Rebellion Releases — 11 December 2024

Fear not, he may be able to show you your greatest death-inducing terrors, but he’s only six inches tall – the 1:12 scale Judge Fear is the latest 2000 AD action figure coming from HIYA Toys!

Rebellion and HIYA are proud to unveil the latest in the new range of 1:12 action figures based on the world of Judge Dredd, from the pages of the bestselling comic British comic, 2000 AD.

Judge Fear is the terror-inducing member of the Dark Judges, the alien superfiends from a dimension where all life has been declared a crime. A single look behind the gothic windows of his helmet visor reveals his victim’s worst fear, scaring them to death!

Releasing in the third quarter of 2025, this PVC and fabric figure will come with 18 points of articulation and a host of accessories – including four pairs of alternate hands, three alternate faces, a replacement head with double door helmet, as well as his trademark mantrap, two dimension jump globes, and a ‘soul tail’ for when his body is destroyed and he assumes his spirit form – just remember that you cannot kill what does not live!

Priced at $89.99, the HIYA EXQUISITE SUPER Series 1:12 Scale 6 Inch Judge Fear is the next in the brand new range of fully poseable 1:12 figures, drawing on more than four decades of ground-breaking comic books set in the world of the classic character created by John Wagner and Carlos Ezquerra in 1977.

The 2000 AD action figures from HIYA are available to order from your local comic book store, as well as toy retailers and online retailers.

And now, this week's release...

2000AD Prog 2412
Cover: Trevor Hairsine / Dylan Teague (cols)

JUDGE DREDD // THE COMFORT ZONE by Mike Carroll (w) Ben Willsher (c) Annie Parkhouse (l)
NIGHTMARE NEW YORK by Kek-W (w) John Burns (a) Annie Parkhouse (l)
ROGUE TROOPER // WHEN A G.I. DIES by Garth Ennis (w) Patrick Goddard (a) Rob Steen (l)

• 6 Dec. Winners of the 2024 Ellwood Atfield Political Cartoon of the Year. Jeremy Banx was named Pocket Cartoonist of the Year.
  
• 5 Dec. Virtual Memories has an interview with Eddie Campbell, talking about his new book Kate Carew: America's First Great Woman Cartoonist  "which explores turn-of-the-(20th)-century artist, cartoonist, illustrator, caricaturist, interviewer & journalist Kate Carew. We get into how Eddie discovered Kate’s work while researching The Goat-Getters, how Kate wound up interviewing the  likes of Mark Twain, Picasso, the Wright Brothers, and other celebs (& non-celebs) of her time... and why he had to pull a page from this book due to a complaint from the printer. " (1h 27m)
  
• 26 Nov. Cartoonist Steve Bell unveils a new exbibition at the London Cartoon Museum, showcasing 40 years of King Charles III cartoons, styled like the Bayeux Tapestry. A walkthrough of The Windsor Tapestry on its private view night is available at the link. (5m)
  
• 21 Nov. Paul Gravett is "the man at the crossroads " according to Eddie Campbell. The Robots from Tomorrow podcast interviews Gravett about the touring exhibition 'Asian Comics: Evolution of an Art Form'. (1h 7m)
  
• 21 Nov. Bryan Talbot's Grandville: Force Majeure has been shortlisted as an official selection of teh Festival international de la bande dessinée d’Angoulême. Full list of nominees at Down the Tubes (just follow the link above).
  
• 16 Nov. Fans of Hilda rejoice, Luke Pearson has just published a new book about Hilda and Twig. Here he talks about the end of the animated series and how this left something missing from his life. "I just had this strong feeling of I don’t actually want to be done with this."
  
• 13 Nov. Who's afraid of Elon Musk? English language publishers, that's who... according to Darryl Cunningham, whose  book, Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX and Twitter has only been published in France. "I’m told that there was interest from various international publishers at the recent Frankfurt Book Fair, but there was concern over possible legal consequences. This shouldn’t be a problem as I was careful not to write anything that hadn’t already been published elsewhere and Delcourt’s lawyers examined every word and line for problems. Nevertheless, we live now in a climate of fear where the worst people have immense power, and because of this there’s going to be a tendency for individuals, institutions, businesses, and the state to run for cover." The Guardian have subsequently picked up the story.
  

Comic Cuts — 6 December 2024

Not much to report as I've been laid low with Covid... or maybe a bad cold... I'm not sure.

It's like my body was working at fever pitch to get the new book out and get me through the Paperback & Pulp Book Fair and then relaxed its defenses. I held up through Monday and Tuesday while I dealt with various orders and restocks. On Wednesday I decided I was going to take a couple of days off, just to recharge the batteries before I launched myself back into writing the introductions of the next couple of books.

I often write something for my own pleasure between projects. That's not to say that I don't enjoy writing my books, but I'll do something that is not immediately for print. This is how I managed to do much of the writing on the last volume of Forgotten Authors. This time, I planned something completely different: a  new "rock family tree". Or, indeed, a "prog rock family tree".

I've discussed these before. Back in my teens I was obsessed with Pete Frame's family tree-style posters that were published in Sounds and as I kept quite a few issues of the weekly, plus I was buying Kerrang! at the time, I was able to pull quotes from various bands and check news columns for the dates people were leaving and joining — this was all pre-internet, remember — and then spent hours hand-crafting my own poster-sized trees, jigsawed together from upwards of 16 sheets of A4 paper.

Only one survived, although I have rough drafts of a couple of others from the same period around 1981... but this new one was to cover a band that wasn't to come into existence for another twenty-five years. While I've not kept up my subscription to Kerrang!, I have still kept up my love of many of the same bands I was listening to back then: Hawkwind, The Enid, Marillion... all still going. And bands, or closely associated bands, still keep other favourites alive: Jon Anderson's Band of Geeks and Steve Howe have both just released albums and Rick Wakeman is touring, keeping the memory of Yes alive, Deep Purple put out a new album this year with Ian Paice the youngest surviving member at 76! Gillan and Glover both turn 80 next year, as does Ritchie Blackmore, although his last Rainbow tour was 2016. Michael Schenker is a youthful 69.

It has been a fantastic year for music as far as I'm concerned. There have been new albums from a lot of favourites, including Marillion (An Hour Before It's Dark Live, This Strange Engine Deluxe), David Gilmour (Luck and Strange), Steve Hackett (The Circus and the Nightwhale), Big Big Train (The Likes of Us), Beardfish (Songs for Beating Hearts), Pure Reason Revolution (Coming Up to Consciousness), Peter Gabriel (i/o), Meer (Wheels Within Wheels), Dave Foster Band (Maybe They'll Come Back For Us), Kyros (Mannequin), Lesoir (Push Back the Horizon), Ebony Buckle (Hearts Get Started) and, my favourite, Frost* (Life in the Wires).

And because I was listening to the last named album on high rotation, and listening or reading whatever interviews I could find, and scouring the Discord and Facebook pages for news, and generally wallowing in Frost*ieness, I thought I'd throw together a Frost* family tree.

The moment I decided that was going to be my between-projects-project, my throat started feeling scratchy; by Thursday I was coughing my lungs raw and it got worse from there. Saturday, Sunday, Monday I was wiped out completely and things began to slowly improve on Tuesday/Wednesday until we reach today: feeling a lot better, still snotty, but not suffering from anything that a strong tissue can't cope with.

The Frost* thing kept me busy and for what passes as sane. I've listened to a lot of Jem Godfrey's and John Mitchell's oeuvre for five days solid and I would happily do it again because they are incredible musicians and astonishingly creative composers. Individually they're dynamite, but together, like Hart to Hart, they're mur... magnificent.

With the tree now finished — a bit ragged and a bit all over the place because musicians these days don't stick with one band; Mitchell has half-a-dozen on the go at any one time as he's a guitarist in great demand — I'm going to get back to writing those introductions and see what I can manage before bumping into the buffers of Christmas.

(* A larger version of the above can be downloaded as a PDF from here. That's Frost* at the head of the column... not only are they fantastic musically but they have a sense of humour...)

Commando 5807-5810

The nights are drawing in, and what better way to keep warm than cosying up with some red-hot military action? Issues 5807-5810 go on sale from today, the 5th December, 2024!

5807: Small but Mighty

The siege of Malta lasted from 1940 to 1942, making the small island the most bombed place on earth during World War Two. But its people were resilient and strong — they weren’t going to take it lying down!
    Maltese Private George Abela was an artillery gunner on Fort St Elmo and he might have stood at a diminutive five foot two but like Malta and its people, he was tough! Yes, George might have been small but he was mighty! And he was about to stop an audacious Italian plan to destroy the Grand Harbour!
    Much like Private Abela, there’s more to a Commando comic than meets the eye – we pack a lot of story into our little magazines, and this torpedo of a script from Frank Buhagiar is no exception!

Story: Frank Buhagiar
Art:  Esteve Polls
Cover: Keith Burns

5808: Ten Tough Paratroopers

Count them. Ten men, each one tougher than the last, setting out on a mission more dangerous than anything they had ever tackled before. Yes, ten were setting out, but only one would be coming back...
Here’s a story that’s really ten out of ten! A clever twist on a nursery rhyme with all the exhilaration of a skydive (without having to worry about pesky old gravity) – an air-esistible offer!

Story: Bernard Gregg
Art: P. Wright
Cover: K. Walker
Previously published as Commando 845 (1974)

5809: Polish Paras

Operation Market Garden, 1944. The brave men of 1st Independent Polish Parachute Brigade jumped out of their transports above Arnhem, ready for red-hot action. Thousands of parachutes opened and floated through the skies with men who only had one thing on their mind, “finally we can get back at the Nazis!”
Among their number was Lieutenant Stefan Kapek who was the Polish Para with the most to prove!
    It’s a double dose of parachuting action in this week’s drop! With talents like Ferg Handley, Marc Viure and Simon Pritchard involved, we don’t have to prove to you what an issue this is!

Story: Ferg Handley
Art: Marc Viure
Cover: Simon Pritchard

5810: Desert Mystery

The German officer had been prepared to see a mirage or two in the desert, and he’d expected something along the lines of Arab tribesmen and palm trees. But now he was seeing a giant dinosaur lumbering straight towards him! He couldn’t believe his eyes, but the way the monster snapped its slavering jaws soon convinced him it was real.
    He and his men turned and ran for their lives. It was a mystery all right, but as far as they were concerned, somebody else could solve it!
    Prehistoric monsters vs. Nazis? Only in Commando! This classic story by Bryan Perrett is truly T-rexcellent, with art by the masterful Gordon C Livingstone that’s tricera-top notch, and a pterrific cover by K Walker. We dino what else we need to say!

Story: Bryan Perrett
Art: Gordon C Livingstone
Cover: K Walker
Previously published as Commando 1631 (1982)

Rebellion Releases — 4 December 2024

2000AD's 2025 Annual is out now, a latecomer that should have been listed last week.

2000AD Annual 2025 by Chris Condon, Si Spurrier, Alex Paknadel, Dan Abnett, Maura McHugh, Rory McConville, John Wagner, Gerry Finley-Day, Alan Grant (w) Fernando Blanco, Hayden Sherman, Jake Lynch, Phil Winslade, Emma Vieceli, Staz Johnson, Mick McMahon, Dave Gibbons, Ian Gibson (a)
Rebellion ISBN 978-183786486-7, 27 November 2024, 112pp, £25.00. Available via Amazon (Kindle Edition).

From 1977 to 1990 the 2000 AD Annual was a staple of Christmas stockings across the length and breadth of the UK. And now… IT’S BACK!
    This landmark annual contains all-new stories featuring Judge Dredd, Strontium Dog, Rogue Trooper and more. It also brings back into print selected strips from 2000 AD’s extensive archive.
    Includes brand new stories from an amazing line-up of some of the brightest stars of the comics world including Chris Condon (That Texas Blood), Si Spurrier (The Dreaming), Alex Paknadel (All Against All), Dan Abnett (Aquaman), Fernando Blanco (w0rldtr33), Jake Lynch (Sinister Dexter), Hayden Sherman (Dark Spaces) and Phil Winslade (Bodies).

2000AD Prog 2411
Cover: Keith Burns

JUDGE DREDD // THE COMFORT ZONE by Mike Carroll (w) Ben Willsher (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)
AZIMUTH // THE FABLED BASILISK by Dan Abnett (w) Tazio Bettin (a) Matt Soffe (c) Jim Campbell (l)
ROGUE TROOPER // WHEN A G.I. DIES by Garth Ennis (w) Patrick Goddard (a) Rob Steen (l)

Dreadnoughts Book 2: The March of Progress by Mike Carroll (w) John Higgins (a)
Rebellion ISBN 978-183786260-3, 4 December 2024, 112pp, £12.99. Available via Amazon.

After a crime blitz in Boulder leads to riots against the Judges’ excessive use of force and violation of human rights, the Hemlock Cartel takes advantage of the chaos to declare all-out war against the Justice Department. It is up to Judge Glover to eradicate their threat – even if her crusade could risk revealing the long-buried secrets of her past.
    The best-selling series charting the origins of Judge Dredd’s world continues with this provocative and socially relevant second volume, written by Michael Carroll (Judge Dredd) and drawn by John Higgins (Watchmen).

Comic Cuts — 29 November 2024

I had a fantastic day at the Paperback and Pulp Book Fair on Sunday. The trek up to London began poorly with an extremely heavy bag to carry and a replacement bus service... but once I was on the train everything brightened up considerably.

I was carrying 15 copies of the Utopian book, 3 of the Badgers, 4 Hank Jansons and 1 Phantom for someone who had asked me to bring it to the Fair. I had intended weighing it, but we currently own the world's most sarcastic bathroom scales. When I stand on it, rather than a weight, it tells me I'm old. I'm not kidding... see the photo.

I made it all the way to Holborn, via Liverpool Street, without any problems. The plan was to switch to the Piccadilly line and go to Russell Square, but the Piccadilly line was shut down for engineering works, so I had to walk all the way up Southampton Row—where, of course, 'Hank Janson' (Steve Frances) had his office. I was expecting rain and had dressed appropriately, but it was still dry as I made my way towards Coram Street. I managed not to take a wrong turn, as I did at the last Fair, and arrived at the Holiday Inn at about 9:45.

It was already very busy, and remained so until about mid-day. I spent the first couple of minutes trying to find somewhere to park my bag. I spotted a gap under one of the tables and, with the OK of the dealer whose table it was, I pulled out a handful of books, dumped my coat and jumper on the bag and stood up. I sold three books without moving!

Over the next few hours I managed to sell a few more and by the end of the day I was left with only the four Hank Janson books to take home... plus the dozen or so books I'd bought. It would have been one more, but I stupidly left it, meaning to go back to the dealer, but ended up chatting friends and by the time I returned it was gone. It was not meant to be.

My treat this time—I'm usually after cheap bargains but I always pick up one book for which I pay a little more—was a copy of Sinister Forces by Alvin Westwood, an early Brown Watson SF novel that I didn't have. The cover was a bit worn, but I'm not complaining. I did find a few bargains, too, thanks to Maurice Flanagan's £1 bargain basement books. Some excellent titles and most not in bad shape... but if you have multiple copies of the same book, as dealers who buy in bulk often do, it's worth making space and earning a bit back to pay off your purchases by offering books at bargain prices.

It was great to see so many people: Jamie Sturgeon, Ashley Bowden (whose Female Detectives book I had a small hand in publishing), Graham Andrews (who also has a book out—American Rivals of James Bond—that's worth a look), Jules Burt (who interviewed me briefly about the new book), 'Dorset Bob' Wardzinski (who sold me Sinister Forces), Geoff West, my ex-boss Laurence Heyworth, Tom Lesser, over from the States.. too many people to list here.

One disappointment is that my photographic skills deserted me. I ran around with the camera quickly, snapping shots of tables and dealers, but the light levels were not great and everyone insisted on moving around in the foreground and pulling focus, so I ended up with a load of slightly blurry shots. I tried using the flash, but was stood too far back, hoping to get the whole of various dealer's tables in shot, so the flash made little impact. I did take a couple of shots of the room as people were packing up, so you can at least see what the room was like (see the header pic. The pic immediately above is the hall where the ephemera side of the fair was taking place). However, I know that Jules Burt was filming, and his video is now available on Youtube.

Heading home, the bag was much lighter. The gods of transport were smiling on me and there was a train waiting at Liverpool Street for me, and the bus that was taking me the last leg of my journey was also ready to go.

It was a good day, business wise, although I didn't make much. I think I took about £300, but the train fare was £50, I spent about £40 and restocks have just cost me £200. So I'm about a tenner up! I'll try not to spend it all at once.

Rebellion Releases — 27 November 2024

Time for a reload! The ultimate 2000 AD mix-tape returns this Free Comic Book Day for a new collection of The Best of 2000 AD celebrating the past, present, and future of The Galaxy’s Greatest Comic!

Taking place annually every May, Free Comic Book Day is an international event which finds participating comic shops giving away comic books from all the top publishers today – absolutely free! It’s not only a way to champion comics and find new readers, but a way to help support local comic book stores.

Featuring a new cover from all-powerful artist Hayden Sherman (Absolute Wonder Woman), next year The Best of 2000 AD will once again blast backwards and forwards through the timeline to deliver Thrill-Power straight to your cerebral cortex! If you love comics, ask your local retailer to order copies of Best of 2000 AD for May – it’s perfect for first-time readers!

If you’ve always wanted to try out 2000 AD for the first time, this issue will feature titanic action and classic characters including Judge Dredd, Rogue Trooper, Judge Anderson, and more!

First up, Judge Dredd has to endure an all-out assault as he’s attacked on all sides – but why is everyone in Mega-City One gunning for the Lawman of the Future? In a classic story from superstar artist Jock (Wytches) and Dredd’s co-creator John Wagner, be careful when you’re Crossing Ken Dodd…

Next, Alex de Campi (Parasocial) and Silvia Califano (Star Trek) team up for a new story featuring Psi-Judge Anderson, celebrating 45 years since she first hit the streets of Mega-City One. Expect a high-stakes journey across the astral plane as Anderson comes face to face with cosmic horror...

Then, we have a classic Rogue Trooper Thriller from Peter Milligan (Hellblazer) and master artist José Ortiz which is guaranteed to get you fanatical! With Duncan Jones’ Rogue Trooper feature film on the horizon, we’ve dived into the archives for a story which finds Rogue taking the fight straight to the Nort Army…

And finally we have a first for The Best of 2000 AD – a glimpse into the actual future, as Ian Edginton and D’Israeli (War of the Worlds) present a new volume of their acclaimed Scarlet Traces… before the series debuts in the weekly 2000 AD later in 2025! Face the future, Earthlets, as a war of the worlds leads humanity into a new age of warfare…

Make sure you head to your local comic book store on 4th May 2025 and pick up your copy of The Best of 2000 AD, Earthlets – you’ll never be the same again!

ABOUT FREE COMIC BOOK DAY— Free Comic Book Day is the comic book specialty market's annual event where participating comic book shops around the world give away comic books absolutely free to anyone who comes into their comic shops. The event seeks to celebrate comic books, foster the literacy they encourage, and highlight the vital role that comic shops play within the communities they serve. FCBD is the perfect opportunity to introduce friends and family to the many worlds of wonder available at local comic shops. From superheroes to slice-of-life to action/adventure and beyond, Free Comic Book Day has a comic book for everyone!

That's in the future... what's out today?

2000AD Prog 2410
Cover: Mark Harrison.

JUDGE DREDD // THE COMFORT ZONE by Mike Carroll (w) Ben Willsher (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)
AZIMUTH // THE FABLED BASILISK by Dan Abnett (w) Tazio Bettin (a) Matt Soffe (c) Jim Campbell (l)
ROGUE TROOPER // WHEN A G.I. DIES by Garth Ennis (w) Patrick Goddard (a) Rob Steen (l)

Battle Action Vol.3 #4
Cover: Henry Flint.

JOHNNY RED // A COUPLE OF HEROES by Garth Ennis (w) Keith Burns (a) Jason Wordie (c) Rob Steen (l)
EL MESTIZO // THE GENERAL by Rob Williams (w) Henry Flint (a) Rob Steen (l)

Comic Cuts — 22 November 2024

The big news is that I will be attending the Paperback & Pulp Book Fair and I will have copies of DREAMING OF UTOPIA with me. I will only have a dozen or so copies, and only a handful of other books (BEYOND THE VOID, TRIALS OF HANK JANSON) on me because I'm travelling up by bus and train and the trolley proved problematical last time.

Lugging books around aside, I'm looking forward to the Fair. If you've not been, its been held the past couple of years at the Holiday Inn London Bloomsbury, Coram Street, London WC1N 1HT. The nearest tube station is Russell Square, although I usually use the central line to Holborn and walk up Southampton Row, as I'm not sure how much time I'd save changing onto the Piccadilly Line and waiting for a second train. [[UPDATE: Um... I might be heading to Russell Square... I've just checked the weather and it looks like Holborn could involve a long walk in the rain!]]

I think next time I'll explore the possibility of getting a return to Stratford and jumping on the underground there. Stratford is Zone 2, so the underground won't cost any more and I might be able to get a cheaper fare than if I travel all the way into Liverpool Street. I swear there was some weird dynamic pricing thing going on when I explored the idea this morning and the cheapest price kept changing. Or I might have accidentally logged into two different sites. To be honest, I don't want to discover that I could have saved some money, as I've already bought the ticket!

I've had a fairly relaxing week working on the next batch of Bear Alley releases. They're slowly coming together, with artwork all cleaned, resized and now sitting in InDesign waiting for the addition of headers, page numbers and introductions. I'm working on the latter. First one is done; the second volume has some space, so I'm planning two longer essays on author and artist which I'm in the process of writing.

I'm also looking at the next index and doing an expansion of an earlier index (not one that has previously appeared from Bear Alley and now out of print). That should keep me busy for the foreseeable future.

Commando 5803-5806

It’s getting colder out there, but luckily there’s enough explosive action in the next round of Commando comics to keep you warm all winter long! Issues 5803-5806 go on sale from today, the 21st November, 2024!

5803: Codename Warlord: Hit Piece

Lord Peter Flint — otherwise known as Codename: Warlord - always relied on his cowardly persona to ensure no-one suspected him of being one of Britain’s top secret agents!
    So when a society journalist tried to write a character assassination hit piece on him, that was the least of Flint’s worries. His top priority was stopping a cell of hitmen from completing an actual assassination plot, and halting the Italian invasion of Monte Carlo at the same time!
    It’s all in a day’s work for Warlord!
    Join everybody’s favourite (off-screen) secret agent as he races across Europe in a code-cracking adventure courtesy of master plot twister Dominic Teague!

Story: Dominic Teague
Art: Carlos Pino
Cover: Carlos Pino

5804: The Spy That Never Was

When you find two men, one unconscious, handcuffed together and in the middle of the desert, you want to know what’s going on. And when one says he’s a Military Police Sergeant taking a suspected spy to stand trial, it sounds a fair enough answer.
    But when the other guy tells you that the Sergeant is really the spy — which do you believe?
    That was the question facing Corporal Jack Wills — and an awful lot of men’s lives depended on him getting the right answer.
    The only tough choice our readers are facing this month is which brilliant Commando issue to read first! I spy a classic caper with all the twists and turns of a crime thriller, but with typical Commando grit!

Story: Skentleberry
Art: Usero
Cover: Penalva

5805: Tomasz and the Return Journey

Scotland, 1940. Polish corporal, Tomasz Zielinski, has never been one to suffer bullies lightly. Now though, his hot headedness has landed him in a glasshouse. When a mysterious message arrives in his cell, an opportunity for freedom arises. Little does Tomasz know, his superiors have much bigger plans for him. His skills as a soldier are needed elsewhere. The time has come for him to return home.
    Witness the triumphant return of Corporal Tomasz! For him though,  it’s no traditional homecoming, full of dogfights, sniper fire, and even a shootout on top of a train – next stop, adventure!

Story: Colin Maxwell
Art: Manuel Benet
Cover: Manuel Benet

5806: The Cave of Hercules

On the island of Sicily, there was a secret cave — the Cave of Hercules. Hidden for centuries, it was rumoured to contain treasure beyond price. And now one man, Horace Gee, had cracked the ancient clues and worked out just exactly where it must be. But there was one big snag — the cave was in enemy-held territory and Horace was a sailor, unlikely to go ashore with the troops. However, where a chap like Horace was concerned you could never be sure what was going to happen next!
    We can’t overemphasise the strength of this issue – it’s truly Herculean! With a muscular script from roger Sanderson and epic artwork by Carrion and Jeff Bevan, this story certainly isn’t a trial to get through!

Story: Roger Sanderson
Art: Carrion
Cover: Jeff Bevan

Rebellion Releases —20 November 2024

“Vastly influential. Stunning. Dominated the genre of Science-Fiction epics.” The Independent

The best-selling Treasury of British Comics archival series The Rise and Fall of the Trigan Empire reaches its sixth, and penultimate, amazing volume, which you can pre-order now!

The end is nigh! This penultimate omnibus collection of the original The Rise and Fall of the Trigan Empire stories, collects all the strips originally published in Look & Learn from 1977 through to 1980. This sixth book contains Oliver Frey and Mike Butterworth’s final work on the series, as they pass the baton to Ken Roscoe and Gerry Wood who will work on the remainder of the series.

This volume collects – for the first time – thirteen classic, fast-paced, yet beautifully painted, stories featuring the Emperor Trigo, ruler of the Trigan Empire, holding the line against monsters, alien threats, and internal usurpers, with the help of his nephew Janno, and the scientist Peric.

This volume comes with a new cover from acclaimed artist Chris Weston, available in either standard paperback or webshop-exclusive hardback editions!

And now, this week's releases...

2000AD Prog 2409
Cover: Tazio Bettin.

JUDGE DREDD // THE COMFORT ZONE by Mike Carroll (w) Ben Willsher (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)
AZIMUTH // THE FABLED BASILISK by Dan Abnett (w) Tazio Bettin (a) Matt Soffe (c) Jim Campbell (l)
ROGUE TROOPER // WHEN A G.I. DIES by Garth Ennis (w) Patrick Goddard (a) Rob Steen (l)

Judge Dredd Megazine #474
Cover: Nick Percival.

JUDGE DREDD // MEMORY LANE by Mike Carroll (w) Nick Percival (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)
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)

Cadet Dredd: Tooth and Claw by Matt Smith, Chris Weston, and others.
Rebellion ISBN 978-183786257-3, 20 November 2024, 208pp, £16.99. Available via Amazon.

Before Judge Dredd, there was Cadet Dredd – a keen, fresh-faced apprentice, and stickler for the rules, with no idea of the legend he will one day become.
    Young Joe hits the streets of Mega-City One for the first time, facing off against perps, monsters and genetically modified movie stars as he learns how to become the greatest Judge the Meg has ever seen.
    Zarjaz adventures await inside this thrilling new collection!

Rebellion Presents: The José Muñoz Collection
Rebellion ISBN 978-183786249-8, 20 November 2024, 128pp, £16.99. Available via Amazon.

Rebellion presents three action-packed stories from the legendary Lion comic, all featuring the work master of chiaroscuro-style black-and-white art - José Antonio Muñoz.
    In 1973, Muñoz worked on three short-lived strips in Lion. A Stitch in Time follows the adventures of a young boy named Stitch Cotton and his alien friend, Varl, after they steal a time machine from the sinister space-master, Mr. Universe. Lost in Limbo Land(written by 2000 AD regular, Chris Lowder), follows Barry Smith - a studious bookworm who is struck by lightning and flung into a world of Norse myth and legend.
    The final strip, Sark the Sleeper, sees a starship commander accidentally woken from hypersleep by two boys who are completely unaware that they passengers flying through deep space in search of a new home.

Comic Cuts — 15 November 2024

I'm now taking orders for DREAMING OF UTOPIA, the new book about Utopian Publications and the history of Lloyd Cole and Benson Herbert. The proof I was talking about last week finally turned up and was pretty close to what I wanted, so with a couple of very small tweaks I decided to have the printer run off some copies so I'll have some at the Paperback & Pulp Book Fair in Bloomsbury on the Sunday, November 24th.

The book won't be available on eBay or Amazon until after the Book Fair as I want to take the small print run up to London with me. I won't be taking as many copies as I did the Badger book (BEYOND THE VOID) as I'm going to be carrying the damn things in a bag rather than try to get the trolley on and off the train again, which has given me eight months of problems with the tendons in my right arm. So I'll be bringing fewer copies, only a couple of the Badger book and maybe a couple of THE TRIALS OF HANK JANSON, unless you've asked (as one person has) for a copy of one of our other books.

As usual, I'll offer a bit of a discount to anyone ordering in the next couple of weeks. I take these advance orders through Paypal — just go to the Bear Alley Books page for price info. and where to send it. Make sure you let me know your address!

While I'm waiting for that order to go through — I'm also waiting on restocks of THE PHANTOM PATROL, which is why I haven't been able to put in a bigger order for the new books — I've put my nose to the grindstone of getting the next book started. A quick Thank You to everyone who has joined in trying to decipher my cryptic crossword-style clue to what it is — a couple of early entries were mentioned in the comments last week, but I've also had correct answers from Kid Robson, Mike Williams, Mike Hall and Ronald McNeil over the last few days.

The new books won't be out for a little while yet as I have introductions to write, pages to lay out and covers to sort out. There are four volumes and I want to get the first two out together with the others following a couple of months apart, as that will help spread my costs a little. It isn't cheap doing these books and the more I publish, the more stock I need to carry.

I'm hoping that, in between, I can work on a couple of other projects. In no particular order, I want to get the War, Battle and Air Ace libraries back in print, but in a different format, and I'd love to get back to two books I started ages ago, indexing Valiant and Action. There's another comic strip I have my eye on for reprinting, too. And I'd like to do another book about old paperbacks and already have some of the next one written... and, of course, another Forgotten Authors volume.

That should keep me busy in 2025... only six weeks away as I type this and with a lot of mince pies to be eaten before the clock strikes and the fireworks go off.

Rebellion Releases — 13 November 2024

Judge Death is “the most dangerous threat Mega-City One faces, and he’s on the loose again.” – Slings And Arrows

The Essential Judge Death: My Name Is Death is the perfect introduction to Judge Dredd’s greatest foe.

From the pen of acclaimed Judge Dredd creator John Wagner (A History of Violence) comes the origin story of 2000 AD‘s most enduring villain. Includes Young Death, with art by Peter Doherty (Shaolin Cowboy), Tea With Mrs. Gunderson by artist Dean Ormston (Black Hammer) and the classic My Name Is Death and The Wilderness Days with art by Frazer Irving (Batman & Robin).

This collection is an ideal jumping on point for new readers.

To be published on 18 June 2025, the book can now be ordered at the 2000 AD website.

And now, this week's release...

2000AD Prog 2408
Cover: Cliff Robinson / Dylan Teague (cols).

JUDGE DREDD // THE COMFORT ZONE by Mike Carroll (w) Ben Willsher (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)
AZIMUTH // THE FABLED BASILISK by Dan Abnett (w) Tazio Bettin (a) Matt Soffe (c) Jim Campbell (l)
ROGUE TROOPER // WHEN A G.I. DIES by Garth Ennis (w) Patrick Goddard (a) Rob Steen (l)

Comic Cuts — 8 November 2024

I have a fairly dull life punctuated by occasional moments of intense pleasure. As I spend most of my life writing and designing books as Bear Alley Books, most of those moments are tied to the completion of little essays, introductions, finishing the design of a book or a cover, or the arrival of the first printed copies.

Balanced against that is the tightening of the stomach moments: facing a blank page; trying to get an idea out of my brain and down my arm and onto the computer without it turning into a disaster; waiting for proofs to arrive. You catch me in that moment... I'm expecting a proof of the new book to arrive today. I know it isn't the final version because I've already made changes to the text, but that was expected. To get the book out in time for the Paperback & Pulp Book Fair in Bloomsbury on November 24 I had to get a proof copy of the book ordered so I could check how the colours print before I had finished proofing the text.

That I've now done, with only one or two sentences needing to be  rewritten, usually for explanation or clarity. It's useful to have that time spent on designing a book and worrying about images as it gives you a bit of distance from the text and you can read it with fresh eyes.

If the cover and the colours are OK, I should be able to re-upload the inside pages and produce a short run of copies, enough to cover my trip to London at the end of the month.

So it's cover reveal day. This one was relatively easy as I knew what I wanted from the start, and I put together the cover pretty much as you see it before I even started on the book, which was a great relief—normally I struggle with covers and leave them to last. Then I ask Martin Baines to perform some wizardry, as I did with BEYOND THE VOID, my history of Badger Books. I had the basic idea to do it as a film poster, but ran into the problem mentioned above: getting it onto the computer screen in any way similar to how I imagined it in my brain.

Thankfully this one worked out OK. But Martin will be back and is already working on some ideas for the next book.

Talking of which, I started the new book on Wednesday. It's going to take a while to get it all together, because it's going to run to four quite hefty volumes. It's a reprint of a classic strip, but I'm keeping it secret as to what it is, although if you really want to know, here's a cryptic clue: Untangle the gym kit, thyme to go ape (5,3,6). If you solve it, please just let me know in a comment (they all pass through my hands before being posted, so I'll see them) or email me (my address is in the left-hand column) and I'll let you know if you're right. But I'm not going to name names publicly until contracts are signed.

Once I've seen the proof, I should have a page up for DREAMING OF UTOPIA within a few days, so I should be able to start taking orders. I should have more news on that here next week, or you can keep an eye on my Facebook pages—mine and the page for Bear Alley Books.

Commando 5799-5802

We’re spanning both World Wars in this round of Commando adventures. Two new WW1 stories and two classics set in WW2 will hit the shelves today, on 7th November – right on time for Remembrance Day!

5799: Eagle-eyed Cadman

The Western Front, January 1915. When Lieutenant Gerald Cadman claims the credit for Private Tom Smith’s perfect shot, it creates a chance for him to escape the trenches and become a sniper.
Earning glory while hiding and never getting close to the enemy? It sounds just like the kind of fighting Cadman can get behind! But the life of a marksman proves more difficult and dangerous than Cadman could have ever expected!
    Keep a keen eye out for this latest caper from the Coward of the Fighting 43rd! With a high-calibre script from Andrew Knightley and artwork from Mike Dorey that’s bang on target, this is one issue you won’t want to miss!

Story: Andrew Knighton
Art: Mike Dorey
Cover: Mike Dorey

5800: Cannonball Casey

Meet Private Casey, the biggest scrounger in the army. He’d pinch anything unless it was nailed down — and while he was at it he let the other guys get on with the fighting.
The exact opposite of a hero, that was Private Casey.
So how come a guy like that managed to win a medal for bravery?
    This classic issue really is a blast. A real change of heart story from Fitzsimmons with heroic artwork by Aguilar and an explosive cover from Penalva. Not to bang on about it, but the twists and turns will blow your mind!

Story: Fitzsimmons
Art: Aguilar
Cover: Penalva
First published as no. 533

5801: Hold Until Relieved

Major John Lloyd read the message handed to him by the dispatch rider with his heart in his throat. His orders were to defend the strategic village of Vorrain, with only his inept Lieutenant Gordon Foreman and a handful of men in newly constructed pillboxes. They were hopelessly outnumbered and outgunned.
But he had his orders to ‘hold until relieved’ and against the odds they were going to.
    You’ll certainly be relieved to get a hold of this issue! This is another WW1 story that grips from start to finish and doesn’t let up. If it’s heart-in-your-mouth action you’re grasping for, you won’t be left empty-handed!

Story: Stephen Hume
Art: Jaume Forns
Cover: Marco Biachinin

5802: Winners Losers

Karl Von Hessler always had to win. A trophy held aloft or medal on his chest were prizes worth any sacrifice. His brother Ulrich had different rules. During the First World War, he’d sickened of the killing and vowed never to wear a uniform again. Instead, he’d turned to medicine and the fight against death.
But in 1939, war returned and sought Ulrich out in the shape of his hated brother. He knew then that he had one last duty to perform in German uniform — a duty far different from anything Karl could suspect.
    No medals for guessing how this one turns out! There’s no brotherly love lost in this epic story by CG Walker spanning both world wars. Friends become enemies, enemies become friends - so much for family values!

Story: CG Walker
Art: Blasco
Cover: Ian Kennedy
First published as no. 1634