Friday, January 17, 2025
Comic Cuts — 17 January 2025
The next Bear Alley book took a step closer... indeed, the next two books, as I'm likely to be releasing them at the same time. Followed by a third book two months after that, and a fourth two months after that one. I've still to work out the details. Indeed, I've still got to sign contracts, so I don't want to get too ahead of myself.
The step is that I have a draft of a lengthy essay about comic strip writer Tom Tully, one of my favourite writers—not just of comic strips but of fiction in general. When I was a youngster reading comics, my favourites were The Steel Claw—definitely number one—and then, in no particular order, The Wild Wonders, House of Dolmann, Mytek the Mighty and Slave of the Screamer. Later, I felt the same excitement reading Death Game 1999 and Johnny Red, was thrilled by Harlem Heroes and Mean Arena, and even grew to appreciate Roy of the Rovers, the finest soap opera in British comics.
When I began collecting comics, I discovered that he had written Heros the Spartan, Pike Mason, Johnny Cougar, Kelly's Eye, Football Family Robinson, Nipper, and dozens of other brilliant strips. It seemed that every paper I looked at had another fantastic story by Tom Tully. Gil Page told me that he was writing up to a dozen scripts a week, and I was determined to find them all if I could.
Unfortunately,Tully himself was becoming more reclusive. I should have contacted him when I was compiling indexes in the late eighties/early nineties, but I had various full-time jobs and organizing and compiling the lists filled what spare time I had. When I came to ask editors like Gil and Dave Hunt about Tom, they had lost touch. I found an address and wrote, but the reply came from a lady who had taken over the property but had no forwarding address. So near... yet so far!
When I returned to the indexes after we moved to Wivenhoe in 2010, there was a rumour circulating that Tully had died. When I asked contacts if this was the case, they were unsure, although one later told me he thought that Tully had died in 2011. I stopped looking and it was quite a while later that I found out he'd died in 2013.
This is the first time I've attempted a full-length piece about Tully, so I went to town and ended up with 15,000 words of notes that I've chopped back to about 12,000 words. I'll probably cut that back further to use as one of the essays in volume two, but I already have a second essay planned for that volume—which I'll be working on next week—so I'll have to see how they both fit together. Volume three is already too big and that only leaves volume one, which is also pretty massive.
I'll figure it out.
The only other news is local. There's a 120-year-old oak tree in the car park of the local park that has been the subject of arguments between an insurance company, the local council and local residents for the past four years. There has been some subsidence in nearby houses and the insurance company want the tree, along with two others nearby, cut down.
The argument on one side is that goods trains roaring along the tracks on the other side of the houses is more likely the cause of any damage; the argument on the other is that they've taken four years of measurements and are convinced the three trees are part of the problem. My sympathy is with the tree, which was still standing as of Thursday evening.
Incidentally, the houses claiming damage are in Clifton Terrace, once the home of author Dave Wallis, who wrote Only Lovers Left Alive. So they're a site of local interest to me!
And, finally, long-time readers may remember that, once upon a time, I had plans to publish a Cursitor Doom collection. Unfortunately, when Rebellion agreed to let me do Phantom Patrol they wouldn't let me do Cursitor as they had plans to use the character. Guess who just showed up in 2000AD in the new 'Portals and Black Goo' strip by John Tomlinson & Eoin Coveney...
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Comic Cuts
Thursday, January 16, 2025
Commando 5819-5822
New year, new Commandos! We’re helping you through the January cold by celebrating the legendary art of Jeff Bevan! Four classic issues, each with a magnificent cover from one of Commando’s most popular artists. Issues 5819-5822 go on sale from today. Thursday 16th January 2025!
5819: Born to be Brave
They called him a “headline hero” – a guy always out for glory, a guy who was always getting his photograph in the papers.
Then, on one routine mission, his luck ran out. With his Spitfire riddled with German bullets, he parachuted from a flaming cockpit to the desert sands below. Nothing would ever be quite so glorious for him again…
We start our collection predictably enough with one of Bevan’s first ever Commando covers! All the way back in 1973, the already accomplished artist created this brilliantly evocative desert scene to illustrate RA Montague’s scorching story.
Story: RA Montague
Art: Arias
Cover: Jeff Bevan
5820: India or Bust!
To young Joe Pike and the crew of the Sunderland flying boat, the mission to rescue a British diplomat cut off by the Japanese seemed a routine job.
But then things began to go wrong, badly wrong. And Joe, ambitious and eager to prove his ability to command, grabbed his chance with both hands. Their only hope lay in his courage and determination. It was a matter of…INDIA OR BUST
Yet another explosive cover by Bevan which brings to life a top-hole tale of derring-do from RA Montague! Jeff Bevan might have been known for his ships and boats but he could really put pen to paper when it came to aircraft too!
Story: RA Montague
Art: Marzal
Cover: Jeff Bevan
5821: Man Overboard!
Enemy-infested jungles are unnerving places at the best of times, but when you’ve been washed from the bridge of a submarine, swam several miles to the nearest beach, have no weapons and no food – the situation is ten times more frightening.
That’s precisely what happened to Lieutenant Stan Baker and Able Seaman “Scruffy” Waterman. But even after all that, they were still a bundle of trouble for the Japanese!
Bevan was renowned for his nautical scenes, and his work was often used as a reference for other artists. One look at this particularly stunning example, and you can see why!
Story: RA Montague
Art: Jose Maria Jorge
Cover: Jeff Bevan
5822: Strike Fast – Strike Hard!
Night after night, fierce, no-quarter battles were fought in the narrow waters of the English Channel and the North Sea by small craft of the British and German navies. As Lieutenant Hugh Humbert was to find out, the smallest mistake could have a high toll on ships and men’s lives. The only way to be sure of winning was to strike fast and strike hard!
This is a very special Commando cover from Jeff Bevan. Never before reprinted, this issue from 1993 was the last of Bevan’s covers to be published and you can see why he remains a fan favourite to this day.
Story: CG Walker
Art: Gordon C Livingstone
Cover: Jeff Bevan
Wednesday, January 15, 2025
2000AD Thrill-Cast splits into three new podcasts
Prepare your aural receptors for the brand new podcasts from 2000 AD – as the legendary comic launches its new weekly show!
The official 2000 AD podcast – the 2000 AD Thrill-Cast – is levelling up into three fantastic shows. Launching today, they'll be perfect ear-fodder for anyone who loves comics, with special guests, in-depth comment, and insights into the creative process from some of comics’ biggest talents.
On 15 January, the 2000 AD Thrill-Cast is relaunching as three new shows:
- In Orbit Every Wednesday is a new weekly half-hour show, published every Wednesday.
- The Deep Dive explores and examines stories from classic 2000 AD to over a century of comics from the Treasury of British Comics archive on the second Saturday of every month. It will launch on 8 February.
- The 2000 AD Creator Tapes will feature in-depth interviews with comics creator on the fourth Saturday of every month. It will launch on 22 February.
For a decade, the Thrill-Cast has brought listeners enthralling, surprising and in-depth interviews with many of the comics’ greatest creators, including the last major interview with the late Kevin O’Neill and long-form chats with John Wagner, Brian Bolland, Mike McMahon and many more. Hosted by Michael Molcher, The 2000 AD Creator Tapes continues this grand mission give listeners unprecedented insight into the creative process behind those at the Galaxy’s Greatest Comic and beyond.
And on The Deep Dive, 2000 AD Marketing Manager Steve Morris will be joined by leading comics critics to explore a story or series from the 2000 AD and Treasury of British Comics archive – from key Judge Dredd stories to long-forgotten British classics, The Deep Dive will bring fascinating insights, discussion and debate about some of the world’s most interesting and challenging comics.
Michael Molcher said: “Since 1977 2000 AD has been hitting newsagents’ shelves every week – it stands to reason its own podcast should be hitting your ears just as often. In Orbit Every Wednesday is going to be a weekly ode to our love of 2000 AD, as well as plenty else, and I’m very excited about the coming week.
“I’m delighted to be working with Chloe, who’s a fantastic host and comics critic, to bring more of what makes 2000 AD and the Judge Dredd Megazine so special to a wider audience, as well as having a lot of fun with our special guests.
“Over the past decade, the 2000 AD Thrill-Cast has earned a reputation for fascinating and in-depth interviews with many of 2000 AD’s greatest talents, and that will continue with The Creator Tapes and, with my colleague Steve alongside on The Deep Dive, it means the Thrill-Cast’s three new shows will be essential listening for new readers and Squaxx Dek Thargo alike.”
The three new shows will all be available through the 2000 AD Thrill-Cast on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all good podcast apps – just search ‘2000 AD Thrill-Cast’ to subscribe – as well as through the 2000 AD Facebook page.
The 2000 AD Thrill-Cast launched in 2015. It won the UK Podcast Award for ‘Best Arts Podcast’ the same year and has since gone on to publish more than 240 episodes, featuring interviews with creators as well as themed episodes focusing on 2000 AD and its impact on both the comics industry and the wider cultural landscape. During the lockdowns of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Thrill-Cast went weekly with ‘The Lockdown Tapes’ that reached tens of thousands listeners.
The home page for all of 2000 AD's new shows is 2000AD.com/podcasts.
Rebellion Releases — 15 January 2025
Each year the Mighty One asks Earthlets to tell him which of Tharg the Generous’s offerings from your planet’s most recent trip around its puny sun were their favourites – and they’ve voted in droves!
While democracy may be under strain at home, in the 2000 AD offices it still reigns supreme! From favourite covers and stories to which graphic novel voters liked the best, Tharg is very pleased to bring you the results of 2024’s end-of-year poll!
Thank you to the hundreds and hundreds of Earthlets who voted in the poll, congratulations to the winners, and here’s to an even more Thrill-powered year ahead!
And now, this week's releases...
2000AD Prog 2415
Cover: Cliff Robinson / Dylan Teague (cols).
JUDGE DREDD // SOFT by Rob Williams & Arthur Wyatt (w) Jake Lynch (a) Matt Soffe (c) Annie Parkhouse (l)
FIENDS OF THE WESTERN FRONT // WILDE WEST by Ian Edginton (w) Tiernen Trevallion (a) Jim Campbell (l)
PORTALS & BLACK GOO // A QUORUM OF FIENDS by John Tomlinson (w) Eoin Coveney (a) Jim Boswell (c) Simon Bowland (l)
THE OUT // BOOK FOUR by Dan Abnett (w) Mark Harrison (a) Simon Bowland (l)
HAWK THE SLAYER // THE LAST OF HER KIND by Alec Worley (w) Simon Coleby (a) Gary Caldwell (c) Annie Parkhouse (l)
Judge Dredd Megazine #476
Cover: Mike Dowling.
JUDGE DREDD // FOOD CHAIN by Ian Edginton (w) Nicolo Assirelli (a) John Charles (c) Annie Parkhouse (l)
DEATH CAP // FRONTIER JUSTICE by T.C. Eglington (w) Boo Cook (c) Simon Bowland (l)
FARGO & MCBANE // NEW YORK'S FINEST by Ken Niemand (w) Anna Readman (a) Quinton Winter (c) Annie Parkhouse (l)
DEVLIN WAUGH // TWO MONTHS OFF by Alex Kot (w) PJ Holden (a) Jack Davies (c) Jim Campbell (l)
New! ROK OF THE REDS by John Wagner & Alan Grant (w) Dan Cornwell (a) Abby Bulmer (c) Jim Campbell (l)
CADET RICO // THE CYCLE by Liam Johnson (w) Rob Richardson (a) Jim Campbell (l)
RILEY'S REBELS by Honor Vincent (w) Stewart K. Moore (c) Simon Bowland (l)
LAWLESS // A TOWN CALLED BADROCK by Dan Abnett (w) Phil Winslade (a) Simon Bowland (l)
Johnny Red: The Hurricane by Garth Ennis & Keith Burns
Rebellion ISBN 978-183786420-1, 15 January 2025, 208pp, £24.99. Available via Amazon.
British pilot Johnny Red leads his Falcon squadron through the battle of Stalingrad where he must defend the city from waves of Nazi Messerschmitts, but Johnny and his fellow pilots become trapped behind enemy lines where they must survive one of the most terrible battles of the whole war.
Written by Garth Ennis (The Boys, Preacher) and drawn by Keith Burns (Battle Action), Hurricane is the first volume of The Treasury of British Comics presentation of the complete adventure of Johnny Red.
Friday, January 10, 2025
Comic Cuts — 10 January 2025
I'm slowly getting back into the swing of things after a welcome Christmas and New Year break. I mentioned last week that I had sidelined myself into writing a probably unnecessary article on the history of newsprint rationing during and just after the Second World War (1940-56). Well, that came about because I wanted to write about why newspapers were still dramatically reduced in size all the way to the mid-1950s, and rationing didn't come to an end until December 1956, yet new publications were allowed from 1950 and could use as much paper as they wanted.
(The short answer is the sheer number of newspapers and the scale that they were published at, with some selling up to four million copies daily. That uses a lot of newsprint compared to, say, a comic which might be half the size and might have a weekly circulation that's only a tenth of what a newspaper sells. In cold terms of tonnage of newsprint, periodicals used only a fraction compared to newspapers.)
Anyway, once I'd got that out of my system, I was able to get on with what I was planning to write, which is some notes towards putting together a new comic index. This is something new, not the Valiant or Action projects I've previously mentioned, but is one that I've wanted to do for years. More news at some point.
I had that completed on Monday, and then there was some work needed on an obituary I'd written for The Guardian about sf writer Barry N Malzberg, who sadly passed away in December. It's a shame our broadsheet newspapers have all cut back on publishing obituaries, with the loss of The Independent (now online only and no obituary page) especially felt. The Guardian is no longer a broadsheet and doesn't cover as wide a spectrum any more, although I have also been turned down because they're overstocked. I'm the first to admit that some authors I like are rather niche, but they still deserve to be recognised and remembered. That said, George Zebrowski died on the day after Malzberg and even I thought it not worth while trying to get something in print. (And it would have meant working over Christmas...)
So now I'm back on the next comic book reprint from Bear Alley and trying to get the introductions to volume two written as there are two fairly substantial essays planned for inclusion. I've spent a couple of days chopping down some 15,000 words of notes and turning them into something readable and it will probably take a couple more because I'm going to have to be quite savage.
After that, another essay to write and then, maybe, I can start doing layouts. That should keep me busy well into February.
Pics this week are a few odds and ends picked up over the past couple of months.
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Comic Cuts
Thursday, January 09, 2025
- 13 Jan. The New York Magazine has a lengthy article about the accusations made against Neil Gaiman, up to and including graphic allegations of sexual assault. More accusers have come forward since the story broke in July, so I'd seriously suggest caution if you follow the link. The Beat has a summary of the accusations and also Gaiman's response.
- 11 Jan. The new Doctor Who Panel to Panel podcast has been interviewing contributors to Doctor Who Magazine over the past few months, including Dez Skinn, Adrian Salmon and Martin Geraghty.
- 10 Jan. A new interview, this time with Liam Sharp about Starhenge. "The premise is that in the deep future there is a galactic battle going on between the sentient living worlds, and the CAST, which are AI robots that regard life as a scourge upon the natural order of things - pretty much a virus - so they want to wipe out all life."
- 10 Jan. Also from the archive, an interview with Martin Asbury. "I had had a spell in hospital when I was a kid, and I think it was my mum who gave me some large pulp reprints of, especially, Tarzan by Burne Hogarth. These just blew me away, and from that moment on I wanted to draw and wanted to draw comics especially."
- 9 Jan. From the archive, an interview with Mike Noble. "For the Gerry Anderson series, I gave the characters more realism than the puppets on TV, which the editor wanted – after all, it was worth taking advantage of the flexibility of drawing over the constraints imposed by the TV screen."
- 7 Jan. Encore – The Art of Liam Sharp Exhibition opened in Madeira at the Centro Cultural e de Investigação do Funchal in December and runs until 18 Feb. Curated by Roberto Macedo Alves of local comic publisher Sétima Dimensão, it features 71 pieces including original art. "The exhibition’s goal is to celebrate Liam Sharp’s creativity and highlight the breadth and depth of his work, a creator internationally recognised for his groundbreaking work in comics. The display balances his commercially successful projects for Marvel and DC with his independent, experimental, and creator-owned endeavours."
- 6 Jan. Posy Simmonds MBE was crowned winner of Angoulême International Comics Festival (FIBD) 2024’s Grand Prix. Now she has an exhibition called Posy Simmonds. Herself. which will celebrate her work once more during the 52nd edition of the FIBD Jan 30–Feb 2. "Angoulême is the great Mecca for comics and the French love of bandes dessinées is terrific. So, of course, I'm really pleased and honoured that they like my work."
- 3 Jan. Entertainment Weekly interviews Alan Moore. "I conceive of what we call reality as having two major components, at least for us sentient human beings. There is the physical world, where we do physical things like hitting our shin on a door edge, but we equally exist in the world of the mind."
- 3 Jan. Bryan Talbot talks about his new graphic novel, The Legend of Luther Arkwright. "It must be hard now for readers to imagine what the US and UK comic world was like back in the late 70s when, except for the relatively few underground publications, comics were produced solely for a young adolescent target audience. The vast majority were bland, repetitive fare. There was no blood, no swearing, no sex, no politics, religion, philosophy etc etc. There were no equivalents to adult novels and films in comics. That’s what I tried to do."
- 1 Jan. As Tintin enters the public domain in the USA, Rich Johnson covers the first of what might be many modern revivals in Fabrice Sapolsky's The Big Lie.
- 1 Jan 2025. The Beat takes a look back over the past year in 2000AD, reviewing a year of of Progs from 2024.
Wednesday, January 08, 2025
Rebellion Releases — 8 January 2025
So that was 2024 – but what were some of the highlights of the past 12 Thrill-powered months? Molch-R and KLO-E are joined by critic and journalist Sam Thielman as they pick their favourites from 2000 AD and the Treasury of British Comics this year, as well as a top pick from beyond the House of Tharg. Join them as they give their opinions on what tickled their Thrill-receptors in 2024!
And stay tuned to the end for some exciting news about what’s in store from the 2000 AD Thrill-Cast in 2025!
And now, this week's release...
2000AD Prog 2414
Cover: Tiernen Trevallion
New! JUDGE DREDD // SOFT by Rob Williams & Arthur Wyatt (w) Jake Lynch (a) Matt Soffe (c) Annie Parkhouse (l)
FIENDS OF THE WESTERN FRONT // WILDE WEST by Ian Edginton (w) Tiernen Trevallion (a) Jim Campbell (l)
PORTALS & BLACK GOO // A QUORUM OF FIENDS by John Tomlinson (w) Eoin Coveney (a) Jim Boswell (c) Simon Bowland (l)
THE OUT // BOOK FOUR by Dan Abnett (w) Mark Harrison (a) Simon Bowland (l)
HAWK THE SLAYER // THE LAST OF HER KIND by Alec Worley (w) Simon Coleby (a) Gary Caldwell (c) Annie Parkhouse (l)
Friday, January 03, 2025
Comic Cuts — 3 January 2025
Happy New Year!
I'm writing this last thing on Thursday evening, still trying to catch up on sleep as we partied into the wee hours of New Year's Day, although I'm of an age now that there isn't much booze involved and we make sure the TV is on for the fireworks.
I've not been entirely unproductive as there was an obituary to write and I sidelined myself and wrote a lengthy piece on the history of newsprint rationing during the war. It was meant to be a couple of paragraphs to explain why magazines were able to appear while newspapers were still capped to six or so pages. As is often the case, it got away from me and went from two or three paragraphs to three pages.
Inspired by the Repair Shop and one or two online videos, I was inspired to repair an old Fontana Agatha Christie that I picked up on a trip into town. The cover was nice, not too creased, and it was one I didn't have. Unfortunately, the cover was also detached from the book and the lower third of the spine was missing. I recently bought some bookbinding glue that is clear when it dries and thought this was a good place to start before attacking some of my older books that have damage, but which a careful application of glue might save them for another generation.
As the covers of 1950s paperbacks (the Agatha was from 1959) were not much better than paper, I simply cut out a short strip of paper and glued that in place; once dried it meant that the cover had a complete spine to stick back onto the rest of the book. Once that was done and allowed to dry, it looked pretty good.
From the photo above you'll see that the repairs at the top and bottom of the spine is pretty obvious. I might experiment with a bit of acrylic paint to see if I can match the yellowed paper of the damaged bit of the spine, just to make the repair slightly less obvious, but I'm not too fussed as the book is intended for my shelf of Christie's rather than being offered for sale.
I've glued down a couple of flaps that have come loose on other books, but I want to practice on a few more books that I can live without before attacking something that's collectable or expensive.
My plans are to potter around for a couple more days and then get back to work next week. Hopefully, that means news of the next couple of Bear Alley Books' projects can be announced in the not-too-distant future.
Have a fantastic 2025, everyone, and I'll hopefully see lots of you at book fairs and comic swap meets over the next few months.
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Comic Cuts
Thursday, January 02, 2025
Commando 5815-5818
It’s beginning to look a lot like… time for some new issues of Commando! The last batch of the year 2024 in fact, and what a year it’s been too! We’re closing 2024 in the usual way – with lots of explosions! Issues 5815-5818 go on sale from today, the 2nd January 2025!
5815: Shadow on the Sea
The North Atlantic, 1941. Captain Thomas Bright and the crew of the HMS Dandelion are tasked with escorting merchant ships carrying food and supplies to Britain. German U-boats lurk beneath the waves, threatening to destroy the ships at any moment.
Help comes in the unlikely form of Shadow, the new ship’s cat, whose keen eyes and hearing could make the difference in fighting the unseen enemy!
You gotta be kitten me – a Commando about a cat? Let us purrsuade you – this clawsome adventure contains all the meowtstanding action and adventure you’ve come to expect, all from an unlikely source. We’re telling mew, it’s the cat’s pyjamas!
Story: Andrew Knighton
Art: Jaume Forns
Cover: Neil Roberts
5816: Find the Traitor
The brave partisans hidden high in the snow-clad mountains of Yugoslavia had a tough time keeping out of the clutches of the Nazis — especially with that Fieseler Storch reconnaissance aircraft seeking them out.
But with the Yugoslavians were Nick Bradford and Stan Waterman, two RAF lads who’d been shot down and stranded. They decided that somehow, they’d get hold of that Storch — and use it to spy on the Germans!
We’re always dreaming of a white Christmas, so this snow-capped adventure from 1971 seemed very fitting, and that outstanding cover from the masterful Ian Kennedy is just the ribbon on top!
Story: RA Montague
Art: V Fuente
Cover: Ian Kennedy
5817: Sergeant Rayker
Last seen in Warlord in 1984, Sergeant Moses Rayker returns for another adventure!
In 1944, during a daring escape over the Italian mountains, Rayker and his squad encounter a familiar face. Buford ‘Bubba’ Ballard clashed with Rayker before the war, and Ballard still holds a grudge. Nonetheless, Rayker knows his duty is to escort Ballard past the German checkpoints and safely home. Can both men keep their cool long enough to survive? Or will Rayker end up smacking the tar outta him before they make it back?
It's the moment we’ve all been waiting for! After 40 years out of print, Sergeant Rayker makes his triumphant debut in the pages of Commando – and what a comeback it is! Rayker is just as tough as he’s ever been, and with fresh artwork and an incredible cover from the one and only Mike Dorey, this is one issue you won’t want to miss!
Story: Dominic Teague
Art: Mike Dorey
Cover: Mike Dorey
5818: Pop’s Army
A bunch of teenage French boys commanded by a British schoolmaster couldn’t cause the Nazi invaders that much trouble, could they?
You bet they could!
This batch of stories really is full of surprises – first a cat and now schoolboys! Deep down of course, we all wish our school days had been half as exciting as what these boys get up to!
Story: Bernard Gregg
Art: Ruiz
Cover: Ian Kennedy
Friday, December 20, 2024
Comic Cuts — 20 December 2024
I'm trying to get a few things finished ahead of Christmas and doing pretty well. As well as my own upcoming projects—I'm working on the first two volumes of a comic strip reprint—I've also been helping out on a couple of books for publication abroad, one in Germany and another in Spain.
The latter two both feature the work of Don Lawrence and I've become involved because of my earlier works on Don. In 2023, All Verlag did an expansion of my Don Lawrence Scrapbook, published as an Illustrators special in 2018, and I have been working on the third volume for publication next year. I wrote an introduction earlier this week, and gathered together a load of images to illustrate the piece. I believe I have the last two scans we need to hand and they should be heading off later today.
The second book is a reprint of the Wells Fargo & Pony Express book I did back in 2010 for Book Palace, which is to have a Spanish edition. I'm hoping that they will accept my original introduction, which had nothing to do with the comic strips themselves, but instead was a history of transport across America from the days of... well, Wells Fargo and the Pony Express and how they were replaced by rail and road over the next century. It might not be your usual cup of tea, but I must confess that I was incredibly happy with the way it came together and I put it up as a Kindle ebook ten years ago. I don't suppose it has been read by more than a handful of people in that time, but at least it's out there.
I have similar thoughts about the Forgotten Authors series... they don't sell in any great numbers, but it's my way of pulling together what information I can on these obscure authors and making it available to the handful of readers who are interested. Volume six has been on my mind as I'm writing an essay for it now, although it will perform double duties as I can reuse the research in one of my next books. I've also got my eye on another author I want to write about and have just spent a little too much money filling in a few gaps in my meagre collection of his novels, which spanned science fiction, horror, spy thriller, romance and murder mystery. I have some fun reading to do before I put fingers to keyboard!
As this will be the final post for the year, I should do some sort of wrap-up for Bear Alley Books. It has been our busiest year since before the pandemic. Post-Covid (2020-23), I was doing a lot of scanning for Spanish and Italian publishers which caused a number of projects to be put aside. The plan was to restock my bank account so that Bear Alley wasn't on such a rocky financial footing, but slow (and no) payments meant that by early-2023 things looked pretty precarious.
Thankfully the prompt payment from some publishers (thank you Editoriale Cosmo, All Verlag and the folk at Die sprechblase), some work for the Guardian and some paying gigs writing introductions, kept me afloat at what was a difficult time for both Mel – who was made unemployed when Aceville was closed down – and I.
Things have picked up a bit since then and I've managed to get THE TRIALS OF HANK JANSON, BEYOND THE VOID, FORGOTTEN AUTHORS Volume 5 and DREAMING OF UTOPIA published in a fourteen month period, as well as putting out two comic reprints, HIGH SEAS AND HIGH ADVENTURES and THE PHANTOM PATROL, and getting a friend's book into print, FEMALE DETECTIVES IN EARLY CRIME FICTION 1841-1920.
I hope that I can keep up the pace and we will have another half-a-dozen books out next year.
With new books appearing regularly, sales have been a lot better compared to 2021-23, although not quite so good as 2020, when I had five books out. My best years, incidentally, were 2014 and 2013, the former thanks to the publication of my Countdown book, which continues to sell, albeit at a much slower pace. Here's the Top 10 sellers for the year 2024:
1 Beyond the Void
2 Phantom Patrol
3 High Seas and High Adventures
4 Dreaming of Utopia
5 Countdown to TV Action
6 Eagles Over the Western Front
7 Trials of Hank Janson
8 Hurricane & Champion
9 Lion: King of Picture Story Papers
10 Ranger: The National Boys' Magazine
The first four places were books newly out this year, but Countdown and Eagles Over the Western Front both continue to sell in (low) double-digits (and getting lower as we move down the chart!)
We had our "works outing" on Wednesday... in other words, me and Mel went down the pub for the Bear Alley Books Xmas Party... Merry Christmas everyone. Have a wonderful holiday and don't drink too much on New Year's Eve. See you in 2025.
Labels:
Comic Cuts
Thursday, December 19, 2024
Commando 5811-5814
The festive season approaches, here’s an early Christmas gift – four dazzling Commando new issues! Issues 5811-5814 go on sale from today, Thursday 19th December 2024!
5811: Krampusnacht
On a freezing Christmas Eve in Germany, SS Major Metzger prevails upon an old woman for shelter while his prisoners shiver outside. In the firelight, he listens as she regales him with an eerie tale from her childhood.
It is a tale of ancient folk customs and arrogant tyrants, of rattling chains in the dark of the woods. A tale of the dreadful fate that awaits cruel and wicked souls at the vengeful hands of Krampus!
What’s that coming down the chimney!? A chilling tale of winter terror from the devilish mind of Daniel McGachey, this festive frightfest is sure to keep you awake until Christmas Day!
Story: Daniel McGachey
Art: Vicente Alcazar
Cover: Simon Pritchard
5812: Battle Drop
Down through the night floated the British paratroopers, every man trained to razor-sharp efficiency. And on the ground waiting to do battle with these invaders were German paratroopers – the toughest soldiers in the Wehrmacht.
The fighting would be grim when the two units clashed… but neither side imagined they’d soon be banding together to fight shoulder to shoulder against a third enemy!
The Wehrmacht aren’t the only enemy the Brits have to contend with in this classic reprint. No danger of you dropping this issue – you’ll be gripped right to the end!
Story: Allan
Art: Collado
Cover: Gonzalez
5813: Union Jack Jackson: Clear Sky Storm
He’s back! Union Jack Jackson is storming ashore on the Pacific Island of Inazuma to kick the Japanese out for good!
With a little help from his pals Sean O’Bannion and Sergeant Art Lonnigan, Union Jack Jackson must find an airfield which has been launching devastating attacks on US Navy convoys. But the Brit soon gets more than he bargained for when he sees aircraft being launched from the back of a submarine!
Now Union Jack Jackson has no choice but to ‘SINK THAT AIRSTRIP’!
Union Jack Jackson makes a triumphant return to Commando pages in a brand-new story from the masterful Dominic Teague. Full of lightning-quick one-liners, thunderous action and dazzling artwork from Paulo Ongaro, this is one you won’t want to miss!
Story: Dominic Teague
Art: Paulo Ongaro
Cover: Neil Roberts
5814: Saved from the Desert
Corporal Tim Jolly and his mate Lofty Peae knew that the only thing that kept their squadron’s aircrafts flying was the giant transporter that they used to recover crashed planes. In the desert, with spares almost unobtainable, every usable part they brought back was worth its weight in gold.
But then one day a bossy new officer arrived and started giving stupid orders. He had no experience of the desert, and Tim and Lofty knew he would bring trouble... but they had no idea just how much!
Is there anything worse than getting bossed around by someone who doesn’t know what they’re doing? Imagine that when you’re under fire in the hellish heat of the desert! A scorchingly sandy story with a blistering cover by Ian Kennedy.
Story: RA Montague
Art: Carmona
Cover: Ian Kennedy
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