British Comics

cross-posted from: https://feddit.uk/post/14189934

> > Neil Gaiman — the best-selling author whose work includes comic book series The Sandman and the novels Good Omens and American Gods — has denied sexual assault allegations made against him by two women with whom he had relationships with at the time, Tortoise Media reports. > > > > The allegations were made during Tortoise’s four-part podcast Master: the Allegations Against Neil Gaiman, which was released Wednesday. In it, the women allege “rough and degrading sex” with the author, which the women claim was not always consensual. > > > > ... > > > > According to Tortoise’s investigation, K did not file a police report. Scarlett filed a complaint to New Zealand police in October 2022. > > > > Gaiman told Tortoise that the police did not pursue his offer to assist the investigation regarding the complaint, claiming that this showed the lack of substance of the complaint. But New Zealand police told the outlet it made a “number of attempts to speak to key people as part of this investigation and those efforts remain ongoing,” adding that there are “a number of factors to take into consideration with this case, including location of all parties.” > > The Tortoise Investigates series

> After an absence of three decades, the first 2000AD Annual of the 21st Century arrives in November – in plenty of time to make it under the tree – from all good comic book shops, as well as the 2000AD webshop. > > This gorgeous hardcover collection will feature a mix of brand new and classic stories from top creators – including John Wagner (A History of Violence), Alan Grant (Batman), Simon Spurrier (Hellblazer, Coda), Dan Abnett (Warhammer 40k), Phil Winslade (Lawless), Fernando Blanco (Detective Comics), Ian Gibson (Halo Jones), Dave Gibbons (Watchmen), Mick McMahon (The Last American), and Emma Vieceli (Life Is Strange). > > It will come in two editions with stunning new covers bringing a fresh twist to the annuals of yesteryear – the standard edition will feature a bold, contemporary ensemble of 2000AD’s greatest heroes by breakout Judge Dredd and Rok of the Reds artist Jake Lynch (Judge Dredd), while the 2000AD webshop-exclusive edition will have a special retro cover by the legendary Brian Bolland (Batman: The Killing Joke), drawing his first 2000 AD annual cover since 1983! > > And, due to popular demand, the 2000AD Annual will be joined by a brand new Treasury of British Comics Annual! > > Last year’s sold out hardcover returns this November with three brand new stories from industry superstars, including Simon Furman (Transformers) and Mike Collins (Doctor Who) on Kelly’s Eye, Alec Worley (Hook-Jaw) and Anna Morozova (Lowborn High) on Black Beth, and Paul Grist (Jack Staff) and Simon Williams (The HOFF: Heroes of Fearless Freedom) on Robot Archie. > > Rebellion has delved in its vast archive to craft a selection of some of the greatest strips ever to appear in British comics – including Adam Eterno, Cursitor Doom, Stryker, and Major Eazy from such esteemed titles as, Scream!, Battle, Tiger, Valiant and Lion!

> Secondary school pupils have created a comic which shares some of the unique historical stories of Scotland’s oldest Highland regiment. > > For the past three months, a group of 30 Perth Grammar School pupils have been putting pen to paper and bringing history to life, detailing seven stories from within the city’s Black Watch Castle and Museum. > > The finished product is a colourful 12-page comic book, which will be made available to visitors through the summer holidays. > > First year pupil Holly Harrold told STV News: “We started off by getting a sheet of questions, and we went through them on our phones and laptops and researched (the story). > > “Then we sketched out a base idea on some plain paper, then wrote what we were going to say about it.” > > ... > > The collaboration between the museum, school and developing the young workforce has been described as “groundbreaking”. > > Funded by Museum Galleries Scotland, the partnership is aimed at inspiring the next generation of heritage enthusiasts.

> Grant Morrison released a previously unpublished short story written for Marvel Comics decades ago – a short, humorous Captain Britain vignette that builds off Alan Moore's iconic run with the character in the 1980s. The story offers a look at the writer's early career, showcasing that their talent and creativity have been there from the very beginning. > > Posted on their newsletter Xanaduum, Morrison's story features an alternate version of the nationalistic character Captain Britain, called Captain Anglia. As the author explained, [Anglia] was just one of many alternatives to "Captain Britain" that they pitched to Marvel. > > Morrison noted that while most of these ideas never made it past the conceptual stage, one of them – Captain Granbretan – did manage to make it to the page. The Captain [Anglia] story shared by the author is the only other one they wrote, which readers can now enjoy after forty years of waiting. > > With alternate versions of Marvel characters gathering together for a party held by Captain Anglia and his sister Bet, Morrison has ample room to poke fun at the tropes of superhero comics. > > In their Xanaduum post, Morrison explained how the story came to be: > > A favourite of mine when I was getting back into comics in the early ‘80s was the Captain Britain strip, written by Alan Moore and drawn by Alan Davis for Marvel UK’s The Daredevils comic and later the Captain Britain title...Eager to generate work for myself at the time, I suggested the idea of text stories based around the alternate universe Captain Britain characters. > > While the idea was greenlit by Marvel UK, Morrison only produced two of the vignettes, with only one appearing in publication. Now, Morrison has shared the previously unpublished second story, entitled “CAPTAIN ANGLIA in Bri and Bet’s Big Garden Party” for the first time in over four decades. Though it is a very short humor piece, it still contains many ideas that are pure Grant Morrison. As an insight into their early career in comics, it represents an undeniably fascinating piece of primitive work. > > Morrison introduced the story this way: > > Inspired yet again by Monty Python’s ever-giving ‘Bicyclerepairman’ sketch, it depicts a world where Captain Anglia and his sister Bet are England’s Royal Family, as well as being superheroes in a world where everyone is a superhero.

Copy edit: they couldn't keep the character name consistent

> Greggs has become a British institution. I first came across the home of the quintessential sausage roll in Newcastle when I was a student there in the early nineties, and then they seemed to follow me when I moved to Manchester, Oxford and then London. Now they are everywhere, an iconic British staple, they even appeared in a car crash in the Fast And Furious franchise. And as of this week, get a mention – if not an appearance – in Marvel Comics' Blood Hunt tie-in comic, Union Jack The Ripper. > > Blood Hunt has seen the Marvel world taken over by vampires as the sky has gone dark, courtesy of Blade. And in Manchester, they are even eating English teachers. Rochdale is to the North East of Manchester and has a number of Greggs to its name, courtesy of British writer Cavan Scott and British artist Kev Walker channelling Paul Grist, John McCrea, Philip Bond and Mark Stafford.

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> Garth Ennis and Brian K Vaughan are teaming up on a brand new series of Battle Action, launching this August from Rebellion/2000AD. A ten-issue magazine-sized monthly anthology will also see John Wagner, Torunn Grønbekk, Chris Burnham, Dan Abnett, Rob Williams, John Higgins, Henry Flint, John McCrea, Steve White, Keith Burns and Tom Foster. > > This includes a brand new revival of the controversial series Kids Rule OK from Brian K Vaughan and Chris Burnham based on the original strip from the seventies weekly comic from IPC, Action, that saw questions asked in Parliament and the comic book cancelled in 1976, with copies pulled from the shelves in outrage. And the final, terminal story of WWII aerial ace Johnny Red by Garth Ennis and Keith Burns. > > Battle Picture Weekly was created in 1975 by writers and editors Pat Mills and John Wagner, it introduced new grittiness into British comics with a cast of anti-heroes, misfits with a bombast and energy that sparked a sea-change in what comics could do, leading to Mills' creation of the controversial Action and then 2000 AD. Which being science-fiction meant the could get away with a lot more, without anyone in government or the tabloid press noticing.

> Just before the new Doctor Who series returns to our screens – the weekend before in fact – Titan Comics will be launching their new Doctor Who comic book series featuring the Fifteenth Doctor and Ruby Sunday on a journey in the TARDIS that looks like it might well fit in between the Christmas edition and the first episode to come. Saturday, the 4th of May is, as well as Star Wars Day, is Free Comic Book Day. And Dan Watters and Kelsey Ramsay are bringing the first chapter of a new story, in which the Doctor hears a siren call across Space and Time. A tune that taps into some of his darkest moments, from the earliest days of the First Doctor, the end of days of the Third, and more recent troubles for the Tenth and Eleventh. > > But where will it actually take him? Why, 1789 in Yorkshire. I'm from Yorkshire and, believe you me, it often feels like 1789, even now. And it's to the day of the execution of famed highwayman Dick Turpin. Man, everything is coming up Dick Turpin these days, one version on Apple TV, another (kinda) on Disney+, but this Dick Turpin seems to have a cyborg arm with a laser blaster on it. Which looks a little out of sorts in eighteenth-century Britain, even in Yorkshire.

As well as the first glimpse.of Fifteen in comic form, Titan Comics also have a Conan comic out for FCBD that features more than the titular Cimmerian:

> Earlier this month, we followed that with the news that The Battle Of The Black Stone was not just Conan and not just the Hyborian Age. And that this was to be a Robert E Howard crossover event. > > And now we have the proof, with Conan, Solomon Kane. Dark Agnes De Chastilion, El Borak. Professor John Kirowman. And the word that this is to be referred to as the Howardverse.

> British graphic novelist Bryan Talbot is set to be inducted into the Will Eisner Comic Awards Hall of Fame, the highest accolade for comic writers and artists from across the world. The BBC spent an afternoon with him in his studio. > > ... > > Born in 1950s Wigan to a coal miner and hairdresser, Bryan's love of comics began before he could even read. > > The word-free visuals of nursery tales gave way to Rupert The Bear and Giles cartoons strips, before he fell deeply for the Beano and Dandy, first bought for him as he lay in a hospital bed after having his tonsils removed. > > "They were just so anarchic", he says of Dennis the Menace and the Bash Street Kids. > > "Before that, comics were very respectful and genteel. Suddenly teachers, park keepers and even parents were the enemy." > > He started drawing his own comics aged about five and excelled in English and art at school. > > He was supported in his ambitions by his mother, who would sketch out hairstyles for her customers, and his father who enjoyed water colouring. > > Bryan was the first in his family to attend higher education, studying fine art and graphic design before finding work in the underground comics industry burgeoning in the 1960s and 70s. > > It was a world of counter-culture, anti-establishment comics from the "hippy generation", full of "sex, drugs, rock and roll" as well as "whimsy and surrealism", Bryan recalls with obvious fondness. > > "The important thing these writers did was reclaim comics as an adult medium," he says. > > But he always harboured a fantasy for something much more ambitious - a full novel told in comic form. > > He tried to create a Lord of the Rings spin-off graphic novel when he was 17, but now says he lacked the skill to pull it off then. > > He certainly had the talent and experience by 1981 when The Adventures of Luther Arkwright, his science-fiction tale of trans-dimensional wars and alterative histories, was published to wide acclaim. > > The nine-part story was released as a single volume at around the same time as Raymond Briggs' When The Wind Blows and Posy Simmonds' True Love. > > "The three of them are the first British graphic novels," Bryan says with a humble pride. > > As an artist he has collaborated with numerous writers, including Neil Gaiman on the Sandman series, Pat Mills on 2000 AD's Nemesis The Warlock and Alan Moore.

> Posting to their newsletter Xanaduum, Morrison shared examples of thumbnails they created for their seminal Vertigo series from the 1990’s, The Invisibles. According to Morrison, they start each comic project by drawing it out themselves. > > “I start by drawing the story as it appears in my head in comic book form,” Morrison wrote in a subsequent installment of Xanaduum, “basing the major beats around interesting and arresting images and sequences.” For Morrison, it’s all about finding exciting things for them and their artists to draw: “I’d never ask an artist to draw something I wouldn’t enjoy drawing myself!” > > After laying out the issue in “thumbnails” – akin to storyboards for comic books – Morrison then transcribes their images to script form. “I convert the drawings into text descriptions with accompanying dialogue ,” Morrison explained, “ and hand the ensuing script version to the artist.” > > Morrison's description of their process is as fascinating as their completed work. “Dialogue and narrative caption ideas appear at this time and can be seen developing in the margins,” Morrison wrote, explaining how the writing flows organically from the images. After laying out the issue in “thumbnails” – akin to storyboards for comic books – Morrison then transcribes their images to script form. “I convert the drawings into text descriptions with accompanying dialogue,” Morrison explained, “and hand the ensuing script version to the artist.” > > While their own thumbnails are crucial to Morrison’s process, the writer also explained in their Substack posts that they usually don’t share the first-draft sketches with their eventual artists: “The artist rarely gets to see the original thumbnails before they go to work turning the descriptions back into artwork!” This insight into Morrison’s process for creating comics is revealing in a number of ways. It absolutely makes sense that Morrison would start with the images when crafting their stories, as comics are a visual medium, and Morrison's writing is so deeply tied to the corresponding visuals.

> Starblazer – Space Fiction Adventure in Pictures was a British small-format comics anthology in black and white published by DC Thomson from 1979 until 1990. DC Thomson recently put out a second volume of Starblazer, this time including early work by Grant Morrison and Bryan Talbot and an introduction by Paul Cornell. > > ... > > A first volume was published by DC Thomson back in 2019, with the previous Mikal R Kayn story Operation Overkill by Grant Morrison and Enrique Alcatena on the cover.

A treasure from the past. Print run was 2.5 years through 86-88.

Lying halfway between Buster and Viz, was Oink! A cheeky, pig-themed, politically aware comic, that generated some hilarous lampoons of other comic strips and media personalities.

Great writers, who came from, and went on to do some further outstanding works.

Favourite strip was New Wave Dave.

> Alan Moore is generally considered the greatest writer in the comic medium. This year, Moore releases one last comic — The Moon And Serpent Bumper Book — a mixture of prose and traditional comic format from indie publishers Top Shelf Productions and Knockabout Limited. Moore has crafted indie comics since the '90s, after his split from DC Comics... > > Alan Moore also wrote some brilliant stories in the indie comic genre (some of which, the Big Two published at a later date). Writing indie comics, Moore had the freedom to take his projects in any direction he wanted, resulting in masterpieces that readers could hardly put down. Alan Moore is a legend, and his indie work often surpasses the Big Two comics that he's known for.

The list is:

• Big Numbers
• 1963
• WildC.A.T.s
• The Ballad of Halo Jones
• Promethea
• The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: The Black Dossier
• Marvelman/Miracleman
• Providence
• The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Volume Two
• From Hell

> Co-written by Moore and his mentor, the late Steve Moore (no relation), it’s safe to say that The Moon and Serpent Bumper Book of Magic could be described as “long-awaited”; it’s been a project in the works for years at this point — Steve Moore died a decade ago, to give you an idea of just how this book has been gestating — and it’s easy to see why: a mix of prose, illustration and comics that spans 352 pages and features contributions from artists John Coulthart, Steve Parkhouse, Rick Veitch, Ben Wickey, and the late Kevin O’Neill, the Moon and Serpent Bumper Book of Magic is nothing less than a guide to the supernatural and unknown from two writers who have firsthand experience. > > The book will be co-published by Top Shelf Productions and British publisher Knockabout Ltd., with Top Shelf editor-in-chief Chris Starks releasing a statement saying, “One of the great honors of my publishing career has been to work with Alan Moore on so many monumental projects, like From Hell and Lost Girls. The Moon and Serpent Bumper Book of Magic represents an amazing capstone, created by Alan and Steve, and brilliantly brought to life by five unforgettable artists. It’s been a privilege to watch those magical minds spend years building this grimoire, and I’m proud to join Knockabout in finally sharing it with the world.” > > The book, gloriously described by Top Shelf as a “clear and practical grimoire of the occult,” will finally be unleashed on the world in October.

> Judge Dredd is, as he’s said on more than one occasion throughout his near-50-year career, the law — but despite some people’s perceptions, that doesn’t mean that the Judge Dredd comic strip is anything close to an endorsement of his support for the inflexible fascistic regime he works for. Proof of that can be found in the current Dredd storyline running in iconic UK anthology 2000 AD; ‘A Better World’ sees the Justice Department deal with the success of a trial program that seemingly proves that defunding law enforcement in favor of social programs results in a healthier, more secure society. > > The current arc builds on a long-running thread through the past few years of Dredd comics, with writers Arthur Wyatt and Rob Williams demonstrating that forces on both sides of the argument over policing are suspicious of the idea of law enforcement attempting to reform itself in any meaningful way. (And, because it’s a sci-fi action strip, the extremes that some of those people will go to influence the conversation.) According to the duo, who talked to Popverse last month about the storyline, they were aware that this kind of “Defund the Police” story would get a lot of attention, but was never likely to escape criticism from readers. > > “Some people are just going to be upset at something no matter what, and if we spent all our time second guessing them we’d never get anything done,” Wyatt argued. “Any time I’ve been writing Dredd and something like Ferguson or some other horrible thing has come on the news I’ve felt bad about not dealing with the real world enough and letting Dredd be a sort of copaganda fantasy, so if anything I’m pushing a bit harder so I’m not disappointed in myself.”

cross-posted from: https://feddit.uk/post/7250203

> > Aneurin Barnard, Hayley Atwell and Jack Lowden lead the cast of science fiction movie “Rogue Trooper,” written and directed by Duncan Jones, whose credits include “Moon,” “Source Code,” “Warcraft” and “Mute.” > > > > The animated film, which is being created with Epic’s 3D tool Unreal Engine 5, was adapted by Jones from the comic book published by 2000 AD, home to “Judge Dredd,” “Halo Jones” and “Sláine.” “Rogue Trooper,” produced by Rebellion and Liberty Films, has wrapped principal photography at Rebellion Film Studios in the U.K. The film is set to be finished next year. > > > > Barnard (“The Goldfinch,” “Dunkirk”) stars as the eponymous Rogue Trooper. Cast alongside him are Atwell (“Captain America: The First Avenger,” “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One”), Lowden (“Slow Horses,” “Dunkirk”), Daryl McCormack (“Bad Sisters,” “Good Luck to You Leo Grande”) and Reece Shearsmith (“Inside No. 9,” “Saltburn”). > > > > ... > > > > “Rogue Trooper” tells the story of 19, a “Genetic Infantryman,” who finds himself the sole-survivor of an invasion force. Desperate to track down the traitor who sold him and his comrades out, the super soldier is accompanied by three killed-in-action squad mates, whose personalities have been stored in his gun, helmet and rucksack. > > > >The “Rogue Trooper” comic book was created by artist Dave Gibbons (“Watchmen,” “Kingsman”) and writer Gerry Finley-Day (“Dan Dare”). > > > > Jones said: “2000 AD offers a very different flavor of comic action: Political and brutal at times, but always with a Pythonesque twinkle in the eye. ‘Dredd’ (2012) was a taste of what 2000 AD has to offer and now we get to show the world another side of the beast. It is a genuine privilege to be given the opportunity to make ‘Rogue Trooper.'”

> For American audiences, though, one of its primary differentiators is the fact that it’s been coming out almost every week without fail — a printers strike and planned holiday season slowdowns aside — for more than four decades now. What does it take to keep up that kind of schedule? Popverse asked editor Matt Smith, who’s been in charge of 2000 AD since 2002, that very question. > > ... > > American periodicals released in the comic shop-centric Direct Market — which offers material to retailers on a traditionally non-returnable basis, with those retailers selling it to customers who are willing to be patient for their favorites — 2000 AD is primarily sold on newsstands in the United Kingdom, which means there are very different pressures to hitting deadlines. > > “Newsstand is very unforgiving on titles that don't hit their on-sale date, so if the issue doesn't go to print on its particular day, then it gets knocked back and that puts pressure on whether it'll reach the shops in time. And then, if it goes on sale late, then [newsstand retailers] get a bit sniffy and you could end up getting fined for not hitting your own sale dates,” Smith explained. “Also, it affects the audience as well. Once the comics doesn't appear when they think it's going to appear, then they start drifting away. You've seen that with other titles that have been and gone, where they start drifting and staggering their on-sale dates, and the audience just loses interest and then gradually the magazine winds up [folding]. So they absolutely have to hit those on-sale dates to keep that audience on board.”

> In 1980, Doctor Who Weekly, published by Marvel Comics UK, included a new comic book strip by Pat Mills, John Wagner, and Dave Gibbons, edited by Dez Skinn, Star Beast. Pat Mills is best known as the founder of 2000AD and co-creator of Judge Dredd, Punisher 2099 and Marshall Law; John Wagner is his Dredd co-creator and the longest-serving creator on that character. Dave Gibbons is best known as the co-creator of Watchmen, Give Me Liberty, and Kingsman and the creator of The Originals. And Dez Skinn, former Marvel editor, publisher of Warrior, Captain Britain, Marvelman, V for Vendetta, Starburst, Comics International and much more. David Tennant is quoted as saying that the Doctor Who Weekly strips were "better than the telly at that time" and he read Star Beast as a kid. > > And tonight that 43-year-old comic book story has been adapted into the 60th anniversary returning Doctor Who starring David Tennant and Catherine Tate, written by Russell T Davies, with Miriam Margoyles as Beep The Meep. Pat Mills will be telling us a lot more about what went down then, in his new book Pageturners: How To Create Iconic Stories From The Creator of 2000AD as an e-book tomorrow, on the 26th of November, after Doctor Who and the Star Beast has broadcast, with the paperback on sale at the same time. All paying subscribers to his Substack will also get a download link to the book tomorrow founding members will receive a signed paperback copy.

> Somewhere, hidden in deepest, darkest Oxford — okay, the darkness might simply have been the weather when I was there — is a legitimate piece of comic book history. Or, more precisely, multiple pieces of comic book history: the archive of Rebellion’s Treasury of British Comics and 2000 AD, which consists of more than a century of back issues, original art, and more. > > Easily one of the largest archival collections of comic book history (and almost certainly, one of the most substantial archives of British comic history in particular), Rebellion’s archive is predominantly made up of material published by what was one of the largest UK comic book publishers of the 20th century, IPC, and its many alternate names, subsidiary companies, and publishers purchased or absorbed into it across the years. (Including but not limited to Amalgamated Press, Oldhams Press, Fleetway Publications, and many more.) While Rebellion bought long-running British sci-fi anthology series 2000 AD at the start of the 21st century, it wasn’t until 2018 that it acquired the complete back catalog of IPC, reuniting what is in effect 130 years of material, and a record of pop culture unlike any other. > > Yes, I wrote 130 years; the Rebellion archive includes copies of Comic Cuts from the 1890s, some of the earlier cartoon papers in the world. To see them — collected in bound editions that are, most likely over a century old in and of themselves, labeled with yellowing paper that they are “library editions” and not to be removed from the collection of a publisher that no longer exists — is a curious experience, because they are at once objects from a distant past and oddly contemporary, using illustration tricks and techniques (and employing a wicked sense of satire) still in use today. > > ... > > The intent, I was told, was not to make the archive a hidden, private collection of material owned and controlled by Rebellion [but] to maintain it as a piece of collective cultural history available to the UK in multiple forms. It’s a bold aim, true, but one that feels thrilling to consider the impact of in years to come. Just imagine what having access to all of this history could inspire in the future.

Anna Readman has been named winner in the Observer/Faber graphic short story prize 2023. This is her entry.

cross-posted from: https://feddit.uk/post/3471692

> > Originally published during the adventure gamebook boom of the 1980s, Dice Man has never been reprinted in its entirety before, but now the complete run of the popular magazine is presented in this massive collection. > > > > Using dice and a pencil, you will become Judge Dredd as he faces off against the Dark Judges, or guide Nemesis the Warlock as they race through the Torture Tube, or help Sláine steal the Cauldron of Blood from the Tower of Glass! > > > > Written by John Wagner, Pat Mills, and Simon Geller, with art by Bryan Talbot, Garry Leach, Graham Manley, John Ridgway, Kevin O’Neill, Mark Farmer, Mike Collins, Nik Williams, Steve Dillon, David Lloyd, Glenn Fabry, and David Pugh, this is the definitive collection of these fantastic dice-based role-playing games.

> The 2000 AD Art of Steve Dillon: Apex Edition will contain work from throughout Dillon's career at 2000 AD. The collection spotlights his work on Judge Dredd through stories that include Block Mania and the Emerald Isle storyline, an early collaboration with Ennis, as well as art from Rogue Trooper and Harlem Heroes. On top of all this, the book will also include the complete art for Red Planet Blues, the sole A.B.C. Warriors story written by Alan Moore, with painted color by John Higgins (Watchmen).

cross-posted from: https://radiation.party/post/124375

> [ comments | sourced from HackerNews \]

> BHP Comics publisher Sha Nazir has announced that he is to wind down BHP as a comic book publisher. Set up in 2011 as an underground comics collective Black Hearted Press, had grown by 2015 into a limited company rebranded as BHP Comics, becoming one of Scotland's premier indie publishing companies. It was shortlisted for publisher of the year multiple times and was a consistent presence on the List Hot 100. > > In mid-2019, BHP successfully expanded into the US market. Volumes included Art & Sketches volumes from Frank Quitely and Charlie Adlard, as well as the series Killtopia, John Wagner and Alan Grant's Rok of the Reds, Clare Forrest's Mighty Women of Science, Gary Chudleigh and Tanya Robert's Plagued: The Miranda Chronicles, Jack Lothian and Garry Mac's Tomorrow, its Full Colour and Bold comics diversity projects, its women in politics anthology We Shall Fight Until We Win and its books found in every secondary school in Scotland. > > However, Nazir stated that the challenges from the COVID-19 pandemic and Brexit significantly impacted the business with shrinking profit margins and escalating costs, exacerbated by Brexit, had rendered international publishing less economically feasible for the company.

> The comic book author and graphic novelist Bobby Joseph has become the first person of colour to be appointed the UK’s comics laureate. > > Joseph, who was one of the first authors to create a British comic with black characters, was appointed to the role at the Lakes international comic art festival (LICAF) in Bowness-on-Windermere in the Lake District on Saturday. > > He is the fifth person to hold the post, which was created in 2014 to raise awareness of the impact comics can have on increasing literacy and creativity. One of the laureate’s key focuses is to increase the acceptance of comics as a tool for learning in schools and libraries.

It's a lengthy interview about his book but I thought I'd focus in on his thoughts about comics from his novel-length "short" story "What We Can Know About Thunderman":

> I mean, 'Thunder Man' was an odd story. I'd been trying to write something like that for a couple of years, and I'd even made a start on a story, but I threw it all out because it hadn't got any real life to it. I realised that this was because I was setting it in England, where I had my first experiences of the comics industry. But I kind of realised that no, England is not where the comics industry is really happening. You've got to go to the source. > > And I'd also had other vague thoughts going through my head. I'd been thinking about superhero costumes and neurological addiction since reading some interesting articles in New Scientist that seemed to suggest that a logo can actually imprint itself upon a child's brain, which I suppose shouldn't be surprising, that's what logos are designed to do! > > Most superheroes can be reduced to just a color combination and a chest emblem. I had a strange image that was like something from an old Superboy comic, and I had no idea what it meant. It was an image of a normally dressed person walking in from the left of a kind of an archetypal 1960s comic book panel with a sort of a bland Midwest landscape and, on the other side, a fantastically-costumed superhero, and they're just walking towards each other as if to shake hands. That became the seed for the final scene. It was a really interesting experience writing that story. > > Let's ask the obvious question... 'What We Can Know About Thunderman' is a satire of the comics industry. How much of it is true? > > Some of the most grotesque scenes I've embellished and in some of them I've flat out lied, but I think that it captures the character of the comics industry and a lot of the most physically appalling things in there are very close to actual reality. > > That said, it isn't a roman a clef. Most of the people in it are composites or inventions. One of the things that I was most pleased with about it was all the names. I've no idea where they were coming from: Jerry Binkall. Brandon Chuff. Worsley Porlock. You know that you're on a roll if you've got names like that cropping up. > > You're retired from comics and you've talked about your bad experiences with the industry before. So why return to the subject now? Is this an exorcism? > > That's exactly the word. I've disowned most of my comics work, including stuff like Watchmen, V For Vendetta, all of the ABC stuff, everything that I don't own. The only active thing I could do was disown it, which was painful. I put an enormous amount of work and energy and a great deal of love into all of those projects and it felt like a bit of an amputation to disown them. > > At the same time, that was the only way to cut out the poison. I don't have a copy of any of those works. I'll never be looking at them again. And even thinking about them, all I've got is memories of having my intellectual property rights stolen and then when I complained about that, being typified as a crazy angry guy; "Alan Moore says 'get off my lawn.'" And yes, alright, I was quite cross, but I don't think without reason and also to suggest that I'm angry about everything is an evasion. It's a means of going, "Oh well, if he's angry about everything then we don't have to worry about what he says about the way that people are treated in the comics industry, he's just angry about everything." > > And once these things have been taken from my hands and made into franchises then they can be given to anybody to do what they want with and that will somehow still be associated with me. > > The comics medium is perfect. It is sublime. The comics industry is a dysfunctional hellhole. So why did I want to return to it in this story? Like you say, it's exorcism. As one of the characters finds in 'Thunderman' it's one thing to quit comics, but quitting comics is a different thing to being able to stop thinking about them. Writing this got an awful lot out of my system. It said a lot of the things that I'd always wanted to say but I'd never really had the right context to say them in. But doing them in a Kafka-esque satire, that worked perfectly. And when I say a Kafka-esque satire, what I mean is that Franz Kafka, while he was reading his stories to his followers and appalled friends, he would be laughing almost too hard to get the lines out. It's horrible, hideous, appalling - but the author was probably giggling when he wrote it. > > You called comics "sublime" just then and it really does feel like, despite everything, you still have a love for the medium. Is that fair?" > > Absolutely. I hope that my love of it comes across; my love of Jack Kirby and many of the other artists and a couple of the writers of his generation. The descriptions of a six-year-old kid glimpsing a comic book rack could not have been written without being able to tap into my memories of what that was like, a first exposure to comics. > > The medium can do anything. Its potential is still almost completely untapped. So it was attempting to express my love of the medium, some of the wonderful people who worked in it, and to also express my horror at the fact that this this little offshoot, the superhero genre, has become a monoculture that's in danger of taking down at least a considerable part of the comics medium with it when superhero movies finally aren't interesting. When that happens, my worry is that a lot of the comic shops won't be able to continue and a lot of interesting independent comics would perhaps not have outlets.

cross-posted from: https://feddit.uk/post/2785199 ([email protected])

> > ! > > ! > > ! > > ! > > ! > > ! > > ! > > From Max Overload, issue 2.

> Millar was not alone in expressing derision at the advert, part of the “Made in the UK, sold to the world” campaign run by the Department for Business and Trade. > > It depicts Dennis and Gnasher alongside the headline “Created in London. Unleashed in more than 100 countries” and in smaller print clarifies that it is referring to the animated television series produced from DC Thomson’s Fleet Street office. > > But this distinction did not lessen the ire of many Beano fans, who on X described the advert variously as “insulting”, “disrespectful” and “predictable”. > > Chris Law, the Scottish National party MP for Dundee West, called the campaign “cultural appropriation” and “utter garbage”. “Perhaps before the UK government start appropriating local Dundee created characters in the Beano they ought to do a bit of basic research,” he said.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/5523686

> Annotation Index - This page accesses all the annotations of Alan Moore and Jacen Burrows H.P. Lovecraft comics issue by issue, including covers – as well other Moore/Lovecraftian works in collaboration with other artists, and related items.

> After more than 46 years, the Galaxy’s Greatest Comic — that’s 2000 AD for those not in the know — keeps on going strong, offering up groundbreaking sci-fi comics on a weekly basis from some of the best creators from the UK and beyond. If that sounds a little daunting for a newcomer, don’t worry; the long-running series’ upcoming issue, it’s 2351st (yes, really), is specifically intended to act as a perfect place for new readers to start… and also for some old fans to get an unexpected thrill, as well…! > > "2000 AD has always strived to publish at least a couple of jumping-on issues per year for those readers looking for the best place to climb aboard. Prog 2351 on September 27th is our latest chance for people to get into 2000 AD - with a great line-up of new stories in Judge Dredd, Feral & Foe and Helium to grab new and returning readers, with handy recaps to get you up to speed," editor Matt Smith told Popverse. "Plus Garth Ennis and Henry Flint have cooked up an epic face-off between two classic 2000 AD characters – an idea that was all Garth’s – that will certainly please long-term readers as well!" > > Those two classic 2000 AD characters Smith is talking about? Well, one is the iconic Judge Dredd, as might be expected — he is, after all, the most well-known 2000 AD character by far. The other, however, might come as much more of a surprise, as Sam Spade Robo-Hunter comes out of retirement to take on the Mega-City One lawman on his own turf.

2000AD have these jump-on issues a few times a year where all the stories sync-up and start in the same issue. It looks like this one has a big hook too.

There's quite a bit of publicity for it including:

• Rob Williams and PJ Holden talk their Judge Dredd story in ‘2000 AD’ new “jump on” issue
• 2000 AD Jump On Issue Features All New Stories, Including Return of Abnett and Elson's Feral & Foe

cross-posted from: https://rabbitea.rs/post/379841 - [email protected]

> ! > > ! > > ! > > ! > > ! > > ! > > ! >

> When the war comic was at the height of its popularity, titles included Battle, Warlord, Valiant, the Hotspur and the pocket-sized Commando, which is still published today. > > Many of the stories published in the 1950s and 1960s relayed the gung-ho heroics of plucky British troops, often up against the odds, fighting two-dimensional German foes who routinely barked phrases such as “Schnell!” or “Gott in Himmel!” from their limited vocabulary. > > But most of the original artwork for those comics – now worth hundreds and sometimes thousands of pounds – was seen as of little value at the time, and was binned, burned or used to mop up floods in the basement of the publisher. Now a dedicated platoon of comic collectors and researchers has tracked down the surviving pieces and the results are to be shown in an exhibition telling the story of the British war comic. > > Predominantly featuring original pages from the likes of the War Picture Library or the Battle and Action comics of the 1960s and 1970s, the exhibition, at the Soldiers of Oxfordshire Museum in Woodstock from next month, will showcase the gritty artwork that made war comics so popular. > > But very few original pieces survive, and Oxford-based Rebellion – the comics company that publishes science fiction weekly 2000AD and which has collaborated with the museum on the show – has been on a mission to gather up those that have.

cross-posted from: https://feddit.uk/post/1761706

> * Helena Bonham Carter > * Simon Pegg > * Bella Ramsey > * Jensen Ackles > * Gwendoline Christie > * Cary Elwes

Now solicited:

> The influence of the comic book has never been greater, from movies to streaming and beyond, but the journey comics took from little-regarded kids' magazines to literary prize-winning books and global franchises turned on a highly unusual group of writers and artists. Few would have expected a small gathering of British comic book fans and creators in the early 'seventies to be a global cultural pivot-point, but this was the start of a disparate movement of punks, dropouts and disaffected youths who reinvented a medium and became the imaginative heart of a global success story. Based on years of interviews with a generation of leading writers, artists and editors, Karl Stock reveals the true story of the wild times, passion and determination that helped, hindered and saw the reinvention of comics. > > In Shops: Nov 22, 2023 > > SRP: 29.99

And from an earlier press release:

> Based on years of interviews with a generation of leading writers, artists and editors, Comic Book Punks: How a Generation of Brits Reinvented Pop Culture examines and celebrates how comics grew from little-regarded kids’ magazines to global franchises. > > Exploring the early careers of the likes of Alan Moore, Neil Gaiman, Grant Morrison and more, Stock tells the story of the triumphs and disasters that rewrote the rulebook on what comics could be and who they should be for. > > ... > > Karl Stock on the acquisition: “The creative revolution which occurred in British comics and spread across the Atlantic at the end of the 20th century had the same kind of pop cultural impact as Britain’s great record labels or city-based music scenes, yet until now it hasn’t been recorded in-depth on the same terms as these other hugely influential movements. Writing this history of an era, a stack of great comics and a group of visionary creators which crackled with genre-redefining invention has been an honour and a great pleasure, and hopefully reading it’s as entertaining and revealing as the research process.” > >Acquiring editor Ben Smith: “Stock has written the definitive account of a generation of comic book creators that turned the entire medium on its head, as important for the graphic novel as the New Hollywood filmmakers of the ’60s and ’70s were for cinema. Stock’s meticulous research, breadth of reading and one-to-one interviews make this group biography unmissable. Peeling back the layers of influence, collaboration and inspiration that saw ever-lasting works of importance created, Stock also finds the lost and overlooked narratives that opened the doors to the escalating ambition of these artists and writers. As we have sadly lost too many creators from that era in recent years, the timing of this book couldn’t be more important in explaining and marking their legacy.”

Amazon

I've previously mentioned the runaway success of the Good Omens graphic novel adaptation and that has got people thinking about Discworld:

> Good Omens' Kickstarter has broken all records for comics on the platform and shows that Terry Pratchett's Discworld is due a rebirth. Discworld is beloved by millions, and despite a spotty history with adaptations, Good Omens shows that it can and should be given the opportunity to flourish. > > ... > > Discworld has had comic adaptations before, including The Color of Magic, The Light Fantastic, Guards! Guards! and Mort. However, these adaptations start at the beginning of Discworld canon, which is significantly weaker than mid and later novels, leaning more heavily into outright fantasy parody than the dense and inviting world that quickly forms. The Discworld books are broken up into both one-off adventures and series following unconnected main characters, most famously the upright Watch Commander Vimes, the powerful and petty witch Granny Weatherwax, and Death, who has a cameo in almost every Discworld novel. At the same time, Discworld's settings evolve as the stories progress, with the city of Ankh-Morpork undergoing social and technological evolution. This kind of true growth and progress is perfect for a serial comic story, as is the ensemble way in which Pratchett structures each book's cast. > > One of the major disadvantages with adapting Pratchett's Discworld novels for screen - as seen in pretty much every TV-movie and series - is the huge budget needed to create living, breathing locations shaped by an army of colorful characters, including trolls, werewolves, and orangutans. However, this is far less of an issue in comics, where talented artists can realize Pratchett's vision without breaking the bank. At the same time, Discworld is famous for its witty dialog and strong narrative voice - elements which comics can bring across, especially by drawing on devices like caption boxes and thought balloons.

> Comic fans might be interested to know what I'm finding kids to be enthusing about these days. I've just been doing a few weeks of summer classes, which have a higher proportion of comics enthusiasts, in comparison to my usual classes in schools. So, here's what seems to be hot and not: > > Bunny Vs Monkey – Hot. A kid today was wearing the t shirt, lots of kids know them from the books. Way more than ever talked about The Phoenix (though one kid today, in Larne, was telling about this comic he gets as well as The Beano. "It's called The Poe-nicks" he said). > > Dog Man – Hot. Followed by Cat Kid. Captain Underpants is a distant third. > > Manga various – Hot. All the kids recognise Naruto. And 11+ kids will regularly ask me to draw someone I'm only vaguely familiar with. Today is was Deku from (checks notes) My Hero Academia. > > Beano – Luke Warm. If they know it, they're fans. In inner-city schools, 75% of kids have never heard of it. In these summer schools, most recognise Minnie The Minx, and a couple have brought issues and annuals – with my work in, would you believe – to be signed. > > Marvel – Luke Warm. Two years ago they were all over it. Now, the primary school kids seem almost unfamiliar with Marvel (Endgame was 5 years ago, which is pre-history to them, so Iron Man and Captain America have been dead as long as they can remember), and the teenagers have moved on since the movies stopped being any good. Everyone had, however, seen Guardians Of The Galaxy 3. > > DC – Luke Warm. They are as likely to name a DC character as a Marvel one, when asked, but with no great fan enthusiasm. > > Star Wars – Luke Warm. There are some leftover Baby Yoda t shirts around, and occasional kids want to know how to draw Darth Vader. > > Stranger Things & Wednesday Addams – Cold. They have very quickly become last year's thing. They'll revive as fast, I'm sure. > > Doctor Who – Cold. It's a rare child, always a geek, who has any interest in this particular franchise. > > 2000AD – Heat death of the universe. No child has ever mentioned 2000AD.

> A new edition of one of the most influential graphic novels ever – in incredible detail and at a scale never before seen! Sláine: The Horned God Anniversary Edition is coming in 2024. > > Timed to coincide with the 35th anniversary of its first publication in 2000 AD in 1989, this new edition of Pat Mills and Simon Bisley’s groundbreaking and best-selling collection will feature brand new scans – meaning readers will be able to see its fully-painted art in unprecedented new detail. > > Measuring 355mm by 270mm, the 208-page paperback Sláine: The Horned God Anniversary Edition will arrive in stores in May 2024. > > Rebellion is also delighted to announce the Sláine: The Horned God Anniversary Edition Slipcase. Available exclusively through the 2000 AD webshop and also measuring 355mm by 270mm, this boxset will feature the three books of ‘The Horned God’ in separate hardcovers, housed in a stunning slipcase covered with Celtic motifs and the ’S’ from the original Sláine logo that featured in Pat Mills and artist Angie Kincaid’s first story in 1983.

Currently on Kickstarter with the GN priced at £25.plus an estimated £10 P&P. As it is currently on £1.4M raised it is crashing through the stretch goals. With such a talented team and coming from the publishing arm of the Terry Pratchett Estate, it couldn't have a better pedigree.

edit: fixed link

Saw this last week in Settle - they have a pot festival with loads of characters created out of plant pots.

In a forgotten and overlooked corner of the sprawling BBC website is BBC Cult and it includes a section on British comics including history of various parts of the field and example comics, including a DR and Quinch story from Alans Moore and Davis.