Eagle Times v34 n3 (Autumn 2021)

September saw the latest issue of Eagle Times landing, slightly early (as the editorial explains) after the lateness of the previous issue (again, the editorial explains). The magazine has been astonishingly regular for decades, so a few days is no problem amongst friends.

And Eagle Times is like an old friend, one who can occasionally surprise you. There are a handful of articles this issue that are run-ons from previous issues, including some of my favourite recent features: the studio ideas book, which includes sketches from the Frank Hampson studio, this time looks at the Phant war drum, while a second behind-the-scenes feature looks at the script for 'The Phantom Fleet' and how it came to a rather hurried end.

The New Eagle gets some coverage this issue, with Alan Hebden the subject of an interview — he wrote some fine comic strip tales during the photo-strip era, including 'The Tower King', 'The House of Daemon' and 'The Fifth Horseman', all illustrated by Jose Ortiz, as well as later strips 'News Team' and 'Comrade Bronski'. Something that doesn't get a mention is 'Manta Force', which I'll happily admit to barely remembering myself. There is also a review of 'The Tower King', which was a highlight of the new paper when it launched (I was no great fan of photo strips).

Back in the original Eagle, we have part 13 of David Britton's series on 'Charles Chilton & The Indian Wars', which analyses the historical background of Chilton's 'Riders of the Range' strip, which involved Jeff Arnold in many real situations, not always accurately.

John Ryan is the subject of a short article reprinted from Retro magazine, and Gordon of Khartoum gets the historic treatment, comparing reality with the back page strip that appeared in 1960, told by Chad Varah and drawn by Peter Jackson. Learie Constantine is the subject of a 'Whatever Happened to...' feature, inspired by the cricketer's series of 'Cricket Coaching' comic strips (credited to Leary (sic) Constantine in the first few issues), drawn by Denis Alford.

Steve Winders wraps up the issue with the first part of another P.C. 49 adventure, 'The Case of the Unconventional Convention', set at the 15th World Science Fiction Convention at the King's Court Hotel, London, in September 1957 and involving real-life attendees, including John Beynon Harris (John Wyndham) and Forrest J Ackerman (who I met at a much later convention in 1979!).

It's another fine issue from the production team who run the magazine. More power to their elbow  as we reach the final issue of this volume, due out on 14 December.

The quarterly magazine is the journal of the Eagle Society, with membership costing £29 in the UK, £40 (in sterling) overseas. You can send subscriptions to Bob Corn, Wellcroft Cottage, Wellcroft, Ivinghoe, Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire LU7 9EF; subs can also be submitted via PayPal to membership@eagle-society.org.uk. Back issues are available for newcomers to the magazine and they have even issued binders to keep those issues nice and neat.

Ally Sloper — His Life and Times

Alan Clark's latest tome tackles the fascinating subject of Britain's first comic character, Ally Sloper, the potato-headed entrepreneur with his grog blossom nose, ever dressed in his saggy frock coat and battered hat and boasting of his latest schemes. The name was a slang term for someone who sloped off up one of London's thousands of back alleys whenever a debt collector was around, and the caricature, born in a doodle by writer/artist Charles H. Ross on a piece of blotting paper, given character in the pages of Judy where Ross was a regular writer. 'Some of the Mysteries of Loan and Discount' appeared in August 1967, introducing Ally and his semi-regular partner, Isaac Moses (Iky Mo).

Ally's origins are laid out in a short introduction, as are those of his chief artist, Marie Duval (1869-78?), William G. Baxter (1884-86) and William F. Thomas (1888-1916). The character moved from Judy magazine to his own Ally Sloper's Half-Holiday, published and edited by Gilbert Dalziel, who exploited the character in reprint books, colour plates and merchandise.

While Ally's original paper fell during the Great War, it was revived in 1922 with Charles H. Ross junior writing and W. F. Thomas coming out of retirement to draw more cartoons, but was gone within six months. Tastes and styles had changed, and Ally was by then seen to be as old as his hat.

The bulk of the book is then a selection of cartoons, illustrations and covers from the various incarnations of Ally and the magazines in which he starred. Without doubt, this is the largest and most comprehensive selection of Ally Sloper related images I've ever seen, from his very first appearance to the announcement that Ally Sloper's Half-Holiday was merging with London Life and two rather odd post-WW2 one-shots. The only thing not illustrated is Denis Gifford's revival in 1976-77.

There is a quote from Ross that is worth exploring briefly. Ross once claimed that Sloper—or a Sloper-like character—had appeared as early as 1860 in a book called The Great Gun. Although certainly earlier than Sloper's first cartoon, the book actually dates from December 1865.

Over the years, Ally visited everything from the Suez Canal to the Paris Exhibition, and tackled the leading questions of the day, whether it was the Eastern Question or the fake Sir Roger Tichborne. Ally attended numerous Ascots, openings of Parliament, met Buffalo Bill, Sir Henry Morton Stanley, Lord Kitchener and Emile Zola, celebrated Victoria's golden jubilee, the coronation of Edward VII, and his own 1,000th and 1,500th numbers.

Along the way we meet Ally's family and friends, and stumble across some real surprises... like the cover of Tootsie Sloper, a magazine dedicated to Ally's daughter, which ran for a single issue in 1899, and Tootsie Sloper's Serio-Comic Journal, another attempt that also lasted just one issue in 1904. There is also an amazing array of Sloper merchandise, from match cases to music, movies and magic lantern slides.

Sugar-Plums nad Tootletum: The Works of C. H. Ross is a companion book, Ross being the creator and chief architect of Sloper and his early fame. A slimmer volume than that dedicated to his creation, it is nonetheless just as packed with rare, unseen gems written and drawn by Ross or drawn by his wife, Marie Duval.

Beginning with a brief overview of his career, the book displays a gallery of Ross's work, in Judy, in book form and in various other titles he worked on, most notably the incredibly scarce C.H. Ross's Variety Paper, of which there are no known complete collections. This featured W. G. Baxter's creation 'Choodle', who had briefly appeared in an earlier paper, Comus. Choodle had none of Ally Sloper's following and nor did the Variety Paper have the publishing acumen on Gilbert Dalziel behind it. It folded after 34 issues.

Clark introduced Mrs. Ross in to the story, again with plenty of illustrations, and the book is completed with a reprint of Queens and Kings and Other Things, a slim volume from 1874 with short verses by Ross illustrated by Marie Duval.

Not for all tastes, but fascinating to anyone who has an interest in the origins of British comics, British comedy and the works of Marie Duval, one of the first female comic strip artists and illustrators.

Privately published, both books are available via Ebay as a pair, priced £30.00.

Ally Sloper. His Life & Times by Alan Clark.
Alan Clark, 2021 [September 2021], 262pp (A5), £15.00.

Sugar-Plums & Tootletum, The Work of C. H. Ross by Alan Clark.
Alan Clark, 2021 [September 2021], 162pp (A5), £15.00.

Comic Cuts — 1 October 2021

I have spent most of September working on the Action project, the downside of which is that I don't always have a lot to talk about in these columns. I was worrying about what I might have to write about, this being week four wholly dedicated to Action... but was it?

Thinking about it, Action hasn't been hogging my whole attention. Saturday was Mel's birthday, so much of the day was dedicated to that. Then on Sunday I started reading and writing a review of one of the books I received during the previous week. I didn't quite get it finished (I do like to read the books before I write them up, which is why it can take so long!), but I should finish it off this week-end.

I have also been sorting out some scans for an upcoming book from Hibernia Press, who recently published a reprint of a fine old Jesus Blasco yarn, The Indestructible Man. Well worth checking out if you haven't already.

Then there has been a bit of back 'n' forth over some corrections and additions that I made to The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction, and double checking some of the information that might have been misinformation that has crept in. The SFE is switching servers at the moment, so there might be a bit of down time, but it shouldn't be for long.

I did a little bit of tinkering with an article that I'm hoping to use in the upcoming mag. and was also contacted by the son of a publisher about whom I wrote an article last year, again for the upcoming mag., so that can hopefully now be checked over for factual accuracy by family members, perhaps even expanded with new information.

I'm also trying to resolve a bit of a mystery regarding the name John Gabriel, which at least three authors have used. Trying to figure out who wrote what a century on is proving tricky, although I've sorted some of it out.

There's also the little matter of the kitchen needing a new oven, as the old one is old, leaky and about to be condemned by the gas inspector. (I'll leave you to make jokes about my similarity to the oven.)

And that brings me up to today, where I have spent part of the morning reading about censorship in children's literature, and this afternoon's reading was on folk devils and moral panics. We went out this evening to a meeting about a local planning application that seems to involve removing the nearby bus stop, but the meeting must have been cancelled as the office where it was to be held was empty... so we went and bought fish and chips.

The pic of the top is me and comedian Simon Evans, who finally managed to bring his 2020 tour to Colchester Arts Centre. 'The Work of the Devil' is a densely layered critique of the modern world but seen through slightly different eyes compared to previous tours. There is a revelation about Evans that moves the show in a startling new direction and changes its tone entirely. To say more would be giving things away. I'm not in agreement with some of Evans' political and social views, but he's a marvellous comedian and, even as an affirmed tree hugging leftie myself, I agree that sometimes tree hugging lefties need their pomposity pricked. We can take it.

That could be our last gig of the year. Got to save some money for Christmas now... how can it be October already?

Commando 5475-5478

Brand new Commando issues are out today! And above we have a fantastic cover by Ian Kennedy, who celebrated his birthday a few days ago. Happy Birthday, Ian! He is still turning out new covers (see 'The Tygrys' below) and is the star of a short (25mins) film made by Phillip Vaughan that can be found on YouTube.

5475: The Tygrys

Colin Maxwell lends his pen to Commando with a tale of the daring escape of a Polish Sub and its crew! During the Nazi invasion of Poland, the ORP Tygrys was told to stay put while the other more modern submarines were sent out to defend Poland. This didn’t sit well with the Tygrys, and it set out to stalk its prey!

This excellent Commando is brought to life with interiors from duo Morhain and Defeo, and topped off with another classic cover by Ian Kennedy!

Story | Colin Maxwell
Art | Morhain & Defeo
Cover | Ian Kennedy

5476: Lair of the Leopards

Squadron Leader Roddy Duffield had an axe to grind. A nasty group of Nazi called the Black Leopards had killed his mate, levelled their airfield and Roddy was out for revenge — whatever the cost! Well, Roddy paid the price for his bloodthirst when he was accused of cracking up and reassigned to a photo-recce outfit. Now how was Roddy supposed to get even if he could only shoot photos and not bullets?!

There’s never a dull moment with this 1960s Commando masterfully crafted by RA Montague and marvellously illustrated by Amador and Mackay!

Story | RA Montague
Art | Amador
Cover | Mackay
Originally Commando No. 426 (1969).

5477: Bug Attack

And now for something a little different — GIANT BUGS! In this sci-fi meets war comic penned by veteran writer Ferg Handley, a fracking operation in Colorado goes wrong — very wrong indeed — when gargantuan insects come crawling out of the cracks and wreak havoc by swarming over everything in their path! Only Commandos in mech-suits can hope to exterminate these mega-creepy crawlies and save the planet!

Commando artist Dan Barnfield tackles this off the wall adventure and Neil Roberts doesn’t disappoint with his bug-tastic cover! This Commando is sure to bug you if you miss it!

Story | Ferg Handley
Art |Dan Barnfield
Cover | Neil Roberts

5478: Desert Showdown

The men who went behind the lines to raid Rommel’s communications and supply routes in the desert were a hard bunch of no-nonsense fighters. Lieutenant Julian Eastwood’s mob were no different, except that three of them had dark secrets in their murky pasts. But not one of those three suspected the terrible fate that was waiting out there for them in the wilderness of sand and rock!

A romp straight out of the 1980s from the mind of the master writer, CG Walker, and stunning artwork from Fleming and the legend Ian Kennedy!

Story | CG Walker
Art | Fleming
Cover | Ian Kennedy
Originally Commando No. 1730 (1983).

Rebellion Releases — 29 September 2021

Watch out parents - Britain’s newest comic is going to create little monsters everywhere!

Rebellion is proud to announce that Monster Fun will launch next year, the UK’s first all-new on-going humour comic for kids in 30 years.

The first issue will debut in April 2022, with new issues every two months - perfectly designed for holiday entertainment, whether it’s Easter, half term, summer, or Halloween!

The 32-page bi-monthly title is not only Rebellion’s first brand new title since it acquired the legendary 2000 AD in 2000, but also the first to be inspired by its archive of classic comics.

Packed with all new stories, the first regular issue of Monster Fun will be available from all good newsagents and comic book stores in April, but readers can subscribe now at monsterfun.co.uk and receive brilliant free gifts!

Every issue, young readers will laugh out loud all new adventures from familiar faces such as Sweeny Toddler, Frankie Stein, The Leopard from Lime Street, and Draculass, while new stories like Tokoloshe, Hell's Angel and Scare Salon will quickly become firm favourites thanks to breakout talents like Juni Ba (Monkey Meat), Robin Etherington (one half of the Etherington Brothers (How to Think When You Draw, the world's most successful crowd-funded art and writing tutorial series), Matt Baxter (The Phoenix), and kids' comics legends like Tom Paterson (The Beano).

And it all kicks off this Halloween, with the 48-page Monster Fun Halloween Spooktacular Special issue! Out on 6 October from newsagents, comic book stores and treasuryofbritishcomics.com, Britain’s kookiest anthology returns from the great beyond with plenty of brand new, HELL-arious comic strips that will have you howling with laughter, including Gums, Hire A Horror, Kid Kong, Teddy Scare, Wiz War and a diabolical host of new frights!

Jason Kingsley OBE, CEO of Rebellion, said: ‘They said British comics were dead - but Monster Fun is returning from the beyond to take over! I’m immensely pleased that we are launching the first new kids’ humour comic to hit newsstands for decades. There’s a huge market for all-ages titles out there and I’m proud that Monster Fun continues our commitment to bringing quality comic books back to life.’

Ben Smith, head of book, comic books, film and TV at Rebellion, said: ‘Monster Fun is a legendary and much-loved title from the golden age of British comics, that we’ve revived and reimagined for today’s kids. The team have put together a fantastic Halloween special to whet everyone's appetites for the launch next year.’

One of hundreds of classic comic properties now owned by Rebellion, Monster Fun was a weekly British comic strip magazine for children aged seven to twelve. Published by IPC Media, it ran for 73 issues in 1975–1976, before merging with sister title Buster.

Out this week...

Slaine: Dragontamer by Pat Mills (w), Leonard Manco, Chris Weston & Kyle Hotz (a)
Rebellion ISBN 978-178108953-8, 28 September 2021, 96pp, £18.99. Available via Amazon.

The stunning new adventure of Pat Mills and Angie Kincaid's legendary Celtic warrior, Sláine! Originally serialised in 2000AD, this incredible hardcover sees Sláine lead a rebellion against the tyrannical reign of the Emperor Brutus and his Trojan army and features jaw-dropping art by standout talent Leonardo Manco (Hellblazer, Avengers). As Brutus uses dragons to bolster his despotic reign and spread terror across the land, Sláine takes the fight all the way to New Troy - and discovers the secrets that lie in Brutus's dungeons Dragontamer features multiple pages that have been remastered specifically for this collection by Manco, enhancing his storytelling and critically-acclaimed work, and transforming the original serialised story into a career-defining work of art!

2000AD Prog 2251
Cover: Mark Harrison.

Judge Dredd: The Hard Way by Rob Williams, Arthur Wyatt (w) Jake Lynch (a)
Scarlet Traces: Storm Front by Ian Edginton (w) D'Israeli (a)
The Out Book II by Dan Abnett (w) Mark Harrison (a)
The Diaboliks: Arrivederci Roma by Gordon Rennie (w) Antonio Fuso (a)
Pandora Perfect: Mystery Moon by Roger Langridge (w) Brett Parson (a)

Comic Cuts — 24 September 2021

I'm still motoring through the pages of Action looking for interesting elements that some may have previously missed. I'm uncovering one or two as I read the stories, such as an episode featuring a character named after the uncle of the artist, and another that is set in the home town of the artist. I enjoy ferreting out these little details, especially as the story of Action is fairly well known. I'm working on the theory that if I dive deeper than anyone has previously, I'll be able to uncover facts and offer a few theories that will bring something new to the topic and add to the conversation.

Of course, at the very moment when I could do with as few distractions as possible, lots of distractions land on the doormat. It has been an incredible week for a fan of the history of comics with the release of the latest issues of Eagle Times and Vworp Vworp!, plus two books from the busy typewriter of Alan Clark.

I also had a book arrive on inter-library loan which I wanted to read as part of my research for the wartime comics essays I'm writing. The last of these is a problem fairly easily solved: I've scanned the whole book. I'm not condoning this behaviour, but it took a couple of months to arrive, and I could only borrow the book for a limited time. I don't have time to deal with it now, so spending a couple of hours on the scanner while I have been talking to people on the phone seemed the best option. It can now be returned to Croydon (where it came from) and I have access to it when I finally get back to writing about wartime comics. And if it turns out to be as good a book as it looks on first glance, I'll buy a copy for my shelves.

Between that and the other arrivals, plus the research I'm doing for the Action project, I'll be busy reading for the next few weeks. Hopefully I'll be able to slip in a few reviews, too, but I apologise in advance if it takes a while.

I'm keeping this deliberately short so I can get on with reading the next batch of Action strips. I'll end on a couple of photos that I've taken over the past few days. The reflections of clouds on the river on Tuesday was replaced by strands of mist over the river and fields on Wednesday. Lastly, Mel and Mum having lunch from a couple of weeks ago, just because I like the photo.

Rebellion Releases — 22 September 2021

Sci-fi sagas and supernatural thrillers, nannies gone bad and shocking futures - plus the return of a 2000 AD legend - 2000 AD Prog 2250 is ideal for readers new and old!

Want the perfect issue to jump on board with the groundbreaking British sci-fi action weekly comic? Then we have a super-charged blast of cosmic excitement for you!

Out on 22 September from all good newsagents and comic book stores, as well as the 2000 AD webshop and app, 2000 AD Prog 2250 is a 48-page extravaganza engineered to give the perfect opportunity for readers to pick up the 2000 AD habit with a subscription or regular order.

This issue features the start of FIVE new on-going stories and two scintillating one-offs in a pulse-pounding package of Thrill-power!

And it’s crowned with a brand new cover from master artist Mick McMahon, a bold and evocative image of future hardline lawman Judge Dredd! One of 2000 AD’s most iconic artists, McMahon remains one of the master on Dredd, with an ever-evolving style that has produced some of the series’ greatest moments.

This issue kicks off with a brand new Judge Dredd story, 'The Hard Way’, by Rob Williams (Suicide Squad) and Arthur Wyatt (Samizdat Squad) with art by breakout artist Jake Lynch (HAVN), which sees the world's deadliest killers converge on the under-sea city of Atlantis to take out Mega-City One’s head of accounting… but they hadn’t counted on her having a visitor: Judge Dredd.

After her hit debut in 2000 AD’s all-ages 2000 AD Regened issues, Pandora Perfect gets her own series! The Mary-Poppins-gone-bad thief and confidence trickster from Roger Langridge (The Muppets) and Brett Parson (Tank Girl) begins the multi-part story 'Mystery Moon’.

The surprise hit of 2020, The Out by Dan Abnett (Guardians of the Galaxy) and Mark Harrison (Durham Red), returns for a new series, with wandering photo-journalist Cyd Finlea still all alone and cut off as she tries to find her way through a dangerous and chaotic universe. This cerebral and emotionally weighty series delighted readers and critics alike when it debuted in June last year.

From its original premise of 'What happened after HG Wells' War of the Worlds?' to a meditation on prejudice and politics - but with huge space battles - Scarlet Traces by Ian Edginton (Hinterkind) and Matt ‘D’Israeli’ Brooker (Lazarus Churchyard) begins its next epic chapter.

Gordon Rennie (Judge Dredd) and Antonio Fuso (WYRD) begin a new series of supernatural thriller series The Diaboliks, their successful spin-off of Rennie and Dom Reardon’s occult team thriller Caballistics Inc. With Ravne dispatched to London to sort out the Diaboliks' new base of operations, the demonic Jenny has final business to sort out in Rome in the Embassy of the Unholy See.

Psychic future cop Judge Cassandra Anderson returns in one-off story 'Be Psi-ing You' by Maura McHugh (Witchfinder: The Mysteries of Unland) and Lee Carter (Indigo Prime)

And fan favourite artist Chris Weston (The Filth) draws and writes his own one-off Future Shock, ’The Guardian & the Godchild'.

2000AD Prog 2250
Cover: Mick McMahon

Judge Dredd: The Hard Way by Rob Williams, Arthur Wyatt (w) Jake Lynch (a)
Scarlet Traces: Storm Front by Ian Edginton (w) D'Israeli (a)
The Out Book II by Dan Abnett (w) Mark Harrison (a)
The Diaboliks: Arrivederci Roma by Gordon Rennie (w) Antonio Fuso (a)
Pandora Perfect: Mystery Moon by Roger Langridge (w) Brett Parson (a)
Anderson, Psi-Div: Be Psi-ing You by Maura McHugh (w) Lee Carter (a)
Future Shocks: The Guardian & The Godchild by Chris Weston (w+a)

Comic Cuts — 17 September 2021

Finally I've reached the bit of comics' research that I like: reading comics! I've started writing up some of the stories that appeared in Action, some of which I haven't read since they first appeared back in 1976. I dug out my copies — the ones I bought when they appeared in our local newsagents forty-five years ago.

I missed two issues and never got around to filling the gaps; nor was I a big fan of the reboot, so my comics buying pretty much came to an end. I had given up on Valiant in 1975, leaving me with Top Secret Picture Library, which was appearing with two new issues a month, and I started buying Vulcan in September 1975. I was still buying Speed & Power, the kid's transport magazine that was also carrying SF stories until it folded in November; and Top Secret came to an end in February 1976, just as Action was launched. Vulcan merged into Valiant, so I began buying that again in April 1976. I stuck with it for a while, but while I enjoyed 'One-Eyed Jack', I wasn't a big fan of 'Wee Red' or 'Paco', which were the new launches.

I was down to the one comic, Action, when it was pulled from the shelves in October 1976. I picked up some issues of the relaunch, but didn't last long, and it was then a long gap before I started buying Starblazer when that launched in April 1979.

Action was the best comic I had read in years. Battle was something I read some years later but it didn't particularly interest me at the time because I had discovered science fiction and thrillers. Television was showing The Sweeney and movies like Point Blank, Dirty Harry and The French Connection. Even if we couldn't go and see Jaws, we knew about it thanks to reviews and adverts in the papers. As for books, by the age of 11 I was reading crime thrillers by James Hadley Chase (a habit picked up from my Dad, who left his paperbacks laying about) and I wanted my comics to be as tough.

That's what Action provided. Tough thrills. My top three stories were 'Dredger', 'Hook Jaw' and 'The Running Man', although I think 'Death Game 1999' trumped all three when it arrived in May 1976. Maybe I was missing my science fiction fix after Speed & Power folded.

Thankfully there's nothing much else to report. I finally published the three Andrew Forrester Jun. books. I was aiming for the summer, but was somewhat distracted by writing up those old wartime comics and now writing about Action. They're fine examples of the old Victorian casebook collections, all revolving around crime of one kind or another and all early examples of police and criminal procedural work, one book involving female detectives, another about private detectives and the third about the secret service. I've taken one of the essays from the Fifty Forgotten Authors series and reprinted it as an Afterword in all three volumes, which will hopefully tell you all you need to know (and it's certainly everything that I know!) about the real author, J. Redding Ware.

I'm still sorting out the various links that I need between here and Bear Alley Books. You can find out more by following this link. I need to make the links for ordering the books more obvious, but you should be able to find them. Amazon links to follow. Give 'em a try... two of them haven't been in print for over 150 years!

Now... back to reading comics!

Commando 5471-5474

Brand new Commando issues are out today! With two issues spanning the World Wars, from the Siege of Tsingtao, aerial dogfights over Europe, to the sweltering heat of the Burmese jungle, flooded fields of Holland and even the frosty fjords of Norway — this is one globetrotting set of Commandos not to be missed!

5471: Churchill’s Commandos: Alt For Norge!

They’re back! Commandos James McKay and Jack Ambrose were ice‑cold under pressure, almost nothing could crack their cool determination and highly‑trained nerves. But they never expected a frosty reception from none other than the Norwegian Resistance! All is not what it seems, however, as the pair make a discovery that could shatter even the thickest of glaciers. Can they keep their tempers— or will they be put on ice?
    A follow up Commando focusing on the comic’s namesake, this time our heroes are taking on a U-boat base in Heath Ackley’s fraternal romp, with charming art from Khato and a chilling cover from Neil Roberts.

Story | Heath Ackley
Art | Khato
Cover | Neil Roberts

5472: One Man Mission

Corporal Matt Brady was sent out alone. All around him were icy floods and German patrols who would show him no mercy. Yet he was the only man who could save his battalion. He had to get through… Then he found an ally, a strange ally — a German soldier!
    A tight, tense tale from Allan with nothing less than masterful art by Gordon C Livingstone — from the blue and orange contrast of the cover to the inky depths of the interiors, Livingstone proves why he is so beloved with this issue.

Story | Allan
Art | Gordon C Livingstone
Cover | Gordon C Livingstone
Originally Commando No. 425 (1969).

5473: Divergent Empires

A friendship forged in battle, Corporals Christopher Green and Ryu Fujiwara met through the haze of bullets and smoke as both their nations faced the Germans during the Siege of Tsingtao. Theirs was a kinship that lasted the rest of the war and well into the decades to come. For Green and Fujiwara, Japan and Britain were not so different. That is until the Anglo-Japanese alliance ended and the world was thrown into a another war in which these nations and men found themselves no longer as allies — but enemies!
    Brand-new Commando artist Alberto Saichann brings life to Dominic Teague’s sombre tale of friends forced on opposite sides of war. His detailed spreads and expressionistic art cements him as one to watch out for in Commando’s impressive artist ranks.

Story | Dominic Teague
Art | Alberto Saichann
Cover | Neil Roberts

5474: The Warbirds

A quiet Burmese village, remote from the savages of battles of the First World War… yet on the wall in one of the huts hung a collection of photographs showing the men and machines which had fought in the skies over Europe during that wasteful war. Out of place though they might have seemed, they were also to be a grim prophecy of greater changes which lay in the unsettled future.
    A striking cover by Ian kennedy, the juxtaposition of the yellow on blue Sopwith camel from WWI above the blue-green on yellow of a WWII Hurricane perfectly sets up the reader for the duality versus similarities of war within!

Story | CG Walker
Art | Gordon C Livingstone
Cover | Ian Kennedy
Originally Commando No. 1728 (1983).

Rebellion Releases — 15 September 2021

The epic horror comic concludes with this third terrifying tome!

The Thirteenth Floor is one of the best remembered series of the 1980s, a cornucopia of chilling comics from the pages of Scream! and Eagle by writers John Wagner (Judge Dredd) and Alan Grant (Batman), and artist Jose Ortiz (Creepy).

In this third and final volume, Max the maniacal computer is back in Maxwell Tower, dishing out his twisted form of retribution on anyone who dares to cross his beloved residents! From a conniving milkman to thuggish street urchins, anyone who enters Max’s territory looking for trouble is going for a one-way trip to the thirteenth floor!

However, Max’s past exploits have not gone unnoticed. The K.G.B. have sent their own super-powered computer called Boris to make Max an offer – help them conquer the world or face obliteration!

Don’t miss the thrilling conclusion to this classic strip, beautifully rendered by Ortiz in his atmospheric black and white art!

2000AD Prog 2249
Cover: Paul Marshall / Dylan Teague (cols)

Judge Dredd: The House on Bleaker Street by Kenneth Niemand (w) Nick Percival (a) Annie Parkhouse (l)
Skip Tracer: Eden by James Peaty (w) Paul Marshall (a) Dylan Teague (c) Jim Campbell (l)
Tharg's 3rillers present The Mask of Laverna by Robert Murphy (w) Steven Austin (a) Matt Soffe (c) Simon Bowlan (l)
Jaegir: The Path of Kali by Gordon Rennie (w) Simon Coleby (a) Len O'Grady (c) Annie Parkhouse (l)
Terror Tales: The Thing in Cell 4 by John Tomlinson (w) Silvia Califano (a)

Judge Dredd Megazine 436
Cover: Paul Williams / Chris Blythe (cols)

Judge Dredd: How Do you Solve a Problem like Francisco by Rory McConville (w) Nick Dyer (a) Annie Parkhouse (l)
The Returners: Amazonia by Si Spencer (w) Niccolo Assirelli (a) Eva De La Cruz (c) Jim Campbell (l)
Diamond Dogs II by James Peaty (w) Warren Pleece (a) Simon Bowland (l)
Devlin Waugh: The Reckoning by Aleš Kot (w) Mike Dowling (a) Quinton Winter (c) Simon Bowland (l)
Angelic: Restitution by Gordon Rennie (w) Lee Carter (a) Annie Parkhouse (l)

The Dark Judges: Fall of Deadworld Book III by Kek-W & Dave Kendall
Rebellion ISBN 978-178108933-0, 14 September 2021, 144pp, £19.99. Available via Amazon.

Can humanity escape the icy clutches of Death? The psychotic Chief Judge Casey Tweed has dethroned and killed Judge Death and taken over Death's mission to murder every living creature on the planet. The neighbouring Soviets have seen the chaos as an ideal time to launch an attack on their American enemies. As numerous battles rage a small group of rebels led by Judge Fairfax - some living, some already turned into the undead - launch a desperate effort to save their city from being converted into a necropolis, but it all seems too little too late. The Dark Judges are already spreading their contagion across the globe and in the depths of space, exterminating all life under the orders of Chief Judge Tweed. However, both the forces of death and the forces of life about to learn, just because Judge Death is dead, doesn’t mean that he is gone… The acclaimed series from Kek-W (The Order) and Dave Kendall (Dreams of Deadworld) continues in this lavish hardback collection, including never seen before concept art and sketches.

The Thirteenth Floor Vol. 03 by John Wagner, Alan Grant & Jose Ortiz
Rebellion ISBN 978-178108934-7, 16 September 2021, 176pp, £14.99. Available via Amazon.

Max the maniacal computer is back in Maxwell Tower, dishing out his twisted form of retribution on anyone who dares to cross his beloved residents! From a conniving milkman to thuggish street urchins, anyone who enters Max’s territory looking for trouble is going for a one-way trip to the thirteenth floor!
     However, Max's past exploits have not gone unnoticed. The K.G.B. have sent their own super-powered computer called Boris to make Max an offer – help them conquer the world or face obliteration!
     This book includes the thrilling conclusion to the classic 80s run of the strip all beautifully rendered by Jose Ortiz (Creepy) in his atmospheric black and white art.

Battling Britons vol.2 no.1 (September 2021)

Spinning off from a book of reviews published by Justin Marriott earlier this year, Battling Britons was intended to be a slim digest publication that suffered from what you might call "enthusiasm expansion", which causes project to expand and burst through all the planned boundaries.

What we have  to hand is a 96-page magazine with further issues already on the horizon (Justin is planning issues for February and June 2022). This debut issue has 21 features, many of them brief, with some of the most interesting (or just plain entertaining) being Jim O'Brien's look at the "—Or Die!" motif in pocket library titles, a review of Cam Kennedy's contribution to war strips and a look back at True War; Justin Marriott's look back at historical adventure strips, at some of the more eccentric strips to have appeared in the UK, Suicide Squads, and at elephants as weapons of war; Paul Trimble's review of Titan's Johnny Red reboot; Steve Myall's interview with Brent Towns; plus a ton of quickfire reviews.

The whole thing is entertainingly written, heavily illustrated and I'm amazed that Justin can put this package together for a fiver, half the price I would expect, even for a black & white publication. This is well worth the price.

Battling Britons vol.2 no.1
Justin Marriott ISBN ‎ 979-845271775-1, 96pp, £5.00. Available via Amazon.

Comic Cuts — 10 September 2021

If life was a computer game, I think I would have had the klaxons honking and the lights flashing for "Expert Level Achieved" a few times this week.

A few hours after last week's Comic Cuts was posted, I had an appointment with the doctor for my regular check up. This was delayed because my original blood test date was cancelled and moved by a fortnight, so it came a week after my diabetic eye screening. Then came the face to face with Claire, who I've now known for some years. After the usual prodding and poking the verdict is that I'm now recovered from my diabetes. My liver and kidney functions are top notch, cholesterol levels OK, blood pressure where it should be, and weight... well, we won't go into that. I'm a lot slimmer than I was three years ago,  but being sat in front of a computer all day doesn't keep me fit. The walks we take in the morning and the evening are enough to keep my weight level, but the poor weather this summer has meant that I haven't lost the four pounds that I put on during the winter. I have an idea for a solution... we shall just have to see how it goes.

My eye screening results showed no sign of any diabetic eye disease, so that won't be causing me any problems in the near term. I had already had a letter to that effect, but it was brought up by Claire and set up a joke I'd thought of beautifully:

Claire: There's no sign of diabetic eye disease from your eye screening.
Me: That's great news. I was a bit worried when they sent me my letter in Braile.

You had to be there...

On Saturday we took to the streets as part of a local march on behalf of Extinction Rebellion. There were 150 or so people peacefully wandering up the High Street and crossing the road at the crossing and not even stopping the traffic. It didn't feel particularly rebellious, what with the little kids dressed up in costumes and a guy beating a drum as we followed a little group carrying a model of the burning Earth on a wooden frame. If it wasn't for the latter, you might have thought it was a scene from The Whicker Man and we were just off to burn a few strangers.

We gathered on a little green used chiefly by dogs to do their business for a short rallying call and there was meant to be a guest speaker, local writer A. L. Kennedy, but she hadn't shown up, so the question was raised, did anyone else want to talk. All 150 of us shrank about three inches and broke eye contact. So we all wandered off.

We made the local paper but you can't see Mel or I in the photos.

I should add that we're not particularly political and we don't always agree with the way protests are conducted. But at the same time we have friends with kids and it's up to us to hand over the planet in as good a condition as we can.

I finally got all my accounts and various other bits of admin sorted out. I know it's irrational but I go through this every year... a crushing fear that I'm going to add up something wrong and end up with a tax bill I can't pay. I've managed to fill out the forms correctly for thirty or so years, so I know it's as daft as being afraid of common house spiders here in the UK, or phasmophobia (fear of ghosts). I suffer from neither, but I am convinced I'll balls things up with my accounts.

It's called atelophobia, apparently. I don't quite fit the definition, because I don't obsess about mistakes per se, but I do imagine mistakes I might make in certain situations. And it definitely causes  overwhelming anxiety and a lot of avoidance.

Anyway, it's all done now, and I can now get away with not doing my accounts until January 2023 if I want to.

Then it was back to writing about Action, although I don't seem to have written much about the comic, more about children's education and trying to dig out biographical information on a number of Argentinean artists.

Which brings me to a pair of delightful books that landed on my doormat a couple of weeks ago, the 2-volume Las historietasw de Patoru Zito: Una Guia Ilustrada by Carlos A. Altgelt. What, you may ask, is Patoru Zito and why does it deserve an illustrated guide? The answer is "Es una neuva publicatcion de la Editorial Dante Quinterno para los ninos y para los grandes que sean amantes de las aventuras."—"It is a new publication from Editorial Dante Quinterno for children and for grown-ups who are adventure lovers."

Dante Quinterno was an Argentinean artist who in 1928 created the hugely popular character Patoruzu, a tribal prince with superhuman strength. Patoru Zito was an adventure comic launched in 1945.

Now, my ability to read Spanish is zero, but that doesn't mean I haven't enjoyed the books. It's a delight to turn a page and find a strip by Alberto Breccia or Leandro Sesarego or Jose Luis Salinas or Carlos Freixas. And tucked away in volume two are notes on a number of British comic strips that were translated, including Tug Transom, James Bond, Rick Random, Ace O'Hara, Wells Fargo (as drawn by Don Lawrence) and various pocket libraries. Fascinating just to look at, I imagine it is exponentially better if you can also read it!

It was good to see names like Sesarego and Breccia turning up as these were the self-same artists I was looking for information on. My attempts to contact some surviving artists hasn't achieved much so far, but I'm ever hopeful. The people I would really like to contact are Geoff Kemp, Stewart Wales and John Smith, but no luck so far. Kemp is thought to have moved to France, but isn't in the French phone book.

Ah, well, I'll keep digging.

Rebellion Releases — 8 September 2021

2000AD Prog 2248
Cover: Cliff Robinson / Dylan Teague (col)

Judge Dredd: The House on Bleaker Street by Kenneth Niemand (w) Nick Percival (a) Annie Parkhouse (l)
Skip Tracer: Eden by James Peaty (w) Paul Marshall (a) Dylan Teague (c) Jim Campbell (l)
Dexter: Somewhere, Beyond The Sea by Dan Abnett (w) Tazio Bettin (a) John Charles (c) Simon Bowland (l)
Tharg's 3rillers present The Mask of Laverna by Robert Murphy (w) Steven Austin (a) Matt Soffe (c) Simon Bowlan (l)
Jaegir: The Path of Kali by Gordon Rennie (w) Simon Coleby (a) Len O'Grady (c) Annie Parkhouse (l)

Badminton Magazine: A History, Index and Bibliography

The Badminton Magazine had its origins in a series of books that began appearing in 1885, named after Badminton House, the grand estate of the Duke of Beaufort. The Duke was a noted sportsman and expert in many rural sports (riding, shooting, fishing, etc.) as well as being Master of the hunt. As general editor of the series, the Duke appointed Alfred E. T. Watson as his chief writer, a well known sports writer and correspondent. The series was a success, but — according to Watson — exhausted all possible subjects after a few years.

It was suggested by Harry McCalmont that he use his contacts to put out a magazine using the Badminton name, and the first issue of The Badminton Magazine of Sports and Pastimes appeared in August 1895. The magazine covered every sporting topic, even introducing new sports (especially from America), and also occasionally published fiction. When original publisher Longman & Green sold it to William Heinemann, they also introduced then-popular competitions and prizes, and colour plates. This proved too expensive, and the magazine was thereafter published by The Sphere, which dropped the colour plates and some of the other content.

Watson was now being asked to contribute upwards of fifty pages a month, some of which were slapdash and inaccurate, meaning that apologies had to be issued; articles were published from unsolicited contributions and full-page photographs helped keep costs down. The magazine again changed hands, taken on by Edward Hulton, whose wife suggested a regular section on ladies' sporting fashions, which was duly introduced, along with the magazine's first regular female journalist.

The Badminton Magazine struggled during the war and Hulton planned its closure. Managing editor John Chandler purchased it in 1916, although the time-consuming circumstances of publishing meant that Chandler and Watson quickly passed it on to Herbert Reiach, a publisher and former contributor who also became co-editor with Watson.

The magazine recovered only briefly after the war ended and by 1920 was expanding its coverage to gardening and natural history, emphasising the changes by becoming The Badminton Magazine of the Open Air. Soon after, Reiach sold the magazine to newspaper publisher Henry Dalziel. Watson died in November 1922 and the opportunity was taken to close the magazine after 330 issues with the January 1923 issue. The New Badminton Magazine of Sport was a very brief revival in 1927.

Chris Harte's introduction touches on every aspect of the magazine's history over 25 or so pages, showing how the magazine covered all the important stories of the day: Birmingham's gunmakers (shoddy or not?) and women cyclists (glowing with health or glowering with disappointment?). There was also the occasional controversy, including a highly biased essay on the Rome Hunt accompanied by a faked photo that led Watson to make a grovelling apology.

The bibliography, listing the contents of all issues, covers over 200 pages; nearly 150 pages are dedicated to thumbnails of every cover of the magazine, books by contributors and an astonishing number of photographs and caricatures of contributors, over 800 in total.

If you have seen Harte's book on The Captain, you will know what to expect. This is the definitive look at this important sporting magazine.

Badminton Magazine. A History, Index and Bibliography by Chris Harte.
Sports History Publishing ISBN 978-189801014-2, August 2021, 406pp, £19.95. Available via Amazon.