Mike Carroll (w) Joe Currie (a) Simon Bowland (l)
SCARLET TRACES // EMPIRE OF BLOOD by Ian Edginton (w) D'Israeli (a) Annie Parkhouse (l)

Rogue Trooper: The Complete Collection volume 2 by Gerry Finley-Day, Alan Moore, Simon Geller, Steve MacManus (w) Cam Kennedy, Brett Ewins, Boluda, Jesus Redondo, Robin Smith, Trevor Goring (a
Rebellion ISBN 978-183786535-2, 4 June 2025, 368pp, £24.99. Available via Amazon.

The Complete Rogue Trooper series continues to collect every adventure of one of 2000 AD’s most popular characters, originally created by Gerry Finley-Day and Dave Gibbons (Watchmen), this second volume features the work of veteran artists Cam Kennedy (Star Wars: Dark Empire) and Brett Ewins.
    The hunt for the Traitor General, who betrayed Rogue and caused the deaths of his fellow soldiers, comes to a conclusion, bringing to an end the first phase of Rogue’s storyline.

Thistlebone Book Three: The Dule Tree by T.C. Eglington (w) Simon Davis (a)
Rebellion ISBN  ‎ 978-183786536-9, 4 June 2025, 80pp, £18.99. Available via Amazon.

After the death of Malcolm Kinniburgh, who had previously kept the Thistlebone legend alive, the local Harrowvale constabulary find clues that lead them to investigate the abandoned film production of a 1970s folk horror film, The Dule Tree.
    Based on a harrowing account from the seventeen hundreds where thirteen innocent women and one man were hanged during the witch trials, the film itself ran into production problems, the source of which has remained a mystery for fifty years...

H J Campbell (Herbert James Campbell) cover gallery

H J Campbell was a popular figure in SF fandom in the early 1950s when he was also editor of Authentic Science Fiction. I wrote a piece about him in 2024, so you can find out more about his career as a scientist and author by picking up a copy of Forgotten Authors Volume 5. I have a good run of his books, so I thought it about time I did a cover gallery. Enjoy!

Gold Men of Aureus (by Roy Sheldon)
Hamilton & CO. (Authentic SF #3), (Feb) 1951, 124pp, 1/6. Cover by D.L.W.

Phantom Moon (by Roy Sheldon)
Hamilton & Co. (Authentic SF #6), (Mar) 1951, 117pp, 1/6. Cover by D.L.W.

Energy Alive (by Roy Sheldon)
Hamilton & Co. (Authentic SF #7), (Apr) 1951, 101pp, 1/6. Cover by D.L.W.

World in a Test Tube
Hamilton & Co. (Authentic SF #8), (Apr) 1951, 106pp, 1/6. Cover by D.L.W.

The Last Mutation
Hamilton & Co. (Authentic SF #11), (Jul) 1951, 105pp, 1/6. Cover by George Ratcliff

Beam of Terror (by Roy Sheldon)
Hamilton & Co. (Authentic SF #13), (Sep) 1951, 110pp, 1/6. Cover by George Ratcliff

The Moon is Heaven
Hamilton & Co. (Authentic SF #16), (Dec) 1951, 110pp, 1/6. Cover by George Ratcliff

Chaos in Miniature
Hamilton & Co. (Authentic SF #18), (Feb) 1952, 109pp, 1/6. Cover by George Ratcliff

Mammoth Man (by Roy Sheldon)
Hamilton & Co., (Feb) 1952, 110pp, 1/6. Cover by George Ratcliff

Two Days of Terror (by Roy Sheldon)
Hamilton & Co. (Panther Books nn), (May) 1952, 112pp, 1/6. Cover by Ron Turner

Mice--or Machines
Hamilton & Co. (Authentic SF #22), (Jun) 1952, 109pp, 1/6. Cover by Gordon C. Davis

The Menacing Sleep (by Roy Sheldon)
Hamilton & Co. (Panther Books #16), (Aug) 1952, 126pp, 1/6. Cover by Gordon C. Davis

The Plastic Peril (by Roy Sheldon)
Hamilton & Co. (Authentic SF #25), (Sep) 1952, 109pp, 1/6. Cover by John Pollack

Star of Death (by Roy Sheldon)
Hamilton & Co. (Authentic SF #27), (Nov) 1952, 108pp, 1/6. Cover by Gordon C. Davis

Beyond the Visible
Hamilton & Co., (Nov) 1952, 189pp, 2/-. Cover by Vann

Atoms in Action (by Roy Sheldon)
Hamilton & Co. (Panther Books #47), (Mar) 1953, 159pp, 1/6. Cover by Gordon C. Davis

House of Entropy (by Roy Sheldon)
Hamilton & Co. (Panther Books #59), (Jun) 1953, 160pp, 1/6. Cover by John Richards

Another Space--Another Time
Hamilton & Co. (Panther Books #67), (Jul) 1953, 158pp, 1/6. Cover by John Richards

The Red Planet
Hamilton & Co. (Panther Books #77), (Sep) 1953, 159pp, 1/6. Cover by John Richards

Brain Ultimate
Hamilton & Co. (Panther Books #86), (Nov) 1953, 157pp, 1/6. Cover by John Richards

Once Upon a Space
Hamilton & Co. (Panther Books #160), (Nov) 1954, 142pp, 1/6. Cover by John Richards

• 2 Jun. John Siuntris's Word Balloon had its first Bendis Book Club edition with Brian Michael Bendis and others offering their thoughts on the first volume of Criminal: Coward by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips. (video, 1h 42m)
• 31 May. Remembering Sonic the Comic. John Freeman notes The Kintobor Computer has new additions about the fondly-remembered British comic spin-off. John highlights Nigel Kitching's original pitch documents. "Along with a new Sonic the Comic Zone archive section, fan dedication to the title continues with a not for profit tale 'Sonic the Comic: All Good Things…', a story picking up after issue 281 of Sonic the Comic Online that will take the comic up to a conclusion at issue 300."
• 29 May. Hibernia Comics is celebrating its 20th anniversary since the release of Doomlord, the Deathlords of Nox. David McDonald looks back... "Doomlord was a financial disaster, but a fantastic learning ground."
• 21 May. Ian Edginton and D'Israeli talk 'Scarlet Traces' , recently returned to 2000AD. Edginton: "Getting a twenty-part series up and running from concept to completion takes a while! The new series is set directly after the end of H.G. Wells‘ novel, The War of the Worlds, and just before our first Scarlet Traces series. We see how the one dovetails into the other."
• 16 May. The Moomins in search of a home. The Guardian on why Moominland is more relevant today than it has ever been. "In their themes of loneliness, a search for identity and freedom, the Moomin books speak to anyone who feels that they don’t belong."
• 15 May. In the wake of the problems at Diamond Distributors, Rebellion has signed a deal with Lunar Distribution in addition to their deal with Diamond Distributors which will expand their reach in the US Direct Market. Selected titles will begin appearing in Lunar's catalogues from June. Meanwhile, Universal Distribution and Ad Populum have completed their acquisition of Diamond Comic Distributors and assets. Rumours of massive layoffs have begun circulating.
• 13 May. Congratulations to Jamie Smart, whose Bunny vs Monkey was the joint winner in the Audiobook Fiction section of the Bookseller's British Book Awards. "Jamie Smart also takes the crown in this category for Bolinda's “breathtaking” audio adaptation of his anarchic comic book, Bunny vs Monkey. The iconic duo are brought to life by voiceover artist Ciaran Saward, who infuses his narration with all the energy and verve of Smart’s text. Our judges were blown away by the “effort, skill and detail” to transform Smart’s comic into an audiobook, declaring it a "fantastic” triumph of ingenuity. Bolinda collaborated closely with Smart to distil the essence of his comic panels into key sounds and phrases that would capture both the action and the characters’ personalities in audio format. The result is an immersive audio experience that successfully translates the joy and chaos of the print edition."
• 11 May. P. Craig Russell discusses the title page of Elric The Dreaming City, the 1980 Marvel graphic novel based on the Elric saga by Michael Moorcock. The page is to be auctioned in June.
• 10 May. Interview: Hunt Emerson, who will be attending Lawless: "I’ll have my books for sale, along with a file of artwork, and some prints. I’ll be happy to do sketches, though previous experience is that I don’t draw the sort of characters people want. I never know what Wolverine or Deadpool or whoever look like..."
• 10 May. Interview: Liam Sharp. "I’m always very slightly reticent around the question of how long a piece of art takes, because the value in art shouldn’t have any kinds of bias based on the perception of effort. Kirby could do four pages a day. Don Lawrence would spend sometimes two weeks or more on a page. It’s a little bit of a ‘how long is a piece of string’ question..."
• 10 May. Andrew Knighton offers a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at his latest issue of Commando. "Issues of Commando are written up to a year in advance, so that there’s plenty of time for the editing, art, and everything else that’s involved in creating a comic. That means I don’t write them close to the anniversaries, when everyone else is talking about them. So 79 years after Operation Plunder rolled into action, I started on “Operation Write About Operation Plunder”, which eventually led to this story…"
• 9 May. We mentioned some while ago that Darryl Cunningham had found it impossible to find a UK publisher for his biography Elon Musk—American Oligarch... well, he has one now and Seven Stories Press will publish the book in September.
  
• 6 May. Alan Moore is interviewed by smoky man about writing, magic, politics... everything you'd expect from an Alan Moore interview. "If I understand the subject correctly, magic begins hundreds of thousands of years ago with some clumsiness involving a potato."
• 1 May. An interview with Dandy and Beano artist Andy Fanton on the  eve of him attending Portsmouth Comic Con. "It’s still wild to me that anyone would be traveling to see me! I don’t feel particularly legendary on a day-to-day business, unless we’re talking about legends being old and ancient, in which case bang on!"
• 30 Apr. The modernist aesthetic of Tove Jansson's Moomin comic strip. "As Elina Drucker has documented, Jansson was among a number of Nordic authors of formally innovative experimental picture books, including Egon Møller-Nielsen and Egon Mathiesen. For these artists, picture books presented an opportunity to test the boundaries between media."
• 29 Apr. Just when you thought the whole Diamond Comic Distributors Chapter 11 saga could have no more twists, Alliance filed a notice that they were "terminating the previously executed Asset Purchase Agreement to acquire substantially all of the assets of Diamond." No reason was given. Diamond had previously made it clear they preferred the offer from another source, Universal Distribution and Ad Populum, and that offer has now [see here] be taken up. Meanwhile, a trustee in Diamond's bankruptcy case has filed a motion asking the judge to convert the case to a Chapter 7 liquidation or dismiss the Chapter 11 case. And. just to add to the chaos, Alliance is now suing  Diamond for fraud and deception, saying they hid the fact that an agreement to distribute product from Wizards of the Coast was about to end.

Comic Cuts — 30 May 2025

Sunday was my Big Day Out as I headed off to the Paperback & Pulp Book Fair at Bloomsbury's Holiday Inn in Coram Street, London, just around the corner from the Royal National, where the Book Fair was held for many years. The renewed Fair has been running for a couple of years (I think November 2023 was the first) in association with the Ephemera Fair run by Etc Fairs.

I was up nice and early, although I had everything planned out pretty well, my bag packed with copies of BEYOND THE VOID, DREAMING OF UTOPIA and some sample copies of MYTEK THE MIGHTY to show people. Still quite hefty to carry: my shoulder has never quite recovered from the March 2024 show where I took up a load of books in a shopping trolley, forgetting that I would have to carry it up stairs at one of the underground stations; my ligaments still twang when I try to lift boxes and throwing things is painful (which, admittedly, I don't often need to do).

This time I was able to sling the bag over my good shoulder and all I had to put up with was the weight bouncing onto my hip. A vast improvement!

I had no particular aims travelling up to the Fair. I've just spent a significant sum licensing Mytek and I'm about to spend more on printing the first two books, so I knew I wasn't going to be spending too much. As long as the trip (£50 for the trains; I took my own food and drink) didn't cost a huge amount. Hopefully selling a couple of books would cover that. (It did.)

I managed to pick up a small selection of books I wanted, ranging from fairly modern SF Masterworks (I still have a few gaps in the numbered series... thirteen shy of the 72 total, but I also need a couple with the original covers rather than the later reversed out covers) to filling some more gaps in my Fifties SF paperback collection thanks to Bob "mrbook451" Wardzinski who I've known since ye olde dayes when he was Bob "The Talking Dead" Wardzinski. He always has something on his stall that I want, and this time I was able to pick up a couple of Jon J Deegan novels that I need for a future article I'm planning.

Jamie Sturgeon had an old Piccadilly Novel that I decided I must have as soon as I spotted it. Just a slim little crime novel by a guy called Frank Griffin, who is surely in line for a Forgotten Authors essay if I can pick up a few more of his books (I only have three, I think, which isn't enough to get a good overview of his work). From Mick Cocksedge I picked up an old Denis Hughes western. Mick is someone I need to talk to: our collecting interests overlap (British "mushroom" paperbacks) but I've never had a chance to chat with him — and whenever I saw him on Sunday I was mid-conversation with someone or he was off looking at something or chatting to someone himself (I hate to interrupt!).

One nice surprise was amongst the books bought by dealers in the Ephemera hall — knowing that the book collectors are coming en masse they often bring a box or three of paperbacks, and someone had bought some old comics and pocket libraries, from which I extracted Combat Library #1 — the text library rather than the comic strip Picture Library. Written by Erroll Collins, the pen-name of Ellen Redknap. I've always found her output fascinating — I wrote an article once called 'On the Trail of Erroll Collins' — and I've always wondered how she came to write the first of the Futuristic Science Thriller series for Stanley Baker and the first Combat Library for Micron/GM Smith. Did they advertise for writers? And did she write more for them under different pen-names?

(A quick aside. Many years ago, when I was working on Vultures of the Void, I skim read the five Baker novels in the Futuristic Science Thriller series at the British Library and thought they were all by the same author. Since then, I have managed to pick up two of them for my collection and I also have a couple of Erroll Collins novels for comparison, and I now believe that she wrote only the first. If I ever get a chance to read all four of the remaining titles I might have an idea who did write them. I try to spread the word when I make mistakes, and in this case managed to get a correction into the SF Encyclopedia entry.)

As for the show itself, it was busy and I believe everyone did pretty well. Everyone's feeling the pinch, but I think we all came out to spend a bit of money and there were a lot of bargains to be had. I think this is the fourth of the Bloomsbury fairs (one in 2023, two last year, and this one) and many have realised that a few boxes of lower grade stock put out for a couple of quid will be eagerly riffled through by buyers and they'll happily take home a bag full as long as it doesn't cost the earth. Only two of the books I bought were over £4.

As usual, Jules Burt was there to document the day and he has a video which shows him searching through boxes of books, intercut with a number of interviews (including yours truly in a stunning new t-shirt) and commentary. I always enjoy these (and not just for my participation) and it really is the best way to visit the fair if it wasn't possible to come in person, or you want to see what was available but don't want to spend anything.

The column header is from his video, by the way. I think I'm trying to work some Jedi mind trick on Jules to feature my books. And I'm wearing that t-shirt (sorry: lifestyle recycled poly jersey) that cost me £32. No, it's not for sale — it's a one-off I made to promote the upcoming books. Looks good, tho'.

Jules joined David Hyman, Barry Hunter and myself on a trip to the pub for a quick pint as things started to wind down in the afternoon. A nice young lady took a photo for us, which you'll find below.

I was expecting to be knackered on Bank Holiday Monday, but we managed to get out in the garden... well, on the road as we cut back a hedge and our neighbour's tree. Our former neighbour has just moved out as their landlord is selling the house, so I've taken the opportunity to chop a tree back so that it's no longer hanging over the pavement. Anyone walking by had to step out into the road or walk into a tangle of branches; it bugged everyone who lived in the area but the people living there refused to cut it back. Now there's a seven foot or so tunnel in the overhanging branches and Richard Osman or Greg Davies could pass underneath without ducking.

I even managed to get a bit of work done. Most of the essays for the AIR ACE COMPANION are written or well under way. Some need some rewriting or some additional writing, but it's all heading in the right direction and I'm thinking about doing some layouts to see what it might look like. I might even have something to show you in the next fortnight or so.

Cheers!

Rebellion Releases — 28 May 2025

From his time apprenticed to one of British comics’ greatest talents, Don Lawrence, to his rocky start on Judge Dredd, to his move to American comics and work on films like The Book of Eli and Star Wars, Chris Weston’s career has been unique and diverse. With a hyper-detailed style and ability to create lived-in environments on the page, his art continues to reward repeat visits.

But in this episode of 2000 AD: The Creator Tapes, Chris talks to Molch-R about the challenges he has encountered, and how he has struggled to reconcile his work with his own self-criticism.

Hosted by 2000 AD Brand Manager Michael Molcher, The 2000 AD Creator Tapes brings you fascinating in-depth interviews with many of the biggest names in comics. With new episodes on the fourth Saturday of every month, The 2000 AD Creator Tapes is perfect for weekend listening, when you’re burning through your chores, or if you’re looking to learn more about the artists who make 2000 AD the Galaxy’s Greatest Comic! Subscribe now on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts or your favourite podcast app!

And now, this week's release...

2000AD Prog 2434
Cover: Clint Langley.

JUDGE DREDD // THE FIRST 100 by Dan Abnett (w) Colin MacNeil (a) Chris Blythe (c) Annie Parkhouse (l)
ROGUE TROOPER // TIDES OF WAR by Andi Ewington (w) Paul Marshall (a) Pippa Bowland (c) Jim Campbell (l)
GHOSTED // BOOK ONE by Guy Adams (w) Megan Huang (a) Simon Bowland (l)
SILVER // PERFIDIOUS by Mike Carroll (w) Joe Currie (a) Simon Bowland (l)
SCARLET TRACES // EMPIRE OF BLOOD by Ian Edginton (w) D'Israeli (a) Annie Parkhouse (l)

Comic Cuts — 23 May 2025

After last week's great leap forward, I seemed to get nowhere fast this week. I fixed the problem with the covers for MYTEK THE MIGHTY (I'd added something and not made allowances for how close it was to the trim line) and I'm waiting on a set of final proofs to arrive.

From then on, I seemed to start moving in slow motion, although there were things getting done. I had to spend some time in the garden on this year's War With The Alkenet, an annual saga as I attempt to reclaim more of the lawn from the weeds and return it to grass.

We also got rid of some books to one of the online book buyers (we sell to two: World of Books and We Buy Books). They're the sort of thing I'd take to a Boot Fair, but I haven't had an opportunity for some years and had built up a few boxes that needed to be shifted. I think since Christmas we've dumped four boxes of books and earned maybe £36. They're all modern, non-collectable books that come my way and it pays a bill or two (or one 3XL all over printed t-shirt, in my case).

We took our trip to the seaside on Tuesday, visiting the charity shops of Clacton... oh, and we saw the beach, although I was the only one of the three of us brave enough to walk on the beach... which I instantly regretted as it has small, sharp stones that get under your feet as your sandals sink into the fine but stony sand. I gave up after two minutes.

And my book haul was one book. It's a sequel (The Coming Storm) to another book I found in a local charity shop (The Coming Darkness) by Greg Mosse. They seem to have been liked by reviewers and I like a fast-paced thriller. At the moment I've just finished one of the Mick Herron Slough House books and moved on to a SF/crime noir by Nick Harkaway, Titanium Noir, so it will be a while before I get on to anything else.

The weather on Tuesday was spectacular and we walked for miles, including at least half a mile when I led us all the wrong way and we had to cut back across and ask a couple of times if we were on the right road to get us to the station. We just managed to catch our train.

Wednesday we spent tidying up ahead of a visit from our landlady's rep. I find these things stressful as I don't mind a bit of clutter, and working on the new book has meant piles of old paperwork, letters, photocopies and folders strewn around so that I can just reach down to get what I want. Now some of it is back on shelves and other bits neatly piled and I don't have a clue where anything is.

In between all this I have managed to get an introduction to the book written. The main essay is almost done, and I need to tidy up some of the other pieces. But I'm getting there. I'm hoping to start laying some of the pages out next week or first week of June and coming up with some ideas about what the book should look like. I'm still doing little bits of research, and I think I can now answer the question: what brought about the demise of Air Ace in November 1970 and caused a lot of comics to disappear from the newsagents for a couple of months.

The house check was this (Thursday) morning and while I made what I thought was a good argument to have the patio replaced (the tiles around the doorway are becoming dangerously loose), the only confirmed work that's due to be done is a door handle that needs to be fixed before it becomes a problem. I'm sometimes told off for sharing too much in these columns, but its these little niggles and interruptions that send my concentration spinning and something that could be written quickly takes a week, two weeks longer than it should. And I always used to be so good at hitting tight deadlines!

I'm off to the book fair in London on Sunday. If you want copies of BEYOND THE VOID or DREAMING OF UTOPIA, let me know and I'll bring them along. I'm not planning to bring much up as on the first trip I buggered up my shoulder (which still pains me) and on the second some of the stitching on my big bag split. I'm not sure how safe it would be to fill it up. So do let me know if you want anything bought up (other books, too).

Commando 5855-5858

Summer is approaching fast, and with hotter days come ever-hotter issues of Commando! This round sees some of our most action-packed new stories yet – including the return of fan favourite Sergeant Moses Rayker! Issues 5855-5858 go on sale today, Thursday 22nd May 2025!

5855  Glory Hound

Algeria, 1942. American soldiers storm the beaches of North Africa as part of Operation Torch. Sergeant John Rock of Dog Company takes his responsibility for his men seriously and isn’t about to sacrifice any lives for a chance at glory. The same can’t be said for their new commanding officer, Lieutenant Hank Travers.
    The glory hound lieutenant soon puts the platoon in jeopardy, and Rock isn’t sure who’s the bigger threat – the Vichy or Travers!
    We’ve all had a boss who thinks they know what they’re doing, even when all signs point to the contrary. Now imagine that during the heat of battle, and you’ve got some idea of the conundrum our heroes find themselves in in this fantastic tale of hubris and heroism!

Story: Brent Towns
Art: Esteve Polls
Cover: Neil Roberts

5856 Tank Buster Ace

You’ve heard of the Hurricane IID, the mighty fighter that packed a killer punch. Its job was smashing the Afrika Korps tanks with its two huge cannons.
    Now, meet the men who flew these planes into action — especially Wing Commander Theodore Trigg, an ace among aces, and leader of the RAF’s toughest bunch of pilots.
    Finally, an answer to the age-old question of what would win in a fight – a tank or a plane? This is definitely one for the aircraft enthusiasts among you, and with yet another classic Ian Kennedy cover to boot, what’s not to love?

Story: McOwan
Art:  DS Gomez
Cover: Ian Kennedy
First published as No.531 in 1971

5857 Sergeant Rayker - Wasted

Italy, 1944. Drinking on duty and absence without leave are both punishable offences under the articles of war. One fateful evening though, that’s precisely what four US marines decided to do. Sergeant Moses Rayker of the 307th Military Police Company has been assigned the apparently easy task of rounding the vagabonds up. But it’s not long before Rayker finds himself under enemy fire with the drunken marines in tow. Perhaps this job isn’t as simple as it sounds!
    I hope you’re ready to rum-ble, because beerly beloved hero Sergeant Rayker is back, this time with a crowd of soused louts staggering along behind him. With any luck, they’ll help him tequila Nazi or two!

Story: Dominic Teague
Art: Mike Dorey
Cover: Mike Dorey

5858 Crossed Swords

Many centuries ago, two soldiers, both trained killers, fought to the death in the scorching heat of the North African desert. Their weapons – the short, stabbing swords of the Roman legionary.
    Hundreds of years later, the same burning sands were to witness another duel. For two pilots, one British and one German, history was about to repeat itself…
    We’re doing a spot of time travel in this final issue of the set – further back than we usually do anyway. This epic story takes us from the ancient world to World War Two. It’s got intrigue, betrayal, and even a couple of sword fights – after all, when in Rome!

Story: CG Walker
Art: Ruiz
Cover: Ian Kennedy
First published as No. 1457 in 1982

Rebellion Releases — 21 May 2025

To celebrate the return of Scarlet Traces to 2000 AD this month, Rebellion are giving readers the chance to catch up on this landmark series with 33% off the collected editions!

In the last years of the nineteenth century, England fell to the Martians. The population was devastated, but the Martians were wiped out and Britain survived. A decade later, the British Empire has rebuilt and expanded its influence using the alien technology that brought it to its knees. Scarlet Traces is the story of what happened next!

Across three stunning volumes, Edginton and D’Israeli take the world laid bare by HG Wells’ The War of the Worlds and create an epic of action, history, politics, and intrigue!

Click on the links to visit the 2000AD shop: Volume 1, Volume 2, Volume 3.

And now, this week's releases...

2000AD Prog 2433
Cover: Colin Macneil.

JUDGE DREDD // FAMILY TRADITION by Geoffrey D. Wessel (w) Rob Richardson (a) Annie Parkhouse (l)
ROGUE TROOPER // TIDES OF WAR by Andi Ewington (w) Paul Marshall (a) Pippa Bowland (c) Jim Campbell (l)
GHOSTED // BOOK ONE by Guy Adams (w) Megan Huang (a) Simon Bowland (l)
SILVER // PERFIDIOUS by Mike Carroll (w) Joe Currie (a) Simon Bowland (l)
SCARLET TRACES // EMPIRE OF BLOOD by Ian Edginton (w) D'Israeli (a) Annie Parkhouse (l)

Judge Dredd Megazine #480
Cover: Boo Cook.

JUDGE DREDD // TRASHED by T.C Eglington (w) Karl Richardson (a) Annie Parkhouse (l)
DEATH CAP // FRONTIER JUSTICE by T.C. Eglington (w) Boo Cook (c) Simon Bowland (l)
CADET DREDD // THE HAUNTING OF ISO-BLOCK 8 by Paul Starkey (w) Nick Brokenshire (a) Jim Campbell (l)
ATOMFALL by Jonathan Howard (w) Anthony Williams (a) Steve Canon (c) Rob Steen (l)
ARMITAGE // MURDER. SETTING: AUTOMATED, EXPRESS by Liam Johnson (w) Warren Pleece (a) Annie Parkhouse (l)
ROK OF THE REDS by John Wagner & Alan Grant (w) Dan Cornwell (a) Abby Bulmer (c) Jim Campbell (l)
BARREL & HAMMER // CASTAWAY by David Barnett (w) Luke Horsman (a) Simon Bowland (l)

Judge Dredd Case Files 47 by John Wagner, Al Ewing, Pat Mills, Gordon Rennie, Ian Edginton (w) Simon Fraser, Vince Locke, Henry Flint, Paul Marshall, Ben Oliver, Carl Critchlow, Nick Dyer, PJ Holden, Dave Taylor, Colin Wilson, Mike Collins (a)
Rebellion ISBN, 21 May 2025, 288pp, £24.99. Available via Amazon.

MUTOPIA
Mega-City One is acclimatising to the new mutant laws, but integration isn’t easy and one man stands as the thin blue line between the norms and the muties – that man is Judge Dredd.
    The best-selling series collecting The Law in order continues as the ultimate lawman of the future brings his unique brand of policing to the streets and creeps of the dystopian nightmare he calls home.

Maroc the Mighty by Don Lawrence (a)
Rebellion ISBN, 23 May 2025, 96pp, £16.99. Available via Amazon.

Originally serialised in Lion, Maroc the Mighty is a action-packed adventure story about a thirteenth century superhero! A knight fighting in The Crusades, John Maroc comes into possession of the 'The Hand of Zar' - a magic amulet which grants its wearer superhuman strength, but only when bathed in the sun's rays.
    This medieval superhero strip was illustrated by Don Lawrence and published in Lion between his work on the Karl the Viking series and his beautifully-painted The Trigan Empire.

Comic Cuts — 16 May 2025

It has been a long time coming, but the contract is signed, the license fee paid, and I'm waiting on a final set of proof copies — MYTEK THE MIGHTY is coming soon!

The reason for the slight delay is down to me rushing to get things done and not doing them right. Enthusiasm got the better of me and, while I was fixing a small detail on the covers, I forgot that I also needed to extend the artwork a smidge because the logo — deliberately kept large (he is Mytek THE MIGHTY after all) — was very close to the trim line. I thought I'd get away with it, forgetting that there can be a small amount of movement on the printing presses.

The long and the short of it is that I spent Wednesday redoing the covers because the printed proofs came back with the logo right on the edge. You would think that, after forty odd books I'd have learned to be more careful... but clearly not.

Anyway, the problem will be solved. I'll have another set of proofs done just to double check and, once they're OK, I'll start taking orders. There will be the usual discount for early orders, which I'll announce here, on the Bear Alley Books page and on Facebook, which is my only social media platform, so you'll all know about it. 

The plan is to put out the first two books together, as one extremely long story-line had to be split over the two volumes and I didn't think it fair to make people wait. Once the first two have had a couple of months on sale, I'll do volume three and, a couple of months after that, I'll do volume four. They'll all be priced at £23.00, although you may see some variation depending on where they're sold (direct via PayPal, on Ebay or on Amazon) because of the differing charges and how they charge for postage & packing (Amazon, for instance, charges a fixed rate of £2.80, but it actually costs £3.39 + 41p for the envelope + 4p for the label = £3.84). I'm getting in some book wraps that will keep the books safe on their journey. A bit more expensive than the usual envelope but worth the expense.

I've had the same thoughts too often in the past couple of weeks. I wanted to get a card reader for use at shows and I'd heard about one a year or so ago that only cost £20. Well, it had doubled in price over the past year, but I wasn't sure that it was cost effective if I couldn't log into local secure WiFi. So I went for the next model up, which included a charging bay and a better data package, and the cost quintupled once you added VAT. And I'm still not set up, because it's taking longer to verify who I am than it did for the card reader to arrive all the way from the Netherlands!

I had the same kind of problem with a t-shirt I wanted printed up. When I released BEYOND THE VOID back in March 2024, I decided to print up a t-shirt for the Paperback & Pulp Book Fair at Bloomsbury where I was planning to sell copies. It went down well I was planning to get one done for the November fair and the launch of DREAMING OF UTOPIA, but I ran out of time. So I planned ahead for this launch and... well, I went a bit mad, deciding I'd order a shirt that had both front and back printing, which I had to send off for rather than having it printed locally, adding postage. So the price ballooned from £18 to £32. I hope it's worth it.

It'll be on display at the Paperback & Pulp Book Fair at Bloomsbury on Sunday, 25 May, which I'll be attending. If you want copies of any of my books, let me know and I'll bring them along, otherwise I'm not planning to be carrying huge bagfuls of stock — I still have some rotator cuff problems and not-very-flexible ligaments from a year ago, so I'm only have a handful with me.

What I need is a job like my dentist. Three minutes I was in his room and half that time was getting the chair to the right height. After prodding my gums with a sharp probe for a minute, he tells me my teeth are fine and to keep on doing what I'm doing. On the way out they charge me £27.40 and tell me I need to come back in six months. That's a rate of about £550 an hour. Three years ago I figured he was earning £150 an hour, which means prices have soared or my teeth have improved so much it takes him less time to look at them.

I'll be showing them off tonight — smiling and laughing — as we're going to see Angela Barnes tonight. We're also off to the seaside for the day next week. Let's hope the nice weather holds.

This week's header is by Chris Foss. I've been writing a bit about the Battle for Britain as part of the AIR ACE COMPANION, so this seemed apt as I'm about to mention some of the books that helped fuel the demand for Air Ace, including Reach for the Skies by Paul Brickhill, the story of Douglas Bader who was...? Anyone? The editor of the comic ROCKET, of course. Oh, and a very famous WW2 pilot.