Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Recent Releases: May - August 2012

MAY 2012 

The Broons Notebook.
Waverley Books ISBN  978-1849342346, 7 May 2012, 144pp, £6.99 [£5.17 from Amazon].
A 144-page stationery item notebook from Scotland's favourite family, with illustrations, sayings and moments captured from The Sunday Post's long-running (75 years) comic strip. Notebook pages are printed pale cream with light blue lines. Details from cells from the comic strip appear on corners and tail edges of the pages. A must-have item for every Broons fan. 'The Broons' comic strip was launched in 1936 in The Sunday Post in Scotland, and is still going strong with a readership covering all generations. The Broons are undoubtedly Scotland's 'First Family' and the 'Nation's Favourites
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Doctor Who: The Crimson Hand by Dan McDaild, Martin Geraghty, Mike Collins, Rob Davis, Sean Longcroft, David A Roach and Paul Grist.
Panini UK ISBN 978-1846534515, 7 May 2012, 260pp, £15.99.
In this third and final volume of comic strips collecting the Tenth Doctor's complete adventures as seen in the pages of Doctor Who Magazine, the famous Time Lord joins forces with Ms Majenta Pryce and embarks on his most remarkable series of journeys yet - travels that ultimately lead him to a terrifying encounter with The Crimson Hand!
__Note: Originally announced for 4 May 2010, Crimson Hand was cancelled due to "contractual difficulties" and subsequently re-listed for publication on 6 October 2011, then November 2011, then late Spring 2012.
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Hugo Tate by Nick Abadzis.
Blank Slate ISBN 978-1906653262, May 2012, 192pp, £13.99. [£9.09 from Amazon]
After 15 years of clamouring from fans, the Hugo Tate series is finally collected in a single volume. Beginning his life in print as a stick-man in a figuratively drawn world, readers witness the eponymous Hugo visually develop alongside the comic itself. Originally conceived as an acerbic humour strip, Hugo rapidly developed into a British equivalent to Love & Rockets — filled with a richly developed cast and a branching web of stories of life in London. Includes commentary from Nick Abadzis and a foreword by Gareth Ennis.
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Judge Dredd: Complete Case Files Vol.19 by Grant Morrison, Garth Ennis, Mark Millar, Carlos Ezquerra et al.
Rebellion ISBN 978-1907992964, 10 May 2012, 320pp, £21.99. [£14.29 from Amazon]
Mega-City One: the future metropolis bustling with life and every crime imaginable. Keeping order are the Judges, a stern police force acting as judge, jury and executioner. Toughest of all is Judge Dredd. He is the law and these are his stories. Volume 19 in this best-selling series collects together more old school Dredd from the pages of 2000 AD and The Judge Dredd Megazine, including legendary comic writer, Grant Morrison’s first Judge Dredd story, Inferno.
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Judge Dredd: The Day the Law Died by John Wagner, Brian Bolland, Mike McMahon and Dave Gibbons.
Rebellion ISBN 978-1781080092, 11 May 2012, 160pp, £6.99. [£5.17 from Amazon]
It is a dark time in the history of Mega-City One. Having employed blackmail and coercion in order to topple the balance of power within the Justice Department, the tyrannical head of the Special Judicial Squad – Judge Cal – has managed to secure the position of Chief Judge. The crazed Cal has enlisted the help of an army of reptilian alien mercenaries known as the Kleggs, appointed his pet goldfish as deputy Chief Judge and framed Judge Dredd for murder in order to maintain power.
__But Dredd is the kind of Judge who doesn’t go down too easily and together with a rebel army made up of other Judges and citizens, prepares to fight back. Can Judge Dredd succeed against all odds and defeat Judge Cal before he destroys the entire population of Mega-City One?
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The Oor Wullie Funbooks: Rare!.
Waverley Books ISBN 978-1849341066, 6 May 2012, 96pp, £3.99. [£2.99 from Amazon]
A follow-up series of four books to the best-selling first four Oor Wullie Funbooks. Oor Wullie, Scotland's best-known comic character, is at large in this accessible, easy-to-read series. A set of four books, available as individual titles, full of puzzles, cartoons, games and jokes aimed at the 8+ age group. Oor Wullie is joined by his pals Fat Bob, Wee Eck, and Soapy Soutar. Each book has 96 pages of facts, anagrams, colouring-in pictures, jokes, join the dots, knockknock jokes, word games and spot the difference.
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The Oor Wullie Funbooks: Smashin'!.
Waverley Books ISBN 978-1849341080, 6 May 2012, 96pp, £3.99. [£2.99 from Amazon]
See above.
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The Oor Wullie Funbooks: Michty Me!.
Waverley Books ISBN 978-1849341073, 6 May 2012, 96pp, £3.99.
See above.
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The Oor Wullie Funbooks: The Very Dab!.
Waverley Books ISBN 978-1849341097, 6 May 2012, 96pp, £3.99.
See above.
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JUNE 2012

Absalom: Ghosts of London by Gordon Rennie & Tiernan Trevallion.
Rebellion ISBN 978-1781080429, 21 June 2012, 96pp, £10.99. [£8.35 on Amazon]
Veteran copper, Inspector Harry absalom, heads a special squad that enforces The Accord - a diplomatic treaty made in the sixteenth century between the throne of England and Hell. If any demonic entities step out of line, Harry and his team will track the infernal offenders down and sort them out for good. A miserable old bastard with a knack for finding trouble, Harry was the perfect man for the job. But years of strife are starting to catch up with him, and now Harry also has to contend with the fact that he is dying of terminal cancer...
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The Complete D.R. & Quinch by Alan Moore & Alan Davis.
Rebellion ISBN 978-1906735883, 21 June 2012, 128pp, £11.99.
By the most successful comics writer of the past twenty-five years, Alan Moore, comes his funniest and most endearing anti-heroes, D.R & Quinch. There’s nothing like them.
__Ernest Errol Quinch and Waldo ‘D.R.’ Dobbs (the ‘D.R.’ stands for ‘Diminished Responsibility’) are a pair of psychotic alien students, less interested in their college work than in the sort of thing young people like to get up to – you know, military ordnance, picking fights, destroying entire star systems...
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Major Eazy Vol. 1: Heart of Iron by Alan Hebden & Carlos Ezquerra.
Titan Books ISBN 978-1848564411, 15 June 2012,  128pp, £14.99. [£8.79 from Amazon]
Major Eazy is a maverick soldier in a dirty war, caught up in the Allies’ invasion of Italy in 1944 and determined to see justice done. Even when that means taking on villains on his own side, he doesn’t pull any punches! More movie star than military, Eazy was the most laconic and indeed British officer ever to grace the pages of a comic. This volume starts from the very beginning of Eazy’s story.
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Mean Machine: Real Mean by John Wagner, Greg Staples & Steve Dillon.
Rebellion ISBN 978-1907519758, 21 June 2012, 176pp, £14.99. [£11.30 from Amazon]
Born and raised in the Cursed Earth as a member of the notorious Angel gang, “Mean Angel” (aka the Mean Machine) is one of the most dangerous criminals to ever plague Judge Dredd’s Mega-City One.
With his mechanical claw and head dial, which amps up his anger and aggression from Mean to Brutal, Mean Angel is one of Judge Dredd’s toughest adversaries – a headbutting psychopath with a penchant for destruction!
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Slaine: The Horned God by Pat Mills & Simon Bisley.
Rebellion ISBN 978-1907519741, 21 June 2012, 208pp, £24.99.
Sláine The warrior barbarian Sláine, master of the warp spasm, wielder of the mighty axe Brainbiter, Celtic warrior king - faces his greatest challenge: the existence of his world is at stake as he prepares to follow the ways of the Horned God. It is a path that can give him control over nature itself or unleash a new age of witchcraft and dark forces. A premium hardcover edition, with dust-jacket, of the classic book.
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Slaine: Treasures of Britain by Pat Mills, Dermot Power & Steve Tappin.
Rebellion ISBN, 21 June 2012, 128pp, £14.99. [£9.74 from Amazon]
Slaine MacRoth - Celtic warrior and High King of the tribes of the Earth Goddess Danu, has been summoned through time to the age of Camelot. King Arthur has fallen in battle and a curse has caused darkness to fall upon the kingdom. In order to heal the land, Merlin and Morgaine la Fee need Sláine (accompanied by his unfaithful sidekick Ukko the dwarf) to retrieve the lost 'Treasures of Britain' — magical artefacts also being sought out by the Saxon plunderer Hengwulf. These powerful items are defended by the demon-like Cyth who harvest human misery in order to revive their masters — the Dark Gods of Cythrawl!
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JULY 2012

Peter Jackson's London Is Stranger Than Fiction by Peter Jackson, compiled by Steve Holland.
Look and Learn ISBN 978-095507721-0, 4 July 2012, 92pp, £14.99.
‘London is Stranger Than Fiction’ inspired artist Peter Jackson's life-long fascination with London, its history and its people. The strip, originally published in The Evening News, revelled in obscure facts about the city, its eccentric inhabitants and forgotten byways. Jackson used his talents as an artist to bring these subjects to life for the entertainment of his readers.
__Peter Jackson's London is Stranger Than Fiction reprints all the strips from two of Jackson's now-hard-to-find books, London is Stranger Than Fiction and London Explorer, in which Jackson looked at curiosities associated with certain areas of London, from Aldwych to Westminster. 
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Savage: The Guv'nor by Pat Mills & Patrick Goddard.
Rebellion ISBN 978-1781080405, 19 July 2012, 224pp, £14.99. [£11.30 from Amazon]
In 1999, Britain was successfully invaded by the Volgs. When London lorry driver Bill Savage learnt that his family had been killed by the Volgs, he became a one-man war machine - a persistant thorn in the side of the occupying army. Having adopted the identity of his dead brother, Savage operates out of a bombed-out london, leading the resistance against his hated enemy. Now, business brain Howard Quartz - the CEO of Ro-Busters - has launched an attack on the Volgan forces with his Mark-One War Droids, but the Volgs have some technological tricks of their own, including a functional teleportation device....
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Strontium Dog: The Life and Death of Johnny Alpha by John Wagner & Carlos Ezquerra.
Rebellion ISBN 978-1781080436, 19 July 2012, 144pp, £14.99. [£11.30 on Amazon]
Earth, the late 22nd century. Many survivors of the devastating Atomic Wars were mutated by Strontium 90 fallout. These mutants became an underclass – hated by the ruling 'norms', the only job left for them was bounty-hunting. The best of the Search/Destroy agents (also known as Strontium Dogs) was a man called Johnny Alpha. He became famous for fighting for mutant rights and died defending his kind from ultimate destruction. But it seems that even death can't keep a good dog down and rumours are circulating about Alpha's return...
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AUGUST 2012

The Art and History of The Dandy by Morris Heggie.
Waverley Books ISBN 978-1849342414, 6 August 2012, 288pp, £20.00. [£14.00 from Amazon]
A chronicle of 75 years of the world's longest-running comic, The Art and History of The Dandy is a beautiful gift book and treasury of everything that has made The Dandy so anarchic and special. The Dandy is king of the comics! The Dandy is a record breaker: in 1999 it became the world's longest running comic. The Art and History of the Dandy is a chronicle of 75 years of comic violence and madcap antics from the likes of Desperate Dan, Korky the Cat, Beryl the Peril, Keyhole Kate and other intrepid figures who have long since left the comic. The Dandy first hit the streets on December 3, 1937, six months before its sister comic The Beano. By the 1980s, it was the world's largest-selling comic with a circulation of around 2 million. The late Albert Barnes, who edited the comic from 1937 to 1980, summed up its philosophy: 'There is never any real violence, only the cartoon kind to be found in Tom and Jerry where the victim always springs back unharmed. It gives children a chance to cock a harmless snook at authority, and sublimate their desires to kick against the traces.' Barnes was also behind Desperate Dan, who became The Dandy's biggest star. Talking about his cowboy creation, Barnes said: 'He is to be the roughest, toughest cowboy. He has to be the strongest man in the world: a man who can chew iron and spit rust.' Desperate Dan was never happier than when confronted by his daily diet of cow pie, a species of dish which involved the entire animal, including horns and tail, protruding through the pastry. Dan was eventually stopped from eating his favourite dish because of the emergence of BSE (or mad cow disease). There was a similar crisis in 1997 when Desperate Dan sailed off with the Spice Girls after striking oil and temporarily retired from the pages of The Dandy. There was such an outcry, including a Bring Dan Back campaign, threats of boycott, and protests from as far away as Australia, Saudi Arabia and the United States, that the hero was swiftly restored. Changing values caused Morris Heggie, editor in the 1990s and now scriptwriter for The Broons and Oor Wullie, to say: 'Desperate Dan is not now quite the same old desperado that he was. He is now quite laid-back in comparison with the old days. At one time he used to smoke a dustbin full of rubbish through a drainpipe ...What is important though, is that, unlike in real life, the kids always win in The Dandy. That's our recipe for anarchy.' An eight-foot tall bronze statue of Desperate Dan has stood in the centre of Dundee since 2001. Desperate Dan is one of Britain's favourite characters, and has appeared in nearly every issue of The Dandy since 1937. * 288 pp gift book chronicling the world's longest-running comic. * Fully illustrated, colour throughout. * A must for every comic fan. * Extensive endmatter, with detailed archive history of each comic with notes on artists and writers. * Notes on what happened each year; changes to characters and how they appeared. * Produced by the same team as 'The History of the Beano'.
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The Art of Denis McLoughlin by David Ashford.
Book Palace Books ISBN 978-1907081088, August 2012, 272pp, £45.00.
Written by David Ashford, one of McLoughlin's close friends, the book celebrates every aspect of the artist's career, from examples of his earliest work whilst still in uniform to his lengthy association with T.V. Boardman, for whom he produced hundreds of dust jackets for their Bloodhound crime series and their yearly best-selling Buffalo Bill Annual.
__The Boardman covers are almost unique in British publishing history as no major publisher relied on a single artist to produce so many of their jackets. But tracking down useable examples has proved to be a long and gruelling process. As Peter says: "We needed high quality scans of all the covers we sought and the logistics of having to carry a scanner and computer to spend a day getting under the feet of a McLoughlin devotee, which would have secured us a reasonable number of scans but by no means all the ones I craved gave us pause for thought. Photographing the books would have been quicker, but the results are light years away from a scan. It simply wasn't an option.".
__Hooking up with San Francisco-based collector Mark Terry gave fresh impetus to the book as Mark already had a network of contacts with collectors through his facsimile dustjacket business; the finished book will now contain dozens of examples, carefully restored.
__The book contains many examples of McLoughlin's comic strips and a biography by David Ashford, as well as behind-the-scenes photos and examples of his original artwork.
__The definitive book and biography of Denis McLouglin, packed with full colour images of his art and a complete bibliography.
__The book features reproductions from the surviving original artwork, "pulls" in high quality print, never-before-seen photos chronicling the artist's life and page after page of some of the most stunning artwork ever to see print in the 20th century.
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The Broons and Oor Wullie: Classic Strips from the 70's.
D. C. Thomson ISBN 978-1845354947, 31 August 2012, 144pp, £12.99. [£10.39 from Amazon]
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The Broons: The Nicht Afore Christmas by Morris Heggie.
Waverley Books ISBN 978-1849342735, 1 August 2012, 8pp, £2.99.
A poem written specially for Christmas by Morris Heggie, scriptwriter of The Broons. It's Christmas Eve at Glebe Street and the Broons are fu' o' Christmas spirit. But Granpaw's no' happy. The Bairn has gied him a tricky request. He disnae ken it yet, but he's going on quite an adventure. There's no chance of any piece an' quiet in Glebe Street with Santa around. This Christmas poem is set in the world of the Broons of No. 10 Glebe Street – Scotland's best loved family who have appeared in The Sunday Post every week since 1936.
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Classic Beano & Dandy: Panto Time.
D. C. Thomson ISBN 978-1845354978, 31 August 2012, 144pp, £12.99. [£10.39 from Amazon]
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Harker: The Book of Solomon by Roger Gibson & Vince Danks.
Titan Books ISBN 978-0857689740, 17 August 2012, 144pp, £14.99. [£7.94 from Amazon]
When a series of gruesome cult killings take place near the British Museum, DCI Harker and his assistant DS Critchley are called to London to solve the case. Middle class satanists, dusty old bookshops, a labyrinth under the museum, a frantic car chase and wry, cutting humour all combine in this graphic novel love letter from creators Roger Gibson and Vince Danks to classic British detective television series.
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Judge Dredd: Restricted Files 04
by John Wagner, Mark Millar, Bryan Talbot, Henry Flint, et al.
Rebellion ISBN 978-1781080467, 16 August 2012, 272pp, £19.99. [£13.99 from Amazon]
Mega-City one: an especially violent city of the future that requires a special kind of police force - the Judges - to maintain law and order. toughest of them all is Judge Dredd. He is the law! Featuring rare thrills from 2000 AD annuals and specials released through the mid-'nineties into the new millennium. Experience some of the most outrageous Dredd stories ever published, including the rib-tickling 'Mr Bennet joins the Judges,' by Mark Milar (Kick-Ass), and the very english 'Dredd of Drokk Green.'
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Rat Pack Vol. 1: Guns, Guts and Glory by Gerry Finley-Day et al.
Titan Books ISBN 978-1848560352, August 2012, 160pp, £14.99. [£11.40 from Amazon]
War is a dirty business... so who better than criminals to fight it? When Major Taggart breaks four military convicts out of jail, they think they’re headed for Easy Street... but they couldn’t be more wrong. Before, they were scum — now, they’re the Rat Pack! A collection of classic strips from the British boys’ comic, Battle.
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Shakara: The Destroyer by Robbie Morrison & Henry Flint.
Rebellion ISBN 978-1781080382, 16 August 2012, 160pp, £14.99. [£10.49 from Amazon]
The Shakaran warrior known as Cinnibar Brennekka has activated a terrifying weapon called the God Machine, and once it destroys everything he will be the ultimate master of a new universe created in his image. Only one thing can stop Brennekka from succeeding... a vengeance-fuelled being called Shakara - he living embodiment of a murdered species - is out to kill the last of his kind, and there isn't another creature in the whole of existence that will get in its way! Be prepared for a tale of monumental carnage and devastation!
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Whaur's Oor Wullie?.
Waverley Books ISBN 978-1849342551, 1 August 2012, 48pp, £8.99. [£6.74 from Amazon]
'Whaur's Oor Wullie?' or 'Where's Oor Wullie?' for our non-Scots friends, is a fun puzzle book that features Oor Wullie, the comic strip character as he adventures all over Scotland with his pals. Oor Wullie is Scotland's favourite boy, with his trademark spiky hair, dungarees and upturned bucket as a seat. In Whaur's Oor Wullie? Oor Wullie travels around Scotland's most famous and popular places with some of the familiar characters who appear in his Sunday Post weekly comic strip. The challenge is to spot them in the crowd! Each spread is illustrated in full colour with a list of items and characters to spot. The 'Oor Wullie' comic strip was originally created by D C Thomson editor, R D Low, and drawn by cartoonist, Dudley D Watkins. Whaur's Oor Wullie? is illustrated by Jimmy Glen. Find Oor Wullie and his pals at the following places among others: *the Edinburgh Military Tattoo *The Open Golf Championship at St Andrews *Stirling Castle *Kelvingrove Museum *Hogmanay *Braemar Highland Games *Dundee's Comic Characters' Convention *The biggest-ever Burns Supper *Largs Viking Festival *'T' In the Park *The Royal Highland Show *Falkirk's re-enactment of the Romans being fought back by the Picts. 'Oor Wullie' was launched in 1936 in The Sunday Post in Scotland, and is still going strong. The frequent tagline on the strip is 'Oor Wullie! Your Wullie! A'body's Wullie!'
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