Comic Cuts — 3 January 2025

Happy New Year!

I'm writing this last thing on Thursday evening, still trying to catch up on sleep as we partied into the wee hours of New Year's Day, although I'm of an age now that there isn't much booze involved and we make sure the TV is on for the fireworks. 

I've not been entirely unproductive as there was an obituary to write and I sidelined myself and wrote a lengthy piece on the history of newsprint rationing during the war. It was meant to be a couple of paragraphs to explain why magazines were able to appear while newspapers were still capped to six or so pages. As is often the case, it got away from me and went from two or three paragraphs to three pages.

Inspired by the Repair Shop and one or two online videos, I was inspired to repair an old Fontana Agatha Christie that I picked up on a trip into town. The cover was nice, not too creased, and it was one I didn't have. Unfortunately, the cover was also detached from the book and the lower third of the spine was missing. I recently bought some bookbinding glue that is clear when it dries and thought this was a good place to start before attacking some of my older books that have damage, but which a careful application of glue might save them for another generation.

As the covers of 1950s paperbacks (the Agatha was from 1959) were not much better than paper, I simply cut out a short strip of paper and glued that in place; once dried it meant that the cover had a complete spine to stick back onto the rest of the book. Once that was done and allowed to dry, it looked pretty good.

From the photo above you'll see that the repairs at the top and bottom of the spine is pretty obvious. I might experiment with a bit of acrylic paint to see if I can match the yellowed paper of the damaged bit of the spine, just to make the repair slightly less obvious, but I'm not too fussed as the book is intended for my shelf of Christie's rather than being offered for sale.

I've glued down a couple of flaps that have come loose on other books, but I want to practice on a few more books that I can live without before attacking something that's collectable or expensive.

My plans are to potter around for a couple more days and then get back to work next week. Hopefully, that means news of the next couple of Bear Alley Books' projects can be announced in the not-too-distant future.

Have a fantastic 2025, everyone, and I'll hopefully see lots of you at book fairs and comic swap meets over the next few months.

Commando 5815-5818

It’s beginning to look a lot like… time for some new issues of Commando! The last batch of the year 2024 in fact, and what a year it’s been too! We’re closing 2024 in the usual way – with lots of explosions! Issues 5815-5818 go on sale from today, the 2nd January 2025!

5815: Shadow on the Sea

The North Atlantic, 1941. Captain Thomas Bright and the crew of the HMS Dandelion are tasked with escorting merchant ships carrying food and supplies to Britain. German U-boats lurk beneath the waves, threatening to destroy the ships at any moment.
    Help comes in the unlikely form of Shadow, the new ship’s cat, whose keen eyes and hearing could make the difference in fighting the unseen enemy!
    You gotta be kitten me – a Commando about a cat? Let us purrsuade you – this clawsome adventure contains all the meowtstanding action and adventure you’ve come to expect, all from an unlikely source. We’re telling mew, it’s the cat’s pyjamas!

Story: Andrew Knighton
Art: Jaume Forns
Cover: Neil Roberts

5816: Find the Traitor

The brave partisans hidden high in the snow-clad mountains of Yugoslavia had a tough time keeping out of the clutches of the Nazis — especially with that Fieseler Storch reconnaissance aircraft seeking them out.
    But with the Yugoslavians were Nick Bradford and Stan Waterman, two RAF lads who’d been shot down and stranded. They decided that somehow, they’d get hold of that Storch — and use it to spy on the Germans!
    We’re always dreaming of a white Christmas, so this snow-capped adventure from 1971 seemed very fitting, and that outstanding cover from the masterful Ian Kennedy is just the ribbon on top!

Story: RA Montague
Art: V Fuente
Cover: Ian Kennedy

5817: Sergeant Rayker

Last seen in Warlord in 1984, Sergeant Moses Rayker returns for another adventure!
    In 1944, during a daring escape over the Italian mountains, Rayker and his squad encounter a familiar face. Buford ‘Bubba’ Ballard clashed with Rayker before the war, and Ballard still holds a grudge. Nonetheless, Rayker knows his duty is to escort Ballard past the German checkpoints and safely home. Can both men keep their cool long enough to survive? Or will Rayker end up smacking the tar outta him before they make it back?
    It's the moment we’ve all been waiting for! After 40 years out of print, Sergeant Rayker makes his triumphant debut in the pages of Commando – and what a comeback it is! Rayker is just as tough as he’s ever been, and with fresh artwork and an incredible cover from the one and only Mike Dorey, this is one issue you won’t want to miss!

Story: Dominic Teague
Art: Mike Dorey
Cover: Mike Dorey

5818: Pop’s Army

A bunch of teenage French boys commanded by a British schoolmaster couldn’t cause the Nazi invaders that much trouble, could they?
    You bet they could!
    This batch of stories really is full of surprises – first a cat and now schoolboys! Deep down of course, we all wish our school days had been half as exciting as what these boys get up to!

Story: Bernard Gregg
Art: Ruiz
Cover: Ian Kennedy