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.

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

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.

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...

• 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.'"
  
• 28 Sep. Kevin Hall has posted interviews with and Arthur Wyatt and Nick Percival on his Facebook page. Hall runs the 2000AD Review Page, and often has mini interviews relating to the latest issues of 2000AD and the Judge Dredd Megazine.
  
• 27 Sep. Dave Elliott (ex-Atomeka, Penthouse Comix, etc.) returns to comics as publisher and editor-in-chief of Mechanical Cake, which counts Ridley Scott as CEO along with Jesse Negron, and involves artists Bill Sienkiewicz, Dan Panosian and Chris Weston, working on three graphic novels.
  
• 27 Sep. Garth Ennis is joined by Torunn Grønbekk, Chris Burnham, Rob Williams, Keith Burns and Brian K. Vaughan, on the latst episode from Forbidden Planet TV. "This dirty half-dozen of world-class comic-book creators join Andrew Sumner to celebrate Rebellion's ten-part third volume of legendary UK war/action title Battle Action, featuring Garth & Keith on Johnny Red, Brian & Chris on Kids Rule OK, Torunn on Nina Petrova (with Patrick Goddard) and Rob on Major Eazy (with PJ Holden) and El Mestizo (with Henry Flint)." (video, 44m)
  
• 26 Sep. A new horror publisher—Ninth Circle, to be published via Image—has been set up by Garth Ennis. Ram V and others. The first release will be Freddie the Fix by Ennis and Mike Perkins, the story of a Hollywood fixer who cleans up the messes left behind by Tinseltown’s vampires, werewolves, and other supernatural denizens."
• 26 Sep. John Wagner returned to Judge Dredd with 'Machine Rule' this summer and to 'HMS Nightshade' in Battle Action #2. "I was probably in my umpteenth attempt at retiring," he says of previously revealing it would end the storyline begun with 'Machine Law' in 2019. "[I]t would be unwise to think that the story had concluded. In fact, I'm currently pumping myself up to work on the sequel."
  
• 24 Sep. Paul Slade has collected together and published eight essays about comics, with the lead essay taking up nearly half the book and giving it its title: The Redemption of Andy Capp. The essay reasses the famous Daily Mirror strip which was a huge global success and its artist, Reg Smythe. ”When Homer Simpson called Andy a ‘wife beating drunk’ in a 1993 episode of The Simpsons, it convinced a whole generation there was no more to Smythe’s work than crude misogynist jokes. I wanted to show people that simply wasn’t true.”
• 17 Sep. The Bookseller's graphic novel spotlight issue (13 Sept.) has been used to announce the launch in January 2025 of The Phoenix Comic Books, a new imprint from David Fickling Books, which ties their book line to their comic The Phoenix. John Freeman has more details.
  
• 16 Sep. Philip Boyce pays tribute to Mark Rodgers, the co-creator of Oink! comic, on what would have been his birthday. "To say Mark was a prolific comics writer is probably the largest understatement I could make. Working across a multitude of titles for the likes of IPC/Fleetway, he’d often write up to a dozen scripts a week."
  
• 14 Sep. Down the Tubes has details of the Alan Grant Memorial Scholarship at the Tallaght Academy of Sequential Art, Dublin, which will cover the tuition fees of one lucky scholar.
  
• 13 Sep. The latest report from the US website Deadline on Neil Gaiman's various screen adaptations says that production on the third and final season of Good Omens has been paused by Netflix.
• 9 Sep. Mark Millar's Millar Time features an interview with John McCrea. (video 1h 20m)
  
• 6 Sep. Alan Moore has a new novel due out on 1st October, a historical fantasy. "The Great When departs from Moore’s beloved Northampton—the “obvious centre of the universe”—and settles in London in 1949, when the city and its populace are physically and psychologically “in pieces”. This precarity provides a fertile backdrop for the misadventures of the novel’s protagonist, the hapless Dennis Knuckleyard, a motherless 18-year-old living and working with the profoundly grotesque bookshop owner, Coffin Ada."
• 6 Sep. Given the shitstorm that is currently surrounding Neil Gaiman, it's no surprise that decisions are being made about various properties connected to him. Warner Bros., for instance, have announced that Dead Boy Detectives (Netflix) won't be getting a second season; a movie adaptation of The Graveyard Book is on hold at Disney; but Good Omens 3 is moving ahead, although this report reveals that with filming not due to start until next year, it will be 2026 at the earliest before we see the results.
  

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)

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...

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

Rebellion Releases — 25 September 2024

JUMP ON BOARD!

This week's 2000 AD, Prog 2401 is a chance to jump on (or back on) board  the galaxy's greatest comic.

Judge Dredd seeks revenge for Maitland - but will he be allowed to get to the truth? Then, The Out returns for a new series as Cyd finds a new attitude (and job!); mysterious sects rule old New York in Nightmare New York; Brink continues its critically-acclaimed run; and Garth Ennis and Patrick Goddard return to Rogue Trooper for "When A G.I. Dies".

2000AD Prog 2401
Cover: Mark Harrison

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)

The Sarge Volume 2 by Gerry Finley-Day & Mike Western
Rebellion ISBN 978-183786248-1, 25 September 2024, 128pp, £19.99. Available via Amazon.

SOME MEN ARE BORN LEADERS - MEN LIKE JIM MASTERS!
Italy, 1943. British sergeant Jim Masters and his section face brutal opposition from the German army. At the same time, Masters must motivate his men and ensure that each individual soldier is prepared for the increasing threat from the enemy - a difficult task as the section now has a lot of inexperienced soldiers amongst its ranks.
    From marauding Tiger tanks to suspicious American paratroopers, this volume includes the final work on the strip by its co-creators Gerry-Finley Day and Mike Western.

The Definitive Nemesis the Warlock Volume 2 by Pat Mills, Kevin O'Neill and Bryan Talbot
Rebellion ISBN 978-183786270-2, 25 September 2024, 192pp, £24.99. Available via Amazon.

The Definitive series of the Nemesis the Warlock saga continues as Torquemada’s crusade to destroy all alien life reaches the planet of the Goths, a species of alien which has modelled their culture on early twentieth-century Britain. Nemesis must team up with the Goth leader, the Ion Duke, to stop them being eradicated by Torquemada's army of Terminators.
    Written by Pat Mills (Marshal Law) and drawn by Kevin O'Neill (League of Extraordinary Gentlemen) and Bryan Talbot (Sandman, The Adventures of Luther Arkwright), this definitive series compiles the complete storyline in order.

Comic Cuts — 20 September 2024.

After the excitement of last week, with the news that Rebellion had signed off on THE PHANTOM PATROL and I was waiting on a final proof to turn up, this week has been the eye of the storm. I'm still waiting for the proof, at which point I will be able to start taking orders... but not until I've seen that final proof.

I'm also waiting on a copy of another book that I have been working on, not as a writer or designer, but simply guiding it through the publishing process. This is FEMALE DETECTIVES IN EARLY CRIME FICTION 1841-1920. Featured here are private detectives and, although some authors have taken liberties with historical authenticity, official police detectives. There are also the committed amateurs who would proudly describe themselves as detectives. The book is divided into entries, each of which deals with a work of fiction which generally falls into one of three categories: a novel, a series of stories or a standalone short story. Both periodical appearances and appearances in book form are covered. Each entry contains a variable blend of bibliographic information and critical commentary with the discussion focusing on the character, career and capabilities of the detective.

It's a substantial book, 460 A4 pages, and it's available at the knock-down price of £21.99 via Amazon where you can also read the introduction and a couple of entries thanks to the "Read Sample" function. If you have any interest in this kind of thing — and I do because of the coverage of Sexton Blake allies and enemies and a number of female detectives who appeared in story papers during the period covered — it's a must-have book. And cheap. And illustrated in black & white.

I've spent almost all week writing about football strips as part of an essay about a British comic strip writer Tom Tully. I started writing this last week and it has grown into an 8,000-word monster, with more to come as I've yet to cover his later strips (outside of Roy). Given how prolific he was, I'm going to have to skip through quite a lot of his shorter-run strips, but I'm trying to give space to everything more substantial... so I'm looking forward to re-reading his years on Dan Dare next week!

We went out to  lunch on Wednesday as a friend was visiting the UK from Canada and I blew my diet clean out of the water. I'm trying to lose a bit of weight as my last trip to the doctors was a bit disappointing. Too much sugar getting into my bloodstream, which isn't good for someone who is overweight and sits in front of a laptop all day.

It was a double-whammy of frustration as my blood pressure was up. I've no idea why — maybe the heat last month, which meant I wasn't sleeping properly. Maybe just stress. Anyway, it was up and that was annoying because my blood pressure is the one thing I've not had to worry about since being diagnosed as diabetic. It was at the top end of OK when I had a face-to-face with the doctor, but it had been recommended that I use a home monitor for a week to keep an eye on things. The little local surgery only has a couple that can be borrowed, so it took three weeks to get hold of one, and I've just started using it... first measurement this morning. Not great, but a second measurement was down into the OK area.

(If you've not done this yourself, the monitor is easy to use and you take two measurements in the morning and two in the evening. Then an AI does something algorithmic with the results and tells you if blood is going to explode out of your eyes. I think that's what they said.)

As for my weight, I had already lost a couple of pounds, but not enough over the summer, despite some walks and some gardening. I've been put off any heavy work because of the rotator cuff damage to my arm, which is still ongoing, despite regular exercise. Since then I've lost another three pounds, but the cold weather and dressing up a bit warmer meant I put two pounds back on! I'm now another pound down, but that might be because the weather has warmed up and I've taken my jumper off.

I think I'll have to give it a couple of weeks and see if I'm actually losing weight. I have another check up in about two months time, so the race is on!

Rebellion Releases — 18 September 2024

Today, all-out war will erupt across the 2000 AD multiverse as the Nort Army invade across the whole of 2000 AD history! Starting in 2000 AD Prog 2400 and concluding in Judge Dredd Megazine 473, Nordland Rising will bring the world of 2000 AD to its knees – all hail the Nort Empire!

But a resistance team will unite to take on the combined forces of the Nort Empire… including Rogue Trooper, Judge Dredd, Venus Bluegenes, Bad Company, Major Eazy, Judge Anderson and more! It’s a colossal story, bursting at the seams with future action and incredible warfare, as everyone from the Krool Empire and The V.C.s to the Fiends of the Eastern Front will find themselves choosing sides in the galactic battle.

And so to this week's releases...

2000AD Prog 2400 NORDLAND RISING PART 1
Cover: Cliff Robinson / Dylan Teague (cols).

JUDGE DREDD // NORDLAND RISING by Ken Niemand (w) John McCrea (a) Mike Spicer (c) Annie Parkhouse (l)
BAD COMPANY // THE TORTURE FARM by Peter Milligan (w) Cam Smith (a) Jim Campbell (l)
THE VCs // NORTS & DOUBLE-CROSSES by Dan Abnett (w) Nick Dyer (a) Jack Davies (c) Simon Bowland (l)
FIENDS OF THE EASTERN FRONT // WHAT'S BRED IN THE BONE by Ian Edginton (w) Nick Percival (a) Jim Campbell (l)
JAEGIR // 100 MILLION MARTYRS by Gordon Rennie (w) Simon Coleby (a) Gary Caldwell (c) Simon Bowland (l)
MAJOR EAZY // AFRIKA NORTS by Arthur Wyatt (w) Tom Foster (a) Chris Blythe (c) Simon Bowland (l)
NORDLAND RISING // REPRISE by Ken Niemand (w) John McCrea (a) Mike Spicer (c) Annie Parkhouse (l)

Judge Dredd Megazine 472 NORDLAND RISING PART 2
Cover: Jim Murray

NORDLAND RISING: HIT TWO by Ken Niemand (w) Anthony Williams (a) Simon Bowland (l)
NORDLAND RISING: HIT THREE by Ken Niemand (w) Clint Langley (a) Dylan Teague (c) Jim Campbell (l)
NORDLAND RISING: HIT FOUR by Ken Niemand (w) Dan Cornwell (a) Matt Soffe (c) Annie Parkhouse (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)
DEPARTMENT K: MURDER ON THE INTERDIMENSIONAL EXPRESS by Ned Hartley (w) Mike Walters (a) Jim Campbell (l)
TALES FROM THE BLACK MUSEUM: SHADOW OF DEATH by Liam Johnson (w) Conor Boyle (a) Simon Bowland (l)

Comic Cuts — 13 September 2024

Since I was born on a Friday the 13th, I've never been superstitious about them. It's called paraskevidekatriaphobia and it's an irrational fear that some believe in, as is triskaidekaphobia, the fear of the number thirteen. I had a look at Wikipedia to check the spelling and it seems to have been something that developed in the early 20th century alongside various other obsessions with the paranormal.

That it's all nonsense is easily proven: how many bad events can you say were the fault of the 13th of the month falling on a Friday? And there have been 688 of them in the past 400 years, so surely there should be at least 688 terrible accidents, emergencies or eruptions... and what do you blame the bad things happening on other days on? Titanic hit an iceberg on a Sunday the 11th, Hindenburg went up in flames on Thursday the 6th, and Krakatoa almost ripped an island apart on Monday the 27th.

There's nothing to fear and a lot to celebrate: and that's what I'm doing today and have been since Wednesday, because Rebellion signed off on THE PHANTOM PATROL and once I have a final printed proof in hand, it should be out towards the end of the month.

I have been tinkering with the Utopian book, having now cleaned up all the scans I have (some good, some not so good); there's a second section about the guy who wrote a lot of the stories for the magazines Utopian put out (Norman Firth) and I need to sort out the scans I have of his books, but it's moving in the right direction.

I'm also working up some material for the next comic strip reprint, a big sprawling essay about the writer of the strip, which I'll probably chop up into a couple of parts as this version includes everything I can, including the kitchen sink. Or should that be kitchen sink drama, because there was certainly some of that in his work.

This is a short column, because I spent quite a chunk of time this week cleaning and cropping photos for the Invasion Colchester column (below if you're on the main page, here if you've come from Facebook), and I need to crack on with all the odds and ends that putting out a new book entails. Fingers crossed, I might have figured out a release date by our next Comic Cuts column.

Invasion Colchester 2024

This year's Invasion Colchester took place on Saturday, with the town centre swamped with cos-players dressed up as everything from Princesses to Predators. This is a charity event hosted each year for the benefit of St Helen Hospice, Colchester and Ipswich Hospitals Charity and MIND (Mid & North East Essex). 

It has been going annually sine 2011, and if you click on the 'Invasion Colchester' tag at the end of this post, you can travel back in time to previous invasions. I haven't been every year (Covid also put a pause on the event in 2020) and (annoyingly) I didn't have a camera with me the first year, but Mel and I have otherwise managed to snap a few pictures over the years.

Congratulations to everyone involved. The pic immediately below comes from the event's Facebook page, but the rest of the photos are by myself or Mel.