Friday, October 25, 2024

Comic Cuts — 25 October 2024


I'm in a race to get the next book finished. It's called Dreaming of Utopia, a history of Utopian Publications and some related publishers that involved Lloyd Cole and Benson Herbert, whose publishing careers were briefly entwined. So this will be short.

I'm seventy or so pages in with one article to go, so I'm getting close. However, I know how long the proofing and printing process takes, and it's unlikely that I'll have everything right straight out of the gate, so that's two proofs before I hit the button to get copies for the Paperback & Pulp Book Fair on November 24th. Working backwards, and allowing 8-10 days for each printing to arrive, that means I should finish work on the book TODAY. Unfortunately, there's still one article left to finish and design before I start checking through everything.


I can jump one step and upload the book and order myself a proof just to check that all the colour in the book works. Then proof the text while I wait for that to arrive. If the colours look fine, I can make any last-minute corrections and upload the (should it need to be) revised version and order the second proof. Normally I'm aiming to get everything right first time, but the turnaround time means doing this arse about face.

That's about it for news... Hibernia have a new book out collecting 'Slave of the Screamer' which I wrote the introduction for, so please support that so they ask me back. Rebellion have announced the 'Maroc the Mighty' reprint, which, again, I've written the intro for. PHANTOM PATROL continues to sell, maybe a copy a day, so it's not making me rich in monetary terms, but it does my heart good to know that the book is finally available to readers. We got a great review in SFX, where it was described as "the perfect blast from the past" and given four stars. There's a link to my eBay shop to the left—let your spouse/significant other know you want a copy for Christmas!

That's the lot. I'm rushing to get this posted Friday morning. By this evening I need to have that final article written and in place. Wish me luck!

Thursday, October 24, 2024

Commando 5795-5798


As Halloween approaches, we’ve got the next creepy crop of boo-tifully illustrated Commandos to make you howl at the moon! Issues 5795-5798 go on sale from today, 24th October, 2024.


5795: Strange Frequencies

The camp is deserted, no sign of life anywhere. But what’s that you hear among the shifting sands in the barren North African desert? Maybe in the distance there is the drum and thump of artillery like a heartbeat, but not here, not even the howls of the wind interrupt the horrible stillness.
    That is until you hear it… the crackling of a radio set to a strange frequency, and the rasping, ghoulish voice calling your name…
    “Listen.…You must listen…You must listen…”
    This fangtastic story of a haunted radio from creepmeister Dan McGachey features fa-BOO-lous art by Juan Fernandez and a bone-chilling cover by Marco Bianchini. Definitely not one to read with the lights off!

Story: Daniel McGachey
Art: Juan Fernandez
Cover: Marco Bianchini


5796: Castle of Doom

They stood face to face and shook hands like the best of friends. One was Major Pete Lambert and the other, Franz Becker, an officer in the hated German SS. And all around them were hot guns smoking and the acrid smell of war...
    This is one castle you don’t want to trick or treat at! A classic Commando adventure written by writer Allan to get the blood pumping – just watch out for vampires! Featuring some grisly cover and interior art by Gordon C Livingstone.

Story: Allan
Art: Gordon C Livingstone
Cover: Gordon C Livingstone
First published as No. 474


5797: The QM’s Storeroom of Secrets

Ey up, ghouls and creeps! Feast your eyes on Commando’s first‑ever anthology of horror!
    Included in this creepy Commando are six supernatural tales I’ve collected from my storeroom!
    From crows to bats, from thieves to murderers and from witches to vampires — there’s something for everyone here in Commando!
    From queen of scream Georgia Standen Battle comes an anthology of terrifying tales to give you more fang for your buck. This issue is a Commando first – featuring art from six different artists and six different stories, it’s a veritable coven of spooktacular artists! PLUS there’s a haunting cover by Manuel Benet!

Story: Georgia Standen Battle
Art: Various
Cover: Manuel Benet


5798: Ghost Tiger

Deep in the steaming jungle of India, where the tiger is king, there dwelt a sinister spirit. It was known as Thuggee Raj, a ghost tiger which nightly prowled the forest paths, striking terror into every heart.
    Any man who scoffed at it was foolish indeed, for Thuggee Raj had a power no man could overcome — the power of life and death!
    What’s worse than a man-eating tiger? A man-eating tiger that also happens to be a ghost! This clawsome story was dug out of the deep jungle of the Commando archives especially for you to sink your teeth into this spooky season!

Story: Lomas
Art: Boluda
Cover: Ian Kennedy
First published as No. 1084

Wednesday, October 23, 2024

Rebellion Releases — 23 October 2024


Battle Action #3 features Johnny Red and Hookjaw!


In A Couple of Heroes part 3, Johnny Red must pilot the Flying Gun over the Arctic Ocean on a mission to stop the development of a strain of cholera as a weapon of mass murder. But with the conclusion of the war seemingly inevitable, Johnny cannot help but think about his missing partner, Nina Petrova, and what he needs to do to be reunited with her. Garth Ennis and Keith Burns ramp up the stakes in this final Johnny Red story.

And in the bonus feature, the star of Action – Hook Jaw, the great white shark, is back! Brought to you by Steve White and John McCrea, Hook Jaw must face off against a Killer Whale, as a nature documentary team and a group of shark conservationists get between them. Who will make it out alive?…

Battle Action #3 is out on the 30th October.

And now, this week's releases...


2000AD Prog 2405
Cover: INJ Culbard

In this issue:
JUDGE DREDD // HATER by Ken Niemand (w) Silvia Califano (a) Giulia Brusco (c) Annie Parkhouse (l)
THE OUT // BOOK FOUR by Dan Abnett (w) Mark Harrison (a) Simon Bowland (l)
NIGHTMARE NEW YORK by Kek-W (w) John Burns (a) Annie Parkhouse (l)
BRINK // CONSUMED by Dan Abnett (w) INJ Culbard (a) Simon Bowland (l)
ROGUE TROOPER // WHEN A G.I. DIES by Garth Ennis (w) Patrick Goddard (a) Rob Steen (l)

Tuesday, October 22, 2024

  • 26 Oct. Alan Moore ponders on fandom, superheros and Trump. "The only thing uniting the assembly was its passion for an undervalued storytelling medium and, for the record, the consensus verdict of the gathered 15-year-old cognoscenti was that costumed musclemen were the main obstacle preventing adult audiences from taking comics seriously."
  • 24 Oct. Good Omens will no longer have a third season, but will be ending with a 90-minute episode. Neil Gaiman is stepping back and will no longer be involved with the production in order for it to go forward and conclude the story. Filming will begin in Scotland next year. The Hollywood Reporter also reports that Anansi Boys has completed production nad is likely to be some time in 2025.
  • 23 Oct. John Freeman has expanded his comprehensive look at the history of the Dan Dare TV show proposed by ATV in the late 1970s and how it tied in with the DD strip in 2000AD. Plus production art by Brendan McCarthy and Brian Bolland amongst others. Andrew Pixley has established that some test footage was shot: "An initial day in Studio A on Monday 8th September 1980 was cancelled, but two more test days were apparently spent recording in Studio B on Tuesday 9th and Wednesday 10th." I wonder if that footage will ever surface?
  • 17 Oct. Yet another interview with Garth Ennis, with more about 'Johnny Red', 'Strontium Dog' and 2000AD. "I do enjoy the shorter episodes on Battle Action and 2000 AD– less space means more focus, and it’s nice to exercise that particular muscle again. That doesn’t mean I don’t write with the eventual collection in mind- that’s how stories like Rogue Trooper and Johnny Red are going to exist long-term, after all- but there’s still a particular pleasure to be found writing one-offs like Dredger, Hellman, or Strontium Dog/Robo Hunter."
  • 15 Oct. Garth Ennis discusses bringing together two of 2000AD's most iconic characters, Strontium Dog and Robo-Hunter.  "John [Wagner] put enough original ideas into both characters that readers were constantly curious about them, we were always left wanting more. Their personalities, settings, supporting casts, technology and so on were endlessly intriguing, and their individual motivation meant we'd be getting plenty more."
  • ... Garth is also interviewed on Word Balloon, the vodcast by John Siuntres. Follow along with the transcript. (video, 1h 4m)
  • 15 Oct. Dave Gibbons is interviewed about 'For The Man Who Has Everything', the Alan Moore-scripted Superman story. “We sort of brought our own British sensibility towards the American material. So although we loved the notion of this distant Babylon that was New York City where you could make comic books, we rather liked being the people outside the city throwing rocks at it.”
  • 6 Oct. Bleeding Cool reports that Mark Millar is planning to start a film studio once his deal with Netflix ends. Miller's deal means that he would lose control of certain characters. "I would be starting from scratch. I wouldn't be able to write those characters because they're owned by another company but there's something exciting about starting over doing something else. I maybe do something outside of comics too, you know maybe do a smaller batch of comics, start a film production company, which I'll probably do at some point. I'm joining the board of a big theatre here as well, so I'm going to be involved in theatre and everything too. A book publisher has asked me to do some stuff there . When you're a writer, there's lots of different things you can do."
  • 4 Oct. Andrew Sumner's Forbidden Planet TV interviewed Sean Phillips at  the recent Lakes International Comic Art Festival. "Andrew Sumner talks to best-selling British artist Sean Phillips about the evolution of his award-winning career - and Sean's wildly-successful twenty-five year creative partnership with Ed Brubaker - before examining his [REDACTED] observations, experiences & reactions to the evolution of CRIMINAL as an Amazon Prime Video series debuting in 2025 - and to the planned filming of ED & Sean's Eisner award-winning graphic novel PULP (for which they are executive producers)." (video, 36m)
  • 4 Oct. Forbes magazine takes a look at Rebellion. "Kingsley said the [acquisition of Fleetway] represented a long term strategy of ensuring high quality throughout the media development process. 'When you work on licensed IP, it’s limiting because it’s other people’s property, but when you create your own licenses like Sniper Elite, Rogue Warrior or Zombie Army, you build.'"

Friday, October 18, 2024

Comic Cuts — 18 October 2024


Photo: Andy Yates
The big event this week was the Colchester Comic Swap Meet that took place on Saturday. I had been preparing for this for some while, but there were still some last minute bumps in the road to deal with.

The first was solved by Swap Meet organiser Karl Kennedy, who, knowing of the over-stretched tendons in my shoulder, offered to pick up a couple of boxes of books from Wivenhoe and drop them off at the venue, the Baptist Chuch in Eld Lane, in Colchester. I packed up most of the copies that I carry as stock... which is where the second bump occurred. Karl picked up the books on Thursday evening, and on Friday morning, I had three book orders which immediately cleared me out of three titles.

I'd tried to avoid shutting down my shops, but there was no option but to pause both Amazon and eBay sales until after the show.

There was a second question as to whether I would have enough copies of THE PHANTOM PATROL to hand as I had two orders in with the printer and the first had only just arrived. It looked like the second might not turn up until Monday, but, thankfully, it turned up on Friday. Rather than lug twenty copies in on the bus, it was agreed that Mel would bring them in later as she was getting a lift into town by car.

Saturday started with me hopping on the bus and arriving in the city (yes, Colchester is a city!) just as the shops were opening up. First port of call was a shoe shop to buy some new shoes, which I wore out of the shop, carrying the other pair to Timpson's in the hope that they could be sole and heeled—at the very least made waterproof so that they could be used as "gardening shoes", which is the fate of two earlier pairs of shoes.

Things were already busy at the venue when I walked in. I was to have one of the tables nearest the door and I could see the three boxes I'd packed up two days earlier. It didn't take long to lay out the books in a sensible order, with the new books and other comic strips as a first row nearest the customer, then indexes as a second row and then everything else. I'd taken a few examples of other things I've produced, including THE TRIALS OF HANK JANSON, so that people could see the range.

I think I had over twenty books available, but the comic strip reprints were the ones I expected to sell on the day, and THE PHANTOM PATROL especially. Which proved true. Almost immediately, I sold two, three, and then four copies. Over the next half hour a handful of others were sold, and I was on the phone to Mel asking whether it would be possible for her to bring ALL of the copies we had in the house.

Like last year, it's a fairly quiet, but steady show, but people are there to buy. I sold more books this time than last, but it's almost impossible to predict what people will want. I sold out of one book last year so I made sure I had copies to hand this time... didn't sell a single one. But that was made up for by sales of other books that I almost hadn't brought because there seemed to be no interest last time.


I ended the day £480 better off.  OK, that might not be all profit, because of the cost of printing and getting the books to me, but it was a very satisfying amount, and more than paid for my new shoes, which was my target for the day. I celebrated quietly with myself by buying a book and a sausage bap.

The book—a copy of DAN DARE ON MARS in a nice dust jacket—was one I'd only ever seen in the collection of John Allen-Clark, my late Eagle-collecting pal, who had most of the Eagle novels and from whom I bought a collection of the girls' titles (Susan of St. Bride's, etc.) thirty years ago. I've always wanted to read Basil Dawson's novel, although I gather it's not the greatest SF novel of the era (1956). It is, however, one of the few Dan Dare stories I've never read, so the chance to pick it up at what I thought a very reasonable price was too good to miss.

The art show by Stuart and Ed was a highlight, as was getting to meet Keith Burns, Commando and Johnny Red artist extraordinaire. I also met Andy Sawyers, an exceptional artist from The 77. Stephen Hume, who writes for Commando, was also selling comics, as was my swap meet neighbour, Vic Whittle, who runs the British Picture Libraries website. It was good to chat to people I met at the last Meet, such as James Bacon and Andy Yates; although it was a steady day rather than frenetic, there was still never enough time to chat to everyone at length.

I spent Sunday doing a stock take, reordering books, catching up on sleep, lazing around and moaning about how my new shoes had torn my heels up. That's new shoes for you.

Monday: good day of work on the new book, which is called DREAMING OF UTOPIA; Tuesday, was spent writing one of the last two essays for the book and cleaning up artwork to illustrate it; unfortunately, Wednesday was a write-off as large parts of the day were taken up shopping and attending an eye test at an inconvenient clinic two miles from the bus route. For that I put on an old pair of shoes that I knew would be more comfortable than the new ones. Thursday has also been a write-off as I spent the morning shuffling files around various external drives to create some space on my laptop and the afternoon... well, I'm writing this and sorting out pictures for you as we're heading out this evening to see Kiri Pritchard-McLean at the local Arts Centre.

Hopefully I can get back onto the book tomorrow...

Wednesday, October 16, 2024

Rebellion Releases — 18 October 2024


This December, if you hear the sound of tiny feet pattering across your roof, then cower in fear: the Thrill-Suckers are predicted to be out in force this Christmas! The only known way to blast them away and ensure you keep your Thrill-Power levels at the accepted hyper-dangerous level required to keep the festive spirit blazing?

The 2000 AD Christmas Mega-Spectacular, out on the 18th December and featuring over 100 pages of the finest comics excitement imaginable!

The Galaxy’s Greatest Comic marks the end of another year with the traditional festive blowout – featuring the start of several new ongoing stories for the Prog, alongside a hearty host of special surprises! Tharg’s Thrills for this year’s special include:

    Judge Dredd: Life Lessons by Ken Niemand and David Roach
    Fiends of the Western Front: Wilde West by Ian Edginton and Tiernen Trevallion
    Portals and Black Goo: A Quorum of Fiends by John Tomlinson and Eoin Coveney
    Hawk the Slayer: The Last of Her Kind by Alec Worley and Simon Coleby
    The Out: Book Four by Dan Abnett and Mark Harrison

But that’s not all! In addition to these all-new Thrills, the Christmas Mega-Special will also include some one-off surprises and familiar faces, including:

    Azimuth: Santa’s Little Helpers by Dan Abnett and Tazio Bettin
    Rogue Trooper: The Hot Zone by Karl Stock and Ilias Kyriazis
    Thistlebone: The Eel of Harrowvale Pond by T.C. Eglington and Simon Davis
    Tharg’s Future Shocks: Tis The Season for Taking by Rob Williams and Pye Parr
    Strontium Dog: Doghouse Roses by Garth Ennis and Henry Flint

A stacked sampling of the most stupendous stories imaginable, we’re sure you agree!

All this, and the glowing emerald visage of The Mighty One himself welcoming readers old and new to the issue, thanks to a festive cover from Andy Clarke?

Grud bless us, every one!

The 2000 AD Christmas Mega-Spectacular will be out on the 18th December – pre-order yours now to save yourself the sleigh ride and have it delivered straight to your door! If you already have a 2000 AD subscription, you will receive this issue automatically with no additional charge – blessings be!

And now, this week's releases...


2000AD Prog 2404
Cover: Dan Cornwell / Dylan Teague (cols)

In this issue:
JUDGE DREDD // HATER by Ken Niemand (w) Silvia Califano (a) Giulia Brusco (c) Annie Parkhouse (l)
THE OUT // BOOK FOUR by Dan Abnett (w) Mark Harrison (a) Simon Bowland (l)
NIGHTMARE NEW YORK by Kek-W (w) John Burns (a) Annie Parkhouse (l)
BRINK // CONSUMED by Dan Abnett (w) INJ Culbard (a) Simon Bowland (l)
ROGUE TROOPER // WHEN A G.I. DIES by Garth Ennis (w) Patrick Goddard (a) Rob Steen (l)


Judge Dredd Megazine #473
Cover: Cliff Robinson / Dylan Teague (cols)

In this issue:
JUDGE DREDD // LAWMEN OF THE FUTURE by Ken Niemand (w) Dan Cornwell (a) Matt Soffe (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)
JUDGE DREDD: FALSE WITNESS by Brandon Easton (w) Kei Zama (a) Eva De La Cruz (c) Shawn Lee (l)
PANDORA PERFECT: PERFECT SOUNDS by Roger Langridge (w) Gary Welsh (a) John Charles (c) Simon Bowland (l)
CADET RICO // THE CYCLE by Liam Johnson (w) Rob Richardson (a) Jim Campbell (l)
LAWLESS // A TOWN CALLED BADROCK by Dan Abnett (w) Phil Winslade (a) Simon Bowland (l)

Friday, October 11, 2024

Comic Cuts — 11 October 2024


It was a dark and stormy night—or Tuesday as we call it here in Wivenhoe. We were meant to be catching the 6.57 bus that evening and for the previous 20 minutes it had been bucketing down, the rain accompanied by long rumbles of thunder.

We were off to see Rhys Nicholson, Aussie comedian we know from various panel shows, The Week and the new Australian Taskmaster series. It looked like we were going to arrive wet and uncomfortable, but the rain eased and, apart from a couple of startling lightening flashes—counting between the flash and the growls in the clouds showed that the storm was moving further away—we stood waiting for the bus in a light drizzle and stepped off the bus in Colchester where it was wet underfoot but no longer raining.

I mention "wet underfoot" because I'd discovered that the sole of my shoe had a worn patch, and the underside of my sock was starting to feel damp. Thankfully that was the worst of our soggy trip up to the Arts Centre and it was a shame the rain put off so many because Nicholson deserved more than the slim audience who braved the storm.

Nicholson packed more words into an hour and a half than any other comedian we've see; frenetic but precise, they deliver funny line after funny line about their life, their marriage, their attitude to having children, all of which veer off into sidetracks and wanders down alleyways at the drop of a hat with ADHD.

Fast and occasionally furious, sardonic and sometimes sarcastic, they had us in stitches.


Wednesday I went to visit the physio again about my shoulder tendon. After being prodded a couple of times and then doing some avant garde ballet ("lift up your arm like this... now bend it back like this... any pain? Now hold your arm like this...") the physio confirmed that it was a rotator cuff problem, which we knew; I discussed the exercises I had been doing for the past month which have had no positive effect, so I was told to keep doing them and if any of them hurt, stop doing that one. It'll take time.

Well, it's already been seven months, and I'm not sure if mixed messages like "Give your arm plenty of rest, but keep it moving and keep up the exercises" helps.

On a happier note, I've started designing the next book. Haven't got very far yet, and it's way too early to start showing things off yet, but I have a front cover and a title page and an opening spread. And hopefully, but the time you read this, I'll have a few more pages done.

The header teases a couple of cover illustrations by the remarkable H.W. Perl that I'll be using in the book.

Thursday, October 10, 2024

Commando 4791-4794


As we charge once again into Halloween territory, we find ourselves faced with some spooktacular new stories over our next couple of sets! Issues 5791-5794 go on sale from today, 10th October, 2024!



5791: The Mummy’s Tomb

Four British soldiers stood on ground untouched for centuries. While the battle for North Africa raged above them, their greedy eyes fixed on the treasure of the ancient Egyptian tomb. Each man took a prize to cash in once the war had ended — canopic jars containing the mummy’s organs.  
Four men, four jars…each doomed to suffer the mummy’s curse.
    From acclaimed writer of Commandos Vs Zombies, Georgia Standen Battle, comes a creepy tale of murder, betrayal and ancient curses that’ll leave you asking for your mummy. With terrific hieroglyphics from Jaume Forns and Marco Bianchini, there’s plenty to get wrapped up in!

Story: Georgia Standen Battle
Art: Jaume Forns
Cover: Marco Bianchini



5792: Ghost Pilot

Piloting a lurching bomb‑loaded Lancaster through the flame‑lit, shell‑torn night skies of Germany needed nerves of steel. Bomber pilots were a tough, cheery bunch. They had to be.
Then into a squadron came the strange, young pilot with pure white hair and burning, bitter eyes, and raids began to go wrong. Bombs were wasted on grass fields. Nazi Ack‑Ack guns and fighters were ready and waiting for our bombers, even on surprise raids. Plane after vulnerable plane was lost without trace.
The time came when questions had to be asked — and the answers given by the white-haired pilot started up the whisper of “Traitor!”
    The first classic reprint this week is a hair-raising story by Gardener. Last published in 1972, the artwork by Peter Ford is a cut above the rest, and the wig-nificent Ken Barr cover is so scary good, it’ll turn your hair white!

Story: Gardener
Art: Peter Ford
Cover: Ken Barr
First published as No 117



5793: The Demon of Selva Oscura

July 1943. As war rages across Europe, the Italian village of Selva Oscura has grown eerily quiet. Troubled SOE captain, Simon Peters, has been tasked with securing the strategic territory. Unbeknownst to him, the sadistic Oberst Faustmann rules over Selva Oscura with a strange power. Why can none of the villagers escape through the surrounding forests? What was it that the Nazis uncovered in the catacombs beneath the ancient church?
    Our next ghoulish offering features both a truly demonic cover and unholy artwork by the prince of darkness himself, Carlos Pino. Alongside a delightfully hellish script by Kate Dewar, this is one Commando worth selling your soul for.

Story: Kate Dewar
Art: Carlos Pino
Cover: Carlos Pino



5793: River of Death

They took Jim Chalmers off Hurricanes because they reckoned he’d lost his nerve, fought too many dogfights with Zeroes. They gave him a lumbering Dakota on a routine job ferrying supplies from one base to another. Jim didn’t like this at all, but he needn’t have worried. There were wilder days coming, days when he would have no plane at all, when he’d be up against the Japanese and jungle on the…RIVER OF DEATH
    We’re off to the jungle for our final reprint of the week, this time from 1971. With yet another iconic cover from the legendary Ian Kennedy, oar-some art by Gonzalez and a script by Fitzsimmons with more twists and turns than the mighty Rio Grande, this is one that’s sure to make a splash!

Story: Fitzsimmons
Art: Gonzalez
Cover: Ian Kennedy
First published as No. 582

Wednesday, October 09, 2024

Rebellion Releases — 9 October 2024


Christmas just got Thrill-powered again – Rebellion is proud to announce the return of the 2000 AD Annual!

After an absence of three decades, the first 2000 AD Annual of the 21st Century arrives in November – in plenty of time to make it under the tree – from all good comic book stores, as well as the 2000 AD webshop!

This gorgeous hardcover collection will feature a mix of brand new and classic stories from top creators – but what’s actually inside the Annual? Let’s take a look under the cover:

JUDGE DREDD: CHIMPSURRECTION by Chris Condon (w), Fernando Blanco (a), Edward Teach (c), Jonathan Stevenson (l)
STRONTIUM DOG by Simon Spurrier (w), Hayden Sherman (a), Jonathan Stevenson (l)
ROGUE TROOPER by Alex Paknadel (w), Jake Lynch (a), Dylan Teague (c), Jonathan Stevenson (l)
LAWLESS by Dan Abnett (w), Phil Winslade (a)
ANDERSON: SPA DAY by Maura McHugh (a), Emma Vieceli (a), Barbara Nosenzo (c), Ellie De Ville (l) reprinted from 2000AD Sci-Fi Special 2018
TALES FROM THE BLACK MUSEUM: CULT STATUS by Rory McConville (w), Staz Johnson (a), Simon Bowlalnd (l) reprinted from Judge Dredd Megazine 381, 2017
MEAN MACHINE: JUDGEMENT ON GOSHAM by John Wagner (w), Mike McMahon (a), Gordon Robson (l) reprinted from Judge Dredd Yearbook 1994
ROGUE TROOPER by Gerry Finley-Day (a), Dave Gibbons (a/l) reprinted from 2000AD Prog 228, 1981
JUDGE DREDD: HEARTBEAT by John Wagner & Alan Grant (w), Ian Gibson (a) reprinted from Daily Star, 1989

And now, this week's releases...


2000AD Prog 2403
Cover: Andy Clarke.

JUDGE DREDD // HATER by Ken Niemand (w) Silvia Califano (a) Giulia Brusco (c) Annie Parkhouse (l)
THE OUT // BOOK FOUR by Dan Abnett (w) Mark Harrison (a) Simon Bowland (l)
NIGHTMARE NEW YORK by Kek-W (w) John Burns (a) Annie Parkhouse (l)
BRINK // CONSUMED by Dan Abnett (w) INJ Culbard (a) Simon Bowland (l)
ROGUE TROOPER // WHEN A G.I. DIES by Garth Ennis (w) Patrick Goddard (a) Rob Steen (l)


Fiends of the Eastern Front Volume 2 by Ian Edginton & Tiernen Trevallion
Rebellion ISBN 978-183786258-0, 8 October 2024, 176pp, £19.99. Available via Amazon.

In 1970, Lieutenant Tim Wilson is haunted by the memories of war – not just the bloodshed of the battlefield, but the horrors witnessed at the hand of Captain Constanta, who rescued him after a gruesome encounter with the King-Bats of Maximilian Von Klorr – the Black Max himself! Years later, Lt. Wilson sets out on a journey to hunt down Constanta in his native Romania, and uncovers his origins among beasts and creatures of magic.
    Collecting the work of Ian Edginton and Tiernen Trevallion, the second omnibus of Fiends of the Eastern Front follows Constanta’s bloody trail across history, and brings monstrous terror from the skies of wartime France to the streets of 1960s London.

Friday, October 04, 2024

Comic Cuts — 4 October 2024


Not much in the way of news this week that hasn't already been made public. THE PHANTOM PATROL is OUT NOW!!! Only fifteen years late, but what's that between friends.

My main selling platform these days is eBay, where you can buy all of my books, and those nice folks who own the company have reduced their charges, so I earn a little more for every book they sell. I appreciate that some prefer Amazon, but wherever you order from it's precisely the same process: I receive the order, I package it, I print the label and, yes, it's me who has to trudge down to the post box to post it.

I don't mind that last bit as it's the only exercise I get. I've mentioned previously that I'm trying to lose a bit of weight, but it's going slowly. I've lost a few pounds since July, but not yet reached half a stone. Not helping has been two meals out and three large cakes due to Mel's recent birthday. We still have about an eighth of one and two-thirds of another to get through, so my diet has been officially put on hold for another week.

I encourage you all to buy my books, so I get out of the house. I'll leave it to you, dear readers, to plan how you'll get together and work out a schedule so you're not all ordering at once. I'll just be pleased with the steady trickle of orders.

I had my jabs today (I'm writing on Thursday evening), so I'm hoping for a flu and COVID-free winter. Handy as we're going out to a couple of gigs this month—Rhys Nicholson, a flamboyant, spiky Aussie we first saw on Patriot Brains a few years ago and who is currently appearing on Taskmaster Australia, and Kiri Pritchard-McLean, who has been on most British TV and radio panel shows.

Mel and I have seen a lot of comedians over the years, and started a list of those we hadn't seen who we wanted to see, and Kiri Pritchard-McLean was at the top of the list. We also decided that we'd see any Australian or New Zealander who came over as we'd probably not get the chance again, hence out last comedy gig was Urzila Carlson and the next Rhys Nicholson.

I very nearly finished the Tom Tully piece, but had to put it on hold if I'm to have a hope in hell of getting this Utopian book out. I'm in the middle of writing the last of the shorter pieces, so there are two long essays (The Men Who Built Utopia, and a piece on Norman Firth called The Prince of Pulp Pedlars) and three short ones on artist Reina Bull and two writers, R. C. Finney and E. Burton Childs. I'm close to finishing the latter.

Next week I will get my nose down to the grindstone and turn on the PC where I have a copy of InDesign. I have a lot of illustrations already cleaned up, but I'll still have a lot of cleaning up of images to do. I'm avoiding saying "touching up" because Utopian published a great many "art studies". But that's only part of the story, which stretches from bicycling around Sunderland selling religious tracts to studying paranormal activity in Wiltshire.


I'm trying to stock up some Bear Alley books for the Comic Swap Mart on Saturday week—12th October—at the Baptist Church in Colchester. I should now be able to bring along some additional titles as my books have been offered a lift to and from the venue. Notice I say my books... I'm still going to be travelling in by bus!

This isn't as daft as it sounds: I'm still having problems with my shoulder and lugging a weighted-down shopping trolley on and off of buses isn't the ideal way to recover. I've another appointment with a physio next week, so we shall see what further moves they'll make now that we've discovered that the exercises haven't made much difference (and, yes, I did keep them up for the full month!).

More news next week...

Wednesday, October 02, 2024

Rebellion Releases — 2 October 2024


Due to popular demand, the Treasury of British Comics Annual is back!

Last year’s sold out hardcover returns this November with three brand new stories from industry superstars, including Simon Furman (Transformers) and Mike Collins (Doctor Who) on Kelly’s Eye, Alec Worley (Hook-Jaw) and Anna Morozova (Lowborn High) on Black Beth, and Paul Grist (Jack Staff) and Simon Williams (The HOFF: Heroes of Fearless Freedom) on Robot Archie.

This gorgeous hardcover collection will feature a mix of brand new and classic stories from top creators – but what’s actually inside the Annual? Let’s take a look under the cover!

ROBOT ARCHIE vs THE SLUDGE by Paul Grist (w), Simon Williams (a), Jason Cardy (c), Leila Jess (l)
MAJOR EAZY by Carlos Ezquerra (a) (rpts Battle Annual 1979)
NEW NEIGHBOURS by Ian Rimmer (w), Mike Western (a) (rpts Scream! Holiday Special 1985)
3000AD THE TRAVELLER by Mike McMahon (a) (rpts Dan Dare Annual 1980)
EAGLE EYE. JUNIOR SPY by Leo Baxendale (rpts Wham!, 27 Feb 1965)
STRYKER by Tom Tully (w), Ian Kennedy (rpts Valiant 21 Aug-16 Oct 1976)
DOCTOR SIN by John Smith (w). John Burns (a) (rpts 2000AD Presents Action!)
KELLY'S EYE vs THE WHITE EYES by Simon Furman (w), Mike Collins (a), SquakeZz (l)
GORILLA ISLAND by Frank Langford (a) (rpts Tiger, 13 Feb-8 May 1965)
ADAM ETERNO by Ian Kennedy (a) (rpts Valiant Annual 1976)
FLAME O' THE FOREST by Donne Avenell (w), Massimo Belardinelli (a) (rpts Lion Annual 1972)
BLACK BETH by Alec Worley (w), Anna Morozova (a), Ozwald (l)
THE KNIGHT FROM NOWHERE by Steve Moore (w), Eric Bradbury (a) (rpts Buster Book of Spooky Stories 1975)

And now, this week's releases...


2000AD Prog 2402
Cover: Trevor Hairsine.

JUDGE DREDD // SILENCE by Rob Williams (w) Jake Lynch (a) Jim Boswell (c) Annie Parkhouse (l)
THE OUT // BOOK FOUR by Dan Abnett (w) Mark Harrison (a) Simon Bowland (l)
NIGHTMARE NEW YORK by Kek-W (w) John Burns (a) Annie Parkhouse (l)
BRINK // CONSUMED by Dan Abnett (w) INJ Culbard (a) Simon Bowland (l)
ROGUE TROOPER // WHEN A G.I. DIES by Garth Ennis (w) Patrick Goddard (a) Rob Steen (l)


Battle Action Volume 3 #2
Cover: Dan Cornwell.

JOHNNY RED // A COUPLE OF HEROES by Garth Ennis (w) Keith Burns (a) Jason Wordie (c) Rob Steen (l)
HMS NIGHTSHADE by John Wagner (w) Dan Cornwell (a) Matt Soffe (c) Rob Steen (l)

Friday, September 27, 2024

Comic Cuts — 27 September 2024


Hopefully the little video I put together yesterday will have explained what's happening here at Bear Alley Books: I had a third and final proof of THE PHANTOM PATROL through, which looked great; all the necessary contracts are signed and fees are paid; and I've pressed the button on getting some copies of the book printed.

They should be with me first week of October, but I'm taking orders now and if you order in the next week or so, I'll be happy to offer the usual 10% off the cover price for early customers. So £23.00 paid to my PayPal account — which many of you will already know as it hasn't changed since last time — will get you a copy of the book. If you haven't ordered early before, drop me a line at the e-mail address to the right and I'll explain all. Or DM me on my Facebook page. All I ask is that you make sure you include your address.

I will have copies available at the upcoming COMMANDO SWAP MEET at Colchester Baptist Church in Eld Lane, which I've marked on the map below (click on it for the larger size): if you go to the centre of the map and imagine a clock, follow the small hand when it's pointing to 5 o'clock and you should be able to find the Methodist Church. If you're coming in by car there are car parks nearby — there's one off St. Botolph's roundabout which I believe is reasonably priced (I don't know for sure, I don't drive and I'll be coming in by bus!).

I'm still having problems with my shoulder, so I'm not planning to bring in quite so many different books this time. I'll definitely have copies of  THE PHANTOM PATROL, HIGH SEAS AND HIGH ADVENTURES and a couple of other popular comic strip titles. If there's a title that you especially want, and you want to save the cost of postage, let me know and I'll earmark a copy for you. Otherwise I'll be bringing along some copies of our most recent books and maybe a couple of old favourites, if they'll fit in the trolley.

One last thing: the church is right in the middle of town, so there's plenty of other shops you can visit; there are over a dozen charity shop scattered around; and they do really nice bacon sandwiches at the church.


As it was Mel's birthday this week, I've been a bit lazy. I'm still writing about Tom Tully, with a couple of days spent reading 'The Team That Went to War' and 'Johnny Red'. I'd forgotten just how good 'The Team That Went to War' was — a simple premise but masterfully executed.

The rest of the week has been mostly medical, although that makes it sound like I'm falling apart. A week with a blood pressure device had revealed that my blood pressure is all over the place. You're meant to take two measurements in the morning and two in the evening. Well, I started the week with the early measurement at 6 o'clock, which is when we get up, as I was told that coffee can cause higher blood pressure. Measuring it before I have a coffee should, therefore, give a lower reading. Wrong! I found that taking a measurement later in the day, even after a couple of coffees, I was more relaxed and getting better (i.e. closer to where they should be) readings. And the evening tended to be afternoon readings just to get them done. Of the 28 readings, only two I would say were about whee they should be; most were on the higher side, so that'll be more tablets! Oh, well.

For October it's all jabs, pokes and prods as I have a flu jab, a Covid jab, a return trip to the physio and an eye test all lined up. Maybe I am falling apart, after all.

I'll end of a bit of excitement: we went shopping on Tuesday and stood around waiting for the bus, which pulled up after a couple of minutes wait. The doors opened and the driver jumped out, complaining about smoking at the back of the bus. We thought he meant a passenger vaping, but no...


Thursday, September 26, 2024

Phantom Patrol is Go!


 Nine minutes of pure self promotion!

Commando 5787-5790


For issues 5787-5790 of Commando, we’re dedicating the whole set to special issues with art and covers by beloved long-time artist Manuel Benet. He’s been working with Commando for more than 40 years, so it only seemed right! They go on sale from today, Thursday 26th September 2024.

5787: Hunter and Bunter

Hunter was a crackshot, a tough, well-trained sergeant. Bunter was lazy and afraid — a useless soldier. From their first meeting, the two hated the sight of one another. Not the makings of a good team at all, but the day would come when each of them would have to depend on the other — or die!
    Our first issue in the set dedicated to Manuel Benet features a classic odd couple scenario with a range of twists and turns courtesy of writer Roger Sanderson. Manuel Benet’s  brilliant character work shines!

Story: Roger Sanderson
Art: Manuel Benet
Cover: Manuel Benet
Originally printed as No. 2538 in 1992

5788: Jungle Killer

In the dark, dank jungles  of Vietnam, danger was everywhere. But Sergeant Clint Bryden of the American Forces was at home there — just like a beast of prey, revelling in the shadows and cover. He became so good at this job that before long, even those on his side began to walk in fear of the…JUNGLE KILLER!
    This dark tale of the Vietnam war was written by Ian Clark who clearly was channelling the great classics of Apocalypse Now and Full Metal Jacket. The gritty issue showcases Manuel’s abilities through his careful rendering of the dense jungle undergrowth.

Story: Ian Clark
Art: Manuel Benet
Cover: Manuel Benet
Originally printed as No. 2669 in 1993

5789: The Devil’s Road

You won’t find the name on any maps for this barren, mountainous region, but somehow the Germans had learned about the narrow pass which the local Arabs called “The Devil’s Road”.
    Now the enemy were about to put their knowledge to lethal use and the two men who had stumbled on their secret and might be able to stop them, were in big trouble — spiralling out of control towards the ground in a badly‑damaged aircraft...
    We’re off to the desert in Heptonstall’s action-packed script with some amazing aerial scenes courtesy of master Manuel! They always say “the devil’s in the detail” and Manuel is no stranger to beautiful intricate work which is for all to see in Issue 5789!

Story: Heptonstall
Art: Manuel Benet
Cover: Manuel Benet
Originally printed as No. 2949 in 1996

5790: Twice the Danger

Captain Chris Blower and his company of British paratroopers were assigned a dangerous mission in enemy occupied Sicily in 1943.
    As if that wasn’t tough enough, an American colonel had got in on the act. A real life film star with an inflated sense of his own importance, he knew too much about future invasion plans for his own good.
So when he fell into enemy hands, Chris and his men were suddenly faced with a mission that was doubly dangerous!
    Our final Commando in the special one-off issues dedicated to Manuel is a fun romp about a movie star caught in the throes of battle written by Roger Sanderson. The issue seemed a fitting way to round off this set since Manuel is a bit of a star around Commando HQ after all!

Story: Roger Sanderson
Art: Manuel Benet
Cover: Manuel Benet
Originally printed as No. 3019 in 1997

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