Comic Scene #3 (December 2018)

The monthly Comic Scene goes from strength to strength it seems and the latest issue is probably the best yet, with a over two dozen features wrapped up in cover celebrating Charley's War. It's a timely celebration given the recent release of Rebellion's three collections of the strip, considered a masterpiece in and out of the industry.

Richard Sheaf is given the task of tracking down the various Charley's War reprints that have appeared over the years, which he does in his usual entertaining style. Sheaf is one of the regulars at Comic Scene and is also responsible for (but not limited to) articles on Frank Bellamy's Happy Warrior strip (the life story of Winston Churchill) for Eagle, and the short-lived True War, which had some remarkable artwork by Ian Kennedy and James Watson.

Colin Noble, Luke Williams and Stephen Jewell are names you'll recognise from earlier issues, as is that of Pat Mills, who continues to provide a 'Last Word' – in this instance about some of the impact Charley's War has had. We're in safe hands as far as the writing is concerned, so let's romp through the contents, because there's a lot to enjoy here.

Although in no way planned, this is something of a tribute issue to Carlos Ezquerra, who turns up in an early article on Marvel's Fury comic, where he was the regular cover artist, turning in dynamic images each week for the paper's six-month run. Then there are features on 'Rat Pack', the Battle favourite that first united Ezquerra with writer Alan Hebden, the lead story in Crisis, 'Third World War', written by Pat Mills with Ezquerra providing most of the early artwork, and 'El Mestizo', the story of an Alabama slave who becomes the scourge of the American Civil War, also penned by Alan Hebden for Battle.

Comic Scene also celebrates Commando with a couple of features outlining its history and how it is celebrating the Armistice.

Rogue Trooper's complex continuity, the wartime cartoons of Carl Giles, a look at the influence of war on the works of Jacques Tardi, how Kek-W revived an old Fleetway favourite (Black Max), a look at the classic 'Britain invaded' trope, the story of Peter Flint (Codename–Warlord), the War Doctor (Who),

Outside of the war theme, we also have a feature on Stan Lee's visits to UK conventions, comics (Whackoman), the new Roy of the Rovers, new and upcoming graphic novels from the small press and a look at the independent comics scene and a small press spotlight.

Comic Scene is now available to order through Diamond and your local comic shop. Issue 3 is released on 15 November 2018 and can be ordered through their website, as can the Great Big ComicScene Christmas Annual 2019, which will be released in December.