Comic Cuts

Last week seemed to be an unending round of proofing and rewriting that did finally come to an end late on Sunday night. The good news—and I presume it's good news because I've not heard anything since—is that the latest books from Don Lawrence Collection are now at the printers. These include the Karl the Viking box-set and the next two Storm—The Collection books. That's six books in all.

What else...? I've been chasing up a few last pictures for the Sci-Fi Art: A Graphic History book and am doing a couple of short pieces for another upcoming Ilex project due next March, called War Stories: A Graphic History.

The big task for the next couple of weeks is putting together the introductions for the next two Trigan Empire—The Collection volumes, namely volumes 1 and 12, which will complete the set reprinting all the strips by Mike Butterworth and Don Lawrence. We've been working on this since the summer of 2003, so it's the culmination of five years hard slog. That's a story for another day but I will just say that I've spent all day trying to explain how a tiny moon of Elekton was actually a space ship. For long-time fans of the strip, it all has something to do with the image at the top of the column... for everyone else, you'll just have to buy the book.

Talking about books you must buy...

The Hot-Shot Hamish Annual 2009. Black & White Publishing ISBN 978-1845022112, 2 October 2008.
Hot Shot Hamish is one of Britain's all-time most popular football comic heroes. For twenty years, the adventures of Hamish Balfour - the gentle giant with the hottest shot in the game - appeared in world famous comic strips in "Scorcher", "Tiger" and "Roy of the Rovers". It was the golden age of British comics and this brand new annual relives his greatest moments. When Hot Shot Hamish was brought from a remote island to play for big-time Princes Park FC, he soon became famous for hitting the ball so hard that it broke the net. With his massive frame, a football shirt that barely fitted, a slightly eccentric father and a pet sheep called McMutton, Hamish's adventures soon established him as a favourite on the terraces and beyond. And with other colourful characters like club manager Ian McWhacker and Scotland manager Mr McBossy, Hot Shot Hamish and his pals became football legends and heroes to the legions of fans who followed their every move both on and off the pitch."The Hot Shot Hamish Annual" relives Hamish's highlights in glorious technicolour for the very first time.
__Each comic strip has been hand-coloured to make this a unique and nostalgic must-read annual for football fans everywhere.